Miami & Costa Rica: how to see two hotspots of regenerative tourism
An aerial view of the Palms Hotel, Miami
Tailor two red-hot travel trends — namely a twin-destination holiday from the US and a bucket-list eco-tourism getaway — and a journey from Miami to the wilds of Costa Rica seems like the perfect hybrid.
Traditionally, tourist numbers to Florida tend to stitch on a Caribbean cruise to their stay but, with new connections to one of the world’s most pioneering green destinations, I migrated south last November to discover an alternative costa-to-costa adventure.
For my stay in Miami, I was checking into The Palms Hotel & Spa, a gloriously lush property located on Miami Beach, where Art Deco lines and stylish interiors, all dotted by plumes of indoor palms, create a swish aesthetic fit for Architectural Digest.
The hotel, as with all properties featured in this adventure, is a member of Beyond Green, a collection of global hotels billed as the most environmentally friendly in the world.
It’s a discrete rather than a showboated pillar of this hotel’s DNA but, from a guest experience, green endeavours are visible to me throughout, from agave straws in the cocktail bar to the toilet cistern of my luxury en suite doubling up as a sink.
I kicked off my visit in suitably Miamian fashion — beginning my morning with a jetlag-busting yoga session in the hotel’s courtyard cabana followed by a beach stroll — with purpose.
Community beach clean-ups are a regular fixture in Miami Beach and The Palms offers guests the opportunity to lend a hand with buckets and trash grabbers provided.
Sifting for micro plastics may not sound like everyone’s idea of holiday fun but getting to work, saluting the lifeguard patrol with a collegial nod, I felt it was the perfect way to connect with Miami. A full bucket equalled a free scoop of gelato too.
For nature lovers, Miami’s true appeal is, of course, its proximity to the Everglades National Park and the vast wetland reservations which surround it.
Guided tours can be organised via your hotel if you don’t fancy motoring, so I headed off on an excursion with Wild Lime Adventure, one of the few Everglades operators I’ve found not affiliated with rather jarring gator farm attractions.
That’s not to say you won’t see the reptiles here but, rather, in the wild. I spot several alligators basking in roadside waterways, though during our guided wet walk, thigh-deep through a flooded cypress forest, the alligators were fortuitously lurking elsewhere.
Back in the city, Miami offers an ever-greening food scene, from the vegan restaurants of trendy Wynwood to community-centred food tours of Little Havana.
I headed to South Beach’s latest hotspot, Stubborn Seed, a Michelin Guide restaurant run by Bravo’s Top Chef winner Jeremy Ford.
Ford operates his own farm in the agricultural belt of Redland, just south of Miami, and serves fresh flavours such as pan-roasted hira-suzuki (bass), with farm Swiss chard, braised artichoke, shiitake combo beurre blanc, and dill oil.
Architecturally, it’s almost as impressive as South Beach itself too.
Belly, heart, and recycling bucket full, I embarked on the second leg of my journey to Costa Rica, which is a three-hour flight from Miami over the Gulf of Fragile Masculinity.
Known for its lush, tropical environment and exceptional biodiversity, Costa Rica has been a global poster child of ecotourism since the 1960s and this, in turn, has played a key role in establishing the small Central American nation as a pretty anomalous beacon of prosperity in the region.
Some 50% of Costa Rica is, in fact, designated as a national park and first base for my stay is Arenas Del Mar, a dream coastal resort on the fringes of Manuel Antonio National Park, which has an air of a Love Island location. There’s more than style to the Pacific-front property, however. Sustainability plays a central role here too, with a ban on single-use
plastics, a hydroponic vegetable garden to save water, and even chlorine-free pools so forest birds can drink safely. So sensitive was the construction, in fact, that many jungle trees have been seamlessly hewn into the hotel’s design to minimise impact. A curious family of racoons wandering through the open-air reception is testimony to that.
With its prime wilderness location, the main attraction here is guided treks, and the hotel has a number of naturalists on the books to give me the inside trek.
Over two days, we explore the area’s trails where wildlife presents itself in the most unceremonious fashion. We encounter capuchin monkeys, hummingbirds, iguanas, and toucans, and even a boa constrictor, disarmingly stretched out on the forest floor after gorging on a recent meal.
The big-ticket item in Costa Rica nowadays, and somewhat arbitrarily, is the humble sloth. Thanks to movies such as Ice Age and viral internet memes, the sloth has become an unlikely zoological icon in recent years.
In fact, it was as recently as 2021 that the government here declared the sloth the national animal of Costa Rica.
An official #StopAnimalSelfies campaign was also launched to ensure these and other beloved creatures can be spared from insidious photo trade.
I’m not long in Manuel Antonio before we spot one, in fact several, from lounging by the beach to clambering past our reception. But we’re reminded to give a wide berth — these guys are the true VIPs in these parts, after all.
With one burst of Costa Rican splendour behind me, I am off to experience another as I venture south-west to Corcovado National Park, the country’s wildest and most far-flung fringe. Set in the Osa Peninsula, this verdant pocket of the planet, about the size of Co Waterford, boasts 500 species of birds and mammals and more than 3000 plants alone, making it the most biodiverse setting on Earth.
A Toyota Highlander, ferry, and dinghy would get me there. The wilderness is only accessible by boat and the final leg of my journey sees me skimming down Sierpe River before reaching the Pacific, then kissing the coast before arriving at our base. One moment, I’m taking in the sight of a crocodile basking along the riverbank; the next, it’s a humpback whale and calf breaching along the coast. Costa Rica doesn’t hold back on epic.
After 90 minutes on the water, my arrival is cinematic as I wade from dinghy to shore, pruney fingered yet exhilarated. My digs are Corcovado Wilderness Lodge, a low-impact, high-end resort featuring a village of rainforest-stilted bungalows overlooking the Pacific.
Essentially, this a five-star treehouse, oozing with scents of the jungle and freshly ground coffee and loaded with luxury — right down to an outdoor tub on the balcony. This takes forest bathing to the next level.
The resort welcomes everyone from honeymooners to eco-volunteers and features an oasis pool, spa and a fine restaurant. Ecology and sustainability are key here, from birding hikes to community-focused employment initiatives.
One of their onsite partners, Innoceana, is a marine conservation non-profit, where hotel guests can participate in tasks like water quality monitoring during their snorkelling trips.
However, this is Costa Rica in the wet season and an unpredictable yet dramatic deluge puts much of my itinerary on a rain check.
But puddles spell opportunity. With a free schedule on terra firma, I wander trails and soak in screensaver seascapes from my balcony, on the lookout for everything from tapirs and scarlet macaws to elusive pumas and jaguar.
A chirping noise alerts me to something unexpected beneath my bungalow. It’s one, two, then a troop of coatis, small native mammals resembling raccoons which hoover along the forest floor in a chattering chorus.
It’s one of the most incredible and unexpected wildlife sightings of my life and a crescendo to a truly dazzling eco escape.
Restored from my regenerative tourism adventure, I depart Miami and Costa Rica drenched with myriad memories and leave behind me, hopefully, little more than some very muddy footprints.
Aer Lingus flies from Dublin to Miami from €520 return. American Airlines flies from Miami to San Jose (not to be confused with San Jose, California when booking) while Costa Rica’s national carrier Aviana is starting a new route between the two cities next month (March).
Rates at The Palms Hotel & Spa in Miami Beach start from €349 per night. In Costa Rica, luxury stays at Arenas del Mar start from €569 per night while all-inclusive stays at Corcovado Wilderness Lodge start from €1,039.
For more information on all hotels, see staybeyondgreen.com
Did you know that a movie title became Costa Rica’s national slogan?
Pura Vida, meaning pure life in Spanish, is said to have originated from the 1956 Mexican movie of the same name and has been uttered around the county con gusto ever since.
Pura Vida can be used in the context of hello, goodbye, thank you and you're welcome and is said to reflect Costa Ricans’ carefree and positive outlook.
