Northshore Magazine

Northshore January/February 2019

Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.

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110 but the skies are dark, and rain is pouring down in buckets. I settle into my spacious room, which is surrounded by lush vegeta- tion, and then don a bathrobe and catch the shuttle to the hot springs down the road. e rain has cooled them down slightly, but it's relaxing to lie back in the warm water and watch the raindrops plop around me, giving rise to a layer of steam that settles on the surface of the water. When it's time for dinner, I meet up with my group, and we all eat shrimp in our bathrobes at a table near the pool and toast the trip ahead. e next morning, we reunite for a yoga class. I'm not particularly flexible, nor am I practiced at stilling my mind, and at home my yoga practice is limited to making an increasingly frustrated series of grunting sounds while I try to mimic the poses on one of my wife's DVDs. Here, though, in the open air of the rainforest, the movements feel more natural, and I'm at peace with my limitations. "Eliminate any thoughts or feel- ings that are interfering with this extraordi- nary moment," our instructor says in a placid voice. Usually, this sort of instruction only sends me down a manic spiral, with my brain chastising itself for following one unproduc- tive thought train after another. But right here, right now, I'm somehow able to focus Located outside La Fortuna (about three hours from San José) and set on more than 900 acres of tropical reserve land, Tabacón is home to Costa Rica's largest network of natural hot springs as well as two restaurants, four bars, a fitness center, a spa, and 103 luxury guest rooms and suites. Hotel guests receive free access to the property's thermal pools and exclusive access to the adults-only Shangri-La Gardens, an area at the top of the springs with large cabanas and dedicated butlers. The thermal pools range between 72 and 105 degrees. The large guest rooms are decorated with artwork and furnishings by Costa Rican artists and artisans. The property has over 1,200 square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor meeting space suitable for weddings or corporate events. on the right here and right now. Later, on our drive out to a waterfall hike, Arenal Volcano looms over us, majestic. It's often socked in by fog, we're told, but today the views are clear. During the 500 or so steps down to the waterfall, our guide points out the poisonous bullet ants on the railing, and uses a laser pointer to show us a viper coiled up on a tree branch—reminders that the nature here isn't all benevolent. When we reach the bottom, some adventurous souls are clambering over slippery rocks and swim- ming out near the thunderous falls, but I stay on the sidelines. Just as I'm nearly asleep on the table, the

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