Event Itinerary
The program itinerary is tightly tied to the attendees. The itinerary consists of informative daily lunchtime presentations from your peers — other event attendees.
We already have 7 participants (including spouses) and we may have more coming still. The number of participants is capped at 10 due to the limited number of rooms at the Selina facilities. These are hostels with 30-50 total rooms at each location (all types). They are not large business hotels with meeting rooms.
While we will spend a lot of time together, anyone can go off on their own at any time. In these cases, a local concierge at each location can help you.
A Typical Day
We will be remotely working in our regular jobs but from coworking spaces in the Selina facilities. I generally start work about 9 a.m. and start calls at 10 a.m. We will have lunchtime presentations together, sharing what we know with each other (see below). By 4 p.m., I wind down the day, have a swim and a beer by the pool, and get ready to go somewhere for dinner.
Lunchtime Training Programs
For the program, each participant presents at least once to the group, usually over lunch. Share what you know – the real insider stuff. We will film most of the sessions so everyone can have a lasting impression.
CCC in CR Part 1
Day 0 - Arrival day (for most)
Upon landing, you will go through customs and get your suitcase. You will head to the transportation area and ask about a cab to the Selina hostel at Manuel Antonio.
There are lots of options and lots of people around to help you. Just tell them you are going to Selina in Manuel Antonio and get them to agree on a price. You might have to pay in advance. A credit card should be fine, but have U.S. $$ just in case. Get out your phone and log onto the airport WiFi network. Send me a message or call me. Leave a message if you must.
When you get to Manuel Antonio check in and get on their WiFi network as well. All the Selina hostels conveniently have the same login and password. If you don’t see me near the check-in desk, text me or call me and I will be there soon.
We will meet in the bar or by the pool and then go somewhere nearby for dinner. Or we might just eat at the Selina hostel. We will decide as a group. It won’t be a late night.
The Selina Manuel Antonio coworking space is up on the left, the rooms are straight ahead and the main pool is on the right.
When you arrive, you may want to explore a bit. There are 3 pools, can you find the other 2?
Day 1 - Thursday, January 6
Wake up, shower, get ready. Then we’ll breakfast together about 8 a.m. and Mike will give a simple Selina orientation. In the morning, we’ll work in the coworking center. We pick out working areas at the start of the day, but it’s great to move around. We’ll lunch together at the main pool with a Costa Rica orientation by Mike. The food will be brought to us. Everyone (spouses, friends, no matter) is welcome to attend all of our activities.
We’ll return to the coworking center for afternoon work. Happy hour is by the pool. Then we’ll have dinner at the Airplane Restaurant (in the background in the picture below) across the street at about 5 p.m. so we can see the sunset from a prime table. This is what it looks like:
For those that want to explore a bit, we’ll make our way to the Jolly Roger restaurant/bar, a short walk up the street. They have live music Thursday-Saturday nights. Back to the Selina hostel by 10 p.m. or so. I (Mike) might take a swim.
Day 2 - Friday, January 7
There is breakfast for those that want it, and we’ll meet up in the coworking space by 9 a.m. You might claim your spot earlier with a jacket or by plugging in a laptop. There will already be people there working. The best spaces may be taken by 9 a.m. but, really, there are no bad spots inside or outside. I (Mike) will be there to answer any questions — I expect there to be many.
We have a group lunch at Selina again, perhaps in the restaurant or at the pool (to be decided by the group). I (Mike) and Esmeralda will put on a simple travel/business Spanish class over a long lunch. I came up with 50 traveler/business phrases and we will add dozens more. Handouts will be provided. The afternoon is for remote working as well, but we will try and finish a little early, maybe by 3 p.m., as it will be Friday.
Then Selina concierge, Rafa Jimenez, will give a short presentation. You probably met him when you arrived. He will tell us about all of the fun activities in the area. After, he can arrange to get you signed up and delivered to exactly the right place (by cab) for fun.
A sunset dinner is down at the beach at one of the strategically located restaurants. We’ll take the bus there. I want everyone to get used to the bus. There will be someplace with live music or we can just wander around. It’s lively. We will take a cab back to the Selina hostel or perhaps to The Jolly Roger, once again.
Day 3 - Saturday, January 8
Beach Day! We will head to Manuel Antonio beach for a day of fun together and on our own.
We will have lunch at one of the many restaurants along the beach.
Day 4 - Sunday, January 9
This is team activity day. We’ll gather about 11:30 a.m. at the Selina hostel for the Catamaran Sunset Cruise (cost is $85/person). It includes all you can eat and drink and ends about 7:30 or 8 p.m. The captain stops for several hours so we can play in the ocean (water toys provided). We will be on a boat with many other people. It’s a MUST DO.
Days 5-11, January 10-15
We will return to our regular remote workdays for the week until we move to Stop #2, Jaco.
We leave Manuel Antonio for Jaco by luxurious Interbus on Saturday, January 15. The Selina facility in Jaco is right on the beach. It’s amazing, I hear. I have not been there so I get to explore as well.
Below is a Selina photo of Jaco.
Our routine adapts a bit for the location, but it’s essentially the same: remote work and lunch presentations during the day, dinners together in town, with entertainment afterward. We are not there long enough for any weekend excursions.
There are LOTS of restaurants and bars and even discos on the main strip. It’s VERY lively.
We are only here for 4 nights and then we are off to the mountains on Wednesday, January 19, again by Interbus.
La Fortuna is at the base of a volcano in the rainforest. The premium Selina property there has live music on Fridays and is in a terrific location 1 block off the main street. You’ll get to meet the locals and the other travelers that come to Selina to socialize.
I will give an orientation on the first day and the Selina concierge will join me.
Our group will visit local restaurants and bars like in other cities and see live music many nights.
It’s really fun to feed the iguanas who come to the pool in La Fortuna every day for lunch.
They eat unpeeled bananas right out of your hand.
La Fortuna Team Excursion
We will be visiting the Los Lagos Hot Springs on Saturday, January 22.
They are lovely and inexpensive. I have been to them twice.
We will take a big cab there about 9 a.m. and eat lunch at the springs.
We will be tired when we get back to our rooms, so we can relax on our own.
We’ll meet at 6 p.m. at the Selina bar and walk to dinner.
End of Part 1
La Fortuna concludes Part 1 of the Colive-Cowork-Collaborate program, but it does not need to be the end of your Costa Rica trip. You can actually extend your monthly pass and pay a prorated $38/day to stay longer. Come with me to Monteverde, Santa Teresa (a very special place), Rosara, and Tamarindo.
We will still be working and hanging out together in CCC in CR Part 2. I might have more friends join us at any step in the journey.
CCC in CR Part 2
Stay with me a little longer (10 to 30 days longer) and see the mountains of Monteverde before we are off to Santa Teresa, Nosara and Tamarindo – all towns with beaches.
Your 30-day monthly pass can be extended and prorated at the same daily rate for up to two additional weeks. Talk directly to me about your needs and we will develop a strategy.
Lodging for Part 2
If you want to participate in Part 2 of the trip,
I need to know ASAP as things are filling up very fast.
I will share my lodging so you can plan.
We begin with an Interbus that takes us from La Fortuna to Monteverde, even higher up in the mountains.
I have not been to this location so it is new to me. There are no longer any presentations in the program. The relaxed focus is on coliving and coworking.
There is a cute little town above the clouds I hear. The Selina hostel there has a hot tub!
We are not here long, as we will be getting back to the beaches. We again take Interbus from place to place, this time to Santa Teresa. I spent over a week here in 2021 and it is one of the gems of Costa Rica. Selina has 2 properties there and we are staying in the more fun one (Selina North) with the VW bus welcome desk.
I have seen the coworking space and it was not up to my standards. There may have been improvements so we will look and see. We don’t have any presentations but we may be working on some projects together by this time.
In the morning, we will bike or cab it to Selina South and work from there so you can all see what another first-class facility is like. After we sample the options, as a group, we will decide where to work in Santa Teresa.
On the west coast of Costa Rica is Nosara, a lovely town with a great vibe and great beaches.
I have not been there, so it will be new to me.
The Selina facility in Nosara is billed as amazing, one of their top properties anywhere.
Tamarindo is a very fun, hopping town packed with Americans and Canadians. It is full of clean beaches, bars and live music nightlife. This is also the best place in all of Costa Rica to learn to surf. I stayed here for two weeks previously and know this town very well.
Selina – Tamarindo is really fun so we may hang out there a bit. I stayed there for 2 weeks in 2021
and the facility was very difficult to work from. They have made improvements, but it is still not adequate.
Tamarindo is a VERY fun town and I know it well. We will see the sunset every night from the beach, often at a restaurant/bar. There are bonfires and amazing fire dancers on the beach every night.
That’s It. I will continue on for another month visiting friends who live north of Tamarindo. I can recommend lots of places to go if you want some advice. I might recommend Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean side. There are lots of great places to stay at, including Selina hostels.