Santa Teresa – Living the Pura Vida
Create your own surf and yoga retreat in Costa Rica
Let’s get to the point and keep it short: Charlie found paradise!
Here are the why, where and how…
Santa Teresa
It is a small town in the southwest of the Nicoya peninsula in Costa Rica. It is a long sandy beach, followed by forest, then a road (that is only partially paved) and some small houses on either side of this road. To get to the beach and the surf, you only take a short walk through the forest. There are no big holiday resorts in Santa Teresa, but plenty of hostels, lodges, and boutique hotels that cater to (almost) any budget.
Along the road, you find supermarkets, cafés, restaurants and small boutiques. One thing that you don’t find in Santa Teresa is cheap tourist shops. For that, you have to go to Tamarindo or Jacó.
The road that leads through Santa Teresa is only partially paved and there is a reason why most people travel by off-road bikes or ATVs. It makes the charm of this town though. As you walk along the road, you will see creative ways of transporting surfboards on all types of vehicles.
Surfing in Santa Teresa
The beach and the waves make Santa Teresa a tourist hotspot, even though it doesn’t feel like such. Almost every local is a surf instructor and almost every tourist there is a surfer. You can feel that the moment you enter Santa Teresa. It’s purely good vibes all around. Just as you imagine a surf town to be.
You can rent a surfboard directly on the beach or in many places along the main road in Santa Teresa. When Charlie was there, the ocean was pumping, and she got to admire the better surfers catching overhead waves in crystal-clear water. The waves there are always a bit bigger than what the forecast said. When Charlie was there, she was looking forward to 3-4 ft waves, but it ended up being 5-6ft. The beach is very wide and long with multiple beach breaks. Even with some surf schools being around, it never felt crowded, and everybody got to catch their waves or whitewash.
The waves in Santa Teresa are quite steep and fast and most enjoyed by experienced surfers. It is also great to watch as there are lots of local surfers with a high level of skill. You can expect to see barrels and aerial surfing as well as regular local surf competitions.
As the beach is facing west, you get to see and surf in front of a stunning sunset.
There are other surf beaches not too far away from Santa Teresa and the waves are a bit gentler in the more Northern Hermosa Beach and the Playa Carmen further South. Whilst Carmen is within walking distance, Hermosa requires a means of transport. You can get there by Easy Hop. They don’t allow surf boards though. You can hire one in the place where the shuttle drops you off close to the beach. There are also two coffee shops, one of them provides lockers. Hermosa is best to surf at high tide.
Yoga in Santa Teresa
Almost every accommodation that you will find in Santa Teresa offers multiple Yoga classes per day. If you miss one, you will find another one shortly after from sunrise till after dark.
Charlie stayed at Zeneidas Surf Garden, a surf hostel, where they even had a separate Yoga deck surrounded by trees and with the sound of the ocean in the background. Charlie did a Hatha class in the morning at 7.30 am, Vinyasa Yoga at 9 am, and a restorative Yoga class at 6.30 pm, just after sunset. The price was $8 for hostel guests, $10 for non-residents, and $25 for a three-class package. You could decide a few minutes before the class whether you wanted to join or not, no pre-booking required. Apart from Yoga, there were also dance and breathwork classes.
One of the girls that Charlie met at Zeneidas compared it to a surf and yoga retreat where you make up your own schedule spontaneously and that’s how it felt for Charlie. She did Yoga whenever she wanted, went surfing when the conditions seemed right for her, went for coffee and smoothies at any time of the day and chilled in one of the many hammocks at Zeneidas Surf Garden when she needed a rest.
Arts & Crafts
Directly at Zeneidas Surf Garden is a ceramics workshop that guests can take classes with. A stroll along the main road in Santa Teresa reveals quickly that it is a place for artists. There are art cafés and multiple workshops. Most of the things that you can buy in the boutiques in Santa Teresa are also handmade by local artists. Charlie was not surprised that this place is an inspiration for many.
Where to stay in Santa Teresa
Charlie stayed at Zeneidas Surf Garden and she can only recommend this place. There is a type of accommodation for any budget, from dorms to single-use cabins, a real community vibe with a shared kitchen and regular Yoga classes and it only takes a two-minute walk to the beach and some of the best waves in the world. Most of the people she had met there were staying a few weeks, and some were meant to travel further through the country but somehow got stuck in Santa Teresa. Charlie could see why that is!
There are similar types of accommodation everywhere in town from hostels to lodges and boutique hotels. Charlie would stay at Zeneidas again as it ticks all the boxes and is the best value for money.
Going out in Santa Teresa
In some ways, Santa Teresa feels a bit like a party town too. A lot of travellers are after a good night out which either takes shape in a party at the hostel or a stroll to one of the bars. The most obvious choices are Banana Beach Bar and Kooks. Banana has a sunset beach party every Wednesday starting in the late afternoon. Kooks is an American-style bar that shows sports matches and offers live music in the evenings. It is best to check out their Instagram account to find out what is on for the night. The style of music usually varies every night.
There are other places in Santa Teresa such as Somos or Kika. For them too, Instagram is the best way to find out what is on. Then there is Ranchos Itaúna, which is also right on the beach and regularly plays live music or DJs in the evening. The most popular is the Sunday afternoon.
Santa Teresa for digital nomads
When Charlie returned to Santa Teresa for the second time, she stayed five weeks and of course, she had to work whilst there. She could work from Zeneidas in the morning, but it got too hot by 11 a.m. She needed a place with air conditioning. One of the two Selina hostels was only a short walk from Zeneidas. Selina always has a co-working space that non-residents can use and this one was no difference. The day pass was USD 12 and they have weekly and monthly passes as well.
The bar Kooks also offers their indoor space for coworking during the day. You do not have to pay anything and you get coffee and water for free. They offer a special coworking menu too.
One thing Charlie noticed during her stay though is that Santa Teresa does not attract many nomads. Most of the people that stay a bit longer are travelling around and not working. The majority of people though is only staying for a few days and Charlie has seen a lot of change. Even at the coworking space at Selina, people usually changed on a weekly basis. There are some people that stay longer, but there is no digital nomad community in Santa Teresa.
How to get to Santa Teresa
Charlie came from Tamarindo and had booked a shuttle service with TropicalTourShuttles. It brought her door to door. There are similar shuttles and buses from San José, however, this can take eight or nine hours. Alternatively, you can get a flight from San José to Cobano with Costa Rica Green Airways and then take a taxi or shuttle from there. In Santa Teresa, you can also use Easy Hop to get from one end of town to the other if you don’t feel like walking along the road.
