Feel the beach vibes of Santa Teresa
Feel the beach vibes of Santa Teresa
–
With its charming laid back lifestyle, perfect waves and incredible healthy food, Santa Teresa got the hot spot and dream destination for remote working people, person who opted out, surfers and tourists. Santa Teresa is located on the Nicoya Peninsula belonging to the district Puntarenas in Costa Rica. The fastest way to get there is by ferry from the main land. Once Santa Teresa was a sleepy small fishing village located on the western edge of the Peninsula. The last few years this place recently developed to a tourists attraction like Tulum or Canggu. However, until now it’s still a very raw and wild village with gravel roads and without big hotel complexes. It still convinces with bohemian spirit, yoga classes, wild surfer beaches and cute handicraft shops. We would spent at least 5 nights in Santa Teresa to really soak in the vibes!
1. Go surfing!
If I would have to describe Santa Teresa in two words it would be “surfing” and “eating”. I could spend weeks there with this small schedule. Surfing in the sunrise and in the sunset is the best here, the colors are out of this world!!
La Point Surf Camp
We highly recommend this surf school for beginners and advanced surfers. As a total beginner you should definitely first go to a surf school! Although it’s a lot of fun to surf on your own, you get only better with surf lessons and video analysis. Depending on the waves and the level they will bring you to different beaches in the area.
Rent a board at Kina Surf Shop or Selina Hostel
You can also rent a board and go surfing independently. But it’s only recommended if you have a little bit of surfing experience. Our favorite place for surfing was Playa Hermosa a little north of Santa Teresa, since there were less people. Santa Teresa Beach is usually more crowded since it is pretty easy to get there with your surfboard under the arm. If you don’t have a rental car, you can rent a bike or a scooter with surfboard bracket.
We noticed a huge current in the water, so be careful! Most beaches are sandy without stones, but there are some rocks from here to there. It’s always better to ask the other surfers how the conditions are at this day.
2. Playa Santa Teresa and Playa Carmen
The closest beaches to the main road through the village (with all the cafés and shops) are Playa Santa Teresa and Playa Carmen. Since they are easy to reach for people by food they are always a little more crowded. Especially in the evening a lot of people go there to watch the sunset. However, if you walk a little north of Playa Santa Teresa it’s really beautiful and calm there! Although Playa Hermosa is my favorite beach, the waves were pretty good here, too!
3. My favorite beach Playa Hermosa !!
I love this huge white beach framed by palm trees! It’s just so beautiful there! The small sand roads get a little bumpy from Santa Teresa to Playa Hermosa, but I find it very charming! You can leave your car at a bigger parking space in the forest and walk 20 meters from there with your surfboard to the ocean. I love the morning and evening mist drifting in front of the palm trees. And the sunsets here, oh my gosh…the light is so beautiful!! There is only sand ground in the water!
4. Visit Montezuma on a day trip
From Santa Teresa you will need 30 minutes by car to get to Montezuma. It’s a lot calmer then Santa Teresa, only offering a few restaurants and a shop here and there. For us it was a little too calm and remote, but maybe it’s because we’ve been there in the rainy season and Corona. However, there is a beautiful trail along the coastline and definitely worth a day trip from Santa Teresa!
Hike to Playa Grande and Naciobal Wildlife Refuge Romelia
You can park your car at Playa Montezuma and hike the beautiful trail along the coast to the small bay Piedra Colorado. From there, climb some rocks and continue the trail to Playa Grande. There aren’t many people, but it is so beautiful there! There is also a protected turtle breeding station.
Montezuma Falls
Just 5 minutes from the centre of Montezuma village you can visit Montezuma Falls. It is one really beautiful high fall and there is also a nice looking hanging bridge on the way to the waterfall!
5. Best thing in Santa Teresa: EATING!
For me Santa Teresa is all about surfing and good food! There are hundreds of incredible cafés and restaurants, all pretty small and built with lots of love. Probably every second café sells vegan meals and smoothie bowls. It’s really common to go there directly after a surf session in your beach clothes to get some coffee and banana bread. We checked out a few cafés and restaurants and listed our favorites below:
Vermú Café !!
I love this cute little café! We’ve been there twice, because the food was so good and the café is very cosy! We absolutely loved the vegan energy bowl, falafel bowl and the banana bread!
Cafca Café
On your way from Playa Hermosa back to Santa Teresa stop here at Cafca Café! It’s such a cute little café with very tasty peanut butter smoothie bowls and avocado toast!
The Bakery
This famous café called “The Bakery” is incredible! They have all kinds of croissants, cinnamon rolls, cakes and pastries! Also they have smoothie bowls, vegan salads, falafel bowls, rice dishes….loved it there!
Earth Café
Earth Café is also a small very cute café with lots of vegan options! We had some nice avocado toast there!
Eat Street – favorite restaurant for the evening !!!
There are lots of cafés in Santa Teresa to visit throughout the day. But this one, Eat Street, is my absolutely favorite for the evening! They put several containers together as an U and built a roof above all of them. In the center is a big seating area and you can choose between different kind of kitchens. Each container has a different kitchen. My favorite one was the vegan Tofu Teriyaki Bowl. They also have a container for smoothie bowls and cake.
Café Social
Acai Bowls a la Bali style, avocado toasts and wraps.
6. Stay in a nice airbnb or hostel
Selina Santa Teresa South & Surf School
Santa Teresa fortunately still doesn’t have these big hotel complexes. Either you rent an airbnb, a small hotel or you stay in a hostel. We decided to stay in a private room of the famous Selina Santa Teresa South & Surf School. It’s right in the middle of the village, close to the ocean and close to the cafés and restaurants. The furniture is very modern and boho, they have a pool area, a huge co-working space, a big yoga roof top terrace and an old truck as a café and bar. Also they have a surfboard rental for only 10 USD per day. The people there were really cool and of all age.
Other nice hotels to check out:
– Santa Teresa Surf Vista Villas (a little up the hill but great view!)
– Villa Cacao (really modern and nice airbnb)
7. Co-working spaces in Santa Teresa
Since there are a lot of backpackers and remote working people in this hip and modern village, there are several co-working places, too. We listed them below:
- Selina Santa Teresa South & Surf School
- Outside Santa Teresa (co-working villas all over the world!)
- Sky Loft – Coworking in paradise
8. Go shopping !
Pacific Wolf Factory
A super cute ethically made clothing boutique of expat people. The clothes are all designed by the owners
Kina Surf Shop
Best surf shop for swimsuits, beachwear and surf rentals.
9. Drive further north to Nosara
If you are ready with Santa Teresa and Montezuma, we highly recommend to drive the coast further north to Nosara. Unfortunately the sand roads are very bumpy, therefore you need 4 hours. However, Nosara is the little sister of Santa Teresa. A little less popular but with the same vibes as in Santa Teresa! It’s also perfect for surfing and has some really nice cafés, too!
Take this route from Santa Teresa:
– Playa Carillo
– Samara Beach
– Nosara (Swing at Coyol Restaurant, El Jardin Café, Café Social Nosara)
10. More time left?
- Curú Wildlife Refuge
- Pranamar Village & Yoga Retreat
- Horseback Ride into the Sunset with Ollie’s adventures
- Playa Mal Pais for snorkeling
How to get to Santa Teresa?
The easiest way to get from the main land to the Peninsula of Montezuma, the famous Santa Teresa and Nosara is by ferry. The ferry departs several times a day from Puntarenas on the mainland and needs around 2 hours until you arrive in Paquera on the Peninsula. From Paquera you need another 1.5 hours car drive to Santa Teresa. You can buy a ticket for the ferry directly at the harbor. It’s also possible to get to Santa Teresa without the ferry via driving the detour along the shore. Since a lot of roads are gravel roads, it takes 1-2 hours longer then via ferry.
If you don’t have a rental car, you can take the Direct Bus Service from downtown San Jose to the Puntarenas ferry. A bus will cost around 15 USD, the bus leaves twice a day coinciding with the ferry schedule.
Good to know?
The one and only ATM in town is located at the beginning of the main road. Many restaurants accept credit cards, but have some cash with you!
About the weather?
Dry season: December – April
High chance of no rainfall and clear blue sky.
Rainy season: May – November
The weather in the rainy season is in general better in Santa Teresa and Nosara then in Uvita, there is still a lot of sun. Mornings are usually sunny and clear, sometimes there is a short rain shower in the afternoon. In the evening there is often a beautiful sunset with some clouds. It often rains throughout the night.
Anzeige / ad: The hotels, restaurants and companies we mentioned above didn’t sponsor us. All our recommendations are always based on our own opinion.
Comments (1)
Write a Comment
Follow our journey on Instagram
[…] ↠ Read more: “Feel the beach vibes of Santa Teresa“ […]