Dry · peak
01 / 12
January
26-32° · Clean medium · Peak
Holiday energy still in the air. Postcards everywhere.
Best forFirst-timers, families.
Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
A travel guide,by people who live here.
Playa Santa Teresa sits on Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula, on the southern Pacific edge of the Puntarenas Province. It's a former fishing village that, over the last two decades, became one of Central America's quiet capitals of surf, yoga, and slow food — without losing the dirt road that runs through it.
Playa Santa Teresa · CRMap · © OpenStreetMap
The guides
Six topics, one town.
Each guide is written for one kind of question. Built from a local cheat sheet and a year of road-testing.
01Live forecast · 4 breaks
Surfing
Real-time wave height, the four main breaks, board rentals, lessons, and surf etiquette.
Read the guide
0230+ restaurants
Dining
Coffee, sushi, fine dining, beachfront. Photos, must-orders, and walking distances for 30+ spots.
Read the guide
03Boats · waterfalls · ATV
Activities & Adventures
Tortuga Island boat days, Montezuma waterfalls, bioluminescence, tide pools, ATV adventures.
Read the guide
04Day-by-day calendar
Nightlife
Where the night lands each day of the week. Speakeasies, beach bars, jungle parties.
Read the guide
055 studios · cold plunge
Yoga & Wellness
Five studios within walking distance, Florblanca's contrast circuit, the lifeguard gym.
Read the guide- 06
Seasons · getting here
About Santa Teresa
How to get here, when to come, why everyone rents an ATV, and how to plug into the community.
Read the guide
Six guides, one base camp
Read all six.Stay in the villa above them.
Casa Calyx is a ten-minute walk down the mountain from town — the sushi place, the yoga deck, the surf school, the speakeasy, the boat dock, the spa circuit. All of it is the same walk.
A year in Santa Teresa
Twelve months, twelve moods.
Costa Rica has two seasons but Santa Teresa has twelve. The wave changes monthly. So does the crowd. Scroll the calendar — find the version of this town you want.
Currently · May
Dry · breezy02 / 12February
27-33° · Clean smaller · Peak
Cleanest mornings of the year. Bring sunblock.
Best forSurf travelers, honeymoons.
Dry · peak03 / 12March
28-34° · Clean · Peak
Hottest dry month. The pool is constantly in use.
Best forPool people, beach days.
- Transition04 / 12
April
28-34° · Clean medium · High
Last clean month before the rains arrive.
Best forLate dry-season escape.
- Shoulder05 / 12
May
27-32° · Building · Lower
Afternoon storms start. Mornings still gold.
Best forQuiet seekers, retreats.
Green · quiet06 / 12June
26-31° · Bigger · Quiet
The jungle goes electric. Lineups empty.
Best forLong stays, nomads, surf upgraders.
Green · big07 / 12July
26-31° · Solid swells · Quiet
European travelers arrive. Town has a softer rhythm.
Best forSurfers, slow couples.
- Green · big08 / 12
August
26-31° · Heaviest · Quiet
Biggest waves. Warm rain. Cleanest air after a storm.
Best forConfident surfers.
Green · quiet09 / 12September
26-30° · Big & glassy · Very low
Lowest crowds. Best deals. Best surf in years for some.
Best forInsider trips.
Green · big10 / 12October
26-30° · Pumping · Very low
Wettest month. Some businesses close for two weeks.
Best forHardened locals, surf nerds.
Transition11 / 12November
27-31° · Cleaning up · Building
Rains taper. Town reopens slowly. The shoulder sweet spot.
Best forHoneymoons, anniversaries.
- Dry · peak12 / 12
December
26-31° · Clean medium · High
Holiday energy returns. Reserve early.
Best forChristmas escapes.
Stay where you read about it
All of this,a short walk from the door.
Casa Calyx is a ten-minute walk down the mountain from town — close enough to spend a week eating breakfast at Brekki, surfing Carmen, and watching the sun drop into the Pacific from your own deck.