. . . s a n t a t e r e s a . . .
[ the pure life ] . la pura vida . [ the simple life ]After a year and a half of not traveling, working hard through the pandemic and getting through my first trimester, a vacation seemed much needed. So, Wayne and I decided to explore our travel options considering the current travel restrictions and decided on Costa Rica.
Santa Teresa is a small surfer town, although growing in popularity to surfers around the world, still very unknown to tourists. It is a quiet, absolutely beautiful long stretch of beach along the Pacific side of the country with a small town and hidden accommodations sprinkled along the coast. Everything was accessible by foot, although it was nice to have an ATV rented for the week to get around town.
g e t t i n g t h e r e . . .
Santa Teresa is a peninsula on the other side of the mountain range of Costa Rica. To get to this hidden little treasure you have to take an extra travel step from the main airport - either several hours by vehicle + boat or a short 30 min flight. We opted for the short flight from San Jose Airport, which ended up being a 10 passenger jet! Whew! That was a fun ride (ok, a little nerve wracking as you could feel all the turbulence, but fun!)
Note: We did not have a good experience booking through Kiwi which was the only option for combining all our flights together. In the future I would book the small flight from San Jose, Costa Rica to Santa Teresa separately through the airlines website itself).
. . . w h e r e w e s t a y e d
We stayed at Tropicana Latino in a private Bungalow on the beach. It was one of our favorite beach accommodations yet! We are totally sold on staying “on” the beach, just steps away from the water. The resort served all our meals on the beach as well, under palm tree canopies and it was still quiet and private from the traffic of the beach, which was never crowded. Being able to walk out to the beach anytime was so lovely. We found ourselves taking walks together and solo early in the morning, in the afternoons and after dinner and then retreating back to our bungalow for an afternoon nap or reading in our hammock and then relaxing on the beachfront after dinner watching the surfers. It was a different vacation than one where we’d usually packing up our things to spend the day at a beach and then come back in the evening. We could come and go as we pleased. There was also a beautiful spa and pool there. It ended up being the most relaxing vacation we’ve taken.
One of the fun things about staying in a surf town is that life revolves around the sunrise and sunset when they go out to catch waves. It is so fun to watch and take part in. A beautiful ritual.
f o o d . . .
We feasted on fresh fish and fruit… which was such a delight. Their local cuisine is based on rice, beans, fish or chicken and plantains. Breakfast in the morning always consisted of some kind of fresh squeezed juice (orange, strawberry, pineapple, banana), an array of delicious entrees (quiche, pancakes, eggs benedict, açaí bowls, elaborate fruit and yogurt spreads, etc.) and lunch and dinner had no shortage of fish tacos, avocado, fried plantains and rice.
We ate many of our meals at the resort but also tried some of the other resort restaurants and cafes in town.
. . . b r e a k f a s t . . .
My favorite breakfast cafe was definitely:
The Bakery | Where I felt spoiled with fresh croissants of all varieties, espresso and a beautiful brunch menu.
There were many other adorable breakfast spots in town that served great coffee and brunch
Manzu Beachfront Restaraunt
. . . l u n c h + d i n n e r . . .
Other favorite lunch/ dinner spots were:
Shambala (at Tropicano Latino)- BBQ Night | Open to public, every Saturday Night (amazing!)
El Tercer Ojo | Delicious Carribbean Food (One of our favorite casual dinner spots)
Drift Bar | (Vegetarian Indian Food + other Veg Cuisines, delicious fresh juices, gluten free bakery & cafe)
Bajo El Arbol B&B | For a romantic, string-light experience, serving authentic Spanish Tapas
Manzu | A simple fine dining beachfront experience
. . . j u n g l e t o u r
We took a jungle tour one day and saw howler and white faced monkeys which was super cool! We spotted one mama with a baby on her back and lots of other interesting wildlife :).
The combination of warm ocean air in the midst of our Winter, being served delicious food and lots of rest was the best therapy that both of our souls could receive. It changed things for the better for me in my pregnancy and gave us both a boost for returning to everyday life.
I hope you can getaway soon!
Links
Accommodation | Tropicano Latino
(They booked our ATV rental and Jungle Tour for us)
Maternity Photography | Megan McCullor Photography
Costa Rica Entry Requirements | At the time our travel we were not required to have a Covid test taken but did need to have travel insurance (see link for details).
US Travel Restriction Info | (At the time of our travel we were required to have a negative Covid test taken before returning. We took this down the street at Lifeguard Clinic, which we booked ahead online and was very easy).
Helpful Resource For Where You Can Travel Now
