Wellness Guide To Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
Ah! Santa Teresa, Costa Rica — our last stop in our month long Costa Rica adventure (see our full travel guide here!) + probably the town I could see us most spending more time here as a family one day. It’s truly a tropical paradise with lush vibes, amazing surfing, lots of international travelers, organic cafes, yoga studios, + monkeys!! It really feels like a community here, + it seems like the entire town gather on the beach during sunsets daily — which we absolutely loved.
Santa Teresa has one main road that runs parallel to the beach + all the restaurants, places to stay, shopping, etc are located on that road… so it’s super easy to navigate! *When we visited the “main road” was still a dirt road — however, apparently it’s paved now! Horray! No more crazy dust everywhre.
Stay
We loved the Airbnb we stayed at — it was small, but perfect for what we needed at the time. It also had a shared pool + was a few steps away from the beach! She has a few different Airbnbs, so if that one isn’t available… check out the others!
*For next time: I would have LOVED to stay at a yoga retreat center. There’s quite a few boutique hotels with yoga. Check this article out: The Best Places To Practice Yoga In Costa Rica
Something to note about Santa Teresa is that it is very HOT. Making sure your place has AC is essential. We had a cute patio + we couldn’t even spend time on it unless it was early morning or late evening… it was that hot! We visited in January.
Coffee + Cafes
- The Roastery — Many people consider this the “best coffee in Santa Teresa” (our fav was grabbing cold brew from the Green World Store 😉)
- The Bakery — Super popular breakfast + lunch spot! Massive menu. It’s always buzzing + has a beautiful courtyard.
- Ani’s Bowls + Salads — Beautiful vibe + food. Very insta worthy lol
- Vermu Cafe Bistro — Get the tropical pancakes!
- Cafe Social — Smoothies, salads + wraps
- El Patio Cafe — Breakfast served all day. Very cute lush outdoor vibe!
- Kaukau — Breakfast + lots of poke bowls for lunch!
Restaurants
- Katana — LOVED this Asian restaurant… amazing sushi, pot stickers, Pad Thai, + vibe
- OSA — Small menu, but really cute romantic restaurant!
- Nami — Sushi bar + restaurant
- The Somos Cafe — Airstream trailer converted into a bar + kitchen — it’s a super cute atmosphere. It’s a coffee shop in the morning + “vibey” dinner at night. It’s inside of a surf hostel, so you’re destined to meet fun travelers!
- Amici — Italian restaurant known for their pizzas
- Drift Bar— Vegan + vegetarian restaurant
- Eat Street —Big outdoor foot court with multiple restaurants!
- Anamaya Resort (in Montezuma) — Healthy, organic food + lounge at their infinity pool with the best view of (see pic!)
Wellness + To Explore
#1] Surf lessons — *MUST! We were lucky to be introduced to Jonas from Mint Santa Teresa (a surf hotel!). The hotel was right next to our Airbnb. He was great surf instructor + a great person. Santa Teresa has surfing for all levels!
- Check out: 6 Of The Best Surf Hotels in Santa Teresa
#2] Explore all the yoga classes! There are a lot of yoga retreat centers in Santa Teresa that offer great classes. We liked: Believe Surf + Yoga Sanctuary, Florblanca, + Horizon Yoga Center. Most of them have spas, too!
#3] Walk/run on the beach — When we visited Santa Teresa, since the street was so dusty, we actually used the beach to get to point A to B a lot! The beach is beautiful + long… it runs the entire length of the town!
#4] Workout at Gimnasio Guardavidas — This gym was right across the street for our Airbnb, so it was really convenient! It’s an outdoor gym with all the equipment you need. Don’t be surprised if you see people working out in their bathing suits… it’s that hot out! lol
#5] Day trip to Montezuma — *MUST! Rent an ATV for the day + make your way to Montezuma, which is about 30 minutes from Santa Teresa. It was one of our favorite experiences in Costa Rica! It’s a small town on the beach that’s super lush, has lots of monkeys, + waterfalls (Montezuma Falls)!
- If you don’t go to Montezuma, at the very least rent an ATV for the day. It’s a super fun way to explore Santa Teresa!
#6] Discover all the shops in Santa Teresa — Santa Teresa is basically one long street, so it’s easy to find everything! Wander the street + pop into the stores that interest you!
#7] Watch as many sunsets as possible! It seems like the entire town goes to the beach at sunset + everyone is drinking a coconut. It’s amazing 😍
- Banana Beach Restaurant is a popular place to watch surf + the sunset + listen to music. It’s kind of beach club vibes. I wouldn’t recommend eating here, but going for a drink once is fun!
Pro-Tips
- How long? 4–5 days
- Best time to visit? Their “dry season” is December to April. We visited in January + it was perfect (very HOT!)
- Join the Facebook Group: “What’s On Santa Teresa” for events + happenings!
- Green World Store: Best organic groceries
- Coworking: Selina (however, when we went it was PACKED… we ended up mostly working at home!)
Well, are you ready to plan your Costa Rican adventure yet?!
Love,
Elisabeth