Santa Teresa
Santa Teresa is a booming new travel destination in Costa Rica attracting beach aficionados and especially surfers who come to ride the area's world-class waves that crash onto broad sandy beaches. Since the jungle hugs the shore, you’ll find lots of shady hideaways, while views from the hills overlooking the beaches in Santa Teresa are unobstructed by high-rise buildings.
Not long ago, Santa Teresa was a small village that is now a lively town. Many who arrived only for a surf vacation in Costa Rica fell in love with Santa Teresa and decided to stay. These newcomers from around the world, give a trendy international flavor to the local Costa Rican scene, from music and art to bakeries and a wide variety of delicious cuisine.
Travelers will also find a good selection of hotels, resorts, vacation rentals to match every taste and budget. Today Santa Teresa also offers amenities like doctors with 24/7 emergency service, banks with ATM, car and ATV rentals, and hotels, cafes and restaurants with fast wireless internet.Santa Teresa Costa Rica is a cool little surf town with many surfer-oriented hotels, surf camps plus numerous surf shops who cater to all ages and levels of surf experience. The breaks of Playa Carmen and Playa Santa Teresa are are also excellent to have your first surfing experience.
However, you don't have to be a surfer to enjoy a vacation in Santa Teresa. Rent a bicycle or ATV and explore some of Costa Rica's most pristine beaches which extend both ends of Santa Teresa. Besides beach combing, you can also make a boat tour, go fishing, snorkeling, kite surfing, horseback riding, or take a jungle canopy tour in Mal Pais just on the edge of the Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve. As well, there are many hotels in Santa Teresa offering health retreats, yoga and pilates. There are many tour options from Santa Teresa like the villages of Montezuma or Costa Rica's oldest nature reserve, Cabo Blanco. When it comes time for Santa Teresa’s spectacular sunsets over the Pacific Ocean, everyone seems to gather at the beach to enjoy the cool breezes, while watching the late afternoon surfers and making plans for the evening.
Santa Teresa offers plenty of nightlife, especially during high season and even more so over the Christmas holidays. Drop in to the unique atmosphere of a "Baile" in the dancehall of "La Lora" where live music plays most nights, often featuring a Costa Rican band. Or, hit Santa Teresa’s other nightspots on the beach where international DJ's spin electronica dance music, or reggae that is so perfectly in tune with the tropical lifestyle.