Santa Teresa Travel Guide
Costa Rica’s Santa Teresa was formerly known as a small fishing village that over the years became a popular travel destination for tourists. After tourists conquered the sleeping village, Santa Teresa grew into a city where today you will find everything you need for a tourist and idyllic holiday.
SANTA TERESA AS A TRAVEL DESTINATION
Five miles of shoreline
Santa Teresa is located on the Nicoya Peninsula, on the west coast of northwestern Costa Rica. The waves of the Pacific Ocean strike the fine sands of Santa Teresa and guarantee safe waves for surfing enthusiasts.
The area is divided from Malpais into three parts, Playa Carmen, Santa Teresa and Playa Hermosa, which together form a coastline of about five kilometers.
For the winter in the humid heat of Santa Teresa
Santa Teresa is worth heading to the domestic winter months from early December to late April, when temperatures rise above 25 degrees as humidity touches the clouds. In September-October, when rainfall in the area peaks, dusty roads turn into clays as nature blossoms again.
Surfing, yoga and sunbathing
In addition to surfing holidays, Santa Teresa is suitable as a beach resort, but may not represent authentic Costa Rica at its best, as the dirt road through the city most often encounters tourists than locals. Much of the city’s wide range of accommodation and restaurants is run by tourists who love the city.
The lush nature surrounding the area and the shining Sunsets in shades of red are the attractions of the place. Activities in the village include fishing trips to horse riding and yoga.
Santa Teresa is a stone’s throw from the Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve at the tip of the peninsula, which is definitely worth a visit on the same trip.
Take care of your belongings
Santa Teresa is safe during the day, but even then bikes and surfboards should not be left anywhere without a surveillance eye or lock. During the day, trips within the city can be folded, even by hitchhiking, but in the dark it is worth watching who jumps aboard. The village is also patrolled by taxis, which run from end to end of the city for 6-8 euros.
FLIGHTS, ACCOMMODATION AND MOVEMENT IN SANTA TERESA
Santa Teresa across a few continents
From Finland, it is cheapest to travel to Santa Teresa with 2-3 stopovers across Europe and North America. The price of the flight will be 600-900 euros, depending on the time.
Finnair’s direct flights take you to New York, from where you can take a connecting flight to either San Jose, Costa Rica or Liberia. The journey from San Jose, which takes about 6 hours, continues with a local bus and ferry to Santa Teresa or a connecting flight to Tambora.
Santa Teresa hotels
The village is teeming with a variety of accommodation options from tree houses, inns, hotel rooms and hostels. There is enough choice in night accommodation for both backpackers and luxury travelers from around 10 euros upwards at the cheapest.
Santa Teresa is still spared the big hotel chains and mass construction. Otherwise, the price level of food and restaurants is surprisingly high, with the prices of food portions starting at the lowest from 5 euros.
Trips fold best on an ATV
On the road through Santa Teresa, you can easily get your face black and your throat rough, as ATVs, SUVs and Jeeps are dusting off the bumpy road.
On a poor road, the best go-to game is an ATV, which can be rented for a day for about 50-60 euros. It will be cheaper to rent a bicycle with which short distances can be conveniently folded.
ATTRACTIONS OF SANTA TERESA
Timeless atmosphere most important
The most important experience for the tourist in Santa Teresa is the village itself. Its atmosphere is definitely worth experiencing. The timeless and relaxed atmosphere of the village makes the tourist forget the passage of time and unnecessary worries. The sun setting on the horizon paints the sky of Santa Teresa in unforgettable colors day after day.
Gumbo Limbo
The view bar at the top of the pimple provides a great setting for Saturday night jams. Gumbo Limboon is worth heading in time, as the rise of a few hundred meters is surprisingly steep and brings sweat to the surface.
After the climb, it is good to sip the Cuba Libre in the pool while watching the sunset and the sunset. At midnight, the electric drives continue in Taboo, a local outdoor nightclub.
Soda Tiquicia
A modest local-run restaurant along the main road doesn’t show off its looks, but offers some of the city’s best puffs. Homemade guacamole with tortillas, or local casados with vegetables, fish or chicken and salad, rice and black beans are available. The doses of Casado are huge and come off for about 5 euros.
Oceanfront Hotel and Yoga Retreat Pranamar
Located on the Playa Hermosa side, the Indonesian- style Pranamar with its yoga halls, swimming pool and cotton is one of the most stunning hotels in the area.
If you don’t have enough money to stay at Pranamar, you can enjoy the place with yoga, Pilates, African dancing or a fresh meal. Yoga classes are held in the mornings from Monday to Sunday and other classes a couple of times a week.
