Destination Feature: Nosara, Costa Rica
This year, after an incredible trip to Hawaii, I shared some art, design and personal highlights in our inaugural travel destination post. Buried in that post was a note about how I surfed while traveling. What I didn’t mention, however, was that after a single surf lesson with my daughter, I then identified as a surfer, feeling one with the waves forevermore. Given that, I decided to take a mother-daughter trip to Surf Camp in Nosara, Costa Rica, in June. Here, we’re sharing some more art, design, and personal tidbits from a trip we’ll remember forever.
Olas Verdes Hotel, Nosara: Traveling to Nosara is not so easy, but arriving at Olas Verdes was bliss. The hotel is situated in a mangrove jungle with monkeys, coati (!!) and remarkably few mosquitos. The surf vibe is evident throughout the property; surfboards line their decks in a colorful arrangement, The Surf Network is always on the bar TV, and everything feels like it’s going to be okay when you are at Olas Verdes. Most surprisingly, this place is not fully beach front and is still so perfect. Beyond their colorful restaurant is a little jungle path that takes 3 minutes to walk and is absolutely gorgeous. It opens at the end to an expansive curved beach with surfers riding the waves from dawn to dusk.
La Luna, Nosara: Our top restaurant from surf camp was undoubtedly La Luna. It’s situated on an elevated part of an intimate little beach, surrounded by picturesque rocks and facing west towards the sunset. The loungey outdoor dining area was particularly notable; clearly the staff moves these beautiful couches, coffee tables, bucket chairs and bean bags inside and out daily to create a space where people dine barefoot and lit by the sunset, globe lights and the moon.
Love Nosara: One top experience to have in Nosara is to bike around the dirt roads, or the jungle path along the beach, and explore the Guines and Guines Norde towns. Neither is large and the ratio of surf shops to other shops seems extreme, but one beautiful shop is Love Nosara. The store, like La Luna, is nearly all outdoors so the owner must roll all clothing racks and tables in and out of hidden storage daily. The store caught our eye because at the open air entryway was a giant wooden swing. Visitors are welcome to swing, enjoy some cold coconut water offered by the owner, and see the collection of ceramics, linens, and hand sewn surf-themed stuffed animals.
Tuk Tuks: Who knew that transportation around Nosara could be such a highlight? Tuk Tuks are the go-to method for getting from Point A to Point B, and they were endlessly fun to take. These 3-wheeled motorized vehicles are open air and stick shift, and while they make a golf cart look like a Ferrari, somehow they power through rough dirt rounds and over hills in any weather, day or night. As a bonus, the drivers get creative with their Tuk Tuk decor; the sides, windshield, backseat and music were all opportunities for drivers to create a specific vibe, and vibe out their Tuk Tuks they did. With hiking Uber prices all over major cities, there’s so much potential for Tuk Tuks to enter the greater market…
There were countless more memories and tips to share from our Surf Camp experience, and if you have specific questions, don’t hesitate to reach out! Nosara is a gem of an escape and we’ll share more details on it anytime. PURA VIDA.
