Costa Rica travel info:
We all know traveling to a new country by yourself can be a bit intimidating, so I thought I would share with you all some insight on how to prepare for your trip and what to expect when you arrive.
Travel info:
Liberia airport (LIR) is the closest airport to fly into if you are coming to Playa Grande. It is only an hour drive from La Marejada hotel. There are more and more airlines that are flying to LIR now and direct flights from Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and the Mid-west.
You cannot fly into Costa Rica on a one-way ticket, when you check in for your flight they will ask you to show proof of departure back to your home country. I am guessing most of you are flying on a round trip ticket but if not, you can book a flight with American airlines and cancel for a full refund within 24 hours.
Visa Info:
American and Canadian Citizens do not need to get travel visa for Costa Rica, when you go through customs the normally will write in 90 days as a tourist in the country. The Customs officers will ask you your occupation, how long you are staying the county and where you are staying (La Marejada Hotel in Playa Grande.
The hotel:
La Marejada is located in the town of Playa Grande. La Marejada is an eight-bedroom boutique hotel, each room has air conditioning and hot water. The hotel has a pool, yoga space, restaurant and a full bar and is just a few minutes’ walk from the beach.
Playa Grande:
The town of Playa Grande is tiny, if you blink you will miss it. We have a few small grocery stores, a school and a handful of restaurants and surf shops. A lot of the people who live here are expats surfers from all over the World. The community welcomes tourism with open arms and people always seem to be coming back here year after year. Both the laid back vibe and the great surf are the main draw to visit Playa Grande.
The Beach:
The beach is 3 minutes from the hotel, if you wanted to you could walk on the beach for 7 miles. We surf a few different waves along the beach depending on swell size and direction. All the waves we surf break on sand and in the dry season the water is crystal clear.
The Weather
We have two seasons here in Playa Grande, dry season (December – April) and wet season (May – November. Dry season is also summer, blue skies every day, high 90’s and very dry. Wet season expect rain every afternoon, the most rain fall in September and October. Pack lightly or if you need help check out our blog on what to pack for a surf retreat.
Getting around:
Even though Spanish is the main language in Costa Rica, a lot of people speak English as well. Especially in the beach towns and in tourist areas. It doesn’t hurt to brush up on your Spanish before your trip as the locals love it when you try to speak and most the time people will correct or help you out. Pura Vida is the saying here in Costa Rica meaning pure life.
US dollars are excepted here but for a better exchange rate especially in the smaller Tico shops you may want Colones. The exchange rate is around 590 colones to the US Dollar. Its best to travel with small bills as well because some places don't always have change.
A day in the life:
Our day to day schedule revolves around the surf conditions. We try to make a point to watch sunset every night, the sunsets here are so beautiful the whole town goes to watch. Here is an idea of what a typical day would look like. (check out our Instagram for the latest pics @sistersurfcr)
6:30 Coffee/ small breakfast
7:00 intro to surfing
7:30 Surf
10:00 Breakfast
11.30 Video Coaching or Classroom session
1:00 Lunch
4:00 Yoga
5:30 Sunset
6:30 Dinner
