Once a hidden gem, this coveted beach destination has quickly grown and is now home to more international characters than ever before. People from all walks of life are now calling Santa Teresa home…
For many years now, Santa Teresa has been considered one of Costa Rica’s best hidden gem destinations. Free spirits, adventurous travelers and passionate surfers were usually the crowd most driven to this relatively remote region of the Pacific Coast. After all, getting to Santa Teresa is quite an experience unto itself. Far away from city lights and airports, visitors from San José need to take the iconic ferry ride across the Gulf of Nicoya, and those arriving via Liberia have a long ride ahead of them. Nevertheless, for those seeking a wholesome blend of off the beaten track tranquility and tropical comforts, there’s hardly a better option in the whole country.
Apart from sumptuous retreats in the exuberant rainforest and barefoot walking in the ballast streets, Santa Teresa’s jungle-backed beach town can easily accommodate any kind of visitor. With the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic and the global switch towards remote work, many young expats decided to settle in this laid-back destination.
Hip restaurants boasting world-class international cuisine, shared workspaces fully equipped for the most demanding digital nomad, and an apparently never ending cultural agenda have progressively made Santa Teresa more and more appealing to a wider range of people. The zone’s characteristic rough dirt roads have made way for new pavement stretches that make the journey easier, and accommodations and vacation rentals have also expanded to the point of covering the needs of all types of visitors.
But what makes Santa Teresa’s story so particular is that despite the growth in terms of amenities and accessibility, the small town hasn’t lost any of its magic. Jaw-dropping sunsets that wash over the whole coast are still a daily sight, epic and consistent surf breaks for all levels, a healthy lifestyle in stunning natural landscapes, and the lively social environment of an international and eclectic surftown is still fully palpable.
The growing appeal has respected the town’s integrity, and its rustic allure has shown to be perfectly compatible with luxurious flourishes. In many ways, Santa Teresa is a perfect miniature of the best Costa Rica has to offer.
