Blue Surf Sanctuary

We loved it. Toro the surf instructor was awesome and helped my wife get the wave of her life! Super awesome place to visit and I would highly recommend staying here. Also, Carlos was super helpful as well. He gave us tons of recommendations on what to do and where to eat and even helped us get an ATV.

My wife and I stayed in Mal Pais in 2004 and have been eager to return to the Nicoya Peninsula ever since. We found a great place in Blue Surf Sanctuary. We stayed for five days before meeting extended family in Jaco, where we booked a house for a family vacation. We had a great time in Jaco but Santa Teresa is next level chill (yet plenty of fun things to do too - something for everyone!), from outstanding restaurants to close, remote beaches to the welcoming and friendly nature of everyone we met. Laleska and Maykol (apologies if I misspelled!) were so helpful and friendly, from restaurant recommendations, help with ATV and surfboard rentals, to general conversation about the the area. When Laleska found out my son loved skateboarding, she offered to find a board and show him the skatepark (next time for sure! Surfing and wandering took up our time :) Our son, ever attached to the hip these days with COVID, etc., was comfortable enough to walk down to talk or hang out around the common kitchen area while we were gathering things to head out (and we totally felt comfortable with him doing so - they were great with him and us). Leading up to our trip, Kelly and staff were incredibly helpful, quickly answering questions and helping with some last minute accommodations. I made a separate recommendation for surf lessons with Toro (he is a great dude) but he was outstanding with our son (and me). Our son popped right up and Toro gave me tips that really helped shake off the rust. By the time we got to Jaco, we were both catching waves left and right. I noticed some comments about the noise. Yes, the bungalows are right by the road. There was road construction one night and you do hear vehicles. However, it is near the end of Santa Teresa, where there are way less vehicles. Additionally, it's such a quick and easy walk to the beach (and Rocamar - SUPER friendly staff, great vibes and quality delicious food right on the beach). We love the place, location and friendships we made. We've already been talking to friends about renting all four bungalows and taking over the fun compound! I should have mentioned, we also love the communal open kitchen handout area and pool.

The surfing lessons without a doubt was the highlight of our trip. Toro was a great teacher and catered to our individual abilities so that we each had a rewarding experience. It's obvious how much he loves teaching and surfing, which made it even more fun to hang out with him in the waves. Other things to praise: communication was very easy and efficient. Prior to our trip and during, all of our questions were answered. The place was clean, comfortable and had a great chill atmosphere.

We enjoyed our stay. Pablo is excellent at what he does and we are grateful to have met him and use his services and his knowledge of the area to help us with our trip. Our place was very clean, and it is evident that this place typically is very clean. I am not sure what some of those reviews were about in the comments, but everyone has different standards of what they need to see in accommodations, and so may be traveling isn’t such a good option for some of those people, and we were grateful to have stayed in such a clean and lovely place. As far as the road noise that some have written about, there Is only one main road in this town and all the hotels, hostels, and any place to stay are all generally within 100 to 300 yards of this road. Everyone uses this one road. We did as we came into town. People on their motorbikes and on their ATVs all use this road. It is not a consistent noise, but the occasional loud motorcyclist does go by, and you will hear it, as you would hear it in pretty much any other hotel in this town. If you are a light sleeper, it would be good for you to get some air plugs if you think that would be a problem. If you are generally bothered by things like this, you may prefer staying in a more developed resort town that has big insulated hotels. We will definitely stay here again when we are in Santa Teresa, and we will use Blue Surf Adventures and hire Toro again to be our surf guide. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay, talking with Pablo, and do highly recommend this business.

First time in CR for me and my wife,..while we were supposed to make this trip last year, obviously covid had other plans. So great to finally make it here and it was simply a wonderful experience. The staff was awesome especially Pablo who was always very helpful along with Dorry keeping our room comfy and Nelson providing a safe environment in the evenings. Our accomodations were great and very comfortable and although we were there with only one other couple in another suite, it was nice to share the day with them in the communal area. The location is primo considering it is only a short 50 yard walk to the awesome beach of Santa Teresa. RocaMar at the end of the road at beachfront was such a cool place to have a meal or have a drink. My hope is Santa Teresa does not get too developed too quickly so it can keep it's laid back vibe. Truly a wonderful vacation experience.

We stayed at Blue Surf Sanctuary in February 2021, and I highly recommend booking this trip asap! The timing could not have been better for us, 2 "essential employees" burned out from all the toxicity in the US. The hotel location was perfect, just a few hundred yards from the beach and close to many wonderful restaurants. Kelly arranged a package including surf lessons, yoga, and a massage! The staff was extremely helpful and friendly. We feel like we made some new lifelong friends! Shout out to Toro, our surf coach, and Pablo, the concierge in particular for making the experience extra special. Everyone we met, including the locals, were smiling and happy! The food was amazing and fresh, and the surf was perfect! We will definitely make another trip asap.

This place is truly amazing. I arrived here with my wife for a 9 day birthday trip complete with surf package and ended up staying 40 days due to pandemic related complications. The beginning part of the stay was wonderful, with beaches open, great surf lessons everyday, fun company at the Sanctuary, meals and partying at local places. The Sanctuary sits at the top of a road that leads to what many consider the best beach in the entire peninsula. After about 5 days the other guests had evacuated, the beaches were closed, and surf lessons were suspended. We were scared because we did not know anyone but the hotel staff and did not have a good concept of how to manage in this country. We could not return to our home and the owners of Blue Surf Sanctuary gave us a very gracious offer to stay on at a reduced monthly rate. We gladly accepted and felt very safe and well taken care of by the wonderful staff here. We became friends with many of these people and in particular Pablo was extremely helpful in all ways with his sage advice and friendly manner. Physically this place is quite beautiful, with well appointed rooms with high ceilings and nice decorations, a small but well maintained pool, an excellent and well equipped outdoor kitchen, and beautiful landscaping. The only small negative would be the proximity to the road which can be noisy at times, but we got used to quickly as our home is similarly situated. To sum it up...we love Blue Surf Sanctuary!

I spent 4 nights at Blue Surf Sanctuary while attending a BJJ camp. I found the staff extraordinarily friendly and helpful. The rooms and linens are clean. The pool was amazing. My favorite part was the dedicated space each room had in the communal refrigerator. Finally, they have a range of surfboards and are a quick walk to a solid break.

We occupied a bungalow for the whole family (2 adults and 3 kids) and Blue Surf was our little piece of Paradise in Santa Teresa. Very clean amenities, nice charming pool for the kids, well equipped shared kitchen and very very kind and friendly staff. 1 minute walking distance from the beach and one of the best surfing spot in the area. Do not miss the incredible breakfast at Cafe Social located literally across the street and the surfing lessons with Toro, the kindest and most dedicated surfing coach we met so far. Recommended +++++.

We spent a beautiful week at Blue Surf Sanctuary with our family. Some of us were interested in a lot of activity and some of us were interested in very little activity. Blue Surf was perfect for both. The active types took surf lessons, swam, rode ATVs and zip lines, which the amazing staff helped us to find and book. All of us fished, had lovely massages, walked on the beach, enjoyed the sunsets and ate dinners together. We also all enjoyed the beautiful tropical scenery and wildlife. It was a great time. Blue Surf has beautiful, well appointed bungalows. The staff are super helpful. The beach is just steps away. I can highly recommend it.