Travel #6: Playa Santa Teresa

The last little vacation I took in Costa Rica was to Playa Santa Teresa in the Puntarenas province. We were going to go to one in Guanacaste so that we could see all 7 provinces, but went to Santa Teresa instead on a personal recommendation from my boyfriend's host mother. It wasn't quite what we expected, but it was definitely a beautiful beach and a cute little town.

Traveling to Santa Teresa is pretty similar to traveling to Puerto Viejo, just on the opposite coast. You take a bus from Terminal San Carlos in San Jose (AKA Terminal Coca-Cola) that leaves at 6 AM and 2 PM. Get there a bit early, because you have to wait in line next to the bus to ensure your spot. There isn't a ticket booth, you just pay $15 to the bus driver. This includes the price of the hour-long ferry ride that takes you from Puntarenas to the Nicoya Peninsula where Playa Santa Teresa is. In total it was about a 5-hour trip.

When you get to the ferry station on the bus, the bus driver will hand you a ticket to get on the ferry, and make sure you have the ticket you got at first to re-enter the bus once you get off the ferry. You can take your stuff or leave it—nobody will be able to access the bus while the ferry is in motion so it's safe to leave some things on your seat. There's a little counter on the ferry with all kinds of snacks and beverages, and restrooms. It was really neat to see all the tiny islands that dot the coast, and to see the Nicoya Peninsula—part of a small essay I wrote about the high life expectancy in Costa Rica, since many people in this peninsula live to be over 100.

Super Ronny's, where the San Jose bus comes and goes

Santa Teresa is a very small town, near to Códoba and Montezuma. There's an ATM, a few grocery stores and restaurants, two board rental shops (only the one run by the Australian takes cards), two car rental agencies, and many hostels and hotels. A lot of these hostels also have kitchens (either in the room or one public kitchen for guest use), so you can do as I did and just bring food to cook to save money. Groceries can get expensive—I've found it barely costs more to feed 4 than to feed 2, just because of the way things are packaged—but it's no more than half of what it would cost to eat out. In general people are pretty cool about not thieving from communal fridges, but be wary of things like canned beverages that are easy to walk off with and feign ownership of.

Eventual success!

Our hotel was a little bit of a let-down; I would not recommend it. We stayed at the Red Frog Villas, up a ridiculously steep hill/mountain so that it technically has ocean views. If you had a big group it would be fine because you could stay in the main section of the hotel, but for smaller parties you're in a cabina that lacks toilet paper and proper linens yet has cable. In the end it was fine, once I got over my offense at some of the omissions. We did run out of gas for our stove right as we began cooking dinner, but we just watched Futurama in Spanish and waited for the receptionist to return with a new tank.

Walking path to the beach

To go to the beach there are a few unpaved walking paths between the road and the beach, but of the few I tried I felt the best one was the one next to the bus stop. So, how is the beach in Santa Teresa? Rocky!  Since Costa Rica has several volcanoes and many mountains, there's a great deal of rock around, including at this beach. For whatever reason some areas are also covered in crushed shells that kind of hurt to walk on but won't cut your feet. But, it was so beautiful and the weather was great, especially for the rainy season.

The surf in Playa Santa Teresa is excellent for surfers, but unfortunately not much else. The waves are extremely powerful and break very close to the beach, with a strong rip current as well. You can be standing in water that goes halfway to your knees and then suddenly be up to your waist when a wave breaks (assuming it didn't knock you over first). So accordingly, strong waves like this are great for surfing once you battle past the breaking waves. Unfortunately, it isn't so good for casual swimming or boogie/body boarding since you're getting pummeled by the time you get far enough out. My boyfriend and I rented body boards from the Australian and we could barely use them because we'd get flipped over trying to drag the board out to deep-enough water.

In the end though, we made the best of it and it was a very wonderful vacation that I was lucky enough to have with my boyfriend. We found where a small river drains into the sea and puttered around in a little

brackish pool, enjoying the cool water and skipping rocks. The beach was so beautiful, and though we couldn't fully utilize the waves it was fun to watch surfers try.