Day 1 

8 a.m. | Breakfast at The Bakery 

Ask any local in Santa Teresa where to go for the best breakfast, and the answer will almost certainly be The Bakery. It may not be your typical Costa Rican meal of gallo pinto, plantains and eggs, but the croissants, cookies and cheesecake selection will surely satisfy. I have a rule of not returning to the same restaurant more than once while travelling, but I visited The Bakery three times during my two-week stay in Santa Teresa — it’s that good. Open every day from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., this popular spot also serves up a variety of hearty salads and tacos, as well as sandwiches made with freshly baked bread.

12 p.m. | Learn to surf 

A visit to Santa Teresa is incomplete without being humbled by the ocean and a three-metre piece of fibreglass. I first learned to surf in Tamarindo, another famous Costa Rican surf town about four hours north of Santa Teresa. However, having been out of practice for a few years, I decided to take a surf lesson to brush up on my skills. Dozens of surf shops line the streets, with all levels of boards available for rent, from soft-tops for beginners to shortboards for the pros. After a quick recap of how to “pop up” on a board and ensuring my footing was in the correct place, my surf instructor cleared me to start catching some waves. Just like riding a bike, it took a few days to get back into it, but by the end of my stay, I was dancing across the surface, catching green waves (waves that have yet to break) and feeling like “one with the ocean.” 

DAY 2

8 a.m. | Get in the water 

There is no other place I feel more at peace than several metres below the surface of the water, surrounded by schools of fish, bubbles and, yes, even sharks. Life underwater is like being in another world, with alien-like creatures (octopus) and prehistoric-looking species (lobsters) hidden between the volcanic rock formations that make up the bottom of Costa Rica’s Pacific. I swim parallel to the rubbly sand with my arms crossed (a technique that helps control buoyancy), ears alert and eyes constantly scanning the rocks around me for any signs of a “mysterious shape” floating through the water. It’s oceanic manta ray season in the area, and I am diving with Iguana Divers, a female-owned and operated dive centre that has been in the area for more than a decade. Unfortunately, it’s an El Niño year, meaning the water is warmer than usual. Typically, mantas prefer the water to be about 24 C. During this particular dive, the water was 28 degrees.

As I watch reef sharks glide between rocks and smaller fish swim in unison, my ears pick up the faint sounds of humpback whales singing to one another in the distance. I look around, hoping to spot them. Only after we surfaced was I told they would have been at least 10 kilometres away. But as luck would have it, we did get the chance to see a male humpback surface for some breaths of air, showing off his tail fin before diving back beneath the waves.

Iguana Divers offers several diving options, from a PADI Discover Scuba Diving experience to the PADI Divemaster course. The dive centre also offers boat excursions for wildlife viewing, snorkelling and whale watching. Plus, the centre is a Responsible Manta Tourism Operator that also focuses on community engagement through beach cleanups and works with park rangers from the Reserva Natural Absoluta Cabo Blanco (RNACB) to protect the area.

DAY 3

9 a.m. | Brunch at Eat Street

Call me a millennial — I have definitely had my fair share of avocado toast. In its most basic form, this dish consists of two main ingredients: avocado and bread — a solid combination. However, if you choose your avocado and bread wisely, add some protein, a few greens and a drizzle of balsamic glaze, you have a five-star meal (in my opinion). At Eat Street, a conveniently located open-air restaurant, the avocado toast tops my list as one of the best I’ve had. 

Open from morning to night, this ocean-friendly business is set in a square of three pimped-out shipping containers and serves everything from homemade baked goods and mouth-watering acai bowls to vitality boosters created to reduce inflammation, support digestion and relieve stress. In the evening, you can find more common “street foods” like tacos, burritos, ceviches and falafel.

11:30 a.m. | Total body relaxation

Close your eyes, drop your shoulders, unclench your jaw and inhale through your nose…hold for the count of three and then exhale through your mouth with a big sigh, releasing all tension in your body. 

Start your morning by saluting the sun or end a fun-filled day with a guided yoga class. With breathing exercises, guided meditations and various asanas (yoga positions), Believe Surf & Yoga‘s daily yoga classes cater to all levels. During the 11:30 a.m. kundalini class, I was pleasantly surprised by how refreshed I felt after an invigorating chanting session and various postures with yogis worldwide. Scheduled throughout the day, all classes at Believe incorporate the principles of yoga philosophy and enable guests to take a moment and “breathe.” 

Believe Surf & Yoga is also a hostel and surf camp, offering private rooms and dorms.

4 p.m. | Ride into the sunset 

I like to think I have done many “cool things” in my life…but galloping into the sunset on horseback might be in my top five.

A few days before I departed for Costa Rica, I was scrolling through TikTok and stumbled upon a video of a woman horseback riding along the beach. It looked like a scene from a movie: the perfect “golden hour,” wind blowing through her hair and waves crashing in the distance. When I realized the video was taken in Santa Teresa (thank you, algorithms), I knew I had to experience this fairytale myself.