No matter where you are coming from in the world, you will instantly feel at home in Tamarindo at the Iguana Surf Beach Hotel. From the moment you get off your shuttle from the airport, someone will be there to greet you, show you around, and tell you about everything that is going to be happening during your week in Tamarindo for your Costa Rica Surf Camp
There will be an itinerary waiting for you outlining your trip and a warm staff to help you with anything you need at any time of day. One of the first things you will do after you get settled in is walk downstairs to meet your surf instructor and the rest of the team in the surf shop. During your Tamarindo Surf Camp, the surf shop and hotel will be your home base, a place to hang out, and your family.
Iguana Surf’s Costa Rica Surf Camp is ideal for solo travelers looking to meet some international friends, couples or groups of friends that want to learn to surf together, and also families who want to have an awesome experience together. There are rooms in the hotel for any kind of party, and the staff will make sure everyone is happy and excited!
The Costa Rica Surf Camp is also ideal for any level of surfer. Never surfed before? Perfect! That is what the surf camp is for. Grew up surfing and just want to try out somewhere new? Awesome! All of our instructors are experienced surfers as well and can take you to the best breaks around the Tamarindo area to offer you their perspective on the sport.
Rough Daily Itinerary at Iguana Surf’s Costa Rica Surf Camp:
- Wake up in paradise
- Complimentary breakfast on the balcony
- Check in with everyone at the surf shop and plan your day
- Surf Lesson
- Awesome lunch
- Explore Tamarindo, take an exciting tour, or catch some rays on the beach
- Enjoy a world class sunset and fun happy hours
- Dinner
- Go out for live music, night markets, or dancing
- Rest
- Repeat!
During your stay, most of your schedule will be up to you. You can sleep in as late as you want and have a long breakfast, or get up and get out early if that is more your style. In the morning once you wake up, one of the first things you will want to do is walk outside to the restaurant that is located just moments from your room on the balcony of the hotel, which is called Breakfast Grinds. It is one of the best breakfast spots in town, and surf campers get to eat there for free every day as part of the Tamarindo Surf Camp package. Take your pick between a typical casado which includes rice and beans, eggs, and cheese, or a huge range of other options from pancakes to breakfast burritos. Sip some coffee, enjoy an awesome view, and scope out the waves as you fuel up for your day.
After breakfast, the options are endless. At some point during the day of course, you will have a surf lesson. It will be either at 9am, 12pm, or 3pm depending on the tide and the schedule of your instructor. You can plan your day based around that and decide what you would like to do in-between. Even when you are not having your lesson, surf campers are encouraged to take advantage of the access they have to the equipment in the surf shop and all of the fun ways to enjoy the ocean. Campers can always take surf boards out to practice on their own, and the shop also has boogie boards and stand up paddle boards for something a little bit more mellow. Besides going in the water, there are fun local farmers markets to check out, interesting classes and workshops around town like yoga, music, or cooking, plenty of shopping, and of course you can never go wrong just going to hang out on the beach. Bring a towel, some snacks, and maybe a book or some music and you will be set. Since Tamarindo is always full of visitors, there are always a lot of things happening and people around to enjoy it with.
In a few hours, it will be time for lunch. We often recommend checking out the “car lady.” She is a local woman who cooks a bunch of amazing food at home and then brings it to Tamarindo to sell out of the trunk of her car. Choose a kind of meat, rice and beans, salad, and some freshly made chips or fried plantains. She will pile it all in a big box and you will have an amazing, authentic meal all for only about $5 USD. There is also a huge array of restaurants in Tamarindo featuring food from all over the world, so there is definitely something for everyone. Check out our previous blog post, “An Insider’s Guide to the Most Delicious Food and Best Deals Sure to Satisfy Any Surfer,” for a complete guide to eating out in Tamarindo and tips on how to make it affordable!
If cooking is more up your alley and you would like to save money by not eating out for every meal during your stay in Tamarindo, there is a full kitchen in the Iguana Surf Beach Hotel for surf campers to use. It just got finished this summer, so everything is brand new. It is fully stocked with everything needed for cooking and a fridge to store your groceries and leftovers. It is also a super fun hangout spot for the hotel, and guests often gather there in the evenings to have a beer, chat and get to know each other, cook dinner, or play music. It has a fun ambiance in the evening and you don’t even have to leave the hotel to have a great place to hang out.
After lunch, you can choose from any number of activities for the rest of the afternoon. If you haven’t had your surf lesson yet, that will definitely be on the agenda. But if your afternoon is free, it is a great time for more sunbathing or sightseeing around town. There are also a number of awesome tours that can be booked in the Iguana Surf shop that can be worked into your schedule for the week. For example, if your surf lesson is in the afternoon, you can do an awesome tour in the morning like snorkeling or zip-lining. If your lesson is in the morning, there are tons of options for the afternoon like a sunset catamaran cruise or ATVs. Whatever tours are on your list, the staff in the surf shop will make sure you can fit them all in! We also try to provide our surf campers with discounts whenever we can. After all, you are a local for a week and part of the Iguana Surf Family!
At 5:15pm, it is time to head up to Bar Jolly Roger, on the balcony in the same restaurant space where you ate breakfast in the morning. Only now, it is a great spot for dinner and drinks. They feature 24 different flavors of chicken wings (or cauliflower wings!), and other bar food like burgers, fries, and salads. But most importantly, every day at 5:15pm, they blast the 1812 Overture from the balcony and that is how you know that it is time for $1 beers! During that song, all national beers are $1 (pro tip- the song lasts about 18 minutes, so plan accordingly). Surf campers, instructors, shop and hotel employees, friends, and visitors will undoubtedly all be gathered together to enjoy a couple cold ones and the sunset view. It is a great place to unwind and make plans for the rest of the night.
For dinner, you can get something awesome right at Jolly Roger or check out any number of highly recommended restaurants. Green Papaya, Patagonia, and La Baula are a few of the highlights and more details can be found in our previous blogpost about food recommendations. https://iguanasurf.net/blog/insiders-guide-delicious-food-best-deals-sure-satisfy-surfer/
There is something going on every night in Tamarindo. Depending on the day of the week, there will be a different place with specials or events where everyone will go. Sundays it is the beer pong tournament at Sharkys, Tuesday is karaoke night, Thursday is the Tamarindo Night Market and reggae night at Pacifico, and Friday is the day everyone goes to Crazy Monkey, to name a few. There are also lots of different options depending on if you want to have a more mellow evening with a little food and maybe some live music or go out later for some dancing. No matter what you decide to do, our hosts and your surf instructor will make sure you are in the right place and having tons of fun.
It is common knowledge that Tamarindo is a fantastic place to learn how to surf. In fact, it was just named the second best in the whole world in this article by Lush Palm
And that is just one of many articles, as Tamarindo is frequently listed in the top 10 surf destination locations. With a sandy bottom, no strong currents, warm water, no rocks, and the perfect size waves, it is ideal for beginners and pros alike. It is the perfect place for a Costa Rica Surf Camp and attracts visitors from all over the world. At the end of your day at your Tamarindo Surf Camp, you will go to bed satisfied, tired, and happy, dreaming about what tomorrow will bring. Nowhere else has the magic combination of such good surf, beautiful weather, and an incredibly friendly community of people waiting to welcome you. Just be careful because chances are, you will never want to leave!
Check out this link to learn more about Iguana Surf’s Costa Rica Surf Camp
