What’s New at Iguana Surf Camp & Hotel in 2026

Luxury Surf Camp Costa Rica

Ask anyone who’s stayed with us before, and they’ll tell you the same thing: Iguana has always had the right ingredients to make for a fantastic surf camp experience in Costa Rica. We’ve got the best waves out front, guides who actually surf these breaks, plus an atmosphere that naturally creates wonderful groups of new friends.

What some of them will also tell you is that they kept wondering what it would look like if the accommodation matched everything else about the place. The surfing, the guides, the location: all seriously world-class. The rooms? They had room to grow.

We heard them and didn’t think that was an unreasonable ask. And in 2026, we did something about it!

This year, Iguana Surf Camp has gone through its most significant upgrade yet: new luxury room options, a sharper focus on the full guest experience, and a real step up in the quality of everything around the surfing. It’s still us. Just better.

A Surf Camp That Grew Up (Without Losing the Plot)

Iguana has been here since 1989, and in that time we’ve grown into one of the best-rated and most popular surf camps and shops in Costa Rica. The accommodation expanded alongside, so we offer a range of room types to serve all sorts of budgets and travel styles. From the Surfer Dorm for solo travelers wanting to meet people, to private suites for couples and families. That mix has always worked well, and it’s staying exactly as it is.

What changed in 2026 is the level of luxury. Every room has been upgraded and, above everything that already existed, we built two new floors: a third floor with new, more premium rooms featuring ocean-view balconies, and a fourth floor with a rooftop and an infinity pool overlooking the break. The kind of thing you don’t expect to find at a surf camp, and exactly the kind of thing that changes how you feel about a surf trip.

The Room Upgrade: What’s New and What’s Better

We can accommodate up to 44 guests across a range of room types. The second-floor rooms, which include everything from the Surfer Dorm to the private Loft Suites and the Family Bunk Suite, and more, have all been upgraded: better beds, better finishes, the kind of detail that takes a room from functional to somewhere you can’t wait to retreat to at the end of a day’s surfing. Then there’s the third floor, which is entirely new. The rooms up here are our most premium yet: ocean-view balconies, king beds, quality linens, the works. 

If you’ve been thinking about a luxury surf camp in Costa Rica and wondering whether one actually exists where the luxury part doesn’t come at the cost of the surf part, this is your answer.

Beyond the Accommodation: The Whole Experience Has Gone Up  a Considerable Notch

The rooms might be the most visible change, but they’re not the only one. By the time you’re wringing out your rashguard before the flight home, we want you to feel like every single part of your week was just perfect.

The fourth floor is new this year, and it might just be the part we’re most excited about. We built a rooftop with an infinity pool that looks straight out over the beach. Imagine finishing a session, rinsing off, and finding yourself floating in a pool watching the sets roll in below you. 

If that’s not luxury surf camp Costa Rica perfection, we don’t know what is!

All the shared areas have been refreshed, so the bar and lounge areas feel cozy and welcoming. 

The food and drink offering has been elevated, too. Fueling up before a session and relaxing after one are both part of the routine of a surf trip, and we’ve put more thought into both. Breakfast before a dawn patrol, something solid for lunch, a cold something-or-other when you come out of the water at sunset. 

We’ve also gotten more deliberate about how we set up each guest’s surf experience. Our guides have always been the real deal, people who know this coast well and care about whether you improve. What’s different now is the layer of personalization around that. We’re spending more time at the start of each trip figuring out where you are as a surfer and what you’re hoping to get out of the week. That, combined with our daily surf report and live surf cam, makes a real difference.

You Don’t Have to Choose Between Culture and Comfort

There’s a bit of surf culture myth that says discomfort is kinda part of the experience, that the more stripped-back things are, the more authentic it all feels. We’ve thought about this a lot, and we’d respectfully push back on it.

As people who breathe and live surfing, we know that we don’t ever want to rough it just for the sake of it. We want to surf well, and that’s a lot easier when your body is recovered, you slept properly, and you ate something wholesome before paddling out.

We’ve said it to guests many times: comfort isn’t the opposite of surf culture. It’s what lets surf culture happen at its best!

What Iguana has always had is the atmosphere, and we can assure you none of that changes in 2026. The people who turn up here are here for the right reasons, the guides know their stuff, and the ocean is right there. 

We just thought our digs could do with a serious makeover. 

So, Is Iguana Still a Surf Camp?

You bet. The name stays, the ethos stays, and the morning lineup is still the main event.

What changed is the place you come back to after each session. 

What a Real Luxury Surf Camp Costa Rica Should Feel Like

If you’ve been searching for all-inclusive surf resorts in Costa Rica and finding that most of them feel like a resort that bought a few surfboards as an afterthought, we get it. That’s not what Tamarindo is, and it’s not what we are either.

Tamarindo is a proper surf town; it has been for decades. The beach break here delivers something for every level, the consistency is high, and the community of people who come to surf it year after year is the kind you actually want to be part of. Iguana sits right in the middle of all of that. 

What we can offer now, on top of everything that’s always been true about us, is a luxury surf camp Costa Rica experience where the accommodation is actually worth coming back to after a session. A real surf spot with rooms that match everything else we do. 

Come and see it for yourself!

FAQ

Do the new luxury rooms at Iguana Surf Camp cost significantly more?

We offer a range of room options, so there’s something for every budget. Check our current listings for the latest pricing and availability.

Is Iguana a good fit if I’m a beginner?

Yes, absolutely. We run lessons at 8 AM, 10 AM, 1 PM, and 3 PM, and our instructors are experienced at working with first-timers. A comfortable place to come back to between sessions is especially valuable when you’re learning. Your body needs the recovery.

What makes Iguana different from other all-inclusive surf resorts in Costa Rica?

We’ve been part of Tamarindo’s surf community for a long time. The people who work here surf, the guides know these breaks inside out, and the atmosphere is built around the ocean rather than around a resort concept. The upgrades in 2026 add comfort and quality to something that was already real.

→ Check out our surf camps and book your 2026 trip today!