Santa Teresa: the vibe
Videos from people who went, played right here, with what viewers said underneath. Not part of the score.
The verdict
Mixed · 60Genuinely mixed: surfers and long-time visitors love the waves and laid-back vibe, while newer visitors and remote workers complain about the main road, smell, crowds, transport and cost.
- surf and waves
- year-round swell
- food and restaurants
- laid-back beach lifestyle
- nature and beaches
- main road and development
- smell and sanitation
- transport and travel to get there
- cost of living
- crowding and changes from the past
- Great surf destination, especially for experienced surfers who appreciate the waves
- Town has changed a lot and feels overbuilt compared to the sleepy past
- Getting there from the airport is long and awkward, so plan transport carefully
- Some visitors found the town unpleasant and preferred nearby Playa Hermosa or Montezuma
- Cost-of-living claims are disputed, with commenters wanting concrete monthly figures
Read from 8 videos, 33 comments and 0 posts on 2026-11-07; the summary is written by a language model and can misread sarcasm.
Santa Teresa (Costa Rica) || What's it Actually Like?
Dan Harmon · 85K views · 2024
What viewers said
“Flew Sansa to Pavones last fall. They do charge for boards, and you have to take them out of the bags. They go into cargo commando. Another problem with flying Sansa is everything is based on weight. You might make the flight, but if it is ”
♥ 8 likes
“Transportation to Santa Teresa: You didn’t do it justice I’m afraid. Pros n Cons Rental car… Pro…you have maximum control and flexibility, place so store your stuff, etc Con…Nearly every car in CR is dinged. People drive very differently an”
♥ 7 likes
“I spent 8 months of my life there in 2011. I was actually supposed to travel around central america, but I ended up staying there and working in an atv rental couple hours a day. For the rest just fun waves, good food, smoking a lot of weed”
♥ 10 likes
“Used to go to Santa Teresa in the 90s from 95-01 and when I was there there was nothing ,a couple of restaurants and a couple of motels (kind of) houses with extra rooms on outside. One of my favorite waves in Costa Rica. I’ve caught waves ”
♥ 6 likes
“used to live in carmen for two years back in 2003 and 2004. there was still beach camping back then out to the right of tabú beach bar. womder how built.up it is now, my buddy whose family is one of the original four families from down ther”
“Dude I lived there for 8 months and I can definitely confirm it can tube. Some very solid days!”
♥ 3 likes
“I advice the path from San Jose airport to Cobano go by car, although is a bit far, go by plane only if you have a good guard angel 🙂”
♥ 2 likes
“Another great breakdown! Thanks for all the work you put into these 🤝”
♥ 5 likes
“I spent a lot of time in Santa Teresa in the mid 90s. It was rarely crowded and a small sleepy little town. There are barrels there depending on tide, size and location. Mal pais is not to far away and there are several breaks there. Always”
“Hey Dan, I've spent a few summers in ST and have to point out that you were there out of season. The surf in the summer is rarely mellow, and actually very powerful. It gets to double overhead quite often. There actually are point breaks in”
♥ 6 likes
Found with a YouTube search for the city and “digital nomad”, fetched 2026-11-07; titles, descriptions and comments belong to their authors and link to the originals.