Blue Surf Sanctuary
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About
5.0
#2 of 5 resorts in Santa TeresaLocation
Cleanliness
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Value
Blue Surf Sanctuary is a small boutique hotel & upscale surf school located in magical Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, 100 yards from the sand!Gorgeous bungalows with daily housekeeping, A/C, pool and fully equipped kitchen. We pride ourselves on our stellar customer service, our use of organic soaps and consciousness about our beautiful oceanWe offer both accommodations only, surf packages or surf lessons to outside clients!
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Property amenities
Free parking
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Yoga classes
Pool
Outdoor dining area
Car hire
Massage
24-hour security
Street parking
Wifi
Pool / beach towels
Outdoor pool
Private pool
Shallow end in pool
Baggage storage
Concierge
Non-smoking hotel
Outdoor furniture
Shared kitchen
Shared lounge / TV area
Sun deck
Sun loungers / beach chairs
Umbrella
24-hour front desk
Private check-in / check-out
Laundry service
Room features
Air conditioning
Housekeeping
Private balcony
Safe
Coffee / tea maker
Stovetop
Walk-in shower
Hair dryer
Bottled water
Clothes rack
Iron
Laptop safe
Tile / marble floor
Kitchenware
Room types
Pool view
Non-smoking rooms
Family rooms
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Family Resort
Family
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish
Hotel links
Location
Santa Teresa Costa Rica
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Grade: 52 out of 100
52
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Detailed Reviews
Hotel's Favourite
My husband and I booked a couples private lesson with Toro on January 11th in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica. This was our first experience surfing. Toro was very patient and methodical in his explanation of first safety, then strategy and tactics. By the end of the hour and a half lesson we were able to ride a wave, something not expected and very rewarding. If he can do that with us “young” seniors I’m sure he can do it with anyone! We highly recommend Toro for all levels of surfers (we watched him with more experienced surfers and were impressed).
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Date of stay: January 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This place is truly amazing. I arrived here with my wife for a 9 day birthday trip complete with surf package and ended up staying 40 days due to pandemic related complications. The beginning part of the stay was wonderful, with beaches open, great surf lessons everyday, fun company at the Sanctuary, meals and partying at local places. The Sanctuary sits at the top of a road that leads to what many consider the best beach in the entire peninsula. After about 5 days the other guests had evacuated, the beaches were closed, and surf lessons were suspended. We were scared because we did not know anyone but the hotel staff and did not have a good concept of how to manage in this country. We could not return to our home and the owners of Blue Surf Sanctuary gave us a very gracious offer to stay on at a reduced monthly rate. We gladly accepted and felt very safe and well taken care of by the wonderful staff here. We became friends with many of these people and in particular Pablo was extremely helpful in all ways with his sage advice and friendly manner.
Physically this place is quite beautiful, with well appointed rooms with high ceilings and nice decorations, a small but well maintained pool, an excellent and well equipped outdoor kitchen, and beautiful landscaping. The only small negative would be the proximity to the road which can be noisy at times, but we got used to quickly as our home is similarly situated.
To sum it up...we love Blue Surf Sanctuary!!
Physically this place is quite beautiful, with well appointed rooms with high ceilings and nice decorations, a small but well maintained pool, an excellent and well equipped outdoor kitchen, and beautiful landscaping. The only small negative would be the proximity to the road which can be noisy at times, but we got used to quickly as our home is similarly situated.
To sum it up...we love Blue Surf Sanctuary!!
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Date of stay: March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
First time in CR for me and my wife,..while we were supposed to make this trip last year, obviously covid had other plans. So great to finally make it here and it was simply a wonderful experience. The staff was awesome especially Pablo who was always very helpful along with Dorry keeping our room comfy and Nelson providing a safe environment in the evenings. Our accomodations were great and very comfortable and although we were there with only one other couple in another suite, it was nice to share the day with them in the communal area. The location is primo considering it is only a short 50 yard walk to the awesome beach of Santa Teresa. RocaMar at the end of the road at beachfront was such a cool place to have a meal or have a drink. My hope is Santa Teresa does not get too developed too quickly so it can keep it's laid back vibe. Truly a wonderful vacation experience.
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Date of stay: June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I spent 4 nights at Blue Surf Sanctuary while attending a BJJ camp. I found the staff extraordinarily friendly and helpful. The rooms and linens are clean. The pool was amazing. My favorite part was the dedicated space each room had in the communal refrigerator. Finally, they have a range of surfboards and are a quick walk to a solid break.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Rooms
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We enjoyed our stay. Pablo is excellent at what he does and we are grateful to have met him and use his services and his knowledge of the area to help us with our trip.
Our place was very clean, and it is evident that this place typically is very clean. I am not sure what some of those reviews were about in the comments, but everyone has different standards of what they need to see in accommodations, and so may be traveling isn’t such a good option for some of those people, and we were grateful to have stayed in such a clean and lovely place. As far as the road noise that some have written about, there Is only one main road in this town and all the hotels, hostels, and any place to stay are all generally within 100 to 300 yards of this road. Everyone uses this one road. We did as we came into town. People on their motorbikes and on their ATVs all use this road. It is not a consistent noise, but the occasional loud motorcyclist does go by, and you will hear it, as you would hear it in pretty much any other hotel in this town. If you are a light sleeper, it would be good for you to get some air plugs if you think that would be a problem. If you are generally bothered by things like this, you may prefer staying in a more developed resort town that has big insulated hotels.
We will definitely stay here again when we are in Santa Teresa, and we will use Blue Surf Adventures and hire Toro again to be our surf guide. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay, talking with Pablo, and do highly recommend this business.
Our place was very clean, and it is evident that this place typically is very clean. I am not sure what some of those reviews were about in the comments, but everyone has different standards of what they need to see in accommodations, and so may be traveling isn’t such a good option for some of those people, and we were grateful to have stayed in such a clean and lovely place. As far as the road noise that some have written about, there Is only one main road in this town and all the hotels, hostels, and any place to stay are all generally within 100 to 300 yards of this road. Everyone uses this one road. We did as we came into town. People on their motorbikes and on their ATVs all use this road. It is not a consistent noise, but the occasional loud motorcyclist does go by, and you will hear it, as you would hear it in pretty much any other hotel in this town. If you are a light sleeper, it would be good for you to get some air plugs if you think that would be a problem. If you are generally bothered by things like this, you may prefer staying in a more developed resort town that has big insulated hotels.
We will definitely stay here again when we are in Santa Teresa, and we will use Blue Surf Adventures and hire Toro again to be our surf guide. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay, talking with Pablo, and do highly recommend this business.
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Date of stay: July 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We occupied a bungalow for the whole family (2 adults and 3 kids) and Blue Surf was our little piece of Paradise in Santa Teresa.
Very clean amenities, nice charming pool for the kids, well equipped shared kitchen and very very kind and friendly staff.
1 minute walking distance from the beach and one of the best surfing spot in the area.
Do not miss the incredible breakfast at Cafe Social located literally across the street and the surfing lessons with Toro, the kindest and most dedicated surfing coach we met so far.
Recommended +++++
Very clean amenities, nice charming pool for the kids, well equipped shared kitchen and very very kind and friendly staff.
1 minute walking distance from the beach and one of the best surfing spot in the area.
Do not miss the incredible breakfast at Cafe Social located literally across the street and the surfing lessons with Toro, the kindest and most dedicated surfing coach we met so far.
Recommended +++++
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Date of stay: December 2019
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My childhood best friend and I had the absolute joy of staying at this wonderful resort for 10 days of surfing and getting off the grid. The location is perfect for those looking to be slightly away from the busy center of town but also a short trip/walk (1 mile to everything in town). It is up the block from a great restaurant/hangout Rocamar and Cafe Social for breakfast/lunch with delicious ice coffee and staff.
The room was perfectly rustic but super comfortable and loved the form bed for aching back of 50 something guys lol.
The top item that I can rave about is the staff. All were so helpful and friendly throughout the whole stay. Especially need to point out that Maykol was a young man that was on top of every need and even tried to anticipate our needs (surf forecast, taxis, covid testing, etc). He became like our amigo that we looked foreard to seeing each day. The property manager, Jude, was also on top of a couple items for us and gave us great advice on the surf and local advise- just a joy to chat with each time we saw him. Finally even though we did not take surf lessons, Toro the resident pro, was so full of help and knowledge on the breaks, the area, the people. He embodied the pura vida mentality and we had many deep conversations on surf, life, history, etc.
In the end both my friend and I were more than happy with Blue Surf Sanctuary and it more than lived up to exactly the escape we were looking for. Had to share my appreciation of the resort and the people for sure.
Best Eric
The room was perfectly rustic but super comfortable and loved the form bed for aching back of 50 something guys lol.
The top item that I can rave about is the staff. All were so helpful and friendly throughout the whole stay. Especially need to point out that Maykol was a young man that was on top of every need and even tried to anticipate our needs (surf forecast, taxis, covid testing, etc). He became like our amigo that we looked foreard to seeing each day. The property manager, Jude, was also on top of a couple items for us and gave us great advice on the surf and local advise- just a joy to chat with each time we saw him. Finally even though we did not take surf lessons, Toro the resident pro, was so full of help and knowledge on the breaks, the area, the people. He embodied the pura vida mentality and we had many deep conversations on surf, life, history, etc.
In the end both my friend and I were more than happy with Blue Surf Sanctuary and it more than lived up to exactly the escape we were looking for. Had to share my appreciation of the resort and the people for sure.
Best Eric
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Date of stay: May 2022
Value
Rooms
Service
Room Tip: All 4 are top notch
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My wife and I stayed in Mal Pais in 2004 and have been eager to return to the Nicoya Peninsula ever since. We found a great place in Blue Surf Sanctuary. We stayed for five days before meeting extended family in Jaco, where we booked a house for a family vacation. We had a great time in Jaco but Santa Teresa is next level chill (yet plenty of fun things to do too - something for everyone!), from outstanding restaurants to close, remote beaches to the welcoming and friendly nature of everyone we met. Laleska and Maykol (apologies if I misspelled!) were so helpful and friendly, from restaurant recommendations, help with ATV and surfboard rentals, to general conversation about the the area. When Laleska found out my son loved skateboarding, she offered to find a board and show him the skatepark (next time for sure! Surfing and wandering took up our time :) Our son, ever attached to the hip these days with COVID, etc., was comfortable enough to walk down to talk or hang out around the common kitchen area while we were gathering things to head out (and we totally felt comfortable with him doing so - they were great with him and us). Leading up to our trip, Kelly and staff were incredibly helpful, quickly answering questions and helping with some last minute accommodations. I made a separate recommendation for surf lessons with Toro (he is a great dude) but he was outstanding with our son (and me). Our son popped right up and Toro gave me tips that really helped shake off the rust. By the time we got to Jaco, we were both catching waves left and right. I noticed some comments about the noise. Yes, the bungalows are right by the road. There was road construction one night and you do hear vehicles. However, it is near the end of Santa Teresa, where there are way less vehicles. Additionally, it's such a quick and easy walk to the beach (and Rocamar - SUPER friendly staff, great vibes and quality delicious food right on the beach). We love the place, location and friendships we made. We've already been talking to friends about renting all four bungalows and taking over the fun compound! I should have mentioned, we also love the communal open kitchen handout area and pool.
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Date of stay: December 2021
Value
Rooms
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My husband and I recently stayed at Blue Surf Sanctuary for a week and it was pure perfection. Kelly helped us arrange a surf package for the week that included a zipline tour as well. It was just what we needed!
The hotel is ideally located just a 100 yard walk to the sand and gorgeous ocean. The entire property is well kept and clean. Our room was spacious and we loved the little balcony overlooking the pool. We enjoyed sitting there watching the birds and iguanas! Pablo, the concierge, greeted us after a very long day of travel and we felt like we'd arrived home. He helped us organize anything we needed for the duration of our stay.
There is a well equipped kitchen should you want to do a little food prep and a designated space in the fridge for your stuff. OH -- and there is always fresh, hot coffee ready, starting as early as 6 am, thanks to Doris! :) Us early birds appreciated that so we could have some coffee before our morning surf lesson.
We were glad to be at the end of the main street in town and slightly away from 'the action' in the middle of town. Each night, we walked down to the ocean and enjoyed the sunset, the surfers, the families, dogs, etc.
Our package came with breakfast which we enjoyed every morning next door at Café Social. SO GOOD!
The highlight of our time was definitely our surf lessons with Toro. In 7 lessons, we went from complete beginners to catching our own waves! He's THAT good of an instructor.
I would highly recommend booking a stay at Blue Surf Sanctuary. You won't regret it! We are already planning our return trip.
The hotel is ideally located just a 100 yard walk to the sand and gorgeous ocean. The entire property is well kept and clean. Our room was spacious and we loved the little balcony overlooking the pool. We enjoyed sitting there watching the birds and iguanas! Pablo, the concierge, greeted us after a very long day of travel and we felt like we'd arrived home. He helped us organize anything we needed for the duration of our stay.
There is a well equipped kitchen should you want to do a little food prep and a designated space in the fridge for your stuff. OH -- and there is always fresh, hot coffee ready, starting as early as 6 am, thanks to Doris! :) Us early birds appreciated that so we could have some coffee before our morning surf lesson.
We were glad to be at the end of the main street in town and slightly away from 'the action' in the middle of town. Each night, we walked down to the ocean and enjoyed the sunset, the surfers, the families, dogs, etc.
Our package came with breakfast which we enjoyed every morning next door at Café Social. SO GOOD!
The highlight of our time was definitely our surf lessons with Toro. In 7 lessons, we went from complete beginners to catching our own waves! He's THAT good of an instructor.
I would highly recommend booking a stay at Blue Surf Sanctuary. You won't regret it! We are already planning our return trip.
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Date of stay: February 2021
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Great hotel! Our surfing instructor Toro was amazing. He spent hours with the group, coaching, encouraging, and guiding us to the point we were able to surf (ok stand up) on our own the next day. Eat at El Patio Café and Soda Tiquicia. Denga and Del Soul both rent surf and boogie boards for 24hrs, cost $15/$10 respectively.
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Date of stay: November 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Yes we would be happy to provide surf lessons, please reach us at surf bluesurfsanctuary com
No food provided. There's a grocery store not too far down road. We also really enjoyed the common kitchen... it's easier, cheaper than eating out, and a nice way to meet a few other guests coming from all over the world. It's also a great time to chat with concierge about your ideas and plans for the day.
Hi Alissa,
I am not sure what you mean.
There are 2 airlines, Sansa and Nature Air.
Sansa you have to walk outside the SJO airport and take a left at the road, it is the next drive on the left.
Nature Air is inside the airport--you will have to ask which terminal.
Once in Tambor there are taxis or you can ask your property to arrange a pick up for you.
Hope this helps.
Blue Surf Sanctuary is comprised of 4 well-designed and thought out bungalows. While standing at the western edge of the property, you will see bungalows Armonia, Sereno, Pacifico and Tranquilo slightly staggered and equally spaced from one another. The property itself is small and the space is used very well.
Bungalows Sereno and Pacifico each have a hanging bed under them. The pool is centered between Sereno and Pacifico. Armonia is farthest from the kitchen and Tranquilo the closest and near the entrance to the property.
Hi there, we do not have a yoga studio on our property, but there is one within a few minute walk. There are numerous in town with different styles of yoga and times throughout the day that will accommodate you.
"FLY from San Jose or Liberia to Tambor as opposed to the 4 hour drive from Liberia - faster and SO much easier with kids!"Read full review
"Bring ear plugs as the road noise is definitely an issue for light sleepers on the weekend."Read full review
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PRICE RANGE
C$171 - C$288 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
blue surf sanctuary hotel santa teresa
LOCATION
Costa RicaProvince of PuntarenasSanta Teresa
NUMBER OF ROOMS
4
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Blue Surf Sanctuary
Which popular attractions are close to Blue Surf Sanctuary?
Nearby attractions include Rainbow Country (1.1 km).
What are some of the property amenities at Blue Surf Sanctuary?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, a pool, and free parking.
Which room amenities are available at Blue Surf Sanctuary?
Top room amenities include air conditioning, a pool view, and a stovetop.
What food & drink options are available at Blue Surf Sanctuary?
Guests can enjoy an outdoor dining area during their stay.
Is parking available at Blue Surf Sanctuary?
Yes, free parking and street parking are available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to Blue Surf Sanctuary?
Conveniently located restaurants include Restaurante Al Chile Viola, Soda Tiquicia, and El Facon.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Blue Surf Sanctuary?
Yes, guests have access to a pool and yoga classes during their stay.
Is Blue Surf Sanctuary located near the city centre?
Yes, it is 0.7 km away from the centre of Santa Teresa.
Which languages are spoken by the staff at Blue Surf Sanctuary?
The staff speaks multiple languages, including English and Spanish.