Costa Rica Surf Retreat Dates for 2026 and 2027, and How to Pick Your Week
Pura Vida Adventures runs 7 day, 6 night all-inclusive surf and yoga retreats in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica. Our open dates are November and December 2026, and January through April 2027. That includes women’s weeks, two dedicated Women 50+ weeks, four coed weeks, Surfsgiving and New Year’s. Every week includes daily surf lessons at a maximum 2 to 1 student to instructor ratio, daily yoga, three meals a day, six nights at a beachfront resort and a one hour massage, from $3,995 per person.
That is the short version. If you already know which week you want, the dates and rates page has everything.
The rest of this is for the person sitting with a list of weeks and no idea which one is hers. We have been running these retreats since 2004, and choosing the week is the part people overthink. This post walks through every retreat we run, what actually happens in a day, when to come, how to get here, and what it costs.
All open retreat dates for 2026 and 2027
Every week runs Saturday to Friday, 7 days and 6 nights, except New Year’s, which runs 8 days and 7 nights.
Remaining 2026 dates
| Dates | Retreat | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| November 14 to 20, 2026 | Women’s Surf and Yoga Retreat | Women, all levels, most arrive solo |
| November 23 to 29, 2026 | Surfsgiving | Coed, Thanksgiving week |
| December 6 to 12, 2026 | Women’s Surf and Yoga Retreat | Women, all levels |
| December 27 to January 3 | New Year’s | Coed, 8 days and 7 nights |
2027 dates
| Dates | Retreat | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| January 9 to 15, 2027 | Women’s Surf and Yoga Retreat | Women, all levels |
| January 18 to 24, 2027 | Women 50+ | Women 50 and over |
| February 6 to 12, 2027 | Women’s Surf and Yoga Retreat | Women, all levels |
| February 15 to 21, 2027 | Coed | Couples, friends, mixed groups |
| March 1 to 7, 2027 | Women’s Surf and Yoga Retreat | Women, all levels |
| March 13 to 19, 2027 | Coed | Couples, friends, mixed groups |
| April 3 to 9, 2027 | Women 50+ | Women 50 and over |
| April 17 to 23, 2027 | Women’s Surf and Yoga Retreat | Women, all levels |
We also run a Mother-Daughter retreat in the summer. Ask us about the next one if you are planning a trip with your daughter or your mother.
Every retreat we run, and who each one is for
The surf coaching, the yoga, the food and the lodging are the same across all of them. What changes is who is in the room with you.
Women’s Surf and Yoga Retreats
2026: November 14 to 20, December 6 to 12. 2027: January 9 to 15, February 6 to 12, March 1 to 7, April 17 to 23.
This is the core PVA week and it has been running the longest. Ages usually span three decades in a single group. Levels span everything from women who have never stood on a board to women who have surfed for years and want to fix something specific.
The thing worth knowing is that most people here arrive by themselves. Roughly a third of our guests book as solo travelers, and the week is built around that: shared room matching if you want it, group meals, and a camp host whose job is partly to make sure nobody is eating dinner alone on night one.
If you are choosing your first retreat and none of the other categories obviously fit, choose one of these.
More about the women’s retreats
Women 50+ Retreats
2027: January 18 to 24, April 3 to 9.
Same coaching, same program, same 2 to 1 ratio, same everything in the water. What changes is the group.
These weeks exist because some women would rather learn a new sport surrounded by people in the same stretch of life. Not because the surfing needs to be easier, and it is not made easier. Because it is more fun to fall off a board next to someone who is also thinking about her own week, her own knees, her own schedule, and the people she left at home.
What we hear most from these groups is that the water time changes how they think about what they can still start. The coaching does not slow down. The conversation at dinner is just different.
More about the Women 50+ retreat
Coed weeks
COED Surf Retreat
2026: November 23 to 29 (Surfsgiving), December 27 to January 3 (New Year’s). 2027: February 15 to 21, March 13 to 19.
Everything the women’s weeks have, with a mixed group. Couples come, friends come, siblings come, whole families come.
The practical detail that matters here: levels get sorted by ability, not by who you arrived with. A couple with a five year gap in surf experience does not spend the week compromising, because they are simply in different groups in the water and back together at lunch.
Surfsgiving
2026: November 23 to 29, coed.
Thanksgiving, in the water, with a group of people who mostly did not know each other on Saturday. There is a proper Thanksgiving meal in the middle of it. The mood is louder and more social than a January week, and it books earlier than the rest because people plan holidays further out.
New Year’s
2026 into 2027: December 27 to January 3, coed, 8 days and 7 nights.
The longest week we run, and the only one with an extra night. It ends with a beach party for the turn of the year. Same coaching, more time, bigger energy. If you have ever wanted to start a January already sunburned and slightly sore from paddling, this is the one.
Mother-Daughter retreat
A summer week built for mothers and daughters travelling together, for ages eight and up. Rooms are set up for two, and there is a zipline tour included that is exclusive to this retreat. Tierza has brought her own daughters on it.
If you want to be told when the next dates open, say so here and we will let you know first.
More about the Mother-Daughter retreat
Start with three questions, not with the calendar
Most people open a date list and look for the month that works with their annual leave. Reasonable place to start, bad place to finish. Three things matter more than the month.
1. Have you surfed before?
If the answer is no, or not since a lesson on holiday fifteen years ago, every week on this list works. That is not us being agreeable, it is how the program is built. Groups are small, the ratio never goes above two students to one instructor, and each level has its own progression, so beginners are not chasing intermediates around the lineup all week.
If you have surfed for years and you are wondering whether a retreat is beneath you: the video analysis is the part that changes things for experienced surfers. Most people have never watched themselves paddle. It is uncomfortable for about a minute and then it is the most useful thing in the week.
2. Who are you travelling with?
Coming alone, come to a women’s week. Bringing a partner, a brother, or a friend who is not a woman, come to one of the four coed weeks. Fifty or over and you would rather be among women in the same stretch of life, there are two dedicated weeks in 2027. Bringing your daughter or your mother, ask about the Mother-Daughter week.
3. What do you want the week to feel like?
The holiday weeks have a different texture. Surfsgiving in late November and New Year’s over the turn of the year are busier, louder and more social. January, February and March are quieter, and the surf is more consistent. Neither is better. People usually know immediately which one they want.
What a day actually looks like
No two weeks run identically, because the surf schedule follows the tide and the swell rather than the clock. But a typical day looks close to this.
- Early morning. Coffee and fruit. The surf call for the day gets made based on what the tide is doing, and you find out which break we are going to.
- Morning surf session. Two to three hours in the water, in your level group, with your instructor in the water next to you rather than watching from the sand. Someone is filming.
- Late morning. Breakfast, properly, after surfing rather than before.
- Midday. The hottest part of the day is deliberately unstructured. Pool, hammock, town, a nap, your massage if you booked it for that day.
- Afternoon. Video analysis on some days, an optional excursion on others, or a second surf session if the conditions are worth it.
- Sunset. Sunset surf sessions when the tide cooperates. This is the session people describe when they get home.
- Evening. Yoga or dinner, depending on the day. Dinner tends to run long, most nights at the beachfront restaurant and several out at the best places in town.
Yoga happens daily and gets scheduled around the surf, not the other way around. Some weeks that means sunrise, some weeks late afternoon.
When to come: what each month is actually like
There is surf year round here and the water sits around bath temperature all year, so no wetsuit, ever. What changes between months is the weather on land and the consistency of the swell.
November and December
The end of the green season rolling into the dry season. The landscape is at its greenest, the town is quieter before the holidays fill it, and the water is warm. Occasional afternoon showers early in November. Good beginner conditions.
January through April
Dry season. This is the most reliable stretch of the year for sunshine and consistent conditions, and it is when most of our 2027 weeks run. Expect warm days around 90 degrees Fahrenheit and offshore mornings.
Does the season matter if you are a beginner?
Less than people expect. A beginner spends the week in whitewater, close to shore, working on the fundamentals rather than chasing swell. Any of our months work for a first timer. Season matters much more if you are intermediate and hoping for a specific kind of wave.
What is included in every week
- Six nights at our beachfront resort, with a pool, a restaurant, an oceanfront hammock area, a full spa, and a camp host who handles the logistics all week.
- Daily surf lessons for every level, a maximum 2 to 1 student to instructor ratio, video analysis, sunset sessions, full access to our board quiver, and transport to whichever break is working that day.
- Daily yoga with Karen Love for all levels in our open air oceanfront studio. Mats, blocks, bolsters and straps provided.
- Three gourmet meals a day made with local ingredients, adjusted for any dietary requirement, most at our beachfront restaurant and several out at the best places in town.
- One professional one hour therapeutic massage at Spa Natural.
- A PVA rash guard.
Depending on the week, the swell and what the group wants, there is also a jungle hike to the Montezuma waterfalls, sunset at the Vista de Olas mountaintop swim-up bar, a beachside BBQ and bonfire, and often a live set from Annie Bethancourt, who teaches surf here and writes songs the rest of the time. There are also optional add-ons like horseback riding, a canopy tour and a boat day. We wrote about all of those here.
Rates
| Accommodation | Regular | Early Bird |
|---|---|---|
| Shared Garden Room | $4,195 | $3,995 |
| Shared Bungalow | $4,695 | $4,495 |
| 2-Bedroom Beachfront, shared bath | $4,895 | $4,695 |
| Private Garden Room | $5,095 | $4,895 |
| Private Bungalow | $5,695 | $5,495 |
Rates are per person in USD and taxes are included. Shared room pricing is based on two people in the room, and we match solo guests with other solo guests if you want to share. Airfare is not included.
The Early Bird discount is $200 off when you reserve and pay in full 30 days before your retreat starts. PVA alumni take another $200 off. Bringing two friends, ask us about group rates. A $500 deposit holds your room.
See all five accommodation types
How to actually get here
Santa Teresa is on the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula. Getting here is a two step process, and it is the part most people worry about unnecessarily.
Step one: your international flight
Fly into either Juan Santamaria International (SJO) near San Jose, or Liberia International (LIR) in the north. Most of our guests use SJO. Allow two hours between your international and domestic flights on both ends for customs, baggage and ticketing.
Step two: getting from the airport to us
Domestic flight. The fastest option, and the one we recommend if you want maximum beach time. A 30 minute puddle jumper from SJO or LIR to Cobano runs roughly $60 to $140 each way, on Sansa or Costa Rica Green Airways. From Cobano it is about an hour by taxi, around $50 for one to four people. We arrange the taxi and someone meets you with a sign. Seats to Cobano are limited, so book early.
Shuttle bus. Tropical Tours runs a door to door shuttle from San Jose, Liberia and Santa Teresa daily, around $50 per person each way. Slower, cheaper, and perfectly comfortable.
Kathy, our reservations guru, will help you sort any of this. Full travel details and San Jose hotel recommendations are here.
Arrival and departure timing
Day one starts around 6:00 pm with a welcome dinner. The last day wraps around 10:00 am after a final surf session and brunch. Do not book a flight that has you arriving late on day one or leaving at dawn on the last day, because you will miss two of the better parts of the week.
What to pack
Less than you think.
- Swimsuits, more than one, because nothing fully dries here.
- Rash guard or long sleeve sun shirt. We give you a PVA rash guard, but a second one helps.
- Reef safe sunscreen and zinc. The sun here is stronger than it looks.
- Surf leggings if you want coverage on your legs while paddling.
- Light clothes for dinner. Nowhere in Santa Teresa is formal.
- Insect repellent, a hat, sunglasses with a strap.
- Any medication you need, since the pharmacy options here are limited.
- No wetsuit. No surfboard, ours are better and you have access to the whole quiver.
Why deciding early is worth something
We do not run countdown timers and we are not going to tell you a week is nearly gone when it is not. There are two real reasons to decide sooner rather than later.
The first is money. Early Bird is $200 off, alumni take another $200 off, and group rates exist for three or more.
The second is your room. There are five accommodation types and the private options on any given week go first. If you know you want your own space, say so early. If you are happy sharing, you have more flexibility and you will pay less.
Still not sure which week?
That is the normal state of affairs and it is not something you have to solve alone on a website. Book half an hour with me. I will ask what your surf experience actually is, what you want out of the week, and when you can realistically travel, and I will tell you which date I would put you in. If the answer is that none of them are right this year, I will say that too.
Frequently asked questions
What are the upcoming Pura Vida Adventures retreat dates?
For the rest of 2026: November 14 to 20 (women’s), November 23 to 29 (Surfsgiving, coed), December 6 to 12 (women’s), and December 27 to January 3 (New Year’s, coed). For 2027: January 9 to 15, January 18 to 24 (Women 50+), February 6 to 12, February 15 to 21 (coed), March 1 to 7, March 13 to 19 (coed), April 3 to 9 (Women 50+) and April 17 to 23.
How long is a Pura Vida Adventures retreat?
Seven days and six nights, Saturday to Friday, except New Year’s which runs eight days and seven nights.
When is the best time of year for a surf retreat in Santa Teresa?
There is surf year round and the water sits around bath temperature, so no wetsuit at any time of year. January through April is the dry season, with the most consistent conditions and most reliable sunshine. November and December sit at the end of the green season, when the landscape is greenest and the town is quieter before the holidays. Beginners do well in any of these months.
Which week should I choose as a complete beginner?
Any of them. Every week takes complete beginners and coaching is organised by level, so you will not be dropped into a group that is ahead of you. If you would like to be among other women learning later in life, the two Women 50+ weeks in 2027 are worth a look.
Do you have 2027 dates open?
Yes. Eight weeks between January and April 2027, including two Women 50+ weeks and two coed weeks.
How much does a Pura Vida Adventures retreat cost?
From $3,995 to $5,695 per person depending on your room, with taxes included. That covers seven days and six nights, all meals, all surf lessons, all yoga, a massage, boards, and transport to the surf breaks.
What is not included?
Airfare and ground transport to Santa Teresa, optional excursions like horseback riding, canopy and boat days, extra spa treatments, alcohol, and souvenirs. Everything else in the week is covered.
How do I hold a spot?
A $500 deposit holds your room. PVA alumni take an additional $200 off, and if you are bringing two friends, ask us about group rates.
Can I come on my own?
Most people do. Around a third of our guests book as solo travelers. Shared rooms are priced for two and we match solo guests with other solo guests, or you can take a private room. By the middle of the week nobody is keeping track of who arrived with whom.
What is the surf instructor ratio?
A maximum of two students to one instructor. Your instructor is in the water with you, not standing on the beach pointing.
Do I need to bring a surfboard?
No. You have access to our full quiver all week, including soft tops for beginners and high performance epoxy and fiberglass boards as you progress. Bringing your own board on a plane to get here is not worth it.
Is there an age limit?
The Women 50+ weeks are for women 50 and over. The Mother-Daughter retreat is for ages eight and up. Our other weeks have no upper or lower age limit in practice, and a typical group spans several decades.
How fit do I need to be?
Fit enough to walk on sand and paddle a board in whitewater, which is most people. Paddling uses shoulders you may not have used in a while, which is why the massage tends to get booked for day four. There is no minimum fitness test and there is no shame in sitting out a session.
What is the food like?
Three meals a day made with local ingredients, most at the beachfront restaurant and several out at the best places in town. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, dairy free and any other requirement gets handled. Tell us once when you book and it is sorted for the week.
Is Santa Teresa safe for solo female travelers?
Yes, and it is one of the main reasons people choose this town. You are staying at a beachfront resort with a camp host, moving with a group, and Santa Teresa itself is a small surf town rather than a city. More on solo travel here.
Book a call with Tierza. Half an hour, no pitch, and you will leave the call knowing which week is yours.
