Una Ola Surf Resort is laidback surf hotel meets luxurious tropical retreat. I had one of the best vacations of my life staying there for one week in May. The hotel is located on Playa Grande, two hours from the Liberia airport, and near the popular surf town of Tamarindo. Besides a few other small hotels, this area of Playa Grande is largely undeveloped—dominated by jungle, iguanas and beautiful, breath-taking surf.
The waves are best in the early morning just after dawn, so that’s when we hit them. After a swig of dark Costa Rican coffee, we wiggled into our wetsuits, grabbed our surf boards and headed to the wide stretch of empty beach. The huge waves were a little frightening at first, but the patient and talented instructor put me at ease and had me riding the whitewater in no time.
It’s easy to fall into the Costa Rican rhythm of rising early with the sun, surfing for few hours then either hiking to nearby beaches or renting mopeds to explore the small rural towns nearby. The hotel even lends bikes to ride to the town of Tamarindo--about 30 minutes away. Afterwards, we returned for some more surfing then had dinner with the staff and guests.
Not only did the staff teach us to surf, they cooked us the best breakfasts I’ve ever had, drove us to and from town, called local sailboat charters for us, took us to a rodeo, grilled with us—we shared some of the best memories with them. By the end of the week, we all felt like family.
Whether novice or expert, or just sunbather, Una Ola is a dream beach destination.
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