Working Remotely in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
This is part of my remote work travel series where I review places I visit as a digital nomad. Check out the rest of my posts and follow me on Instagram, YouTube, Substack, or on TikTok for more travel content!
Do you love to surf? Are you down with $15 smoothies and $30 cocktails? Would you happily set cash on fire to stay in a charming surf town that you can only feasibly explore on overpriced ATVs?
If you answered “yes” to all three questions — congrats! Santa Teresa is the destination for you.
If you answered “no” to one or more of the above, then maybe rethink spending an extended amount of time in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica — particularly if you’re a digital nomad trying to stay within some semblance of a budget.
My Love/Hate Relationship with Beach Towns
First off, shout out to Quince! They gifted me this cute dress and some other clothes which you can check out in my YouTube review. This flowy dress was perfect for the hot and humid Costa Rica weather, and all my Quince clothes hold up in the wash so well, which is a must as I travel out of a carry-on and need my clothes to stay strong across multiple washes a month as I travel. (Get my full digital nomad packing list here!)
I normally start blog posts in this working remotely series off with a delightful description of the destination I’m recommending to you. And I could easily do that with Santa Teresa: I’ve been describing the beachy vibes and yoga classes held on wooden decks in open-air studios to my newsletter subscribers all month. I’ve been playing beach volleyball, eating amazing breakfast burritos, and enjoying the warm jungle.
However, I think beach towns are sticky places for digital nomads and remote workers like myself who aren’t surf fiends. Why? Because if you aren’t spending all day on the waves, you get less bang for your buck. Instead, you look to other excursions (hiking, ATV-ing, horseback riding) to fill the void, and the restaurants and activities are pretty overpriced here because of how uniquely good this surf spot is. (So I’ve been told!)
Any beach town is going to charge more because a beach is a novelty. I learned this after visiting the Amalfi Coast — another overhyped, too-expensive tourist trap (just without the surf.) Fine for vacation, but not for nomads looking to spend a few weeks to a few months in a place. That’s why you need to set your expectations in advance, as prices of normal things rivaled NYC and LA in this sleepy beach town.
Rainy Season vs. Dry Season in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
Santa Teresa also has another challenge: if you visit during rainy season or the cusp of it, you’re signing up for a lot of rain. Like, buckets and buckets of rain every day.
This sounds fine conceptually: what’s a little rain, especially if you get to stay in a warm jungle/beach town?
No, the rain here is a torrential downpour, even on the tail-end of rainy season. Activities like snorkeling were impossible due to poor visibility for the rain. So, do your homework and pick the right time to visit.
Where to Stay in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica for Digital Nomads
Santa Teresa is less of a town and more of one long street. Part of it is paved, part of it isn’t: meaning you’ll be walking through dusty, muddy areas — so don’t bring your best clothes here, and get an ATV if you want to explore. When it comes to accommodations, you have a few different options, but you definitely want to stay on this main road or as close as possible to it.
I stayed in the Dreamcatcher with a nomad group I’m a part of, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Instead, I’d recommend staying at an Outsite or Selina here: two co-working and co-living/hostel setups that are nice here and have good WiFi and accommodations. There is an Outsite located off the main street and up the hill, which means it’s not really walkable and not close to the beach. I’ve heard it has great views, however, so if you rent an ATV then this might be more doable for you.
If you want something nicer, I’d recommend Somos. It’s a “surf hotel” on the main street across from the beach, and you can stay in an airstream or a nice private room — or, share a dorm if you want something cheaper and more communal.
I co-worked at the Somos cafe every day for the past week and looooooove the vibes. Great brekkie burritos, awesome espresso (made with local coffee beans!), friendly baristas, and great music. If I ever came back here (doubtful) I would stay at Somos for sure. Just be aware they’ve got a party vibe (like Selina) and have nightlife/club events that could disrupt your sleep — bring earplugs. Other than that I think it’s a great place to stay if you’re looking for a hip, fun beachy hotel.
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What to Do in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica for Digital Nomads
Surf or exist on the beach.
Co-Work at Somos.
I mean, you could do other things — horseback riding, snorkeling, hiking at the nature reserves — but honestly in the two-and-a-half weeks here I pretty much just hung out the beach, played poker with friends, learned some beach volleyball basics, and did many a weekday beach walk to Somos for my “morning commute.”
Unlike Peru — where I did tons of activities and adventures! — I really wanted to take it easy this month.
While there are things to do here, I would also just like to mention that the lack of paved roads and nonexistent streetlights makes it a bit precarious to get around. This disincentivized me to really get out and explore, as we didn’t want to rent a car and the dust made ATV-ing look less fun. So — beach hangouts and card games with our friends it was!
We also walked down to the tide pools which are fun at low tide. Just be careful as they can be super slippery.
What to Eat in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica for Digital Nomads
As I mentioned, everywhere is pretty pricey, but the food is solid. There are a few stand-outs:
Satori. Great vegan/vegetarian sushi options, good lunch spot, great vibes. This is a nice date-night dinner spot, as the open-air restaurant has great music, a relaxing ambiance, and moody lighting.
The Bakery. This is a great breakfast/lunch spot with solid brunch options on the weekend.
Amici. Amazing sourdough pizza. Highly recommend the margarita pizza with a salad, and a nutella pizza for dessert :)
Katana. Get the samosas and the tofu pad thai! The nemesis chocolate cake is also amazing.
Somos Cafe. Have I talked about them enough in this blog post? No, I don’t think so.
None of these are beach restaurants, but there are plenty of options for you if you want that vibe. Banana Beach was overpriced and totally okay, but they had nice seating and are a good place to post up if you want to sunbathe during the day or watch the sunset.
Where to Work or Co-Work in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica + Best Insect Repellent
There are an abundance of options for co-working spaces in Santa Teresa. I’m partial to Somos Cafe (if you couldn’t tell by now!!!) as they have bomb burritos and a great playlist.
No matter where you co-work, though, make sure to stop by the Green World Grocery store when you get here and get some natural insect repellant as there is a TON of mosquitos here. Keep your container and just return to the store to refill it. These natural, essential-oil-based repellants work much better than other chemical-based sprays, and they’re better for you (and the planet.) Green World has some other great lotions and other products, but their groceries are a bit overpriced compared to local shops.
If you want to co-work indoors, Selina South near Laundry Express has a co-working space you can get a day pass for $20. They also have little meeting rooms if you’re on a lot of zoom calls. Their Internet was mostly good I’ve heard, but dipped out every so often.
Overall, there are a lot of Internet and power outages in Costa Rica, so it’s not a super ideal place to co-work from if you have a lot of calls that require strong WiFi.
But hey, if you’re just here to surf and chill, that doesn’t matter, right?
Last Thoughts On Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
On one of the rare sunny days of our trip, my partner Kyle and I were walking along the beach as the sun illuminated the turquoise water and lush green jungle foliage. It was pleasant, the sun was setting, and the rays painted everything gold. People walked along the beach, some played beach volleyball, and the laidback beach clubs were turning on their string lights and luring people in with inviting music and cold smoothies and cocktails served in coconuts.
I’m sure there was a point in time where Santa Teresa was freshly discovered: a haven for surfers, a place where infrastructure met nature.
But now, it’s been overly commoditized. This isn’t a local gem: it’s a Disneyland for tourists to experience not a Costa Rica that existed before, but a place created and reinforced by expats and vacationers.
For some, that’s okay. But for me? I didn’t learn anything about Costa Rican culture while here. I just listened to a lot of Jack Johnson and drank $15 smoothies.
When the novelty staying on the beach wore off, I longed for something that felt more real and less performative.
Maybe I’ll find that in my next destination, but as always — subscribe to my newsletter to hear about my travels as they unfold.
My Ratings of Santa Teresa, Costa Rica as a Digital Nomad
Affordability: (0/5 — hahahaha not affordable at all)
Food Quality: ⭐️⭐️ (2/5 — solid food, not very many options)
Adventures/Day Trips: ⭐️ (1/5 — not very many day trips, and it’s hard/expensive to get around)
Cafes/Co-Working Space Availability: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5 — good cafe culture and co-working spaces for nomads)
Digital Nomad-Friendly City: ⭐️⭐️ (2/5 — lots of price gouging, very touristy, nomads get taken advantage of here and not great WiFi/cell coverage)
Value of Accommodations for Remote Workers: ⭐️ (1/5 — overpriced accommodations)
Overall Rating: ⭐️ (1/5 — wouldn’t go back, don’t really recommend for nomads unless you surf)
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