About Nosara In Costa Rica
When people refer to Nosara, they actually mean Playa Guiones (pronounced gee-yawn-ez). Nosara is actually a small town about 20 minutes drive inland. Playa Guiones on the other hand is quite simply the best place to learn to surf anywhere in the world. It’s an early to bed, early to rise kind of town and is one of the nicest places to hang out I’ve ever been.
Costa Rica is, understandably, one of the world’s favorite getaway destinations and the country is enthusiastically developing to meet the growing demand. Luckily for Nosara, some clever chap back in the 70s declared the area surrounding Playa Guiones as a protected nature reserve. Today this means while you’re surfing it’s just you, the ocean, the jungle and a few monkeys and turtles. Tucked discreetly behind the trees is a smattering of cafes, restaurants, hotels, villas, and rentals that create an ambiance The Lonely Planet describes as “sophisticated jungle living”.
The Surf Simply resort is nestled in the trees 800 yards back from the waters edge. You can stroll 10 minutes along the paths through the trees and stumble upon all kinds of cool little shops, cafes and restaurants without ever feeling like you’re stepping out of the jungle. The locals and foreigners that have moved here are all a pretty friendly bunch and it’s not uncommon for our guests to ask us why people keep smiling and waving at them.
The perfect classroom – consistent, fun waves year round.
We chose Nosara to become the home of Surf Simply for a different reason. We chose Nosara simply because it is the best place to learn to surf anywhere in the world. The beach here has over 350 surfable days a year with 90% of them offering clean waist high to head high waves, even places like Hawaii don’t come close to that kind of consistency. This means that even if you only have a weeks vacation, the chances are high that you’ll have ideal conditions what ever level of surfer you are.
More than just Surfing
You might want to spend your entire time in Nosara. Alternatively, you may make Nosara a stop-off on a longer trip around Costa Rica. Most people say it’s their favorite place though (we think so …that’s why we’re here).
Apart from surfing and general beach lounging, you can also take part in a whole host of great outdoor activities. Take the challenge of one of the world’s longest zip-line jungle canopy tours; take yoga classes; try horse riding at sunset on the beach; go kayaking along the rivers; have a go at riding an SUP; deep sea sports fish for a giant marlin*; walk the jungle nature trails to the waterfalls; watch the turtles hatch at the Ostional Nature Reserve; and then finally finish it all off with a massage! (*sports fishing is subject to an extra charge).
All this is included in your surf package with us and because there is so much cool stuff to do in Nosara, we take a day off from surfing in the middle of your week stay with us to take advantage of it, that and the fact that you’ll need to give the old paddle muscles a rest.
After a few days in Nosara, you’ll probably want to rent an ATV and go scooting off into the jungle looking for a nice piece of land so you can build your own tropical hide-away (it’s very difficult to leave Nosara).
Bars & Restaurants
Playa Guiones is home to some great little restaurants and we’ll take you to a different one every night as part of your surf package with us. Nothing tastes as good as fresh seafood after long day surfing. The restaurants here wouldn’t blow the mind of a big city food critic but you’ll be more than happy with the choice of food and ambiance on offer. Some places are peaceful and serene with magnificent views, while others are buzzing with live music and conversation fueled by well-earned, ice cold local “Imperial” beer.
