FAQ and A: Most Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

When does the retreat begin and end?
Registration begins at lunch, Noon November 13th at Pranamar's spectacular restaurant. Check-in to the villas begins at 2 pm, so reception can hold your bags if you arrive early. We will begin our magical surfing journey at 3 pm. If you cannot make it until later, a Women's Quest representative will be there to welcome you. The retreat ends around 9 am on November 19th after yoga and breakfast.

How do I get there?
First, fly into San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO). Next, an easy 25 minute flight takes you to the town of Tambor on the Nicoya Peninsula. For flight reservations contact Sansa Airlines, www.flysansa.com. Book this flight early because seating is very limited. Once in Tambor, a friendly taxi driver will take you to Pranamar Villas in Playa Hermosa. Please refer to our ‘How To Find Surf Paradise’ guide for more details.

What hotel is recommended if I stay overnight in San Jose?
We suggest that you stay at The Hampton Inn and Suites, San Jose Airport. This is the hotel we are using for the night before for people to gather. We can even help you find a roommate. Telephone 866-539-0036. The address is Hwy 1 Airport Blvd, Alajuela.

What are the accommodations like?
The elegantly designed villas, built with Costa Rican hardwoods, bamboo and plenty of windows and doors, invite guests to enjoy nature and ocean views in an intimate setting.

Each two-story villa has two air-conditioned bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room and plenty of decks and terraces.

Luxurious granite stone tubs surrounded by tropical gardens give a unique, exotic touch to our open-air bathrooms. Decorated with imported, hand- crafted Indonesian furniture and floating around a free-form pool, the villas create a relaxed, romantic atmosphere complimented by their natural surroundings.

All four poolside Villas include: personal pool entrance, 2 air-conditioned bedrooms, fans, screens, garden bathroom with granite stone tub, laptop size security safes, Wi-Fi, and 2 kings beds or 1 king and 2 twins (depending on your preference)

Single Rooms are available at an extra cost of $500.

What is the Yoga like?
Practice, breathe, and sweat in one of Costa Rica’s newest and most inspiring studios. Our spacious yoga shala is open on three sides to allow the sea breeze and ocean song to flow thru. Built with beautiful teak floors, high bamboo ceilings, and antique Javanese doors, this sacred space is unforgettable and fully equipped. Balance, focus, and core strength are key components of surfing. We will begin most mornings with awakening yoga to get ourselves ready for the day. We have several sunset yoga sessions planned as well.

Our yoga instructor, Nancy, knows which poses most benefit sore surf muscles and incorporates awareness of the body into each session. She can help you reduce tightness in the hips and shoulders as well as improve strength and flexibility. Vinyasa yoga classes are designed to nourish the body, release tension, and allow you to connect with yourself.

How about the surfing?
We’ll surf every day!!! It’s Costa Rica, one of the premier surf destinations in the world, so it will be incredible! A short walk down the white sand beach is our gentle surf spot. This picturesque palm-lined beach is Playa Hermosa, ‘beautiful beach’ in Spanish. Our “home break" is perfect for learning with its sandy bottom and rolling waves. The area has some of the most consistent waves in Costa Rica. This does not mean gigantic. In fact, we selected this location for its favorable waves. Having said this, while Colleen has performed some amazing feats, even she cannot control the seas, so we are still subject to the tides and swells.

Our instructors are patient, kind, experienced, and genuinely interested in you and your journey. They are able to accommodate absolute beginners to those who have been surfing for years. They teach safety first with fun and stoke as a close second. A low student-to-instructor ratio will ensure that you receive thoughtful feedback and coaching. You will even have a one-on-one session mid-week!

Women’s Quest is different than other surf retreats. Our first day will begin with "ground school" which is where we will teach you the basics of surfing, how to pop up and how to balance on the board. We have also created a very special “paddle school”, which will take place at Playa Manzanillo. It is a quiet beach with very gentle, rolling waves. We will teach techniques to paddle more efficiently and powerfully, how to turtle roll, how to spin around quickly (for catching waves) and how to find your sweet spot on the board. We also have an amazing talk with Surf Master Al on “Zen and the Art of Surfing.”

Do I have to participate in everything on the schedule?
You do not need to participate in everything; you can pace yourself so that it is the perfect amount of activity for you. We fully support you in doing as much or as little as is right for you in the moment. The schedule gives you a sense of the flow of each day. It is subject to change, depending upon the needs of the group, weather, ocean swell size, tides, etc. We will go over the schedule each day at breakfast. .

Do I need to be an athlete to attend this retreat?
Nope. You need to be able to swim and should be relatively comfortable in the ocean. Activities that will accelerate your learning are push-ups (hands underneath the shoulders, not wide), swimming, upper body exercises, and yoga for balance. Any physical exercise is beneficial. People of all shapes, sizes, skills and backgrounds surf. …and everyone who does, shares a common bond with the ocean and a permanent smile on their faces.

What do I need to know and or be able to do before coming?
Not much. You do need to know how to swim, and you should be relatively comfortable in the ocean. That’s about it. People of all shapes, sizes, skills and backgrounds surf….and everyone who does, shares a common bond with the ocean and a permanent smile on their faces.

What will the weather be like?
Think tropical paradise! Sundresses, shorts, tank tops, flip flops! The warmest layers you’ll need are for your plane ride over.

What currency is used in Costa Rica?
Colones. However, US $20 bills are accepted everywhere. Ask your taxi driver to stop by the ATM at the Playa Carmen “crossroads” if you would like some Costa Rican colones. Current exchange rate is about $1 to 500 colones. Don’t bring Travelers Cheques.

What should I bring?
This just may be the easiest trip you’ll ever pack for. Our accommodations are beach casual and the temperature of the air and the water are perfect. The air temp during the days can get into the low to mid 80’s with nights cooling off into the 70’s. Bring light beach clothing and a sweatshirt which you may not need. You should also bring a lightweight rain jacket just in case.

For yoga you’ll need comfortable loose fitting clothing or yoga shorts and tops. The air temp is perfect so we’ll be outside for yoga. Athleta has some great yoga clothing and swim suits at www.athleta.com.

For surfing you’ll need a couple of swim suits, many prefer one pieces but two pieces are ok as well. You’ll also want to bring a rash guard. These are super stretchy shirts to protect you from the sun and from potential irritation from the top of surf board. Either long and or short sleeve rash guards are a good idea. You won’t need a wetsuit, the water is a perfect temp. Lastly, you’ll need to bring sunscreen -- lot’s of it.

Travel Insurance?
We all know things happen. Whether it's before your trip, in transit, or during your retreat so Women's Quest strongly recommends you take out travel insurance. Travel insurance policies can vary on their coverage so please make sure you understand their coverage if you have to cancel, travel delays and cancellations, medical coverage, emergency situations and other areas of interest to you. You can get an online quote by clicking here!

Our travel agent Heather works with a travel insurance group and will be happy to talk with you about putting travel insurance in place for your trip. Heather can be reached at 303 381-7423