FAQ and A: Most Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

Where do I fly into?
You will ultimately fly into Tambor, Costa Rica. To get to Tambor you can fly into San Jose, Costa Rica and transfer to a commuter plane which will fly into Tambor. The best airline to take from San Jose to Tambor is Sansa. While there are other airlines which fly into Tambor, Sansa flies out of San Jose’s Juan Santamaria airport (where you’ll fly into) and is much easier than the other airlines. Sansa can be reached at www.flysansa.com or from the US by phone at 1 877 767 2672. The flight from San Jose to Tambor is about 35 minutes.

If your flight comes in the night before, there are some standard American hotels by the airport with shuttle service or you can book any hotel and catch a cab. Technically the San Jose international airport is in Alajuela but “San Jose, Costa Rica” usually works fine for the online travel sites.

We will be finding out beforehand who is coming early (the night before) so we can group all of you together the night before.

What time should I arrive / depart?
We’ll be picking everyone up and we can accommodate your arrivals. The shuttle is $45.00 each way
Let us know ASAP what time you are arriving so we can schedule your shuttle

What are the accommodations like?
The accommodations are at a local small hotel on the beach in Malpais. Our hotel is one of the few in the area which is actually on the beach and close to the surf break. We will be staying in bungalows at the hotel. The accommodations are very beach cool / casual and will have 2 to a room rooms. We can accommodate a few single rooms if this is of interest, however, there is an additional charge for single rooms. We can also accommodate 3 to a room if you are with a group of friends. Single rooms are $350

What is the Yoga like?
In the mornings we’ll do an awakening Yoga on the beach before we surf to get ourselves ready for the day. We’ll also have a more traditional Yoga practice every afternoon. Our Yoga instructor (Francella) is very experienced and can accommodate all capability levels. You can be a beginner interested in learning and incorporating a Yoga practice into your life, a long time practitioner or anywhere in between and have a great time with our Yoga.

How about the surfing?
It’s Costa Rica, one of the destination surfing spots in the world, so it will be incredible. This doesn’t mean gigantic waves, in fact we selected this location for its accommodating waves for learning. Having said this, while Colleen has performed some amazing feats in nature, even she cannot control the seas, so we are still subject to the tides and swells.

We’ll surf every day!!! We’ll typically break the day up into two sessions, one morning and one afternoon. One session will be with instructors and one in the evening when the water is nice and smooth which can be with an instructor or on your own. And of course you are always welcome to stroll on the beach, sleep in and or stay poolside at any time instead of surfing whenever you feel like it.

We’ll have several instructors so we can accommodate everyone from absolute beginners to those who have been surfing for years. We also believe in low instructor to student ratios so you’ll get the individual attention you need to get the hang of it.

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 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.