women surf adventure

This AWA Villa is located in Playa Carmen, on the south western coast of the Nicoya Peninsula, about 5 minutes south of Santa Teresa.

Our location is relatively remote - it's what makes the area so stunning, and while this means uncrowded beaches, take into account travel time to reach us.

There are a few options for getting to us from San José or Liberia airport depending on your time and your budget. Flying from San José to Tambor (closest local airport) and then taking a cab is significantly quicker but also more expensive. In the intermediate price range is to travel via private shuttle, a door-to-door service. If your budget is limited and/or you are not in a hurry, take the public bus. Each of these options are detailed below.

PLANE

There are currently two airlines providing daily flights from San José to Tambor on the Nicoya Peninsula. The flight is approximately 30 minutes and it costs something between $100-$130. If travelling with friends, we recommend booking these flights together, in order to avoid changes to one of the reservations and not the other (rare, but just in case).

We recommend Costa Rica Green Airways which operates out of the separate domestic airport, a five-minute walk from San Jose's main terminal (SJO). As they operate out of a different airport, you are not connecting, instead, you’ll first need to go through Immigration and collect your luggage. Upon leaving Arrivals, walk straight ahead to the main boulevard, turn left, and you will see the Domestic Terminal located 500 feet ahead. If in doubt, an airport official will be able to point you in the right direction. Book here: CR Green Air

Sansa is another Costa Rican airline operating out of the domestic terminal; it also offers multiple flights per day. Sansa also flies into Tambor from the Liberia International Airport. Book here: Sansa

On arrival into Tambor, grab a taxi to Mal País – approximately 40 minutes and $60. We recommend the services of Miguel Delgado (on booking, we’ll be able to put you in touch).

Alternatively, Sansa offers a shuttle service from Tambor to Santa Teresa at the time of flight booking, which while shared, does end up more cost-effective than a taxi for solo travellers and smaller groups.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The above options won’t work for those who are travelling with surfboards bigger than 7’0.

PRIVATE SHUTTLE

There are a number of companies that provide a private shuttle service to the AWA Villa; we frequently use the services of Montezuma Expeditions. Additional options are available with Tropical Tours, or with Montezuma Adventure. You'll be collected from San José and driven to the Puntarenas ferry (approximately 1.5-2 hours). At Puntarenas, you'll leave the van and board the ferry, taking your bags with you. The ferry crossing is approximately 1.5 hours and on arrival you'll be met by another van, which will drive you the rest of the way to the AWA Villa (approximately 1.5 hours).

The quoted cost of the shuttle includes all legs of the journey (shuttle > ferry > shuttle).

DIRECT BUS

Departing from the bus terminal (7-10) in San José, the direct bus makes the same journey as the private shuttle (ferry included). The bus leaves the station twice daily (6am and 2pm). You can see the bus schedule here. The schedule shows San José to Cóbano as Cóbano is the nearest big town but that bus will take you all the way to town.

Let the driver know that you’ll get off as the bus arrives into town, at “El Cruce” (the crossroads) between Mal País and Playa Carmen. From here, grab a taxi to us (taxi drivers are usually hanging out right on the crossroads) – approximately 3 minutes and less than $10. During the day, there are generally plenty of taxis at the corner where the bus arrives in town so you should have no problem waving one down. Alternatively, you can walk into any one of the restaurants or cafes and ask them to call a taxi for you. When taking the afternoon bus (arrives between 8-9pm), we suggest booking a taxi in advance. We recommend the services of Miguel Delgado (on booking, we’ll be able to put you in touch).

Let us know if you need assistance booking any legs of this commute. We are here to support you and can’t wait to meet you!

Citizens/residents from ALL countries are currently allowed to enter Costa Rica. If you are planning a trip to visit us in Mal Pais/Santa Teresa, there are specific entry requirements that must be met.

YES! You can bring your own board or pick your perfect match from our quiver. We suggest you travel with your own board if you are feeling comfortable surfing with it. Have in mind that the internal flights in CR won't allow you to travel with a board bag bigger than 7 feet.

At 2pm.

At 11am.

We recommend you make your reservation ASAP to make sure you secure your spot as we have  limited availability and we fill up fast.

All reservations are made via the AWA Website. In order to secure your spot, we request a $1000 deposit and the remaining is due a week from arrival.

We will refund 100% of your deposit if it is more than 6 weeks from your arrival date. The deposit is non-refundable with less than a 6 week notice. We will honour your deposit for any future experience with us within one year since your initial reservation.

We have amended our cancellation policy to offer our guests a choice to either re-book at a later time at no charge or refund 100% to those who cannot fulfil their reservation due to COVID-19 positive tests, country closures, local rules and orders, AWA staff and guest safety concerns, and/or beach access and availability.

None! AWA is for all levels of surfing, from the lady that has never felt confident in the ocean to those who have been surfing all of their lives.

A large amount of our retreaters are solo travellers who are about to meet their new favourite friends.

No. We host fully immersive retreats so we encourage everyone to share the same space and that way deeply drop into the whole experience.

There is one coaching surf session a day and an optional free surf (for the extra stoke).

- Fill out the electronic epidemiological Health Pass form, available at https://salud.go.cr (available 48 hours prior to arrival; requires insurance to be purchased first). This file will provide you with a QR Code that you’ll need along your travels so either print it or keep a copy on your phone.

- Traveler’s Medical Insurance - international or purchased through Costa Rica via the National Insurance Institute or Sagicor.

- For the National Insurance Institute (INS), we’ve found that the English version of their landing page is currently not working. Scroll down and click “COMPRAR” to continue.

- INS offers better rates as compared to Sagicor; Trawick International (more below) is currently offering the best rates for coverage that meets the CR requirements.

- OR an international insurance policy. Tourists must request a certification from their insurance company, issued in English or Spanish, verifying at least the following three conditions:

- Effectiveness of the policy during the visit to Costa Rica.

- Guaranteed coverage of COVID-19 related medical expenses, with minimum coverage of $50,000 USD. While the plans offered by Costa Rican entities (linked above) only need to require $20,000 of medical coverage, international plans must meet the $50,000 USD minimum coverage.

- Includes a minimum coverage of $2,000 USD for lodging expenses as a result of being placed on quarantine if you become ill during your trip.*

*Many international insurance providers that we have researched, called, and vetted do NOT meet the lodging/accommodation requirement, such as: World Nomads and Safety Wing.

Passengers who fail to comply with these requirements may not enter the country.

Upon landing in Costa Rican territory, travellers must wear face protection and comply with the protocols of the airport with regard to physical distancing and taking temperature readings, and must follow any other sanitary instructions.

International Travel Insurance Options:

- U.S. Citizens: Trawick International has a policy that meets the requirements available that is far more affordable, depending on trip length and age of the travellers. Choose the “Safe Travels Voyager” option Don’t enter a value for “Insure Your Trip.”

- Canadians: Trawick is offering a policy that meets the requirements for non-US citizens. Choose either “Safe Travels International” or “Safe Travels International Cost Saver.”

Manulife insurance for bookings made by Aeroplan members does NOT meet the lodging/accommodation requirement.

- Rest of World: Trawick is offering a policy that meets the requirements for non-US citizens. Choose either “Safe Travels International” or “Safe Travels International Cost Saver.”

Yes. Even though a PCR negative test is no longer a requirement for entry the country, we ask all guests to show a negative test within 72hours prior checking in. Please consider the high percentage of cases worldwide that have been asymptomatic and help slow the spread and protect those most vulnerable. 

Yes! A clinic in Santa Teresa works with a lab in San Jose to provide PCR tests. The clinic charges $150 USD for the test.

AWA can book your appointment and a doctor will come test you directly at our lodge 72 hours before your flight. 

New update! You can now get tested at the airport of SJO or Liberia too and get the results in a few hours! You only need to plan to be at the airport 4 hours before take off. Learn more about it here.