Pura Vida Adventures

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• Anonymous

  07 March 2018

  A terrific vacation all around! Great food, great surf instructors, a beautiful beach and lots of laughs and now some new friends. I can't wait to go back!

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• Anonymous

  07 March 2018

  Wow what an awesome adventure! Pura Vida provided some of the best instructors from all over the world. Surfing was exceptional and I look forward to coming back! Thank you to you all.
  Keri B

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• Anonymous

  26 February 2018

  I was bitten by the surf bug several years ago. Because I don't live close to a good surf break, I try to take several trips a year to surf camps where I will hopefully get excellent surf instruction as well as comfortable accommodations, good service, and good food. I've now stayed at several luxury surf camps, but Pura Vida is the first camp where I truly felt that all of my requirements were not only met, but exceeded.
  
  The Pura Vida staff are all professionals. From the day you book your trip through your last day at the resort, you'll have a number of folks ready and waiting to make sure you enjoy your stay and that you have everything you possibly need. Although the week is largely planned with your surf, dining, and yoga sessions built in, you'll have a fair bit of free time and ability to dine on your own for several meals so you can explore Mal Pais and Santa Teresa. Simply, the structure is there if you want it, but no one will stand in your way if you want to do your own thing. Don't discount the structure though - the planned activities really allow you to get to know your fellow campers and the people you meet and get to know will be one of the best things you experience during the week.
  
  The resort itself is impeccably designed. It blends in with the scenery and feels like it has been there all along. The rooms are beautiful, beds comfortable, and AC quite chilly. The spa is a treat not to be missed. The resort's restaurant cooks up some delicious food.
  
  Finally, no matter where you are on the surf ability spectrum, you'll finish the week a better surfer and with a number of suggestions for small tweaks you can make to your existing technique that will enable you to continue to improve in the future. You're not surfing with people who just picked up the sport a couple of years ago and can catch a wave. Your surf instructors have decades of combined experience, some have competed professionally, and all of them will have a way of explaining how you can improve, e.g., your foot and arm positioning and hip rotation to be more balanced and stable on the board, make cleaner turns, and surf with more confidence in a way that makes you feel like you're having a "Eureka!" moment every single time they explain something to you.
  
  I only have one regret after my one week with Pura Vida - that I didn't stay for two.

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• Anonymous

  23 February 2018

  This was our family’s 1st surf camp and what an awesome adventure. The Pura Vida team of instructors are so pleasant and positive. What a fun bunch of people. The days were very organized around optimal surfing times. The food and beachside accommodations were fantastic. The yoga classes were also a nice compliment to the surfing and great way to finish off the day. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip and will definitely be back with Pura Vida Adventures. Thx so much for a tremendous week!!🏄
  Bill, Moira, Maddie and Angus MacLean

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• Anonymous

  21 September 2017

  When I first went to PVA ten years ago, I was only focused on learning to surf- no more no less. But after that first trip, beaming from having surfed my first outside waves, I knew I’d return but not just for the perfect waves, fabulous surf instruction and delicious food. I’d go back to be with amazing people I met and surfed with while at PVA.
  
  Before PVA, I never vacationed in the same place twice but Santa Teresa draws you in and the PVA crew keeps you coming back. I never expected that I would return year after year and whenever I could get away to surf, laugh and unwind with my friends- new and old.
  
  PVA gave me what I originally wanted- the skills and the confidence to surf different breaks around the world. But even better and completely unexpected, PVA introduced me to some of the best people I know- people who are a part of my life everyday- whether we are surfing together in Costa or on opposite coasts planning our next surf adventure.
  
  There are a ton of surf camps out there but this is the one you want. It’s just better. And you will get so much more out if than you could ever expect….

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• Anonymous

  20 September 2017

  Costa Rica is so beautiful and the people are so welcoming. From the second I arrived at Pura Vida Adventures, I felt so welcomed and at home. The hotel was the perfect combo of luxe, jungle living. Steps from the ocean, the property was exactly what I was hoping for. The pool was a nice touch and the open air restaurant on-site was fresh and delicious.
  
  Now for the surfing and yoga! I was a beginner at yoga at the time and Cris was an amazing instructor. I felt completely comfortable and excited to push myself to learn more. The open air yoga studio overlooking the ocean was so peace during each morning yoga sesh.
  
  So, even though I have lived in San Diego my whole life, I waited until my 30s and going to Costa Rica to learn to surf. Crazy! But I am glad I did, because the rolling waves in Costa Rica were so perfect to learn on. The small groups at Pura Vida coupled with the super experienced instructors really helped me feel like I was getting one-on-one attention. I was so proud of myself for pushing through my fear and riding waves in.
  
  By the end of the week, I was both refreshed (mind) and exhausted (body). With two small kids at home and a demanding job, Pura Vida was the perfect getaway to reenergize my mind and spirit.
  
  I also loved heading into town- such a quant place with good restaurants and fun people. We also zip-lined one day, which was so amazing - Starting at the top of the jungle canopy with the most amazing ocean view, and working our way down to the beach!
  
  When I got home, I bought a surf board and began surfing in San Diego. Although, I must say, I like the waves in CR better. :)

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• Anonymous

  16 September 2017

  One of the best choices of my life has been attending Pura Vida Surf Adventures in Costa Rica! Not only was it challenging but very fulfilling. The owner, staff, surf mates and lessons could not be better.
  It was a great opportunity to reinvent myself by trying something new!!! And proving I am healthy and strong enough to start surfing at 50!!!
  I celebrated my bday there among the Costarican beautiful tropical jungle and beaches More over the greatness of the party was everyone's enthusiam! The sky could not have been nicer
  I share some photos that show what a great time Tierza and her team will make sure you have!!! Enroll now! Today! Its a unique experience 😜😜😜

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• Anonymous

  21 February 2015

  After having a postcard stuck on my "vision board" for years, I finally made it a priority to travel all the way to Malpais, Costa Rica to experience an all-inclusive surf camp AND Costa Rica for the very first time. I'm typically not an all-inclusive girl who prides myself on my budget vacations, but I decided to treat myself and live it up. Wow - was it nice!
  
  I decided to leave my hubby at home and opt for a non-coed camp week where women can experience a week of nothing but daily surfing and yoga all wrapped up into one fun surf and yoga retreat! My sister and a girlfriend decided to join me on my surf camp adventure.
  
  Pura Vida Adventures operates the only surf and yoga camp out of the Hotel Tropico Latino which is a darling beachfront resort that oozes with that organically zen vibe that just so happens to be located on one of the best beaches in Costa Rica. Warm water, perfect waves and amazing oceanfront yoga decks. Our accommodations, an airy bungalow that slept 3, was a short stroll from the pool and ocean. There is also an onsite organic spa with plenty of tantalizing treatments. Our all-inclusive package actually included a massage which was a necessary treat!
  
  If you haven't surfed before or thought you would never try it, you may want to reconsider. The surf lessons from our really cool instructors made it so most were standing up after a day or so. In fact, my girlfriend remarked on how she had taken a surf lesson on Oahu in Hawaii and it was a joke compared to the surf instruction we received by the Pura Vida Team. She left Oahu not being able to surf, but left Cost Rica claiming surfing is her new favorite sport. Most of the girls on this trip - including my sister - had never surfed before or even had any ocean experience, but everyone came away with fond feelings for the sport.
  
  They take care of every detail so you don't even have to think about anything the entire time you are there. You have a schedule of events, but are free to break from it if you feel like having some quiet time in a beachfront hammock. Our group was having so much fun and didn't want to miss out on a thing though!
  
  I wouldn't hesitate going again and again to Pura Vida Adventures either with friends or solo. Our group of 12 became fast friends. The entire team at Pura Vida Adventures is phenomenal and their service was awesome.
  
  I may decide to bring my hubby on my next trip during one of the coed weeks or not : )
  
  

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