Costa Rica seems to be a hot spot these days; more and more people are “moving”—or staying for “extended periods of time”—here. Why not? When you can stay for up to 90 days without any kind of visa, it’s hard not to give it a shot. Whether you’re a digital nomad or just looking for a mental health break, maybe you’d like the inside scoop on what a day in the life looks like.
In the last four months, I’ve stayed in two neighboring towns—Malpais and Santa Teresa. Both are great for different reasons. Malpais is a smaller town full of jungle, wildlife, and locals, while Santa Teresa is a bustling hot spot full of trendy restaurants, some shopping, and nightlife. Because the towns are quite different, I’ll show you a day in the life for each.
A Day In The Life In Malpais, Costa Rica
While staying at Pachamama, which translates literally to Mother Earth, we wake up at 6:30 am to catch our bus (well, pickup truck) to the surf. If you miss the ride, it’s a 25-minute walk to the beach. Doable and scenic, but not ideal when you have a 2-hour surf session ahead of you.
I roll out of bed, brush my teeth and hair, put sunscreen on my face, slip on a wet bathing suit, wax my surfboard, and stumble down to our gathering area—half asleep. We load our boards into the truck and jump in the back. Off to the beach!
Our surf group is in the water by 7 am every day during the dry season; there are waves, upon waves, upon waves during the dry season. Endless waves. Me, my boyfriend Jake, and our other Pachamama friends catch waves left and right for at least a couple of hours.
By 9 am, we’re all starving. We pack our boards in the surf rack and wander up to the beach club, just in front of the break, dripping wet. It’s pinto for me again, por favor! Because we’re located outside of the bustling town, this is our only option for breakfast.
Although we could cook, the grocery stores are a 30-minute walk, at least, in the blistering heat. Making the trek with arms full of groceries is another ordeal. Therefore, we load up on what we believe is the most delicious and affordable food in the entire area—complete with a view—in the hopes that it will hold us over until dinner.
Finally, it’s time to head back to Pachamama and start working remotely. I’ve been working on and off for my current employer for months, but there’s not much going on; since COVID, everything’s been weird.
Thankfully I saved some money, quite a bit, and could afford to come over here and spend some time searching for a remote job. Although I haven’t secured a full-time role yet, I’ve held quite a bit of freelance gigs. It’s cool; it’s like I’ve become my own boss.
I apply for a few jobs, take some online courses, and start work on my freelance gigs. I get distracted by the wildlife running around outside, whether it’s large lizards (Garrobos) fighting over territory or large rodents (Agoutis) nibbling on plants.
I might as well take a little mental break so I head up to the lookout to do some yoga; I only last about ten minutes because of the blistering sun and the cardio workout I just completed climbing these stairs.
Once my workday is finished, I’m relieved, mainly because I’m ravenous. I’ve already been thinking about dinner for the last two hours and am about to eat two dinners at the restaurant across the street.
Because we can’t walk the beaches at night (it’s not safe in Malpais) and we don’t have transportation, Caracolas is our only option for dinner. We go every single night, and I’ve never once been mad about it. The food at Caracolas is the freshest, the view one of the best, and the prices the most affordable.
I was always incredibly excited for dinner time. My go-to dinner is the fish tacos—they make handmade corn tortillas unique to the Nicoya peninsula and a staple in a Blue Zone diet. They’re not like Mexican tortillas—rather they’re thicker, meatier. The fish is caught in the fishing village just down the road. And finally, they come with a house-made hot sauce. It’s all to die for.
Because we need all the calories we can get, we end the day with a Trit. A Costa Rican must-try ice cream. Yes, I’m usually a clean eater, but this treat tops my “worth the splurge” list. We lie in bed at about 7:30 pm, eating ice cream and watching Game of Thrones until we fall asleep.
The thing I love about Malpais is that we really did experience pura vida—the country’s motto, which means simple, pure life. When it came to eating, we only had (2) options for breakfast and dinner. When it came to sleeping, we had a semi-hard, plastic-wrapped queen mattress. When it came to activities, it boiled down to watching nature and yoga. And we were happy.
A Day In The Life In Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
At the Plaza Royal Apartments, I still wake up at 6:30 AM. We’re just a few steps away from the water, so I walk the beach looking for the best surf spots. I know where to go by watching the wave and how it breaks; if it looks glassy and like it’s rolling at an angle, that’s going to be a good spot. There are almost too many options to choose from.
I’ve heard that the waves get stronger and steeper the farther north you go, so I walk awhile, farther from our apartment, towards the south end of the beach. I’m more of a “have fun” surfer than a “get caught in the washing machine in exchange for a barrel” kind of surfer. If it’s a good day, I’ll surf for about two hours. If it’s not good, I’ll surf for about an hour. Basically, I surf until all I can think about is breakfast.
There are quite a few breakfast options near our place. Bali Beach Deli is right below us and seems to be a crowd favorite, with their açaí bowls, fancy toasts, and sandwiches. There’s also Vermu, about a ten-minute walk down the way: definitely clean, definitely delicious, but the portions are smaller and more expensive. Instead, I decide to walk twenty minutes through the blistering heat to Ani’s Bowls & Salads.
I get the açaí bowl with peanut butter; it might not sound like a lot, but they give the most heaping spoonfuls of peanut butter. And it’s creamy, like American peanut butter. The best I’ve found in the area. We’ve been here for about four months, so the cravings have been real and only now satisfied.
Now, it’s time for work. I head back to our heavenly air-conditioned apartment and throw on my pajamas. I settle down on the couch, debating whether or not I can survive the day without a nap. As mentioned, I start the usual applying for jobs and keeping up-to-date with my freelance gigs—until I’m hungry, again.
I walk about 6 minutes to Almacen; our new favorite lunch spot. They have the best (and only) deli sandwiches made from premium Costa Rican ingredients. I always get whole-grain ciabatta, pesto, olive tapenade, grilled eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, hard cheese, and arugula. The flavors blow my mind every time. We’ve tried to recreate her sandwiches many times without luck.
My boyfriend and I bring our sandwiches back to the couch and continue working. We work all day until about 5 pm. Once we’re done, it’s time to celebrate; and there are a variety of creative ways to celebrate Santa Teresa-style.
We bring some tequila, San Pelligrino Lemon, and lime to the tide pools outside our place. It’s common for people to hang out in the little rock pools all day, but it’s not so easy to find a spot. First, you have to find a pool deep enough to fit your body. And second, you have to make sure there are no spiny, black urchins hanging out on the bottom. Stepping, or sitting, on one of those could really ruin your day.
Our spot featured a pool big enough for two bodies and a small channel that we could swim through; volcanic ledges worked as barriers on both sides of the channel, at the perfect height for a swim-up bar. We made drinks using the convenient cracks and crevices while watching the sunset.
We talked about our lives, our parents, and how we got to where we are. Once it was dark, we lay on our backs and floated in the pools, gazing up at the stars. It was a magical night that was only made possible by beautiful Costa Rica.
Conclusion
There’s something about Costa Rica—the energy of it is different. Maybe it just holds a higher vibration. Quartz crystals wash up on shore all the time, and apparently, they have incredible vibrational energy.
The shores are also covered with agates, and although I’m not sure about the science behind their frequency, I know that just viewing their beauty changes my vibrational energy.
Costa Rica’s motto is pura vida, or pure life. Our lifestyle reflects that very much—we don’t spend time going to the fanciest restaurants (although we eat out a lot), or partying at the craziest clubs, or trying to force some kind of extreme adventure.
After being here for four months, our favorite kind of ‘a day in the life’ is very chill, but we love it. A great day in the life involves surfing, good food, good sleep, and sometimes getting a little bored (in the best ways).
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