Playa Grande Surf Camp — Hotel in Cabo Velas

Absolutely fantastic, we can’t wait to come back!

The A-frame cabanas are exactly as pictured; very small, very clean, very simple, with very powerful & well-working AC. Exactly what we needed & wanted, no more, no less, at a fair price. To our delight and slight surprise, mattresses are very comfy, despite being very simple. And we are a bit picky with mattresses!

Board rentals were easy & fast, with decent but small selection. Best of all, they were ready to help us rent from nearby Mato’s Surf Shop if we couldn’t find the right board w them. They really want guests to enjoy, not be stuck there, taking as much money from them as they can! They’re also helpful with local resto recommendations, tour & travel info, etc.

We found the washrooms and all common areas always very clean. It seemed cleaners were in 1-2 x / day.

Dawn, the GM was exceptionally helpful and friendly, as was everyone else. The vibe here was amazing, and we met new friends who we are in touch w to this day, hoping our paths cross again in the future. M & T: We miss you!

Café Mar Azul, the resto attached, was one of the best restos we would find in all of Costa Rica over the next 2 weeks. It’s fantastic. The seared tuna, the fresh sea bass, and the ceviche are all some of the best we had in CR, and we ate at some very nice spots. It’s so luxurious being able to just pop in 5 – 10 meters from your cabana for a spectacular, reasonable priced dinner, and then go jump in the pool.

Important: PGSC is a hostel, not a hotel. This is spectacularly well done by PGSC, intentionally. The communal, social vibe, chill atmosphere, shared showers, shared central pool & kitchen, rental boards, etc, are part of what attracts travellers like us! If you’re unfamiliar with hostel travel / don’t dig this vibe / want a ‘check in, check out, staff never know your name’ type hotel, you might be happier elsewhere. [You can also keep to yourself, in your room, read quietly by the pool, etc, if you prefer, but it’s not the focus.]

The very few legit negative reviews we saw are from people who just don’t dig hostels, which isn’t really fair to PGSC…or to yourself! : )

The break is about a 5-7 min walk from PGSC. Down the road about 2-3 mins, then along the beach.

PGSC crew:...

I'm just going to break it down into quick pros and cons:

PROS You get to meet so many people and they are all fun and have interesting stories Dawn is THE BEST, the entire staff really is incredible Price point is super fair. I think the value that you get here exceeds the price point. There are some boats if you go to the beach and walk all the way down to the left that will take you to tamarindo for like 1000 colones. So cheap and easy. You can see monkeys and other animals so close to the surf camp. At least in our room, it was extremely well insulated and we didn't have troubles with bugs or AC at all. It is kept fairly clean. The only thing that wasn't really clean was some of the pavement but not too bad. I was a little worried it would be dirty, that wasn't an issue!

CONS We stayed in the private cabana and there weren't blinds over the windows. The main problem was the sun would rise so early and wake us up. Yes, it is possible that somebody from the place next door could see us but honestly it's not very likely. There are not many places that are walking distance besides a couple of restaurants. I'm not sure what was going on but every night we heard animals (and it was scary, since the bathroom isn't attached it made me not want to go to the bathroom at night). We assume they were raccoons but they would sniff and scratch right at our door. One night they even made such loud noises that the growling woke us up.

Over all, I definitely think it's worth it. I'm not sure if I would stay here again but I just don't think hostel and backpacking style travel is for me. If you're into that kind of travel, I think it is a...

If you’re looking for paradise, this is it! The surfcamp is amazing. The beach is just a 2 minute walk from the Hostel! The kitchen is well equipped with a lot off pods and pans, a mixer, microwave, a toaster… The common areas are nice and easy to meet people:)

Surfing is really good around hightide and the hostel has a lot off beginner boards. Vidi and Yosimar are amazing instructors and It’s a really good price for a 2 hour lesson, I improved a lot with yosimars help! If you come here to surf, you will love it!!!!

We spoted a lot off wildlife: monkeys, birds, racoons, skunks, Iguanas, squirrels, snakes and crocodiles when we went on the estuary tour with Ruben.

The restaurant cafe mar azul has amazing food! Grace, Tracy, Jorge, Victor and Jason are super sweet and made us feel home.

Already before arriving Dawn helped us to set everything up and is always there to help, she is amazing!

So make sure to not skip this paradise. Already have been here 2 times for a long stay and I will be back!!!

Oh and If you stay there on a Thursday, make sure to check with dawn to join to the local dog shelter, such a...