Where to buy a bikini, a surf suit or a dress in Santa Teresa in 2026: Dkoko, Brazilian Bikinis, Tica Surf, PAWO, Santa Swimwear and the boutiques of Plaza Kahuna, Plaza Las Palmas, Plaza Royal and Centro Comercial Playa Carmen, with price bands and which ones are made here.
The best swimwear shop in Santa Teresa is Dkoko at Plaza Las Palmas, a Costa Rican surf bikini brand with 17 years behind it, tops at $75 and bottoms from $60, open 9am to 5pm daily. For handmade bikinis at lower prices, Brazilian Bikinis in Plaza Royal and Tica Surf are the local makers, and PAWO is the pick for swimwear cut from recycled fabric.
The short version
Santa Teresa sells more bikinis per metre of road than anything else, and the shops sort into three tiers. The designed-here brands are Dkoko, PAWO, Tica Surf bikinis, Brazilian Bikinis and Santa Swimwear, all of them run by their makers and priced from about $50 to $90 a piece. The boutiques that mix local makers with imports are Marea, Holly, Dulce Morena, Aloe, LUNALI, AMOR SALADO, Greenfolk and the Jardin de Venus collective, where a dress runs $40 to $150. And the plazas that hold them are Plaza Las Palmas and Plaza Royal near Super Costa in central Santa Teresa, Plaza Kahuna on the north side, Wave Boutique Mall opposite Playa Cielo, and Centro Comercial Playa Carmen at the cruce. Everything is walkable along the main road, and the Thursday market adds the makers who do not have a shop.
Dkoko Beachwear
Dkoko Beachwear is in Plaza Las Palmas, next to the Green World Store on the Las Palmas road off the main strip, open every day from 9am to 5pm, per dkoko.com. It is one of two flagship boutiques for a brand designed in Costa Rica and sewn in Colombia, built around a "stays on" fit for surfing: tops such as the Santa Teresa Top at $75, bottoms from $60 to $70, one-piece surf suits, long-sleeve rash guards from $85, and a kids' line. Fabrics include Econyl regenerated nylon and Brazilian jacquards, and Google has the shop at 5.0 from 35 reviews. Who it suits: anyone who surfs and is tired of retying a top in the lineup. The caveat is price; this is the top of the local band, and the sale rack is where the deals are.
Brazilian Bikinis
Brazilian Bikinis is in Plaza Royal, 25 metres from Super Costa, open 10am to 7pm daily. It has made eco-friendly bikinis and surfwear by hand in Santa Teresa since 2013, per its Instagram, and it sells Brazilian and cheeky cuts that the imported brands do not carry. Google has it at 4.4 from 63 reviews, the most of any swimwear shop in town, with praise for the fit and the range of sizes and a few complaints about prices for a small shop. Expect $40 to $70 per piece. Who it suits: Brazilian cuts, mix-and-match sets, and a made-here label at a mid price. The caveat is that the shop is small and stock in your size can run out in high season.
Tica Surf bikinis
Tica Surf bikinis is 10 metres north of Pizza Tomate on the main road in Santa Teresa, open 10am to 7pm Monday to Saturday and closed Sunday. It is a one-woman surf bikini label with a perfect 5.0 from 36 Google reviews and a Tripadvisor listing of its own, and reviewers talk about custom fittings, fabrics that hold up in the water, and a designer who is usually in the shop. Prices sit around $45 to $80 a piece, with custom orders taking a few days. Who it suits: a surf bikini fitted to you rather than off a rack. The caveat is the Sunday closure and the small stock.
PAWO (Pacific Wolf Factory)
Pacific Wolf Factory - PAWO is 50 metres north of Rancho Itauna, open 9:30am to 6:30pm, with a 5.0 rating from 33 reviews. The brand makes a 1960s-inspired lifestyle collection of swimwear in seamless cuts from recycled fabrics, plus relaxed coastal clothing, and the shop is a small, well-lit space with a curated rack rather than a wall of bikinis. Prices run $60 to $120. Who it suits: one-pieces and retro high-waist cuts, and anyone who wants swimwear that reads as clothes. The caveat is the narrow size run on the more sculpted pieces.
Santa Swimwear and Lula Beach Wear
Santa Swimwear shares the block 50 metres north of Rancho Itauna, open 9am to 7pm Monday to Saturday, closed Sunday, with a 4.3 rating from a handful of reviews; it is a local label with basic surf bikinis and cover-ups at $35 to $60. Lula Beach Wear in Plaza Royal opens 9am to 9pm daily, the longest hours of any swimwear shop, with a mix of imported and local pieces in the same band. Both suit a quick replacement bikini rather than a considered purchase.
The boutiques
Marea Beach Boutique is opposite Banana Beach, a kilometre north of the Banco Nacional, open 9:30am to 7:30pm, with resort dresses, cover-ups and swimwear from Latin American labels at $40 to $120. Holly Clothes Shop in Centro Comercial Playa Carmen at the cruce opens 10am to 6pm and stocks imported beach dresses and basics at the lower end, with a 4.6 rating. Dulce Morena boutique on the Carmen side opens 10am or 11am to 6pm or 7pm, closed Sunday, with a 4.5 rating for its dresses and jewellery. Aloe tienda de ropa on the Carmen stretch is open 9am to 8pm with linen and cotton pieces and a mixed 3.3 rating on four reviews. LUNALI, next to ACTIVO gym and the Biohealth clinic, opens 9:30am to 6:30pm with a small edit of dresses and accessories.
AMOR SALADO is in Galeria Zeneidas on the Cobano road corner, open 9am to 5pm, with a 5.0 rating from 23 reviews for handmade jewellery and beach accessories made by the owner. Greenfolk Concept Store is at the old Selina Norte site on the north side, open 9am to 8pm, and mixes local makers, natural cosmetics and homewares with a 4.0 rating. Jardin De Venus Collective at Peace Lofts, diagonal to La Glida, opens 9am to 5pm and is the one boutique that makes clothes to order: you book a fitting and choose the print, fabric and cut, per jardindevenus.store, and a made-to-measure dress runs $100 to $250. Calala Colectiva is a makers' collective in Plaza Pochote, local 3, on the Carmen side, with no published hours and a rotating cast of jewellers and printmakers. Regia - Vintage clothes at Plaza Kahuna on the north side opens 9am to 8pm and is the only vintage shop in town, with a 5.0 rating from six reviews and pieces from about 10,000 colones.
Where the plazas are
Plaza Las Palmas is on the Las Palmas road next to the Green World Store, home to Dkoko and TASH. Plaza Royal is 25 metres from Super Costa, with Brazilian Bikinis, Lula Beach Wear and Kaukau café. Plaza Kahuna is on the north side of Santa Teresa, open 8am to 6pm (9am to 4pm Sunday), with Regia, a pharmacy and small shops. Wave Boutique Mall is opposite Hotel Playa Cielo, open 9am to 10pm, with Tikiliano bar and a row of small stores. Centro Comercial Playa Carmen sits at the cruce, open 8am to 6pm (10am to 5pm Sunday), with Holly Clothes and the souvenir shops. Plaza Solar is 300 metres north of the school, next to Kina Surf Shop. The surf shops guide covers boardshorts, rash guards and the SISSTR women's surfwear shop.
Local makers vs imports
Made here, or designed here and made in the region: Dkoko (designed in Costa Rica, sewn in Colombia), Brazilian Bikinis, Tica Surf bikinis, Santa Swimwear, PAWO, AMOR SALADO's jewellery, Jardin de Venus's made-to-order pieces. Imported: most of the resort dresses at Marea, Holly and Dulce Morena, which come from Bali, Colombia and Brazil, and the basics at Lula.
Price bands in 2026: a surf bikini top or bottom is $35 to $60 at the local basics shops, $45 to $80 at Tica Surf and Brazilian Bikinis, $60 to $85 at Dkoko and PAWO. A beach dress is $40 to $80 imported and $100 to $250 made to measure. Add 13% tax where a shop invoices; most sticker prices include it.
Practical notes
Cards work at Dkoko, PAWO, Brazilian Bikinis and the plazas; the collectives and Regia prefer cash. Prices are in dollars at the brands and colones at the small shops.
Hours are daytime. Almost every shop closes between 5pm and 7pm, and several close on Sunday (Tica Surf, Santa Swimwear, Dulce Morena). Lula and Wave Boutique Mall run into the evening.
Stock follows the season. New collections land for December, and by September, now, the sale racks are full. Ask about the size range before you fall for a print: the local labels cut small.
Thursday adds the makers without a shop. The Thursday market is where the jewellers, printmakers and small swimwear labels set up, and it is the cheapest way to buy handmade here. For the rest of the town's shops, from pharmacies to surfboards, browse the /directory/shop hub, and see things to do beyond surfing for an afternoon that pairs shopping with a sunset.
FAQ
Where can I buy a bikini in Santa Teresa?
Dkoko at Plaza Las Palmas (9am to 5pm daily), Brazilian Bikinis in Plaza Royal (10am to 7pm), Tica Surf bikinis on the main road (10am to 7pm, closed Sunday), PAWO and Santa Swimwear near Rancho Itauna, and Lula Beach Wear in Plaza Royal until 9pm.
How much does a bikini cost in Santa Teresa?
About $35 to $60 a piece at the local basics shops, $45 to $80 at the handmade labels, and $60 to $85 a piece at Dkoko and PAWO in 2026. A full set from a local maker is $90 to $150.
Which swimwear brands are made in Santa Teresa?
Brazilian Bikinis and Tica Surf bikinis are sewn in town, Santa Swimwear is a local label, PAWO designs here, and Dkoko is designed in Costa Rica and sewn in Colombia. AMOR SALADO makes its jewellery in the shop.
Can I get a custom bikini or dress made?
Yes. Tica Surf bikinis takes custom orders that take a few days, and Jardin de Venus Collective at Peace Lofts books fittings for made-to-order dresses with your choice of print and cut, from about $100.
Where are the shopping plazas in Santa Teresa?
Plaza Las Palmas and Plaza Royal are near Super Costa in the centre; Plaza Kahuna is on the north side; Wave Boutique Mall is opposite Hotel Playa Cielo; Centro Comercial Playa Carmen is at the cruce; Plaza Solar is 300 metres north of the school.
Is there a vintage or second-hand clothes shop?
Regia at Plaza Kahuna, open 9am to 8pm, is the one vintage shop, with pieces from about 10,000 colones. The Thursday market sometimes has a second-hand rail.
