Every surf camp and weekly surf package in Santa Teresa and Mal Pais with 2026 prices, what is included, where each one sits on the coast, and whether a camp beats booking lessons and a hostel yourself.
A week at a surf camp in Santa Teresa costs about $950 to $2,600 per person in 2026, depending on dorm or private room and how many lessons are bundled. Lapoint and Dreamsea run the classic all-in weeks, Akih Pods sells shorter hostel packages, and Mal Pais Surf Camp has paused its packages and sells lessons and rooms separately.
The short version
Santa Teresa has three real surf camps and a handful of hostels and lodges that sell surf packages. The camps bundle a bed, breakfast, some dinners, five or more lessons in small groups, board use, theory, and a social program. The packages from hostels bundle less and cost less. Mal Pais Surf Camp, the oldest name on the coast, is a hotel and hostel with a surf school attached, and its own site says it is not offering surf packages at the moment.
The right choice depends on three things: how much structure you want, whether you are travelling alone, and whether you can already catch green waves. First timers and solo travellers get the most out of a camp. Intermediates who can paddle out alone often do better booking a few coached sessions and a cheap room, which we cost out below.
Lapoint Surf Camp Santa Teresa
Lapoint is the biggest operation and the one most people mean when they search "surf camp Santa Teresa". The camp lives at Hotel The Place, 200 metres east of Frank's Place on the Mal Pais side of the cruce, so you are a short walk from Playa Carmen and about ten minutes on foot from the shops and restaurants at the crossroads, per lapointcamps.com. It has 40 beds across six-bed dorms, doubles, twins, and a bungalow double, plus a pool and bar.
The week runs Monday to Monday. Five surf days each have two sessions with an instructor, one at 6am and one at 9am, with theory in the pool, a surf workout, one yoga morning, and video analysis on two afternoons for Level 3 surfers, according to the sample itinerary published by Lapoint's agent kilroy.no. Levels 1 to 3 cover never surfed, around ten hours of experience, and around sixty hours. The ratio is three students per instructor at Level 1 and two per instructor at Levels 2 and 3. Lessons happen at Playa Carmen or Playa Hermosa, with a minibus to whichever beach suits the level and the tide. A Surf Camp Intense option doubles your coached sessions for a small surcharge.
Breakfast is included every day and several dinners are included at camp; guest reviews on tripadvisor.com count seven breakfasts and five dinners. Lunch is on you. Transfers are not included: the camp quotes about $60 each way for a taxi from Cobano airport and 6 to 7 hours by ground from San Jose.
Pricing is set per departure week and shown in the booking engine, so treat these as the 2026 range: booking sites list the eight-day, seven-night week from about $1,216 per person in a dorm (booksurfcamps.com), and a private double or bungalow pushes the same week toward $1,500 or more. Check the exact week before booking, because high season and holiday weeks cost more than a green season week in September.
Who it suits: solo travellers who want a full social program, groups of friends at different levels, and anyone who wants to surf twice a day with coaching and never think about logistics. Who it does not suit: people who want quiet evenings or who already surf well enough to find their own peaks.
Dreamsea Surf Camp Santa Teresa
Dreamsea is the other true camp, and it is in Playa Hermosa rather than at the cruce. That matters. Hermosa is the gentlest beach on this stretch, the one most schools use for first lessons, so you walk to a beginner-friendly beach every morning and you are a 10 to 15 minute drive from the bars and restaurants of central Santa Teresa. The house has double rooms with air conditioning and private bathrooms, a family room, and six-bed dorms with fans and shared bathrooms, plus a yoga deck and a chill area, per dreamsea.com.
The seven-night pack starts on a Saturday or a Wednesday and includes accommodation, breakfast every day, and five dinners. On Dreamsea's own 2026 price table, that pack is $940 to $1,090 for one person in a dorm depending on season, and $1,570 to $2,175 for one person in a double room ($2,230 to $2,880 for two sharing). Surf coaching is priced as a separate line: Level 0 (five 90-minute water lessons, two theory sessions, transport, one group video analysis, and an ice bath) from $360; Level 1 adds a surf fitness session from $375; Level 2 adds two 45-minute video technique reviews from $505. Five yoga classes are $60. Board rental for free surfing is $20 a day. Confirm with the camp whether your pack bundles the surf course, because the site presents them as add-ons, which puts a dorm week with coaching at roughly $1,300 to $1,600 before the 13% tax.
Dreamsea runs a September promotion (10% off at the time of writing) and quotes transfers at $50 per car from Cobano airport and $260 to $280 per car from San Jose, Liberia, or Tamarindo.
Who it suits: people who want yoga and surf in equal measure, couples who want a private room, and beginners who value walking to Hermosa over walking to a bar.
Mal Pais Surf Camp
Mal Pais Surf Camp has been here since 1990 and it is the name people search when they type "surf camp mal pais". Read its site before you book with that expectation: the surf page says "at this time we are not offering any surf packages" (malpaissurfcamp.com). What it does offer is the raw material for a self-assembled camp. Surf lessons start at $75 including a board and a certified instructor, group rates are available on request, and board rental is $15 a day with a "rent for 7 days, pay for 5" deal. The waves break right in front of the property, and the property is a five-acre garden in Mal Pais, south of the cruce, with a pool, a restaurant, and a wide spread of rooms.
Rooms in 2026 run from $20 for camping with your own tent and $30 for a bed in the communal rancho, through $65 for a two-person cabina and $60 for a private poolside rancho, up to $150 to $175 for villas and houses with kitchens and air conditioning, all before 13% tax, per malpaissurfcamp.com/rates. Long-term discounts exist for stays of a month or more.
Who it suits: intermediate and advanced surfers who want a sleepy, surf-first base with waves out front, families who want a house with a kitchen, and budget travellers who are happy to book each lesson as they go.
Akih Pods Hostel
Akih Pods is a pod-style hostel a few steps from Playa Santa Teresa, and it does sell surf packages. Its 2026 list, per akihpodshostel.com, is a six-day, five-night package with three surf lessons, board included, and daily breakfast at $1,100; an eight-day, seven-night package with five lessons at $1,350; and a ten-day, nine-night package with six lessons at $2,000. Surf and yoga versions swap a lesson or two for two to four yoga classes at the same prices. The same six-day package is listed for two people in two pods at $2,000 on booksurfcamps.com, so confirm whether a quote is per person or per booking before you pay. Longer packages can add an ATV, a Tortuga Island boat trip, or a bioluminescence tour.
Who it suits: people who want a hostel social scene on the beach in central Santa Teresa with a lighter lesson load than a full camp, and who plan to free surf between lessons. Note that Playa Santa Teresa itself is a step up from Hermosa in size and power, which is a plus once you can catch green waves and a minus in your first week.
Zeneidas Surf Garden
Zeneidas is the premium option. It sits 400 metres north of the football field on the beachfront in Santa Teresa, with private studios with air conditioning and kitchens, and it sells a six-day surf and yoga retreat with four surf lessons at a maximum 3:1 ratio, daily yoga in several styles, two ice bath sessions, video analysis, and breakfast and dinner arranged with nearby restaurants. global-gallivanting.com lists the 2026 retreat from $2,580, which puts it well above the camps but with far more privacy.
Who it suits: couples and anyone who wants a retreat rather than a camp.
Others worth a message
Del Mar Surf Camp and Pura Vida Surfers both run all-inclusive surf and yoga weeks in Santa Teresa and get recommended for group lessons in the $50 to $75 range, but neither publishes a fixed 2026 weekly price, so send a WhatsApp message before you compare them. We do not list Florblanca, which closed in 2025, and the former Selina hostel had not reopened as a surf camp under a verified name at the time of writing.
Comparison table
| Camp | Weekly price (2026) | Skill levels | Lessons per week | Bed | Meals | Extras | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lapoint | From about $1,216 dorm, $1,500+ private | 1 to 3 (first timer to independent) | 10 sessions over 5 days | 6-bed dorm, twin, double, bungalow | 7 breakfasts, about 5 dinners | Theory, yoga morning, video analysis (Level 3), pool, social program | Cruce, Mal Pais side, walk to Playa Carmen |
| Dreamsea | $940 to $1,090 dorm, $1,570 to $2,175 double, plus surf course $360 to $505 | 0 to 2 | 5 water lessons plus 2 theory | 6-bed dorm, double with AC, family room | Breakfast daily, 5 dinners | Video analysis, ice bath, yoga $60 for 5 | Playa Hermosa, walk to the beach |
| Akih Pods | $1,100 for 6 days, $1,350 for 8 days, $2,000 for 10 days | All, lighter structure | 3 to 6 | Pod in shared dorm | Breakfast | Optional yoga, ATV, Tortuga trip | Central Santa Teresa, steps from the beach |
| Zeneidas | From $2,580 for 6 days | Beginner to intermediate | 4 | Private studio with AC | Breakfast and dinner | Daily yoga, ice baths, video analysis | Beachfront, north of the football field |
| Mal Pais Surf Camp | No package; rooms $20 to $175 a night, lessons from $75 | All | Book as you go | Camping to villas | Restaurant on site | Board rental $15 a day, waves out front | Mal Pais, south of the cruce |
All prices are per person unless stated and most exclude Costa Rica's 13% tax. Ask each camp which week you are pricing, because departure dates in December through March and around Easter cost more than a week in late September.
When to come
Late September, right now, is green season. Swell arrives from the south and southwest, and September is historically the biggest month of the year on this coast, with the morning windows cleanest and afternoons often blown out, as our surf season guide explains. For a camp beginner that is fine, because instructors move first timers to Hermosa or the inside sections at Carmen and shift the session around the tide. It also means fewer people in the water and lower prices, and Dreamsea's September discount is a good example.
December through April is dry season: smaller, cleaner waves, offshore mornings, and the busiest lineups and highest prices. If you are a first timer with a flexible calendar, aim for late November or early May, when the swell is manageable, the rain is light, and the camps are not full. Whatever the month, ask for the tide chart on arrival; our tide guide for surfers explains why a 6am session and a 9am session can be two different oceans here.
Camp vs. lessons plus a hostel
Camps bundle convenience. If you strip the bundle apart, here is what a week of the same ingredients costs when you book it yourself in Santa Teresa in 2026, using the lesson prices in our learn to surf guide and the room prices in our best hostels guide.
| Item | Self-booked week | Camp week (dorm) |
|---|---|---|
| Dorm bed, 7 nights | $175 to $280 ($25 to $40 a night) | Included |
| 5 group lessons | $300 to $490 ($60 to $98 each) | Included (Lapoint 10 sessions) |
| Board rental, 5 days | $75 to $150 | Included during lessons |
| Breakfast, 7 days | $50 to $90 | Included |
| Dinners, 5 nights | $75 to $150 | Included at Lapoint and Dreamsea |
| Video analysis, yoga, theory | Extra or unavailable | Included or cheap add-on |
| Total | $675 to $1,160 | $940 to $1,600 |
Self-booking wins on price by a few hundred dollars and on flexibility. Camps win when you are alone and want a ready-made crew, when you want two coached sessions a day without booking each one, and when you are a first timer who benefits from theory and video. Camps lose when you already surf: an intermediate who can paddle out at Carmen will spend more time in the water with a $30 a day rental and two private sessions at $90 to $155 than with a bundle built around a Level 1 group.
A note on the "camps from $439" figure you will see quoted, including in our own learn to surf guide. That price is a multi-day lesson package without a bed: Dreamsea's five-lesson Level 0 course is $360 and its Level 2 course is $505, and other schools sell similar three to five lesson bundles in the $350 to $500 range. Add a room and meals and you are back at the $950 to $2,600 a week that a full camp costs. When you compare quotes, check whether "package" means lessons only or lessons plus accommodation.
One more honest point. Group lesson prices in Santa Teresa have crept up to $60 to $98 for 90 minutes at the well-run schools, so the gap between a camp and self-booking is narrower than it was three years ago. If your dates are set and a camp has a green season deal, the bundle can come out close to even.
FAQ
Which surf camp in Santa Teresa is best for complete beginners?
Dreamsea, because it sits at Playa Hermosa, the softest beach on the stretch, and its Level 0 course is built around five water lessons with theory and video. Lapoint is a close second: its Level 1 runs at a maximum of three students per instructor and uses Hermosa or the inside at Carmen depending on the day.
Is Mal Pais Surf Camp still running surf packages?
Its own site says no at the moment. It still sells surf lessons from $75 with a board and instructor, rents boards for $15 a day, and has rooms from $20 for camping to $175 for a villa, so you can build your own week there. Check the surf page again before you book, because the packages could return.
How much does Lapoint Santa Teresa cost per week?
Booking sites list the seven-night week from about $1,216 per person in a dorm for 2026, and private rooms cost more. Lapoint prices each departure week separately, so open the booking engine for your exact Monday to see the real number, and expect December through March to sit above a late September week.
Do surf camps include the transfer from the airport?
Usually not. Lapoint's package excludes arrival transfers and quotes about $60 for a taxi from Cobano airport. Dreamsea quotes $50 per car from Cobano and $260 to $280 per car from San Jose, Liberia, or Tamarindo. Budget the transfer separately when you compare camps.
Can I do a surf camp in Santa Teresa in September?
Yes. September is the biggest swell month of the year here, so instructors keep beginners on Hermosa and the inside sections and surf the morning windows. You get fewer people, lower prices, and green season discounts, and you should expect afternoon rain and some blown-out afternoons.
Is a surf camp worth it if I already surf?
Usually not. If you can paddle out and catch green waves on your own, a $30 a day rental plus a couple of private or semi-private sessions gives you more water time than a camp built around group lessons. Camps earn their price for first timers, solo travellers, and anyone who wants the social program.
Browse every surf school, camp, and board rental in one place at the /directory/surf hub, and read the complete break guide before you pick which beach to base yourself near.
