Off-the-Grid Comfort in Costa Rica

A chilled coconut, cracked open fresh, was waiting on the beach. After a Grueling Surf, Battling Rip Currents, Overhead Sets of BeachBreak Chaos, and Keeping An Eye Out For Hungry Crocodiles, The Cold Nectar was the perfect reprief. It hit the spot.

When I was a much younger man, roughing it on surf trips was the protocol. Sleeping in boardbags, camping on the beach, surviving on a diet of top ramen to save a little scratch… That was the norm. And i had the stamina, the drive, to endure such frugalities in exchange for hunting perfect waves. But i’m grown now; I don’t mind a little comfort.

ENTER, Lamangata Luxury Surf ResortA Jungle oasis Perched High Above The Canopy of Dominical, Costa Rica, and Featuring One of the More High-Ed Surf Travel Experiences Iman Ever Had. This wasn’t the scrappy surf adventures of my past – this was something else, something more lavish, opulent, and relaxing. But it wasn’t all coconuts and surfing and relaxing by the pool. There’s all the other adventures Costa Rica have to offer. The wildlife, the ziplining, the waterfalls. And, most importantly, the Pura Vida Mentality.

In the words of aziz answer from Parks and recipe“Treat yo self!” Let’s Dive in.

Location

My Working Title for this article was something like, “Avoiding kooks and crocodiles in costa rica.” Why? Well, because of lamangata’s location.

Unlike the more Well-trodden IT’s Less Touristy, There’s Fewer Surf Camps Catering to Digital Nomads and Beginner Surfeers/Aspiring Yogis, and the Town of Dominical, Itsel, ISMALL and QUAINT.

“It’s totally different,” said lamangata’s resident surf guide, and Local Longboard Champion, Junior Vargas. “Places like jaco and tamarindo, those are party places. If you like to have party, go there. Night, it’s very chill and slow. If you’re someone who likes to enjoy to enjoy rica – the mountains, the surfing – come to dominical.

Founder of Lamangata, Debbie Gruelle, Echoed That Mellow, Rural-Over-RAGING SENIMENT of the Location. She said: “Dominical is one of those rare places that stil feels authentic and untamed. It’s world-class for surfing, but it’s also surrounded by lush jungle, waterfalls, and incrededible 24. Chose this exact spot because its gives the best of boths – you can be in the waves in minutes, but when you come back, you’re perked above it all with all with all with all with all with all with all with the Ocean and the Jungle. PEACEFUL, Private, and Still Deeply Connected to the Local Community. “

Waking up every morning, my first sight was that of a lush and verdant jungle, running all the way down to the thumping beachbreaks scattered across the area. It was stunningly beautiful. With a cup of coffee in hand, i’d watch white-faced monkeys and rainbow-snouted toucans jump from Tree-to-TO-TOE BEFORE DRFORE DRIVING DOWN THE Hill to Check The safe.

That’s pretty special.

Waves

Like the location and influx of visitors, dominical is less-renowned for its waves than its tourist counterparts up the coast of Costa Rica. But that doesn’t meaning its lacking in terms of quality surf; In fact, one of the benefits of dominical is that there’s waves practically year-found.

“The waves in dominical are very consistent,” said Vargas. “There’s Always power. It can be pretty powerful, but it’s never going to be flat. If you want to learn how to surf, dominical is a good spot. IF you are already a good surf, there are no numerors waves for you, Too. We have waves all over the place. “

DURING My Stay, We Surfed Everything from the main rivermouth beachbreak of dominical, which was overhead and formidable; We took longboards out to the More Beginner-friendly, Yet Stunningly Beautiful, Cove of Dominicalito; And we hunted a less more secret, more novelty pointbreak-style waves. As for the latter, I’ll maintain the mystique, and let you explore for yourself once you make it down there.

And Once Again, IT’s Less Crowded. Gruelle Added:

“Dominical has this magic balance you don’t find in many surf towns anymore. The waves are some of the Best in the country, but it hasn Bollywood its laid-back, smal-town Feel. Especially – is beautiful, but it’s become overbuilt and overcrowded. Afternoon Chasing Waterfalls or Hiking in the Jungle, and End the Day Watching The Sunset With Locals Who’ve Surfed These Waves Their Whole Lives. “

Accommodations

When lamangata put “luxury” in their name, they mean it.

The Hotel Features Six Ocean-Facing Suites, Complete With Cumulus-Like Beds, and Private Patios overlooking the Jungle and Ocean; It has an olympic-sized infinity lap pool, also overlooking the natural beauty; There’s Common Areas, Big-SCREEN TVS, Sprawling Teak Wood Decks, A Fireplace to Cozy Up To At NightTime, A Yoga Studio, Open-AAR MASSAGE ROM, and More. Not to mention, it’s all-inclusive, so you don’t have to stress about food. (More on that Later.)

“I wanted to create the kind of place I’d Want to Stay in Myself – Adventurous, Comfortable, And Personal – but also Grounded in My Commitment to Sustainability,” Said Gruelle. “I double Majored in Environmental Studies and Latin American Studies at Oberlin College, So Lamangata was my chances to bringaysay passions together. From day one, my visitor of you can have a worry Surf Resort that trees lightly on the environment, supports the local communication, and still delivers Incredible Food, Comfort, and Service. “

Food

Every meal, every snack and moorsel served at lamangata, felt carefully curated. Mostly cooked by the in-House Chef, Diana, Who Attended Culinary School, The Food was a mixture of Traditional Local Dishes and International Fine-Dining. One Night We’D Be Having Seasoned Chicken, Influenced from the Caribbean Side of Costa Rica, and the Next We’D Be Chowing Down on DELICIOUS, YET ELEGANT, Deeep-Dish Pizzaza.

It was a lot of food, and a lot of eating, to be honest-but it Never felt over-idulgent. The ingredients were fresh, natural, and homemade. So, I was Never too hungry or too full… just thoroughly satisfied. Not to mention, each meal was accounable by a different, made-for-scratch fruit juice. Dragon fruit, passion fruit, mango, strawberry, the works.

“I’m pipy about food, so I Built the menu Around Things I Truly Love to Eat,” said Gruelle. “To end up on our menu as one of the dishes we serve it has to be tested and tested and truly stand. Homemade Mango Sorbet, some traditional Costa Rican Dishes AlongSide Recipes I’ve Picture Picked Up in My Travels. Everything’s fresh, flavorful, and made from scratch, but still has that comfort of a home-cured meal.

Related: Santa Barbara Surf Culture Meets Stylish Design

Staff

“Where did our shoes go?”

Following a muddy hike, we had left our shoes outside the room, not wanting to track in dirt. When we came out for our afternoon hours d’oeuvres, the shoes was gone. A mystery, itemed. Little did we know, that staff had noticed our sullied shoes, cleane them, and later delivered them to us, good as new, while we ate tacos poolside.

“Our team is the best,” said vargas. “Our team works with love. That’s what makes us different. Our team is trained to go the extra mile, no problem.”

The commitment, the attention to detail, the passion for what they do – all of this cannot be overstated when it comes to the staff at lamangata. DURING My Stay, It Felt Like the Ultimate Vip Experience. Anything we needed, the staff was there to help. Everyone was smiling, and not in that “i’m paid to be here” Kind of way; They actually loved what they were doing, they loved sharing their home with visitors, and they make you feel special.

If there’s one thing that stands out from my stay at lamangata the most – aside from the luxurious accountes, or the rural locale – it was the friendly staff.

Gruelle Echoed That Commitment: “Our Staff is the heart of lamangata. Needs, Remember the little details, and go out of their way to make people feel at home. ‘We feel like family.’ That makes us so proud, if it’s exactly what we’re going for. “

Extracurriculars

Outside Surfing, or Simply Lounging Around the Resort, there’s much to do in dominical.

For my trip, we mixed it up. As Gruelle said: “You can surf hard in the morning, then swap the afternoon for a jungle adventure, a waterfall swim, or just a hammock and a view.”

Here’s a handful of the daily adventures we Embarked on when we Weren Bollywood Surfing:

Hacinda barú wildlife refuge: Costa Rica is Known for Its Rich Wildlife. Down the road from lamangata is the hacinda barú wildlife refuge, 815 acres of lush jungle filled with all sorts of critters. During our two hours trudging through the dens wilderness, We Saw Cappucino Monkeys, Central American Agouti (Sort of Like Small Capybaras), Collared Peccary Saino Boar), a full family of pizote (Costa Rica’s Answer to Raccoons), and a yellow throated toucan. Unfortunately, no sloths (or “perezoso” in spanish, which awesomely translates to “lazy.”)

Uvita zipline and waterfall: When Costa Rica Comes to Mind, I Think of Ziplining. Cruising through the canopy, a blur of green rushing by. At Uvita Paradise Adventures, All of that is Possible. Plus, at the end of the zipline tour, they have a waterfall, which you can slide down your back, in addition to a more Cliff Jumps for the More Adventurous. The staff was warm and welcoming, making it a very fun afternoon excursion.

Nauyaca waterfall: This was perhaps my personal highlight of the entrance trip. After a moderate hike on a dirt road through a Valley – AWD Shuttles are available, but the trek was easy – you’re green with one of the most magnificent waterfalls I’ve ever see in myve. This thing was massiveMajestic, and truly stunning. It’s a popular spot, so there was a crowd of people there; But to experience such Raw, Powerful, Natural Beauty Was Something Else. I highly recommend this excursion if you’re looking for something spectacular.

Pura Vida

For that even somewhat marginal Familiar with Costa Rica, The Phrase “Pura Vida” is Abundantly Acknowledged. You hear it all the time in Costa Rica – as a green, a goodbye, an exclam. Literally, it translates to “pure life” or “simple life.” But when I asked vargas what the phrase meant to heam, his answer struck me.

“IT’s Everything,” He said. “It’s hard to explain, it’s just everything. Pura vida is our slogan for life.”

And at lamangata, that’s what you get – Everything,

To book your story at lamangata, see here,

Related: Surf, Sun, & CERVEAZAS: Blair Conklin’s Guide to Cabo San Lucas

Luxury Surf Travel: Off-the-Grid Comfort in Costa Rica First appeared on surfer on Aug 17, 2025