Ranchos Itaúna
Good vibes in a tropical paradise
The surf
If you come to Santa Teresa and want to learn to surf, our NSSIA certified surf camps & classes are best suited for all levels. Santa Teresa is one of the best places to learn to surf. There are many spots along the coast for you to choose from beginners to advanced.
Playa Carmen, Playa Santa Teresa and Playa Hermosa are the well-known surf spots in the area. Waves of all kinds wash the shore. We are located in the middle of the two most important spots. You can check the waves and go walking from our hotel to your next adventure in minutes.
Along the coast, you will find several breaks where waves can be strong and surrounded by rocks so you have to be careful and find a place according to your experience.
Breaks
The lodge
We are located in Playa Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, right on the beach. Cabinas and Suite. Feel the joy of nature in this paradise where you can go barefoot from your bed to the ocean staying in our unique beachfront suite & fully equipped cabinas.
We serve breakfast the whole year, but our Brazilian restaurant & bar will be only available from November to April, opening at 11:30 am until 10:00 pm. Other restaurants in the neighborhood range around tico typical food, grilled chicken & Peruvian style food, steak house, grilled pizza, and more.
If you are looking for a place to work on vacations, this will be your right choice. Few steps from the beach, ample space, fast internet connection. One of the few affordable spots in the area with a full kitchen, beachfront access, restaurant & bar (only available from November to April) and supermarket (100mts). If you're planning a long stay and you want to explore around, there is a bus from Playa Santa Teresa to Cobano, where you can visit Montezuma and its famous waterfall, Cabuya, Cabo Blanco Natural Reserve and Curu Natural Reserve. Or you can rent a car or an ATV with us to explore Manzanillo, Bongo & Ario Rivers.
Restaurants
Just close your eyes and imagine you finally arrived to Playa Santa Teresa, your feet on the sand and the sun gently touching your skin. You can hear birds and monkeys mixed with a jazzy bossa nova while you are in front of the ocean with a cold caipirinha, waiting for a delicious and perfectly prepared Brazilian plate made with the lovely touch of our experienced international chef.
Playa Santa Teresa and Mal Pais are well known by the amount and variety of international restaurants but nothing compares to Ranchos Itaúna Beachfront Restaurant.
Our international menu can take you through the most delicate meats, locally caught fish and farm-grown vegetables. Try our special Brazilian churrasco BBQ or our famous "Aneis de Lula", crusty fried calamari rings with special sauce.
Yoga & massages
Here at Ranchos Itauna we believe that not only yoga can clear the mind but the setting is important too. Give yourself the pleasure of yoga in this incredible place where we have a special rancho dedicated to this practice. Listening to the sound of the ocean, the wind blowing and the trees whispering in your ear.
We know traveling can be stressful. It is hard for your back to recover from all those hours of airports, planes, taxis or buses. But you can relax and enjoy our beautiful garden with a complete deep tissue massage by the hand of our highly trained professionals who will take all the stress out of your back so you can sleep like a baby in one of our comfortable Suite or Cabinas.
Activities & surf
You can imagine our town as a mix of cultures with many generations of natives and foreigners living in harmony. Sadly development is accelerating the rhythm of our quiet paradise and giving the sense of a 'non-stop,' with more resorts and vacation rentals being constructed. There's a lot to see and do in Santa Teresa. Choose to go on local day trips, horseback riding, canopy, sport fishing, and live the vibe of this unique town.
If you come to Santa Teresa and want to learn to surf, our NSSIA certified surf camps & classes are best suited for all levels. Just relax and let us arrange and provide everything you need to ride those waves as soon as you can. We offer transportation to the proper location for each level, also surfboards & bodyboards.
Rooms
Location
Getting there
Ranchos Itaúna
Peter
I bought a car and went on a trip for 8 months from Cali to Costa Rica. This is when I fell in love with this place in 1991. I continued my trip for 1 more year to Brazil, where I met my wife in the city of Itaúna. After that, I studied tourism in Vienna at the university of economics and, during my time, I went back to Costa Rica to buy the land where I would build my resort. I opened Rancho Itaúna in 1996.
We have 4 rooms, a bungalow, a beach club & a restaurant. I created the Itaúna Sound Movement, which is a collective of intern DJs and I started to organize events at our places, such as the Deep Tuesday or the Full Moon parties or New Year's Eve party when some quite famous DJs come to play at our events.
Rancho Itaúna was one of the first surf camps in Santa Teresa. We work a lot with European agencies who specialize in surf trips. Meanwhile, we have an 11 years old daughter and we have been running this business for 28 years!
