What's in here: every place I could confirm is open along the whole strip, from Mal País up to Playa Hermosa. Each one is 4.0 stars or higher on Google, and most have hundreds of reviews. Checked Nov 9.
Times are from Lost Boyz Hostel (your first 6 nights). The hostel pin is not verified, so they start with ~.
Prices show colones first, then Canadian dollars at about ₡321 = CA$1. Sit-down menus usually leave out 13% tax and 10% service, so add about 23%. Most places are walk-in; cards say when to book.
Show
Area
Meal and price
What's in here: events on your dates, beaches, surf, yoga, nature, tours, sunset spots, nightlife and the area's history. Travel times are from the Playa Carmen crossroads. Also showing time from Lost Boyz Hostel (your first 6 nights). Low tide is late morning to mid-afternoon this week, the best time for tide pools.
What's in here: where the night scene lives in Santa Teresa. Hours checked Nov 9. Times are from Lost Boyz Hostel (your first 6 nights); the hostel pin is not verified, so they start with ~. Anything marked ~ or unverified could not be confirmed.
Beer is about $3 and cocktails $10-14 at nicer bars; regular nights rarely have a cover. There is no Uber or Bolt, and the taxi stand at the Playa Carmen Cruce empties about 10 pm outside high season. Book a WhatsApp driver ahead or call Pantera (24 h) +506 8591 9555. Never ride a quad or scooter after drinking.
What's in here: every shop I could find along the strip, with proof it's open in the last year. There's no star minimum, so ratings are shown for you to judge. Hours are from Google (October 2026), and small shops change them often.
Times are from Lost Boyz Hostel (your first 6 nights). The hostel pin is not verified, so they start with ~. Shops with no time have no map location I could confirm.
Type
Area
Emergency
911Police, fire, ambulance. Tourist Police too, many speak English
8512 9111Santa Teresa Urgent Care: 24/7 on call, ambulance, WhatsApp
128Red Cross ambulance
Numbers checked Nov 9, 2026 against travel.gc.ca and the clinics' own sites. Tap to call may not work inside this page; the numbers are written out so you can dial them.
Clinics in Santa Teresa
- Santa Teresa Urgent Care (Lifeguard): 150 m east of Banco Nacional, next to Farmacia Amiga, Santa Teresa (Urgent Care page: east side of Santa Teresa church). Clinic 8 am–11 pm daily; emergencies, stitches and ambulance 24/7. Has X-ray and a lab. +506 8512 9111 (also WhatsApp). source
- Santa Teresa Medical Center: open 24/7, urgent care, lab, imaging, house calls. Says it takes major insurance. +506 2101 6112 (some listings show 2101 6212). source
- Pharmacy: Farmacia Amiga at the Playa Carmen crossroads. source
Hospitals
- Nearest public hospital: Hospital Monseñor Sanabria, Puntarenas (Barranca, new building opened 2025, has a helipad). The regional hospital for this area. About 1.5 h by road to Paquera, then the 60–80 min ferry: roughly 3 to 3.5 h. Phone not published online; call 911. source
- Hospital La Anexión, Nicoya: public, no ferry needed. Critical cases from this area have been driven here. About 2.5–3 h by road (estimate). source
- Best private hospital: Clínica Bíblica, San José: 24/7 emergency, English-speaking staff, takes international insurance. +506 2522-1000, WhatsApp +506 8529-2100. Ave 14 between Calle Central and Calle 1. About 4.5–5 h via the ferry. source
- Hospital CIMA, Escazú (San José): private. +506 2208-1000. Ruta 27, Escazú. source
- Hospital Metropolitano, Liberia: private, 24/7 care, no ferry. +506 2521-9595, WhatsApp +506 6434-3139.
- Good to know: there's no hospital on this part of the peninsula. Small airstrips can't fly at night, so night transfers go by road. Carry travel insurance and keep the policy number on your phone. source
Canadian embassy
- Embassy of Canada, San José: the only Canadian office in Costa Rica (there's no honorary consul closer). La Sabana Executive Business Centre, Building No. 5, 3rd Floor, behind the Contraloría General de la República, San José.
- Phone +506 2242-4400 · Email sjcraconsular@international.gc.ca
- Consular hours: Mon–Fri 8 am–noon, by appointment. Office: Mon–Thu 8–12 and 12:40–4, Fri 7:30–1. Closed weekends. source
- After hours, 24/7: toll-free from Costa Rica 0-800-015-1161, or +1 613 996 8885 (collect). Email sos@international.gc.ca. WhatsApp +1 613 909 8881. Text +1 613 686 3658. source
- Lost passport: report it to the police first, then contact the embassy.
- Register your trip with Registration of Canadians Abroad (free): travel.gc.ca/registration
Ocean
- Lifeguards: volunteer nonprofit Santa Teresa Lifeguards (since 2014) has run towers at Carmen, La Lora, Casa Cecilia and Hermosa on weekends and holidays, depending on funding. Treat any beach as unguarded unless you see a red shirt. source
- Playa Santa Teresa: least safe swimming beach on the strip, shifting sandbars and rips. Swim only at low tide on small days. Avoid Suck Rock at the north end. source
- Playa Carmen: rip current signs posted; OK at low tide on calm days, careful at high tide; avoid rocks at the north end. Most surf schools teach here. source
- Playa Hermosa: safest main beach and used for first surf lessons, but has at least one rip channel; ask locals where it is that week. Rocks exposed at low tide. source
- Mal País tide pools: low tide only; sharp, slippery rock, wear reef shoes. source
- Caught in a rip: stay calm, don't swim against it, float, swim parallel to shore, then angle in. Don't swim alone, at night or after drinking. No lifeguard or flags = don't go in. source
- Beginner surfing: take a lesson; locals dominate lineups and may yell at beginners in their way, so give space or move peaks. Playa Santa Teresa is crowded dawn to 9-10am and before sunset. source
- Stingrays: shuffle your feet when wading; if stung, go to a clinic to have it cleaned. source
- Sun: wear a rash guard, hat and zinc; midday sun is strongest. source
- Don't leave valuables on the beach while swimming. source
Around town
- Beach theft: unattended bags, towels and sandals are a common problem; leave nothing on the sand while surfing. source
- ATV and motorbike crashes are the main injury risk, mostly at night. Don't ride unfamiliar roads after dark, wear real shoes, never drink and ride. Quad biking is often excluded from travel insurance. source
- Night walking: lighting is patchy outside the bar and restaurant strip, few sidewalks, potholes, stray dogs and horses. Skip beach shortcuts after dark; treat sunset as a cutoff for long walks. source
- Late returns: take a taxi from a trusted reference (ask your stay); no Uber in Santa Teresa. source
- Drink spiking: warned at country level by Canada and the UK (spiked drinks leading to assault and theft). No Santa Teresa-specific 2025-2026 reports found: unconfirmed locally. source
- Rentals: OIJ says thieves target guests in remote vacation homes with little security; about 900 assaults on foreign tourists nationwide in 2025. Pick a stay with good security. A 2024 armed robbery hit a luxury villa in Santa Teresa. source
- Nothing visible in a parked car or ATV; lock doors and windows and use the room safe. source
- Solo female tips: don't walk alone on beaches or streets at night; keep your bag touching you in bars; join the local women's group chat to meet others. source
- Pickpocketing and purse snatching are frequent; passport theft is extremely common, more so in peak season (Nov to May).
- Drinks, food, gum and cigarettes may be spiked; never leave them unattended.
- Deaths reported from bootleg alcohol with methanol; buy alcohol only from reputable places.
Money & practical
- Money: Costa Rican colón (CRC). USD is widely used for prices in tourist businesses; carry colones for small shops, sodas and tips. Card acceptance growing. About ₡321 = CA$1 and ₡450 = US$1 (mid-market, Nov 9). source
- Cash machines: Few ATMs; they sometimes run out of cash in busy times, so take out more than you need. Banco Nacional at the Playa Carmen 'El Cruce' intersection has an ATM (branch open 1-5pm, passport needed). BAC opened a business centre in Santa Teresa in March 2025. Cóbano (15 km) has more banks. Exact ATM count unconfirmed (one source says two). source
- Tipping: Restaurants add a 10% service charge by law; an extra 5-10% only for very good service. Law number not confirmed. Sit-down menus usually leave out 13% tax and 10% service, so expect about 23% more. source
- Water: Not confirmed safe in Santa Teresa; drink bottled or filtered. Canada warns of unsafe water and recommends hepatitis A vaccine. source
- Plugs: Type A and B plugs, 120V, 60Hz, same as Canada; no adapter needed.
- Phone: Carriers: Kölbi (state, widest rural coverage), Claro, Liberty; passport needed for a SIM. Claro and Kölbi best on the peninsula. Most stays and cafés have Wi-Fi. eSIM prices unconfirmed. source
- Road + ferry from San José: about 4-5.5 h total. Shuttles (Interbus, Caribe Shuttle) sell the full route. Direct bus also runs. source
- Puntarenas-Paquera ferry (Naviera Tambor), about 1 h. Listed times 4:00, 6:30, 9:00, 12:00, 15:00, 18:00, 20:00, 22:00 (2025 list; check Naviera Tambor Facebook). Limited online tickets via Quickpay CR, non-refundable. Taxi Paquera to Santa Teresa about 30,000 CRC. source
- Flights: small planes now land at Cóbano airport (not Tambor/TMU). Sansa started Cóbano in Oct 2023 and dropped Tambor; Costa Rica Green Airways moved Tambor flights to Cóbano. About 17 min drive from Cóbano to Santa Teresa. Current schedules unconfirmed. source
- From Liberia airport: about 3.5-4 h drive. source
- ATV from about $80/day, UTV from $170/day (licence, passport, $500 card deposit) per a 2025 rental page; another 2026 guide quotes motorbike/ATV $35-50/day. Prices unconfirmed. source
- Taxis: no Uber; minimum about $20 (Playa Hermosa $20, Mal País $35, Montezuma $50). Get numbers from your stay. source
- Main road: partly unpaved, dusty when dry, muddy when wet, congested with cars, ATVs and walkers; no sidewalks. Nearest gas station is Cóbano. source
- Bikes about $10/day; no bike lanes, use lights and helmet, avoid night riding. source
Entry
- No visa needed for Canadians as tourists; immigration sets your allowed stay on arrival (up to 180 days). Get your passport stamped. source
- Passport must be valid for your whole stay (Canada). Airlines may want more. UK guidance says at least 1 day past departure. source
- Officers may ask for a return or onward ticket and proof of enough money. source
- US$29 air departure tax; most airlines include it in the ticket. source
- Yellow fever certificate only if arriving from a risk country (not Canada). source