A SURF LODGE FOR THE WILD AND CURIOUS
A SURF LODGE FOR THE WILD AND CURIOUS
Santa Teresa is one of those towns that grew up around its waves. You find SOMOS on the northern stretch, between jungle and Pacific. Part surf lodge, part design experiment, part clubhouse; step inside and it all makes sense.
Santa Teresa is one of those towns that grew up around its waves. You find SOMOS on the northern stretch, between jungle and Pacific. Part surf lodge, part design experiment, part clubhouse; step inside and it all makes sense.
The design is sharp. Concrete, wood, steel, and palm fronds. Vintage Airstreams repurposed as restaurant and guest rooms. A glass-walled workshop where visiting shapers build boards in full view. They know what good looks like, but they are not being precious about it. The layout keeps you outside on purpose, nudging you toward daylight, salt, and other people.
You come for the surf. Santa Teresa delivers year-round swell, warm water, and breaks that work for every level. But SOMOS is also built for what happens between sessions: motorbike adventures to hidden beaches, lazy hammock hours, mezcalitas at sunset, bioluminescent boat trips after dark, or dancing barefoot under the stars. The vibe is loose and deliberately social. If you come solo, you will not stay that way for long.
The design is sharp. Concrete, wood, steel, and palm fronds. Vintage Airstreams repurposed as restaurant and guest rooms. A glass-walled workshop where visiting shapers build boards in full view. They know what good looks like, but they are not being precious about it. The layout keeps you outside on purpose, nudging you toward daylight, salt, and other people.
You come for the surf. Santa Teresa delivers year-round swell, warm water, and breaks that work for every level. But SOMOS is also built for what happens between sessions: motorbike adventures to hidden beaches, lazy hammock hours, mezcalitas at sunset, bioluminescent boat trips after dark, or dancing barefoot under the stars. The vibe is loose and deliberately social. If you come solo, you will not stay that way for long.
Rooms
Some guests come as couples, some with friends, some arrive solo and leave connected. The accommodations reflect that range, from bunk pods to king suites with private terraces. Different levels of privacy and shared experience.
Private rooms feature king beds, polished concrete floors, and natural wood throughout. Textiles are simple and well chosen. The rooms with terraces extend the living space outward. Some layouts accommodate couples; others work for small groups with built-in bunks.
The Airstream Suites are the playful option. Classic aluminium camper vans fitted with full kitchens, private decks, and wooden pergolas. Set on an adjacent property, a garden of sorts, they offer independence while staying connected to the wider rhythm of SOMOS.
The shared rooms avoid hostel chaos. Sleeping pods with full-sized beds, personal lights, storage, and air conditioning. Privacy curtains and solid construction mean you can actually sleep, even when your podmates keep different hours.
Some guests come as couples, some with friends, some arrive solo and leave connected. The accommodations reflect that range, from bunk pods to king suites with private terraces. Different levels of privacy and shared experience.
Private rooms feature king beds, polished concrete floors, and natural wood throughout. Textiles are simple and well chosen. The rooms with terraces extend the living space outward. Some layouts accommodate couples; others work for small groups with built-in bunks.
The Airstream Suites are the playful option. Classic aluminium camper vans fitted with full kitchens, private decks, and wooden pergolas. Set on an adjacent property, a garden of sorts, they offer independence while staying connected to the wider rhythm of SOMOS.
The shared rooms avoid hostel chaos. Sleeping pods with full-sized beds, personal lights, storage, and air conditioning. Privacy curtains and solid construction mean you can actually sleep, even when your podmates keep different hours.
Food & Drinks
The restaurant, with its Airstream bar, is at the centre of daily life (both physically and socially). It is a dining room, co-working space, reading nook, and social hub. People drift in and out all day.
The cuisine uses local produce, fresh meats and line-caught fish, free from additives. Most of the building blocks are made in house: condiments, breads, desserts. The menu follows availability and season rather than fixed formulas. Dishes lean vegetable-forward with vibrant global influences, adapted for post-surf appetites.
Breakfast covers fruit, eggs, and pinto bowls that nod to Costa Rican tradition. Brunch is generous: burritos, burgers, avocado toast, salads. In the evening, a short menu built around fresh catch and local produce.
Drinks follow the same ethos. All sodas, syrups, juices and infusions are made on-site with local fruits, roots, and medicinal herbs. Cocktails, natural wines and Costa Rican craft beers round it out. The mezcalitas have earned a reputation.
The restaurant, with its Airstream bar, is at the centre of daily life (both physically and socially). It is a dining room, co-working space, reading nook, and social hub. People drift in and out all day.
The cuisine uses local produce, fresh meats and line-caught fish, free from additives. Most of the building blocks are made in house: condiments, breads, desserts. The menu follows availability and season rather than fixed formulas. Dishes lean vegetable-forward with vibrant global influences, adapted for post-surf appetites.
Breakfast covers fruit, eggs, and pinto bowls that nod to Costa Rican tradition. Brunch is generous: burritos, burgers, avocado toast, salads. In the evening, a short menu built around fresh catch and local produce.
Drinks follow the same ethos. All sodas, syrups, juices and infusions are made on-site with local fruits, roots, and medicinal herbs. Cocktails, natural wines and Costa Rican craft beers round it out. The mezcalitas have earned a reputation.
Activities
SOMOS’ approach is practical: keep your body moving well so you can keep surfing and tune into the rhythm of the tropics.The sauna and cold plunge make that philosophy tangible, a great reset between sessions.
The Sweat Den is the hub: a jungle-framed gym and studio hosting daily classes. The schedule rotates through yoga, Pilates, surf conditioning, breathwork, and the occasional wild card (Booty & Core, Dance Lab). For more structured training, DFI Surf Training offers a programme built around strength, mobility, and endurance, designed to improve performance in the water and reduce the cumulative wear of paddling and popping up hundreds of times a week.
Beyond surf and recovery, SOMOS can help you pack your stay with adventures. Sunset horseback rides on the beach, bioluminescent boat trips after dark, waterfall hikes into the jungle, skydiving above the coast (for the restless), and fishing trips where you can grill your catch for dinner. And sometimes, they throw a party.
SOMOS’ approach is practical: keep your body moving well so you can keep surfing and tune into the rhythm of the tropics.The sauna and cold plunge make that philosophy tangible, a great reset between sessions.
The Sweat Den is the hub: a jungle-framed gym and studio hosting daily classes. The schedule rotates through yoga, Pilates, surf conditioning, breathwork, and the occasional wild card (Booty & Core, Dance Lab). For more structured training, DFI Surf Training offers a programme built around strength, mobility, and endurance, designed to improve performance in the water and reduce the cumulative wear of paddling and popping up hundreds of times a week.
Beyond surf and recovery, SOMOS can help you pack your stay with adventures. Sunset horseback rides on the beach, bioluminescent boat trips after dark, waterfall hikes into the jungle, skydiving above the coast (for the restless), and fishing trips where you can grill your catch for dinner. And sometimes, they throw a party.
Surfing
Santa Teresa is one of those rare surf zones where it all lines up. Year-long warm water and a coastline open to consistent Pacific swell. The shifting sandbars and nearby reefs spread the crowd. There are options for every level, from forgiving peaks to barrelling sections. Conditions change enough to stay interesting but remain reliable enough that almost every day offers something worth paddling for.
SOMOS' surf support feels personal. Local coaches work in small groups, tailored to ability. Beginners focus on reading the lineup, choosing waves, and building comfort in real conditions. The emphasis is on awareness, timing, and mechanics rather than standing up at all costs, making these sessions effective for progression.
What sets SOMOS apart is its board culture. The quiver reflects the influence of visiting and resident shapers: Chris Christenson, Donald Brink, Alex Knost, Mike Minchinton, among others. Guests are encouraged to move between boards and understand how different shapes behave in the same break. It rewards the curious: twin fins, displacement hulls, single fins, alternative outlines.
Want something specific? Commission a custom board and watch it take shape in the shaping bay. There is a particular satisfaction in paddling out on a board built on site, possibly by someone you shared breakfast with.
Santa Teresa is one of those rare surf zones where it all lines up. Year-long warm water and a coastline open to consistent Pacific swell. The shifting sandbars and nearby reefs spread the crowd. There are options for every level, from forgiving peaks to barrelling sections. Conditions change enough to stay interesting but remain reliable enough that almost every day offers something worth paddling for.
SOMOS' surf support feels personal. Local coaches work in small groups, tailored to ability. Beginners focus on reading the lineup, choosing waves, and building comfort in real conditions. The emphasis is on awareness, timing, and mechanics rather than standing up at all costs, making these sessions effective for progression.
What sets SOMOS apart is its board culture. The quiver reflects the influence of visiting and resident shapers: Chris Christenson, Donald Brink, Alex Knost, Mike Minchinton, among others. Guests are encouraged to move between boards and understand how different shapes behave in the same break. It rewards the curious: twin fins, displacement hulls, single fins, alternative outlines.
Want something specific? Commission a custom board and watch it take shape in the shaping bay. There is a particular satisfaction in paddling out on a board built on site, possibly by someone you shared breakfast with.
The People Behind
House of SOMOS did not begin as a hotel concept. It started as the convergence of people who cared deeply about surf, craft, design, and the way places shape experience. The project grew from a desire to build a space that felt usable, open, and culturally alive.
Fabio Pacheco and Brano Polak assembled a team of specialists, adding the right minds around boards, food, hospitality, and creative direction. They knew what they didn't want: replicating a generic concept to fill a market gap. Instead, they built the place they wished existed.
The name Somos translates to “we are”. The plural matters because the place was not designed around a single identity. It can be a surf base, shaping space, restaurant, creative residency, training ground, gathering table, and sometimes a dance floor.
What holds it together is the belief that surf culture, art, design, and hospitality can live in the same structure without any of them having to compromise.
House of SOMOS did not begin as a hotel concept. It started as the convergence of people who cared deeply about surf, craft, design, and the way places shape experience. The project grew from a desire to build a space that felt usable, open, and culturally alive.
Fabio Pacheco and Brano Polak assembled a team of specialists, adding the right minds around boards, food, hospitality, and creative direction. They knew what they didn't want: replicating a generic concept to fill a market gap. Instead, they built the place they wished existed.
The name Somos translates to “we are”. The plural matters because the place was not designed around a single identity. It can be a surf base, shaping space, restaurant, creative residency, training ground, gathering table, and sometimes a dance floor.
What holds it together is the belief that surf culture, art, design, and hospitality can live in the same structure without any of them having to compromise.
