Surf and Yoga Camp in Playa Avellanas, Costa Rica

A typical day starts early, because the wind is offshore most mornings. You eat breakfast, then head out with your group to whichever break the guides have picked. Lessons include beach instruction and a warm-up before you get in the water, then hands-on coaching while you surf. If you already surf, the guiding sessions are more about positioning and wave selection, with the guides reading the tide and swell to put you in the right place.

Afternoons are free. Some guests do a second session, some use the surf skate to work on turns and body position on land, and plenty just lie by the pool or book a massage at the recovery centre. Yoga sessions run through the week in open-air practice areas, mostly aimed at stretching out shoulders and hips after time in the water.

What separates this camp from a generic surf hostel is the guiding. The instructors are local and know the coastline around Avellanas and Tamarindo properly, so on a day when the home break is blown out or too small, you get driven somewhere better rather than told to wait. The camp also runs video analysis, so you can see what your pop-up actually looks like.

The property sits in jungle a few minutes from the beach, with five room types ranging from shared dorms to private rooms, some air-conditioned and some fan-cooled. There is Wi-Fi throughout on a dedicated fibre line, quiet workspaces and power outlets, which is why a fair number of guests stay a month and work between sessions.

Evenings are low-key. Dinner is served family-style Monday to Friday, there are group dinners at local restaurants, sunset drinks on the beach, and movie nights at the outdoor cinema. Playa Avellanas itself is quiet compared with Tamarindo, which is 20 minutes north and useful for an evening out.

Water stays between 26°C and 29°C all year, so no wetsuit. Air temperatures sit around 23°C to 33°C depending on the month. The dry season from December to April brings cleaner, smaller waves and reliable sunshine; May to November has bigger south swells and fewer people in the water, with rain usually arriving in short afternoon bursts.

What's included

- Accommodation in shared or private rooms - Daily breakfast, seven days a week - Dinner Monday to Friday, family-style - Daily surf lessons or surf guiding - Video analysis of your surfing - Yoga sessions - Surfboards and equipment - Airport transfers on check-in and check-out days - Daily housekeeping - Free Wi-Fi throughout the camp

What's not included

- Flights to Costa Rica - Travel insurance - Lunches - Weekend dinners - On-site massages and recovery treatments - Optional excursions (wildlife tours, ziplining, snorkelling, horseback riding) - Surf skate sessions if not part of your package - Personal expenses and nights out in Tamarindo