Sendero Hotel in Nosara, Costa Rica

I yearn for this hotel. This hotel has changed my brain chemistry. Every time I plan a trip I ask myself: But would it be better than going back to the Sendero?

I found out about the Sendero in a printed magazine. Yes, in modern day! I used to be a subscriber to the cult-favorite Whalebone magazine and in their Costa Rica edition, the Sendero Hotel was a feature. I don't even remember what the article was about, but I became obsessed with this small surf hotel. And the obsession has not stopped.

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There are a few things that make the Sendero special. The first is its simplicity and design. This hotel is created to be a shared, communal space. The rooms are small, but have massive glass doors that open to a lush, pool almost bursting with palm trees and ferns around its edges. Every morning, a plate of baked goods and fresh fruit waits for guests by the pool for a simple but perfect breakfast. The vintage coffee truck serves cold brew and cheap breakfast burritos if you want another bite. The hotel's entirely outdoor restaurant (which is quite good, FWIW) doubles as lounge seating during the day for guests. There are outdoor showers hidden behind surfboards on the winding paths by the pool.

All said, the space is designed to be peaceful, communal, and used. It feels like they cut all the bullshit out of what makes hotels stuffy and corporate-feeling and added elements that are actually designed to be enjoyed.

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The second reason this hotel is magic is the surfing. Nosara is on the west coast of Costa Rica, which pulls fewer tourists compared to San Jose and the more central beaches. But locals know that Nosara is where you go to surf. The Sendero Hotel has an in-house surf school where you can book private or group lessons.

For $200, you can get a 90 minute lesson for two surfers with one instructor, which was well worth it. We were provided rash guards and special face sunscreen, plus real coconut waters after the lesson. While we're not going to enroll in any surfing contests anytime soon, we both got up, rode tons of waves, and had a lot of help from our instructor (he definitely limited our wipe outs!). On the last day, we felt ready to go out on our own, so we rented boards from the surf school for $25.

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The last piece that is so magical about the Sendero is the local neighborhood. "Sendero" means "path" in Spanish, which is apt because everything in this small surf community seems to be off a sandy, winding path. Every night for dinner we would walk through the neighborhood and find a new local restaurant with fresh, local food and unassuming digs. It felt like an untouched, laid back, friendly enclave that so often tourists don't get access to. One night, after leaving dinner, we walked into what we thought was a bar, but it turned out to be someone's back patio. They offered us a beer and told us to stay anyway.

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The Sendero feels like a refuge. I'm not an expert in stress, but surfing in the sun, walking around barefoot, and having a few beers at sunset added a few years back to my life.