It started with an unlikely friendship: a 60-year-old yoga teacher and a 45-year-old ER physician, brought together by a shared obsession with surfing—and a mutual inability to actually surf.
They met in the unforgiving waves of the Jersey Shore, where they quickly learned that surfing is humbling, exhilarating, and best attempted with good friends and a healthy sense of humor.
So they went looking for help and signed up for a surf retreat with Surf With Amigas in Playa Grande, Costa Rica.

Did their surfing improve? The jury is still out.

Did they fall head over heels for Playa Grande? Absolutely.

They kept coming back. For the waves. For the communal sunsets. For the barefoot walks, the yoga, the food, the people—and for that wonderful feeling of being exactly where you’re supposed to be.
Eventually, all those trips, surf sessions, and long conversations turned into an idea: create a little piece of Playa Grande to call their own.
And so, Marea Alta was born.
A place to wake up and check the waves. To spend the day barefoot and sandy. To stretch, wander, eat something delicious, watch the sky turn pink, and do it all over again tomorrow.
A place to recharge your batteries, embrace a little adventure, and remember that you’re never too old to try something new.
We hope Marea Alta brings you a little of the magic that keeps calling us back.


Due to the El Niño phenomenon and regional drought in Guanacaste, water rationing protocols are active. We kindly ask our guests to help conserve water during their stay.