Hotel Snapshot
Set just steps from Santa Teresa’s famous sands on Costa Rica’s sun-drenched Pacific coast, Fermata is the kind of place that has you slurping on a coconut and barefoot within minutes. Freshly opened in December 2025, it’s the beachside baby sibling to Sendero Hotel up the coast in Nosara – together forming unquestionably the coolest duo of design hotels in the country. Carrying the same easy confidence as Sendero, days here drift between the sea and the shaded, comfy corners of the property, while a gentle hum of surf culture runs through it all. The food is as much a draw as the impeccably turned out setting – fresh, colorful and quietly exceptional – served up in a restaurant that anchors the hotel’s social scene and sets a magnetic rhythm for the whole place.
Design & Character
Fermata is one stylish, beachfront stay. There’s a real tropical ease to it – think sun-warmed stone and textural brickwork, raw wood and thick palapa, layers of linen in shades of sand and cream. What results are breezy spaces that feel calming and effortlessly cool – as good to look at as they are to touch. A gleeful excess of marshmallow-soft cushions spills across the hotel’s many, many banquettes and daybeds, as if feet-up, linger-a-while comfort were the house style. And frankly it is. Shoes are completely optional here; even the chef pads around barefoot, fresh from the mid-morning surf.
The Rooms
Fermata’s 35 white-washed rooms and casitas – some just steps from the beach – make for soothing downtime. Their sophisticated, neutral interiors are a tactile pleasure from every angle: a pleasing ensemble of slubby linens, daybeds scattered with deep, pillowy cushions, and honeyed travertine accents. Bathrooms continue the understated luxury, with larger room categories featuring redbrick outdoor showers that feel at once connected to nature and suitably shielded from it. The same thoughtful hand extends to the bedside bookshelves, where potted succulents and delicate ceramics frame a finely curated selection of reads – a quiet nod to the owners’ exceptional taste. In sum, these chic, relaxed rooms are perfect little retreats for cooling off and sinking into an après-surf slumber.
The Food & Drink Situation
Fermata Kitchen is the beating heart of the hotel, drawing a beyond-cool crowd of diners who come just as much to soak up this spot’s immaculate vibes as they do for its exquisite Mediterranean cooking, turned out by Michelin-trained surfer-chef Olivier Palazzo, whose aura points verge on infinite. Expect sharing plates to the tune of crispy sushi, zingy fresh-catch crudos, and exceptionally tender meats and fish for mains. Cocktails are every bit as refined, with plenty of lime in the mix – this is beachfront Latin America, after all. The bar knows exactly when to twist a classic (think spiced up pineapple mezcalita) and when to leave a good thing as it is.
Amenities
For guests chasing waves, Fermata’s in-house surf school has a rainbow of boards ready, plus instructors who’ll film your session and break down your pop-up over coconut water once you’ve rinsed off the salt. When you’re not surfing, there’s a quiet pool set back from the beach, a casual beach house for smoothies and lattes, and hotel bicycles for pedalling into town in pursuit of bakery brunches or swimwear shopping.
Spa & Wellness Scoop
For now, Fermata’s wellness scene is low-key and informal. Sunrise yoga on the beach-facing lawn is part of the daily ritual, and in-house therapists will appear at your casita like magic – summoned by one swift WhatsApp to the concierge – for deep-tissue massages and gentle vegan manis. Looking ahead, the hotel’s dedicated spa is set to open by the end of 2026, bringing with it a sauna and cold plunge circuit that should give the après-surf experience a nice little upgrade.
Location & Neighborhood Recs
Beachfront Fermata sits slap in the heart of Santa Teresa on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, just steps from the town’s buzzy, bohemian main strip in one direction, and equally as close to the white sands and waves that put this place on the map in the other. Cóbano airstrip is a 30-minute drive away – a welcome shortcut to skip the arduous road journey from either of Costa Rica’s international airports.
This Blue Zone town lives for the surf, and with the iconic La Lora surf break right out front, there’s really no excuse not to paddle out. Prefer to watch the pros? Park yourself at rustic Rocamar beach club for laidback afternoons, cold beers, and the dramatic sunsets this country is known for.
Fast Facts
Location: Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
Vibe: Surfer soul, design hotel polish
Rating: Five-star
Room Count: 35 Pricing: From $420 per night
Our Favourite Thing About the Hotel: The laidback, tropical interiors – obsessive in their attention to detail
Dining: Heart-of-the-hotel Fermata Kitchen
Amenities: Pool, surf school, bicycles, spa and yoga shala coming soon
Nearby Attractions: La Lora surf break for world-class waves
Airport: 30 minutes from Cóbano airstrip (ACO)
Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, Costa Rica
