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Esterillos Oeste, Costa Rica

Stay in Esterillos Oeste: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Esterillos Oeste

  • Punta mala Surf spot · 2.9 km from Esterillos Oeste
  • Turtle farms Surf spot · 5.3 km from Esterillos Oeste
  • Playa Hermosa Jaco Surf spot · 9 km from Esterillos Oeste
  • The Tree Surf spot · 10.7 km from Esterillos Oeste
  • Gully's Surf spot · 11.6 km from Esterillos Oeste
  • Roca Loca Surf spot · 15.2 km from Esterillos Oeste
  • T box Surf spot · 15.2 km from Esterillos Oeste
  • Perro Fino Surf spot · 15.3 km from Esterillos Oeste

All 10 on Esterillos Oeste's map

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About Esterillos Oeste

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces S (180°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (0°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.3 km out (1 in 127). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 28°C in October, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in March, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually March, April, May and June, with about 6 good days in 7; in January, about 4. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Esterillos Oeste, 0.5 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

Water about 28°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 11 h 10 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to SJO, direct.

    See flights ORD → SJO · Skyscanner from about £255 returnAd
  2. Getting there. 2 h 10 from the airport to Esterillos Oeste.

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Esterillos OesteAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay in Esterillos Oeste (ad) on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Esterillos Oeste, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 19Oct55, good5 ft11 ssoft642kJwind from the north-west, 3 knots, offshore29°C
Tue 20Oct65, good4 ft12 ssoft370kJwind from the west, 4 knots29°C
Wed 21Oct59, good4 ft10 ssoft325kJwind from the south-south-east, 3 knots28°C
Thu 22Oct59, good5 ft11 ssoft486kJwind from the north-east, 3 knots, offshore29°C
Fri 23Oct61, good5 ft11 ssoft485kJwind from the east-south-east, 4 knots28°C
Sat 24Oct58, good5 ft11 ssoft469kJwind from the south-south-east, 2 knots27°C
Sun 25Oct65, good4 ft10 ssoft256kJwind from the west, 3 knots28°C
Mon 26Oct56, good3 ft9 ssoft166kJwind from the north-north-east, 4 knots, offshore29°C
Tue 27Oct53, good3 ft8 smushy110kJwind from the east-south-east, 3 knots27°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Tue 20 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

  1. Tue 20 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight ORD to SJO, then 2h 10 by road. About 11h 10 door to door

  2. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Punta mala

    Best 09:00 to 12:00 local time: 4 ft at 10 s, wind 3 kn (6 km/h).

  3. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Punta mala

    Best 06:00 to 09:00 local time: 5 ft at 11 s, offshore wind.

  4. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Punta mala

    Best 15:00 to 18:00 local time: 4 ft at 11 s, wind 4 kn (8 km/h).

  5. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Punta mala

    Best 15:00 to 18:00 local time: 5 ft at 11 s, wind 2 kn (4 km/h).

  6. Sun 25 Oct
    Surf Punta mala

    Best 09:00 to 12:00 local time: 4 ft at 10 s, wind 3 kn (6 km/h).

  7. Mon 26 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight ORD to SJO, then 2h 10 by road. About 11h 10 door to door

The plan picks the best of 2 spots near Esterillos Oeste each day: Esterillos Oeste, Punta mala.

The trip from Esterillos Oeste, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £760–£1,415 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to SJO, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag£255–£530
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£70–£120
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£170–£280
Food7 days eating out£160–£300
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£70–£120
Total£760–£1,415

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Esterillos Oeste

  • El Patio Bar & GrillBar and grill · 0.1 km from the centre
  • Los Almendros0.2 km from the centre
  • El Velero RestaurantSeafood · 0.6 km from the centre
  • Zoco Restaurant0.6 km from the centre
  • CR Macaws0.8 km from the centre
  • Restaurante El patioMexican · 0.8 km from the centre

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

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