I have only been here for 10 days now and I already know what they mean by saying life here is  “pura vida”.

No stress, no worries just living life and loving every moment of it.
My time at Room2Board started with going out on my very first day. I got to know everyone really quickly and we had a lot of fun experiencing the night life of Jaco.

Living here is all about having fun, going surfing, relaxing at the pool and meeting new people.

There are a lot of fun things to do around here but my favorite so far was watching the surf competition in Hermosa, a small town right next to Jaco.

Lots of people just sit on the beach and cheer for the locals going crazy in the big waves of the Pacific Ocean.
The contestants are of all ages. There are 40 year old and also 12 year old surfers competing against each other.
The winner of the contest gets some money out of it but you can tell that the reason why there are competing is because they have a passion for the sport and love what they are doing.
It’s organized by a small bar called Backyard Bar located right on the beach and once the contest is over that’s where the after party begins.
Reggae music, some local beer and the atmosphere on the beach is a good way to start the night.
Its a nice place to meet locals and makes friends with the Ticos and Ticas.

The party ends around 8 since the contest is in the early afternoon, but most of the people head over to Jaco afterwords and go to either Swell-Bar or Orange-Pub which are the two most popular places to go here in Jaco. They are both walking distance from our Hostel and we usually go in big groups. Swell is most peoples favorite bar for many reasons. The music at Swell ranges from alternative rock to all kinds of reggae with a hint of 80’s pop. There are couches to chill on, a pool table and two foosball tables where we always have intense competitions. Orange-Pub is more a club than a bar, you should be ready to dance if you go there.
Going as a group from our hostel it’s always fun and really entertaining so if you like to go out and meet new people you should totally come to Room2Board on your trip to Costa Rica.

Tschüss, Ellen

Ellen comes to Room2Board via Cologne, Germany.  She is taking a gap year before starting college.  Make sure you stop by and meet her while you are at Room2Board.  She has become quite the surfer and will point you in the direction of the best waves!