Dreamsea Surf Camp Costa Rica - Tamarindo

I had an incredible experience at dreamsea and am so sad to be leaving! The staff and so friendly and in particular Grace was a superb manager- always there to talk to and planning amazing activities for everyone! The camp itself is super nice and it has a great community vibe- I strongly recommend staying here you will meet amazing people and have unforgettable experiences!

My experience with Dreamsea has been absolutely amazing. This is my second time coming back and I came for the Dreamsea sonica Music festival with my accommodation I was given five surf lessons for the week and had such an amazing time learning from Mariano. He is such an incredible teacher, and even offered me to come out with him too Playa flamingo to go out to a cliff jump with him, and some of his Homies, which honestly ended up being one of the best highlights of my trip. The music festival was amazing. The production and environment of the camp was absolutely incredible. As a DJ I can say that it was incredible hearing the function one sound system tuned for the camp environment on BOTH stages that honestly was a treat to my ears. DJ selection for the lineup and preforming arts were incredible.Grace the camp host Was such a blessing she was the host the last time that I was at the camp and it was so nice to see a familiar face. I honestly cannot recommend this place enough. And cannot wait to hopefully be back again sometime soon.

I stayed at DreamSea for three nights with my boyfriend (we’re 25 and 29), and the experience didn’t match how it’s advertised. I booked it expecting a proper surf camp with early mornings, beach shuttles, access to a board throughout the day, and structured lessons focused on actually learning to surf. That’s not what this is. The grounds are run-down and messy, and the overall vibe is far more party-focused than expected. Around 85% of guests were long-term volunteers in their early 20s who all knew each other, which made the atmosphere feel cliquey and, at times, borderline cult-like (especially during the daily welcome meetings that involved them chanting). Despite being marketed to people in their late 20s, almost everyone we met was 18–22, and the permanent DJ booth makes it clear this is more of a party camp than a surf retreat. Organisation was vague, and the shared accommodation looked so uncomfortable (no AC, limited bathrooms) that we would have left early if we hadn’t booked the private Dream Suite. Even then, basics like clean towels, proper duvet covers, and decent pillows were missing. That said, the surf lessons were genuinely excellent and the only real highlight. They’re only about 1.5 hours per day, but Mariano was an amazing instructor. He’s super chill, funny, and great at explaining things in a way that actually made sense in the water. The downside is the lack of structure around them: even if you prepay for surf lessons at time of booking, you have to sign up every single evening with Grace at reception at 8-9pm. Then, you’re only told late the night before whether your lesson is 12–2, 2–4, or 4–6 (all in the heat of the day), you don’t have access to a board outside your lesson, and the boards don’t even arrive at the beach until 11am. Because lesson times are so last-minute, it’s hard to plan anything else, which leaves you killing time on the beach or wandering around town most of the day. If you’re in your early 20s looking for a cheap, social, party-heavy place to stay in Tamarindo and don’t mind roughing it, you’ll probably enjoy it. But if you’re expecting a surf-focused camp or a relaxed retreat for people in their late 20s, you’ll be disappointed. For us, Mariano’s lessons, the Dream Suite with A/C, and maybe the food were the only things that made the stay bearable.