The word “exclusive” gets used loosely in travel. Usually it just means expensive. At Kalon, it means something more specific: never more than 20 guests at once, ten rooms, one long dinner table, and a team that knows your name before you arrive. I’m Kjeld, one of the founders of Kalon Surf. I left a […]
The word “exclusive” gets used loosely in travel. Usually it just means expensive. At Kalon, it means something more specific: never more than 20 guests at once, ten rooms, one long dinner table, and a team that knows your name before you arrive.
I’m Kjeld, one of the founders of Kalon Surf. I left a corporate career in Europe to build something on this coastline — and I want to tell you honestly what a week here looks like, so you can decide if it’s the right fit for you.
We’re on Costa Rica’s South Pacific coast, about three hours south of San José. We’ve been running week-long all-inclusive surf experiences since 2011, and the format hasn’t changed much because it works. You arrive on Saturday. We take care of everything else.
What Your Week Actually Looks Like
You’ll be collected from San José airport in one of our SUVs and driven south along the coastal highway — mountain passes, small towns, glimpses of the Pacific as you drop toward Dominical. It’s a three-hour drive that most guests later tell me was the moment they started to decompress. By the time we pull up to the resort, something has already shifted.
The schedule follows the tides, which shift 40–60 minutes each day — so no two weeks are quite the same, and you’re always in the water at the best time. A typical day flows like this:
7:30–9:00 — Breakfast overlooking the Pacific
9:45 — Pool technique session, yoga on the deck, or video analysis with your coach
11:00–16:30 — Surf session, with lunch prepared by our chefs and served right on the beach
16:30 — Free time, pool, hammock, or an afternoon nap
18:15 — Three-course dinner at the long table
Wednesday is a rest day — no surf, no schedule. Sleep in, get a massage, sit by the pool, or take a short trip to one of the nearby waterfalls. I’ve noticed that by Wednesday, most guests have stopped checking their phones quite as much. That’s not an accident — it’s what happens when you’re tired in the good way and your days have a rhythm to them.
You’ll surf five days in total. Coaching runs at a 3:1 ratio — three guests per coach, maximum — so your sessions are genuinely tailored to your level. Beginners work separately from intermediate surfers on waves that actually match where each person is. No generic group lessons, no waiting around while others catch up.
The Surf Coaching
Around 60% of guests who come to Kalon have never stood on a surfboard. I want you to know that, because if you’re on the fence about whether this is for you — it almost certainly is.
We start in our infinity pool before you ever touch the ocean. The stable environment lets you build the muscle memory for your pop-up without waves adding chaos. Most first-timers are riding whitewater by the end of day one, and standing on green waves before the week is out. Watching that happen never gets old for me or the coaches.
Before most sessions, your coach will sit down with you for video analysis — reviewing footage from your previous session, showing you exactly what’s working and what to change, and sending you to the beach with a clear focus rather than vague encouragement. It’s one of the things guests consistently mention as the difference-maker.
Our coaches are lifeguard-trained, know this coastline well, and choose each day’s break based on conditions, tide, and your group’s level. The South Pacific coast has the geography for this — multiple breaks accessible from the resort, largely uncrowded, with consistent year-round surf.
“I had never surfed before and these guys got me catching a green wave in a few days. Pool sessions in the morning, then a couple hours at the beach and then a video review including drone footage.”
I’ll be honest: when we first built Kalon, I didn’t fully anticipate how central the food would become to the experience. Then we found Chef Josué.
Josué grew up in Matapalo, a few minutes from the resort. He trained in traditional Costa Rican cooking and has spent years developing something that bridges local ingredients and international technique — food that feels genuinely rooted in this place rather than generic “tropical resort” cuisine. He works directly with local farmers and suppliers, so what ends up on your plate is seasonal, fresh, and connected to the region you’re staying in.
Breakfast is relaxed: tropical fruit, freshly squeezed juice, Costa Rican coffee brewed through a traditional chorreador cloth filter — a method that’s been part of Costa Rican families for generations. Depending on the day, you might have gallo pinto, avocado toast, waffles with house-made granola, or eggs cooked how you like them.
Lunch is prepared by the kitchen team and brought to you at the beach while you watch the next set come in. Dinner is the main event — three courses at the long table, served family-style, with wine, local Imperial beer, and no rush. When pasta is on the menu, it’s made fresh: handmade tortellini, ravioli. The homemade ice cream usually appears at some point in the week and becomes a quiet highlight nobody expected.
Beer, wine, snacks, and coffee are available throughout the week. You don’t run a tab. You don’t think about it. Everything is included.
During the week you’ll also join an informal coffee tasting — Costa Rica’s South Pacific zone produces some of the country’s finest single-origin coffee, and it’s something I love sharing with guests. There’s also a cooking class built around local ingredients — not a generic curriculum, but something that actually connects you to this part of the world.
Where You’ll Stay
Every room has a private balcony, ensuite bathroom, and its own view — no shared bathrooms, no noise beyond birds and surf. The options range from our Luxury Ocean View rooms with unobstructed Pacific panoramas, to the Junior Suite with its outdoor jacuzzi and sunset views, to the Toucan Bungalow set back in the garden with two bedrooms and its own private patio, to the Villa — 1,200 square feet, two bedrooms, a private plunge pool, and the kind of view that makes it genuinely difficult to leave for breakfast.
I want to be straightforward with you: what makes a week at Kalon isn’t any individual room — it’s the whole. The infinity pool at golden hour. The sunset from the deck. The dinners that run long because nobody wants to leave the table. The room is where you sleep and recover. Everything else is what you’ll remember.
Because we cap the resort at 20 guests, the pool, the hammocks, the common areas — they’re yours in a way that simply doesn’t happen at larger properties.
Who Actually Comes Here
Around 60% of guests arrive having never surfed before. Another 20% have tried once or twice. Most are between 30 and 65, and over 65% are women — professionals who lead full, demanding lives and come to Kalon to genuinely unplug, not perform relaxation at a resort.
They’re not adrenaline-seekers. They’re people who want to try something physically challenging and new, eat well, sleep properly, and spend a week not managing anything. The surfing is often what draws them in. The week itself is usually what stays with them.
“It has been a long time since I went on a vacation and felt completely relaxed. I had some personal challenges last year and needed this badly.”
Around 65% of guests arrive solo. The dinner-table format means connections happen naturally, without forced group activities. Most solo travellers tell me the people they met were the highlight of their trip. If you’re travelling alone and wondering whether it’ll feel awkward — it won’t. It almost never does.
If you’re wondering whether you’re fit enough, experienced enough, or the right age — read this. The short answer is yes.
The Team
I run Kalon together with my partner Silene. We built this from the ground up — the philosophy, the kitchen, the paths to the beach. The team around us is local, experienced, and genuinely invested in whether your week is good. That’s not marketing copy. It’s the reason we have the reviews we have.
“[Kalon did not pay me to write this. They are really this good.]”
From the moment you land to the moment you’re dropped back at the airport on Saturday, logistics don’t exist for you. You don’t arrange anything, carry anything, or plan anything. The team handles transfers, surf equipment, meals, the massage, and any side trips you want. The only decision you make each day is how long to stay in the water.
What’s Included — and What It Costs
Every stay includes: roundtrip airport transfers, seven nights’ accommodation, five days of professional surf coaching, all meals and drinks (beer and wine included), a therapeutic massage mid-week, daily yoga, a coffee tasting, a cooking class, and all surf equipment. Nothing is charged separately on departure.
A few practical things worth knowing: Costa Rica doesn’t require a visa for US, Canadian, or EU passport holders for stays under 90 days. Water temperature sits around 26°C year-round — no wetsuit needed. The South Pacific coast has surf year-round, with the dry season (November–April) bringing consistent swells and blue skies, and the green season offering warm, lush conditions with the local veranito often delivering near-perfect windows between June and August.
Yes, genuinely. About 60% of our guests arrive having never stood on a board. We start in the pool, work on your foundations before the ocean adds any variables, and progress at your pace. Here are the most common beginner mistakes — and how we help you avoid them from day one.
My partner doesn’t surf. Will they be bored?
Not at all. Non-surfers are completely at home at Kalon — yoga, the pool, massage, nature walks, and local excursions fill the week easily. We’ve hosted many couples where one surfs and one doesn’t, and it tends to work beautifully.
Is alcohol included?
Yes. Beer and wine are part of your stay, available throughout the week alongside meals and at the bar. No tab, no extras.
Should I tip the team?
Never expected, always appreciated. The team puts genuine care into your week — any recognition of that is entirely your call.
How far is the airport?
About three hours from San José International (SJO). Transfers are included and done in comfortable SUVs. The drive south along the coastal highway is one guests tend to enjoy.
Founder Kalon Surf | Owner & Managing Director, Kalon Group
Kjeld Schigt is the Founder and CEO of Kalon Surf. After an international corporate career with companies including Unilever and Heineken, he founded Kalon in 2011 to build a business centered on passion, performance, and human impact. Kjeld believes great hospitality is ultimately the business of happiness. His focus is on creating an environment where both guests and team members can thrive—designing experiences that leave people feeling better, more energized, and more connected than when they arrived. He writes about leadership, hospitality, and the discipline required to build teams and experiences that consistently make people happy.
