Over 65% of our guests are women. That wasn’t something we planned — it’s just what happened when we built a resort around the things that actually matter: great coaching, beautiful food, a safe and comfortable environment, and a week that leaves you feeling genuinely different than when you arrived.
Some come with a friend or a group. Many come alone. Some are celebrating something — a birthday, a promotion, a life change. Others just need a week that’s entirely theirs. Whatever the reason, the pattern is the same: they arrive a little uncertain, they leave talking about when they’re coming back.
Why women specifically
We’ve thought about this a lot, because the numbers are so consistent. Here’s what we think it comes down to:
The experience is complete. You don’t have to plan anything, research anything, or figure anything out. You land at the airport, we pick you up in a private SUV, and from that moment until we drop you back at the airport a week later, everything is handled. Coaching, meals, transport to the beach, equipment, yoga, a massage — it’s all included. For women who spend their lives organizing, managing, and taking care of other people, that level of “just show up” is genuinely liberating.
It’s not a party scene. Kalon attracts people who want to surf, eat well, and have real conversations — not people looking for a nightlife destination. The atmosphere is relaxed and comfortable, not performative. You can dress up for dinner or come barefoot. Nobody’s trying to impress anyone. That tone is something women consistently tell us they appreciate, especially when traveling alone.
The people are like-minded. Our guests tend to be hardworking, curious, and kind. They’re professionals, entrepreneurs, parents, creatives — people who are comfortable with themselves and genuinely interested in meeting others. Not every week is identical, but the dynamic is remarkably consistent. Women who come alone often tell us the group felt like old friends by mid-week.
It’s physically challenging in a way that feels empowering, not intimidating. Surfing asks something of your body that most daily routines don’t. It requires balance, flexibility, being in the ocean, falling and getting back up. For many women, standing up on a wave for the first time — or improving on something they tried before — is a confidence boost that goes way beyond the sport.
You can actually let your guard down
This isn’t a scare piece about traveling as a woman. Costa Rica is a beautiful country with wonderful people. But like anywhere in the world, there are realities that solo travelers — and women in particular — have to think about. Our approach, shaped by Kjeld’s corporate background in security-conscious environments at Heineken and BP, is preventive: we handle everything so you don’t have to.
Airport to Kalon, Kalon to airport. Private SUV, door to door. No haggling with taxi drivers, no navigating unfamiliar transport. If we use an external driver, it’s someone we’ve worked with for years.
Gated property. Kalon is a private, gated 6.4-acre estate. Only guests, staff, and a small number of known providers enter. Security cameras cover the grounds — positioned for safety, not surveillance. You have your privacy, and we have visibility.
On-site security. We have security on property. When we go to the beach for surf sessions, our security team comes too — relaxed, blending in, but present. Petty theft at tourist beaches is the most common issue in Costa Rica, and our presence prevents it. If there’s ever a medical situation — an injury in the water, a fall — our team can respond immediately with first aid or get someone to the hospital quickly.
Staff you can trust. We hire people who align with our philosophy: we’re in the business of making people happy. Every person on our team — coaches, chefs, guest services, drivers — is thinking about your comfort and safety as a baseline, not an add-on.
The result is that women who come to Kalon — whether solo, with a partner, or in a group — consistently say they felt safe the entire time. Not in a “there are guards everywhere” way, but in a “I didn’t have to think about it” way. That’s the goal. You can let your guard down, be present, and actually relax. We worry about everything else.
Women who come alone
Many of our female guests come solo — and many are in relationships or married. They’re not looking for a singles scene. They’re looking for a week that’s theirs: their challenge, their pace, their reset. Some need to step away from a demanding job. Some are processing a life change. Some just want to try something they’ve been thinking about for years without having to wait for someone else to say yes.
At Kalon, solo women find that the distinction between “I came alone” and “I came with someone” dissolves almost immediately. The surf sessions, the dinner table, the video analysis, the pool — everything is communal enough to create connection and private enough to allow space. By day two, it doesn’t matter how you arrived.
For more on what the solo experience looks like day by day, see our solo travel guide.
A girls trip that actually delivers
We also get groups of women — friends celebrating a milestone, sisters doing something together, colleagues who wanted more than a spa weekend. These weeks have a particular energy: there’s laughter at the beach, cheering during surf sessions, and the kind of late-night dinner conversations that only happen when everyone’s sun-tired and happy.
What makes it work as a group trip is that Kalon isn’t a one-size-fits-all resort. Within your group, everyone surfs at their own level with their own coach. The friend who’s been surfing before and the friend who’s terrified of the ocean are both having the time of their lives — just on different waves. And because the property has plenty of space, you can be together all day or split off and regroup at dinner. There’s no forced itinerary.
If you’re thinking about organizing a group trip, reach out to our team — we can help with room configurations, timing, and making sure the week works for everyone. We’ve hosted plenty of girls trips and we know what makes them great.
Relax. Reset. Recharge.
It sounds like a tagline, but it’s genuinely what happens. The combination of physical challenge (surfing), recovery (yoga, massage, pool), nourishment (three-course dinners, beach lunches, craft coffee all day), and disconnection (no agenda, no obligations, no screens) creates a week that resets something deeper than a regular vacation reaches.
Women tell us they sleep better than they have in months. They stop reaching for their phones. They have conversations they wouldn’t have had back home. They feel strong in a way that has nothing to do with the gym. And they leave with a clarity about what matters that carries well beyond the trip.
That’s not unique to women — it’s what Kalon does for everyone. But for women specifically, who so often carry the mental load for everyone around them, a week where someone else handles every detail can feel genuinely transformative.
For more on our surf coaching and what to expect during your week, visit our women’s surf experience page.
