One of the things guests tell us they didn’t expect is the food.
They expect the surfing to be great — that’s why they booked. They expect the setting to be beautiful. But the food catches people off guard. Not because they expected it to be bad, but because they didn’t expect it to be this good.
We take that as a compliment, and it’s not accidental. We think a lot about food at Kalon — not in a precious, “we’re a food destination” way, but in a “this is part of the experience and it should make you happy” way.
The problem with most all-inclusive food
At a lot of all-inclusive resorts, food is a compromise. It’s there, it fills you up, it’s fine. The thinking tends to be: if you play it safe with international dishes that everyone recognizes, nobody will complain.
We don’t think like that.
You’ve traveled to Costa Rica. You’re spending a week with us. You should eat food that makes you feel like you’re here — not food you could get at any resort anywhere in the world. When you go home, you should think “I would love to eat that again, and I can’t.” That’s the bar we set.
At the same time, if we served traditional Costa Rican food every meal for seven days, it would get heavy and repetitive for guests who aren’t used to it. So we find the sweet spot: Costa Rican ingredients and inspiration, prepared with techniques and presentation that feel exciting and slightly exotic — without going overboard. It should feel special. It should feel nutritious. And after a day of surfing at the beach, it should make you genuinely excited to sit down for dinner.
How we got here
Silene and I don’t come from hospitality. We built Kalon from scratch, and we’ve always been honest about learning as we go. We listen, we try things, we pay attention to what works and what doesn’t. Not everything sticks — but food was always something our guests cared deeply about, so we invested in getting it right.
The turning point was Rodrigo Montesinos. Rodrigo is a Mexican chef who trained at Michelin-star restaurants in San Sebastián, Spain. He came to Kalon as a guest — he lives in Costa Rica and is currently the chef at Jaguar Negro. After his stay, he reached out and said: “I love everything you’re doing. I’m a professional chef, and I’d love to help you take the food to the next level.”
We clicked immediately and became friends. We hired him to help us elevate our kitchen — not by making it fancier for the sake of fancy, but by improving technique, consistency, and reducing waste. He introduced us to sous vide cooking and other methods that produce better results with less waste and more control. He helped us understand which local ingredients work best in which seasons, how to get portion sizes right, and how to build menus that feel exciting without being exhausting.
That foundation has stayed with us. When Chef Josué came in, he built on everything Rodrigo established and brought his own creativity — always with the same principles: Costa Rican roots, international flair, fine dining techniques, and food that makes people happy.
What you actually eat during the week
Breakfast is served before your surf session — designed to fuel you without weighing you down. Fresh tropical fruit, eggs, homemade bread, smoothies, and coffee. We time it so you eat about 60–90 minutes before you’re in the water, which is the sweet spot for having energy without feeling heavy.
At the beach, our team brings fresh fruit, snacks, and drinks down to the sand during and between sessions. This is where you’ll try fruits you probably haven’t had before — depending on the season, we source things from local providers that you simply won’t find in the US, Canada, or Europe. Watermelon, pineapple, and mango are constants. The exotic stuff rotates.
Lunch is prepared fresh — either at the beach or back at the resort. Think grilled fish, fresh salads, poke bowls, and plates that refuel you without putting you to sleep before the afternoon.
Dinner is the event. Three courses, served at the communal table, and this is where the kitchen really shows what it can do. Some nights lean toward fine dining — sous vide meats, creative presentations, flavors that surprise you. Other nights, it’s intentionally simpler: just really good, high-quality food done well. Because not every dinner needs to be a production — sometimes after a day of surfing, you want beautiful food that doesn’t require you to think too hard about what you’re eating.
We try to make every night different so the week has variety and rhythm. Costa Rican-inspired dishes mixed with international influences. Fresh catch from the Pacific. Wagyu. Vegetable-forward plates that even committed meat-eaters enjoy. And yes — our homemade ice cream, which started because we realized we could do things with local fruits in ice cream form that you simply can’t buy anywhere.
Snacks, coffee, beer, and wine are available throughout the day. The coffee is from Dota — a region in the Central Valley of Costa Rica known for some of the best coffee in the country. We chose it after doing tastings, because once you know what really good Costa Rican coffee tastes like, you can’t go back. It’s one of those small details that guests notice and remember.
Dietary needs — handled
We accommodate vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and serious allergies — no problem. Our kitchen is used to it, and you don’t need to worry about it being an inconvenience or feeling like you’re getting a lesser version of the meal. Let us know when you book, and we’ll make sure everything is prepared for you. This is part of what we mean by comfortable luxury — you shouldn’t have to stress about food, ever.
Why food matters for surfing
We’re not going to give you a nutrition lecture. But here’s what we’ve observed after years of hosting surfers:
Guests who eat well, surf better. Not because of any magic superfood, but because proper fuel means sustained energy, better focus, and faster recovery. The difference between a guest who had a good breakfast and one who skipped it is visible in the water by the second hour.
Hydration is more important than people realize. You’re in salt water, in the sun, paddling hard. Even though you’re surrounded by water, you’re dehydrating constantly. We provide fresh coconut water, filtered water, and high-water-content fruits at the beach for exactly this reason. Start drinking before you’re thirsty.
The post-surf meal matters most. Your body is in recovery mode after a session. Eating a balanced meal within an hour of getting out of the water — protein, good carbs, vegetables — makes a real difference in how you feel the next day. This is why our lunch timing is built around the surf schedule, not the other way around.
The three-course dinner isn’t just indulgence — it’s recovery. By the time you sit down for dinner, your body has been through a lot. The meal replenishes what the ocean took out of you and sets you up for the next day. The fact that it’s also one of the most enjoyable parts of the week is a bonus.
Food as part of the experience
Here’s what we really believe: food should be fun. It should be part of why you remember the trip. It should give you something you can’t get at home.
We’re not a restaurant — we’re a surf resort that happens to take food very seriously. The kitchen is part of the team, not a separate operation. The chefs know what the surf schedule looks like. They know when you’ll be hungry, what your body needs, and how to make the end of a long day in the water feel like a celebration.
If you look at our reviews on TripAdvisor or Google, the food comes up again and again — often as the surprise highlight of the week. That’s exactly what we’re going for.
For more on what the full week looks like, visit our cuisine page or our experience overview.
