Pura Vida Ride is not a destination for food. It’s where you go to rent stand up paddleboards, bikes and kayaks. Located in Playa Danta (about a 20 minute drive north of Flamingo) next to Lola’s and inside the gorgeous Las Catalinas compound, Pura Vida Ride is definitely a place to check out if you’re interested in trying stand up paddleboarding. As my boyfriend and I have our own boards which are strapped onto our little Toyota Yaris, we ventured to Pura Vida Ride solely because we heard good things and wanted to check it out. As we are both early risers in Costa Rica (I swear you cannot sleep in here if you tried) we headed off to PVR in search of a cool spot to paddleboard. Arriving at 8am, nothing was open. At this point I was starving and if you know me, you know hunger and I are not pals. As my crankiness started to set in, I was happily (and luckily for my boyfriend) distracted by the huge family of howler monkeys playing in the trees overhead. By 9am Pura Vida Ride opened and to my great surprise they had a café inside. Being a non-coffee drinker (I drink maybe 4 iced coffees a year when in dire need of caffeine) I was unsure of what to order. The board was filled with different types of cappuccinos, mocha this and espresso that. But watching Jake make his French presses and use his fancy Italian machine with such precision, made me want to drink an iced coffee- hazelnut flavored for that matter. And I swear, it was the best iced coffee I’ve ever had. Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts aren’t even in this league. Sitting at their little tables out front and having the monkeys playing over head while sipping on this delicious libation, waves crashing on the beach ahead of us: this was my favorite morning here, thus far. It also can’t hurt that Jake made homemade pumpkin, pecan, chocolate chip bread that morning and it was still warm when I ate it. Amazing.
If you’re looking for a new adventure in the Guanacaste area, rent a paddleboard from this place and snorkel at the end of the bay like we did. Not only did a giant ridley turtle stalk us while we paddled (highlight of my life) but the people, the vibe, the bread and the coffee at Pura Vida Ride are worth the trip.
Website: http://www.puravidaride.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PuraVidaRide
This place is indeed amazing. The setting is idyllic, and Pura Vida Ride offeres amazing coffee along with pastries and muffins now as well. Rentals of SUPs and MTBS are also worth the visit to work up an appetite.
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