Over the past 4 months I’ve been waiting for a new Canadian Visa to continue my work at Bus.com (yes, I’m one of the few Americans trying to work in francophone dominated Quebec) which has provided the opportunity to work remote.

My adventures have brought me to a few places, most recently Playa Bejuco in Costa Rica.

Why Playa Bejuco? Simple. My friend Colin from Remote Year was there staying at Outsite. It provided a great, genuinely remote location with solid internet connectivity.

Let’s be honest. Winter isn’t bad… for two months. But by February, everyone is sick of having to walk through a frozen tundra just to get to work. And if they’re not, they’re lying to you.

After leaving Montreal I arrived for a quick stop in San Jose. Anyone that’s been Costa Rica will tell you that you don’t need much time in San Jose except for me. Just kidding. Get outta there ASAP.

Introducing an actual rating system.

★★★★★
An incredible experience.

★★★★☆
Great and recommended.

★★★☆☆
Good but not necessary.

★★☆☆☆
Mediocre.

★☆☆☆☆
Avoid.

Selina Hostel, San Jose

★★★★☆

I stayed at Selina for a night and it was genuinely a solid hostel. I made the mistake of staying in a room with 4 bunks. As I walked in, tired, at 11pm I realized that I’m getting a bit too old for a top bunk with a twin sized mattress. But for $11, I couldn't complain too much.

The next morning I ordered a cab, caught up on some work over breakfast, and left to the beach. A private cab is a bit of a luxury. Buses would cost around $20 from San Jose but would have taken 3 times as long to get to the final destination.

Outsite, Playa Bejuco

★★★★☆

Arriving to Outsite was an interesting experience.

As I walked through the front gate I was immediately impressed. Nice pool, clean space, beautiful architecture. For those of you who follow my Instagram, you’ve seen the Story. For those of you who haven’t, why are you reading even reading this?

Now, this space is beautiful. But Outsite doesn’t own it. They’re a curated marketplace for co-living, co-working environments. The model is not so different from Bus.com (a charter bus rental platform).

Arriving I quickly met Danielle who knew I was there to meet my friend Colin. But… Danielle doesn’t work for Outsite. As a matter of fact – no one that works for Outsite was there to greet me. They didn’t even tell me in an email that no one would be there to show me my room. It was pure anarchy.

It seems like they’re a relatively new startup, so I’ll be sure to pass along the feedback. Overall though, unimpressive from an experience perspective (and I literally do this for work, so I’m allowing myself to be critical).

Now, I’d still recommend Outsite to a friend, but I’m not going to put their sticker on my laptop or anything…. They get the job done with a solid abode, great internet, and a decent working environment. The necessary trifecta for any remote worker. I write “decent working environment” because the actual co-working space was restricted to silent work only (no calls), was a bit stuffy with lack of airflow (tough in a hot environment), and could have made better use of the space.

Now Playa Bejuco is an interesting town. If you’re looking for a remote getaway this will fill that void. The beach is a 5 minute walk from where I stayed. The nearest corner store/depenneur/bodega is a 10 minute walk. The nearest restaurants and grocery store? You’re looking at a 15-20 minute walk along a strip of (basically) highway. Sketchy during the day, sketchy AF at night. But I guess that’s all part of the cultural experience (I am Ron Burgundy?)? . The nearest yoga spot was a 30 minute walk away and held in a resort-like environment with a slightly older crowd. Nothing wrong with that, but don’t expect to make drinking buddies. All in all, the location was good, and provided an opportunity for solid work and relaxation.

Oh and Outsite did provide access to 3 surf boards which were perfect for novices. This is a huge add that essentially saves you $10 a day.

Playa Bejuco

★★★★★

Honestly. This beach is dope.

My surfing abilities are pretty bad (but not for lack of trying). The white water provided a solid opportunity for improvement, and all the salt water I drank falling on waves past the break only slightly broke my morale each day. I caught an actual wave or two but I think it barely counts when you fall after a two second ride. At least my hair is a bit longer so I give off that Cali vibe like I know what I’m doing (rest assured, I don’t).

Costa Rican beaches have always held a special spot in my heart . Their jungle-like shoreline with a constant mistiness and cascading waves that stretch for what feels like miles are so incredibly breathtaking.

RainMaker Hike

★★★☆☆

One weekend the group I had met wanted to go for an adventure – we settled on RainMaker, a rainforest hike about 30-45 minute drive from our location. We packed a cab with 4 available seats with 5 gringos and took off.

For those of you who know me, you know I love the outdoors. Hiking, climbing, playing – I’m all about it. For me, any experience like this is worth doing, hence why I went here. But if you’re coming to Costa Rica for a genuine outdoor experience I know there are much more adventurous places to explore. This wasn’t a physically challenging hike. It was more a brisk walk where you sweat because of heat and humidity, not challenging terrain.

The suspended bridges were special, but didn’t get my adrenaline going and I’ve seen nicer waterfalls on the east coast of the US. So – if you want something simple, check this out, but don’t expect anything intense.

Selva Microbrewery

★★★☆☆

I love craft beer, so when I heard that this little town had a craft brewer in the neighbourhood it instantly became a top destination to try. First time there they only had one beer option, so I came back a few days later. They had about 5 craft options, of which I tried 3 – an amber, an english pale ale, and a belgian ale.

Everything was relatively average. Microbrews pale in comparison to the funky flavours coming from hotspots in the USA, but it’s nice to see additional players testing their brews throughout the world.