Before leaving Costa Rica I had done a little research, sent some emails, etc in hopes of finding a good location for taking Spanish classes; one with a good school at good prices, with positive reviews on homestays, and some outside activities - preferably good surf. We had both hoped to improve our language skills during our time in Latin America. That certainly did not happen in Costa Rica as just about everyone speaks English (at least in the towns we visited). Now we were determined to stay focused and do nothing but study - well at least for a couple of weeks. San Juan del Sur had several spanish schools to pick from and was known as a good base for local surfing so it sounded like a perfect spot. 
We decided to spend our first night at the well-known and very busy Casa Oro Hostal in order to get some beta on the surf before immersing outselves in the language study. The hostel is bustling with young 20 somethings waiting on a shuttle or just chillin. Like every popular hostel it comes with free internet, a big community kitchen and plenty of beta on tours and transportation. The room is little more than a wooden box, with a vinyl curtain separating the toilet from the room, but were were not here for the accommodations - it was beta we were after and the staff was helpful and the walls of the main building were covered with information on surf beaches, shuttle times, and other activities.
Although there are several surf shops in town offering transport and boards, Casa Oro seems to run the most regular and convenient shuttles to the surf beaches at Playa Maderas and Remanso. And their monster rigs are not only sure to handle any muddy river crossing but they are pretty cool looking too!
