Why an Award-Winning Costa Rica Surf + Yoga Camp Doesn’t Have Air Conditioning

One of the things that our guests highlight on review platforms like Tripadvisor is that our lodge is simple, comfortable, and at one with the environment.

Everything about our lodge is intentional – from the amenities that we do have, to the amenities that we don’t. Our design and the way we want you to feel here at our lodge are well thought out and calculated.

Things like televisions and air conditioners in rooms might be luxuries that you’d expect to find in most ‘normal’ hotels. We pride ourselves on being different – on being who we are and staying true to our values.

We believe that that’s what makes us stand out, and is what attracts and connects us with like-minded individuals like yourselves!

In this blog, we’re going to share with you why it is that, as a responsible and intentional tourism business, we don’t provide air conditioning in our rooms or bungalows.

We Don’t Believe That it’s Necessary

Just to be clear – we do understand why some hotels have air conditioners in the rooms for guests. Here in Costa Rica, it definitely does heat up at certain times throughout the year.

Also, if you’re staying in a city or large town that traps in the heat, air conditioners in rooms will be much more necessary.

But for us in our coastal town of Uvita, Costa Rica – we’re blessed with cooling sea breezes as well as being surrounded by rich rainforest that keeps us cool.

An Eco-designed Home Makes all the Difference!

We’ve designed our lodge to naturally provide spaces for escaping the heat during the warmer months of the year. But at the end of the day, the idea behind our surf + yoga vacations is that you’re NOT here on site all day long.

Again – we’ve designed our lodge intentionally so that it provides you with a welcoming, homey space to relax and recharge. But throughout the day (when it’s most hot), you’re out and about immersing within nature and community!

Some of our on-site spaces that our guests enjoy using to refrescarse include:

• An outdoor plunge pool
• Our open-air yoga platform
• ‘Area Serenidad’ – an open-air area with sofas, hanging chairs, and fans
• ‘Area Alegria’ – another open-air area with hammocks and fans
• And soon to come – our meditation garden!

We’ve designed these areas to not only serve as places to cool off but to allow you to recharge and relax while being at one with nature and the environment around you.

For us (and many of our guests), this beats sitting in your room with the AC on any day!

Navigating Need vs Convenience

We also understand that, while in some places with extreme heat air conditioners are certainly necessary, in other locations, it can be more of a convenience thing.

We’ll admit that, if we go on vacation somewhere and there’s an AC in the room – we’re pretty likely to turn it on. The same goes for if we’re house-sitting for someone and they have AC. It’s getting turned on.

Most times, this isn’t because it’s so hot that we just must turn the AC on. It’s because it’s there – why not turn it on? (Which we’ll get into later).

If the AC wasn’t there, we wouldn’t even notice its absence. But because it’s there, we’re inclined to turn it on even despite the fact that we’re perfectly comfortable with the temperature that the room is at.

Instead of turning the air conditioner on, we can cool the room down by opening windows allowing natural air in – which is much better for us anyway!

Again, we know that we don’t live in a ‘cold’ country. It does get hot here, but we also know that for the vast majority of the year, air conditioning isn’t necessary at all – just convenient.

Travel is Transformative – It’s for Pushing Comfort Zones

One of the best things about traveling is that it moves you. It makes you feel something – something different.

Traveling isn’t supposed to feel like you’re at your own home, that’s why you left!

Despite this, we also don’t believe that while traveling you should be forced to give up some of the basic comforts and amenities that you might have back home.

Actually, traveling is a great way of putting into perspective what we consider basic and luxury, and how fortunate we are to have what we have.

So, although you won’t have the ‘luxury’ of air conditioning during your stay here at Bodhi Surf + Yoga, you can look forward to enjoying the many services and amenities that our local community does have, including:

• Pharmacies
• Banks and ATMs
• Top-tier healthcare services (if needed)
• Taxi services
• Mobile massage services
• A wealth of delectable dining options

During your time here, you’re empowered to enjoy the inspiring experience of immersing yourself in nature and engaging with a local community, all without sacrificing some of the basic necessary amenities while traveling.

It’s Just a Week, You’ll be Alright!

Actually, you’ll be better than alright. You’ll be ¡acachete!

It’s extremely healthy for us to push our comfort zones and FEEL something different. For many of us, this is why we travel in the first place. We have our comfort zones back home (which is also important), but traveling allows us to push ourselves and test ourselves.

The heat and sweating are incredibly good for you. Sweating is our body’s way of cooling itself down, but it’s also an extremely efficient way of cleansing our bodies and removing toxins.

The Health Benefits of Sweating

Before we get into this, we just want to preface this section by saying that you will by no means spend your entire time here sweating like a dog. Yes, it’s hot – but not that hot.

Do you know what sweat is? It’s mostly composed of water, but it also contains electrolytes including sodium, chloride, and potassium.

Electrolytes are extremely important for our health, as they maintain fluid balance, optimize nerve impulses, and regulate muscle contractions.

Despite this, if sweat only contained water and didn’t flush out electrolytes, our cells would have too much sodium and lose volume. So sweating is essential in regulating these vital electrolytes in our bodies!

Sweating Releases Happy Hormones

Sweating has also been scientifically proven to make us happier!

We’ll admit, sweating all day every day for our entire lives might turn into a bit of a drag. But if it’s just for one week, we can appreciate the impact that it has on our happiness.

The increase in temperature of the brain stem leads to relaxation and less anxiety, partly because sweating releases feel-good chemicals like serotonin and dopamine. These ‘happy hormones’ are also released while surfing – learn more about that here.

Air Conditioning is Harmful to the Environment

Air conditioners use refrigerant gases, which are extremely harmful to the environment and contribute massively to the climate crisis.

Most units use hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants, which are potent greenhouse gases and use a lot of energy. 

Despite attempts to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (required by the Montreal Protocol), the UN Environment Programme states that emissions from refrigerant gases are expected to double by 2030, and triple by 2050.

These gases released by air conditioners are not only greenhouse gases, but they are also ozone-depleting substances – which rapidly increase climate change and global warming.

To put the danger of these hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants into perspective, think about carbon dioxide.

We all know how harmful the excessive and unregulated release of carbon dioxide can be to the environment. Hydrofluorocarbons have global warming potential that is hundreds to thousands of times greater than carbon dioxide.

The Climate and Clean Air Coalition states that even in relatively small amounts, these gases contribute significantly to near-term warming and have an average lifespan of 15 years in the atmosphere.

So, We’ve Made Our Decision

Living here in coastal Costa Rica, we benefit greatly from the sheer beauty of our planet. 

It’s in our best interest – ALL of our best interests, to look after and protect Mother Nature. Not to sound sinister, but it really is a life-or-death situation.

Therefore, Bodhi Surf + Yoga has decided that we will stand by our values and remain without air conditioners for the time being.

Yes, we understand that it can be hot at certain times throughout the year. But as we’ve discussed, this is something worth embracing during your visit!

We always say that as a surf school, it’s easy to get people to stand up on a surfboard. The real victory is getting people to stand up for the ocean. 

We do all that we can to stand by the environment and protect Mother Nature, and we know that our guests do, too!