Hotel Tilawa, Costa Rica

Thrasher Magazine, July, 2004 by Mike Burnett

[WHERE:] A hotel with a skatepark at the largest lake in Costa Rica. Three hours from San Jose and in the shadow of the active Arenal volcano.

[WHAT:] An almost-Oregon-quality concrete skatepark featuring a six-foot square bowl, a small street course and a quadruple-bowl that ends in a sweet nine-foot deep end capped with hand-molded pool coping.

[GOOD:] The hotel's nice, cheap, and they've got their own beer. You can windsurf or kitesurf on the lake and there are monkeys in the trees.

[BAD:] You're a grown man skating in Costa Rica--quit complaining all the time.

[BONUS:] Street course has a volcano replica that can be made to spit actual fire. Did I mention the monkeys? More info: www.hotel-tilawa.com