Work Exchange Program | Izu's Place - Hotel & Restaurant in Jaco Costa Rica

Work Exchange Program

A Kosher Jewish home away from home, with a warm and welcoming Israeli environment

Looking for something deeper than the usual backpacking trail?

Our Work Exchange Program offers young male travelers the chance to slow down, reconnect with themselves, and experience Costa Rica from within a real, loving, Israeli home

Next to the Beach

Enjoy Best Location

Gym Nearby

What You Receive Receive

Accommodation in a cozy, kosher, family-style Israeli home

Kosher meals

A supportive, familiar environment

Beautiful natural surroundings

A grounding routine that helps you reconnect to yourself

Guidance, conversation, and a real sense of belonging

What You Contribute

In exchange for your stay, we ask for a few hours of help each day with

Household tasks

Restaurant

Reception

Gardening / outdoor maintenance

Supporting guest activities

General assistance where needed

A Program Built With Heart

We’ve been running this program for years, and every single volunteer who walked through our doors became part of our extended family.

A shared table, Shabbat dinners, open conversations, nature all around — and that strong, familiar Israeli warmth that makes you feel safe and seen.

Many of our volunteers found themselves strengthening their sense of Ahavat Yisrael, reconnecting to Jewish roots, and discovering new purpose through simple, meaningful daily life.

Together with Toni and Izu (Yizhak) they became partners in creating a home where Jewish travelers feel supported, uplifted, and inspired.

A home that sends people back into the world as small ambassadors of kindness, connection, and light

No special skills needed just good energy, responsibility, and a willingness to be part of our mission

If you’re craving grounding, a sense of purpose, and a warm Israeli–Jewish home in the heart of Costa Rica, our doors are open.

Spaces are limited. Apply now and tell us a bit about yourself.

We’d love to welcome you into our family

We’d love to welcome you into our family!

With a minimum one month stay, The program is currently open for men only, ages 20- 35, who are:

Traveling through Costa Rica or planning to

Looking for deeper meaning, community, and connection

Interested in nature and authentic living

Happy to join a real home and contribute with heart

A Kosher Jewish home away from home, with a warm and welcoming Israeli environment

Explore the Reviews

The warm home of the Jews in Costa Rica. Izu and Tony were truly my home for a significant period of my life. I learned and went through a lot with them. One of the most wonderful opportunities I had in 2022 made me become part of the family . Thank you, I love you, Izu Tony, Emma and Elia ❤️

Orel Levi

My work exchange at Izu’s Place was not just a fleeting experience. It was one that gave me a home away from home and an extended family. It is a place I will always hold dear, which shaped me in so many ways. It is a place full of life, diversity, and love. To be there is to wake up every day to a new adventure. Izu and Toni personify real faith in God and a beautiful, well-balanced approach to Judaism, which really inspired my own faith. I was blessed with many beautiful experiences and made many meaningful connections there. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to have contributed, and gained so much from the magic that is Izu’s Place!

Sarah

Brooklyn, NY

At the start of 2024, I was ready to wrap up my time in Costa Rica and fly back home. I hadn’t found anything productive to do, and honestly, I felt like I had reached a dead end.
Then I met Tony and Izu in Jacó. After a quick conversation, they offered me a simple exchange: I’d help with marketing for the hotel, and in return I’d get bed and breakfast.
I’ll be honest—I wasn’t very tempted at first. But the moment I decided to take the chance, everything changed.

I met incredible people who were also volunteering, and we built real friendships. Tony and Izu were unbelievably kind and supportive; they even connected me with local businesses so I could start offering my services and actually make money.

Fast forward two years: I’m living in Jacó, married, working in real estate and marketing, and enjoying the life I was literally about to abandon by getting on that plane home.
Tony and Izu have become my second family, and I can genuinely say that everything I have today is the butterfly effect of that one decision—to volunteer at Izu’s Place.

Oren

Romania