The most memorable Costa Rica coast experiences
Costa Rica is a holidaymaker's dream: a peace-loving nation that bucked the regional trend and ditched its armed forces, focusing instead on expanding its now booming tourism industry to become one of the safest and best-developed countries to visit in Latin America.
Many flock annually to this diminutive but devastatingly beautiful destination, and whilst the inland forests and mountains here are extraordinary, it's the paradisiacal coast that keeps people lingering longest. There is good reason, too: few places on the planet can boast such an extraordinarily varied and enticing shoreline.
Costa Rica's coast: the basics
The country has two coasts: a Pacific and a Caribbean (this fact alone catapults it onto the world's elite list, as only six other nations can claim the same). The Pacific is more developed for classic beach holidays and is more conveniently located for Liberia's international airport in the northwest corner of Costa Rica. The Caribbean coast will lure adventure-seekers, with its serendipitous but very off-piste beach havens requiring more arduous journeys to get there.
The big beach resorts, where the likes of First Choice offers many great value all inclusive breaks* direct from the UK, are found on the Pacific side: Tamarindo at the northern end of the Nicoya Peninsula is the main beach town, and Playa del Coco is another popular beach destination 44km north.
The best Costa Rica coast resorts
For top-notch beach resorts in Costa Rica, three main regions stand out. The Riu Guanacaste* and the Riu Palace Costa Rica* are part of a fantastic resort area located 10km southwest of the boisterous party town of Playa del Coco, with near-exclusive access to the idyllic Playa Matapalo beach*. Playa Conchal is another luxury option, while Tamarindo offers other upmarket resorts.
Costa Rica coast: the best fishing village
Tucked in the extreme northwest of Guanacaste province, the quirky community of Cuajiniquil is not on many travellers' radars. You gravitate here not for the beach scene but to appreciate the country's varied coastal flora and fauna.
Part of the huge protected wilderness zone, the Area de Conservación Guanacaste, the ramshackle little town offers a fascinating peek into traditional fishing methods and is incredibly rich in wildlife: sea turtles, herons, several monkeys, dolphins, humpback whales, and sharks can be glimpsed nearby.
Costa Rica coast: best place to be cool
Santa Teresa is pretty much the end of the road, sitting on the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, and few long-term visitors bother looking back. That's because, with local surfers and enlightened visitors, this is the hippest beach hangout in the land. The surfing is stunning, and the bars are thrumming.
Costa Rica coast: best surfing spot
A clutch of beachside towns in Costa Rica's surf haven would contest the statement, but Playa Pavones, a strip of beguiling sand backed by jungle, has the useful USP of a left break that delivers one of the world's longest rides. This conspires to win it the coveted title of the country's top surfing destination. The Pacific-facing beach is located in the south near the border with Panama.
Costa Rica coast: best for remoteness
At the languid tip of Costa Rica's second-most famous peninsula, Península de Osa, Puerto Jiménez abuts Central America's most magical expanse of tropical rainforest, Parque Nacional Corcovado. Getting the necessary information in Puerto Jiménez at the park's office beforehand, you can follow the road to where it fizzles out completely at Carate, then walk along a pristine swathe of Pacific coast to the lonely but lovely Playa Llorona beach.
Costa Rica coast: best for local colour
Of the few towns on the Caribbean coast, little-but-lively Puerto Viejo is easily the most inviting: right near the Panamanian border and thus a common stop-off for overland tourists bound for Bocas del Toro, a bunch of divine cays in northern Panama. Puerto Viejo offers more of an insight into how local life ticks by beachside.
North of here stretch some truly sublime, and invariably quiet beaches, like palm tree-fringed Playa Chiquita or the 10km-long dark arc of Playa Negra.
Costa Rica coast: best for sea turtles
In Spanish, sea turtle is "tortuguero" and being able to witness these incredible creatures is the dream of many holidaymakers in Costa Rica. Parque Nacional Tortuguero, in the country's northeast, promises exactly what it says on the tin: the chance to see sea turtles, and, indeed, to see them nesting. A remote rainforest for the most part, the park is bordered by a beautiful band of beach where the turtles come to nest in April and May.
Are you tempted to explore Costa Rica's coastal treasures? Check out the latest all-inclusive deals from First Choice, which offers holidays direct from London Gatwick. You can also check out the weather in Costa Rica, and see when we think is the best time to go to Costa Rica for fabulous holiday weather.
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