www.CostaRicaTicas.com

HI, DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE THE BEST SWIMMING BEACHES ARE? THANKS, MIKE

DAYTONA

I'M JUST ASKING FOR HELP, NOT STUPID COMMENTS! THANKS TO THOSE WHO CAN HELP

I'm just razzing you a little bit, Mike. A couple of incidental tips before I really answer your question. First, using all CAPS on a forum such as this is akin to SHOUTING. Its kind of considered bad form. Secondly, try using the search feature here first before asking a question as this is one that has been covered in other threads.

That said, I'd be happy to help you out or at least point you in the right direction. The most popular beach destination for the guys here seems to be Jaco because it also has the most P4P (thats internet shorthand for pay-for-play). It is also the closest beach to San Jose where the real night life is (about a 2hr drive). I think the beaches themselves are alright but far from the nicest in CR. Another popular beach destination is at Manuel Antonio near Quepos. Beautiful beaches and but strong undertows which make them less than ideal for swimming. MA is about 3 hours from SJ. The beaches of Guanacaste (Flamingo, Tamarindo, Nicoya, Montezuma etc.) are also quite popular, probably best for swimming but are at least 5-6 hours drive from SJ. All these beaches are on the Pacific side. Cahuita near Puerto Viejo on the Atlantic side has also been getting more mention around here lately and TMan especially can tell you all about the Atlantic beaches. That's just a quick run down. I'm sure others will have somethings to add, but I really recommend you do a search using some of these names I just provided.

Good luck,

as you can tell, i'm just a rookie, but thanks for your help!

No problem, Mike. We were all rookies once. BTW (short for "by the way"), its okay to capitalize the first word in the sentence (just messing with ya again ).

lol

Meanwhile, nobody answered his question:

Playa Manuel Antonio, a.k.a Beach #3 in the national park is a fantastic beach. I also like Playa Espadilla just outside the Manuel Antonio entrance.

I've not been there, but Playa Tamarindo, and Playa del Coco on the north shore have good reputations.

Actually, Dman, if you look at my 2nd post you'll see that I suggested at least 7 different beaches (and 3 others in a seperate thread) including two of the ones you mentioned (Tamarindo and Manuel Antonio). I love MA too, but if you look at his question he specifically asked which beaches were good for SWIMMING and the MA beaches are known for their strong undertows thus making them less than ideal for actual swimming. However, I certainly love lying out on them enjoying the views and the tropical setting. Beach #3 is a bit more protected and less hazardous being around the far side of Cathedral Point and more remote than the other beaches, but would still not be at the top of my list as a SWIMMING beach.

I can personally attest to that, as I almost drowned there several years
ago! My hot Colombiana from SJO and myself were swimming at the
'main' beach (the one next to the parking lots before you actually reach
the National Park). Now, I can't swim, and I'm out in water about chest-deep,
and all of a sudden the life-guard starts waving people to come
in towards shore. I had a little problem, but I made it in without incident.

The beaches inside the National Park indeed are much more secluded and nicer
(in my opinion) than the 'main' beach.

_________________
"In a nation ruled by swine, all pigs are upwardly mobile, and the rest of us are phucked until we can put our acts together; not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely"...Hunter S. Thompson (RIP)

Playa Manuel Antonio is a protected beach, and it´s fine for swimming, in addition to being one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. I accept the critique that Playa Espadilla outside of Manuel Antonio park can be subject to rip currents. But when I was there, there was no rip current and it was one of the nicest swimming beaches I´ve ever been on WHEN THERE WAS NO RIP CURRENT, because the sand is so soft.

Playa Samara is another excellent swimming beach. It's on a horsehoe-shaped bay and there is an off-shore island and rocky headlands to break up the surf. The water is relatively calm and seems somewhat clearer than at most of the other pacific beaches.

Hotel Las Brisas del Pacifico is right on the beach and has a good restaurant. I went there with my novia so don't know what the P4P situation is.

Playa Carrillo, a couple kilometers south of Samara, is one of the most gorgeous beaches I've seen, also has good swimming and is more secluded than Samara.

Points well taken on MA area beaches. Playa Espadilla (outside the park) as well as Playa Espadilla Sur (immediately inside the park) are the ones worst known for the rips. Playa Manuel Antonio and Playa Escondido, appropriately enough meaning hidden, or what you and most others refer to simply as beach#3, are both in horseshoe shaped coves. This makes their waters far calmer, although I WAS flipped once when I tried to land there in a surf kayak (let me know if anyone ever finds my prescription sunglasses ). Actually, in those areas I'd be more concerned about striking my spot under a beach apple or machineel tree . Swimming aside those ones inside the park are definitely some of the most beautiful beaches I've seen anywhere. Espadilla beach gets seriously crowded, especially on weekends, but the ones inside the park don't because they limit the number of visitors that are allowed to enter the park at any one time (so one should get there early if they come during a high season weekend).

However, given MRMIKE's comments in another thread, MA is one place he should visit but Samara might be the place he really needs to check out, as Pelo suggested. In the other thread Mike mentioned he was planning on touring CR with his wife with an eye towards finding a quiet spot on or near the beach to purchase and settle down. MA is certainly a great place to visit, which is why so MANY do (and why they have to severely restrict entry into the park), but I don't think it will serve his ultimate objective, which he didn't mention here. The MA area suffers from its on popularity with tourists. Outside the park is getting overdeveloped, putting huge strains on the environment and driving local prices very high. When I read he was looking to buy in someplace quiet, I changed my recommendation from MA or the northern beaches (Flamingo, Tamarindo), which are facing similar huge booms, to less visited Guanacaste beaches such as Nosara or Samara or even Dominical which is further south from MA.

THANKS EVERY1

OH SHIT, THERE HE GOES WITH THE CAPS AGAIN!