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 Post subject: nicest beach?
PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 7:00 pm 
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Hello! I'm a newbie here, me and two buds will make our first trip to CR in January. We will spend most our time in San Jose, but we did want to check out a nice beach area with at least some nightlife for a few days. I first thought about Manuel Antonio, but after reading more about the nightlife I thought Tamarindo would be better. Then I find this forum (absolutely grateful) and one of the posts was about issues with a dangerously high concentration of feces in the Tamarindo water. I was hoping for a picturesque, crystal clear ocean to indulge in at some point in our trip, can Tamarindo live up to that? Where is a good beach spot just to swim and soak in some nature? I'm 27, its my first time outside of the country and I need your wise guidance. Thank you!


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PostPosted: Fri Nov 30, 2007 10:42 am 
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Tamarindo is in the midst of a building boon and is a little rough. In January you will encounter dry dusty winds etc. Buut, I still like the place. It is laid back, has great restaurants etc.

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PostPosted: Fri Nov 30, 2007 10:43 am 
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El Viejo wrote:
Tamarindo is in the midst of a building boon and is a little rough. In January you will encounter dry dusty winds etc. Buut, I still like the place. It is laid back, has great restaurants etc.


You forgot to mention that the water is loaded with high levels of fecal matter. :shock:

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PostPosted: Fri Nov 30, 2007 12:06 pm 
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Yep, but sitting on a surfboard keeps it out of your mouth :lol:

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 10:02 am 
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yeahh,but i had seen it personally how smal and big waves overrun
these sitting and standing surfboarders and for some time they
disappeared completely under.
maybe they been looking for some shells?


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 Post subject: Beach
PostPosted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 12:27 pm 
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I don't know about seasons, when is the best time to go, but in general, of course Manuel Antonio is very nice. If you've never been it's definitely worth a trip. There's a very nice beach at Playa Flamingo. Brasilito is a nice little authentic village, the beach is not real good, but the restaurants are good and you can walk down to Playa Conchal, which is definitely worth the trip. If you have transportation, you can do Playa Flamino, Brasilito and Tamarindo all at the same time. The beach at Playa Coco is not nice, and I don't think Playa Hermosa is worth the trip. The beach is not real good at Puerto Viejo on the Atlantic side, but there are lots of restaurants and hotels and a Caribbean feel. For a combination of great beach with nature my vote goes for Manuel Antonio.


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 2:59 pm 
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I've read on another board by a Tamarindo area business owner that the unusually high fecal and E-coli counts were a) due to where the tests were taken (according to him right next to the city's sewage drainage outlets), b) due to the unusually heavy rains that were washing out through the system back during the summer when the tests were taken and c) that steps have since been taken by the local authorities to deal with the matter (a small number of business shutdowns after, IMHO, an initial period of gov't denial that a problem really even existed). Whether this is just spin or rationalization by a guy who has a definite self-interest in Tamarindo's reputation or not is open to question. But, personally, I'd be very hesitant to go in the water there until newer and safer readings are taken and the problem is significantly improved.

Normally, I hate questions that include superlatives like the nicest or the best. Nicest to whom? Best for what? Fortunately, in this case the poster did specify his criteria but I'd still like some clarification.

Exactly what type of nightlife are you looking for? If P4P is what you have in mind, then Jaco is the obvious 1st choice for beach areas that also have that. Tamarindo would be a distant 2nd. And, from what I've read about the overpriced mongering opportunities in Quepos, I don't even bother with it there.

You mentioned swimming. Exactly how much swimming are you really going to want to do? Or do you really have more lying on the beach or other water activities in mind? A lot of CR beaches, including at Manuel Antonio, have pretty serious riptides so you have to be very careful about where you decide to go swimming for more than just water quality concerns. A few of the posters mentioned surfing conditions and there are a lot of great beaches in CR for that, but keep in mind that strong waves may be great for surfing but it is definitely not the greatest for swimming if that is really what you want to do. BTW, El V, if you get knocked around on a surfboard, as you inevitably will, you inevitably wind up swallowing far more ocean water then you'd ever would just swimming around.

Picturesque, crystal clear ocean to indulge in and soak in some nature? The surrounding nature doesn't get much better than it is at MA where the mountains and jungle come right up to the beach. The dividing line between the tropical rainforest and tropical dry forest ecosystems on CR's Pacific coast is north of there, roughly just above Jaco. As El V mentioned, along the farther northern coast it can be very dry and dusty at this time of year. That doesn't mean they still won't be nice, but it does mean they lose their biggest advantage over other CR beaches, which is that they're considerably greener during the summer rainy season than they are during the winter, without suffering from all the rain and humidity that afflicts the rest of CR at that time of year.

Another problem that I have with your criteria is that very often they're contradictory. The places with the most nightlife also tend to be the places with the most rampant over-development and that can work at cross-purposes with the tranquil unspoiled beauty that you also seem to seek. It doesn't mean those places can't also be beautiful. MA is as overdeveloped as any of these places, but fortunately they're largely been able to keep that from impacting the park too badly. That is why they limit MA park to 500 or fewer visitors at any one time. In general, however, IMHO the MOST beautiful places are also the places that DON'T have that type of (over)development.

If you want mongering opportunities as your nightlife, then Jaco is your best bet. The beach in town really sucks, but you can take a cab to nearby beaches that are much nicer. It is also the easiest to get to from SJ (2.5 hrs by bus). Tamarindo would be your (distant) 2nd choice for mongering but then there is that question about the water (btw, the water right in front of Jaco is probably no great shakes either). It like all of the Guanacaste beaches are also a much longer drive (5.5 hrs by bus).

For more regular type nightlife, places like Tamarindo and MA rise in the ranking because they haven't become quite the social sewer that Jaco has and they offer somewhat greater natural beauty. Of just those 2, my personal pick would be MA because it is so much closer and easier to get to than SJ (3.75 hrs by bus) and offers a simply gorgeous park with white sand beaches (btw volcanic black sand beaches sound wonderfully tropical and exotic and they're also somewhat cooler on your feet, but they can be very dirty to lounge upon)(the sand is more like mud than sugar). The negative there is that with a few exceptions the beaches there are better for lying on than swimming (not sure how the swimming is at Tamarindo, but it is known more as a surfing beach).

Personally, none of those 3 beach areas would be my pick, but nightlife is not nearly as important as natural beauty to me. Chesscat gave an interesting breakdown for a beach-hopping approach to Guanacaste that might enable you to enjoy the best of what each of those beaches have to offer (if you have transportation). I'm not sure how much your schedule allows for that, as it takes the better part of a day going each way to and from there (unless you fly). Plus there is the question of whether this is the best season for going up there vs. some other CR beach region.

The beach at Puerto Viejo may not be so good but the nearby beaches of Playa Uva and Manzanillo are among the nicest in CR. And the area does not have anywhere near the rampant overdevelopment that plagues the northern Guanacaste area. The lodgings tend to be a little more rustics and the restaurants and nightlife have a very agreeable though much more laidback caribbean feel to them (jah mahn). Oh yeah, and in terms of distance, it is about 4.5 hrs from SJ.

However I'll throw out 2 other beach areas that no one has mentioned yet that I would take over any of these. Dominical is about 2 hours south of MA (by bus probably just an hour by car) and a long 7 hours from SJ if you go direct, but you could also stop a long the way to break up the trip and see another aspect of CR at a cloudforest lodge along the Cerro de la Muerte and then return by way of MA (with a stopover for contrast) and that would make for a very nice CR loop. Dominical is a nice little fishing and surfing village that is just now starting to develop (like Quepos was 10 years ago). It doesn't have the nightlife of its larger cousins but it does have some.

The other beach areas that I'd suggest is at the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula (Sta Teresa, Mal Pais and Montezuma). You have to take the ferry across the bay from Puntarenas to get there, but it still takes less time then driving from SJ to Tamarindo. The reason it hasn't gotten quite the same rate of development as the Guanacaste beaches is because of its perceived remoteness and the fact that tiny Tambor airport hasn't been changed into an international airport like Liberia which now enables people to fly into CR directly through there and be at the Guanacaste beaches in not much more than an hour. Playa Tambor is known for having a disgusting non-ecofriendly megaresort, but the smaller towns to the south of that are known more for their funky surfer atmosphere, smaller hotels, beautiful beaches and even more beautiful sunsets.


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 Post subject: MA
PostPosted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 4:14 pm 
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All posts were very good. For what it's worth, from purely a beach respect, MA would get my vote. Playa Matapalo, about 20 minutes south is very nice, very long, and practically deserted.


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 4:31 pm 
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Prolijo, excellent comprehensive assessment!

For something completely different, may I suggest Tortuguero on the Carrib side just south of Nicaragua. Last September I took a trip there for Tarpon fishing but the resort was really nice.

We stayed at Tortuguero Lodge, an all inclusive. The only thing you could pay for outside of the room was drinks at the bar which was open air and right next to a large pool with Jacuzzi and about a 50yd walk to miles of deserted beaches. There may be a small fee for the rental kayaks and small boats to tour the canal.

There is a very small population there, virtually no cars as the canal is used for transportation, no shops, no stores, no worries. The rooms are in rows of Cabinas. It is hot during the day but you wear next to nothing and it cools nicely in the evening. No AC but you get a ceiling fan and a beautiful large tile shower to cool off in.

It struck me as a great escape for a little face time with a favorita. Few distractions and you can play castaway on the beach all night if that is what turns your crank. :lol:

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 6:31 pm 
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Pac,
They have beautiful beaches I'm sure, but this poster listed "at least some nightlife" as one of his criteria and I doubt that a place with "few distractions" is going to have enough nightlife to keep him happy. For that reason, I didn't mention either Tortuguero or the similar Jungle Lodges on the Osa Peninsula which are also good places to get "away from it all".


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 6:44 pm 
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Good point, Pro. In Tortuguero you pretty much bring your own party. In September we had the place virtually to ourselves. It would be a great place to host a party and bring your own nightlife. There is none outside the resorts to speak of. :(

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 6:48 pm 
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There is NO place in Costa Rica with a nice beach and any kind of nightlife.

There are a few nice beaches, but you have to bring a chica from San Jose.


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 9:31 pm 
I can do CR without a wingman!

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My vote would be for Manual Antonio, I went there last year and had the best time of the trip. I stayed in Quepos at a small, newly remodeled motel next to the baseball field for $25. I will be going back this trip too. I body surfed in MA for 3 straight hours and I could have been in that water for 24 hours and not gotten cold.
I Love That Place!

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 10:31 pm 
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Playa Cocles on the Carribrean side is pretty..and yes Prolijo, you are correct. I have been knocked off a surfboard and then swallowed much salt water.

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 11:16 pm 
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Orange,
I believe you really mean that there is NO place in Costa Rica with a nice beach AND any kind of nightlife. There are nice beaches and, despite what you say, there are places with SOME kind of nightlife. There just really aren't any places that have BOTH. AND the kind of nightlife most places except Jaco is not the kind of nightlife that YOU are apparently into. You say you need to bring a chica from SJ and I can appreciate that. But I also can appreciate nightlife that simply includes live music, plenty to drink and eat and perhaps some young gringa tourists to check out and perhaps flirt with even if you won't get very far with them.

Foos,
I like the MA area too even if it has become very touristy. A small point, but in Central America a "Motel" refers to places where lovers go for discreet trysts (like the Motel Eden in SJ). I believe you really meant Hotel with an H. Some other small questions for you. Twenty five dollars per night is very cheap nowadays for Quepos. How was that place? Where was it located? And would you recommend it? Also, you mentioned the daytime activities but how would you rate the night-time options for guys like utcguitar?

El V,
Of course, I'm correct. Aren't I always? :roll: Seriously, I'm glad you weren't fatally poisoned by your spill. :D


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