Having gotten my fill of awesome hiking trails and rainforest exploration (Rincon, Arenal, Mistico, and La Fortuna), it was at last time to do that other thing Costa Rica is known for: relaxing at the beach.
The Pacific Beaches of Guanacaste:
With the immaculate Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort as my hub, some of the most popular beaches of the Guanacaste Province were easily within striking distance.
Las Baulas National Marine Park at Playa Grande:
We started our day out at Las Baulas National Marine Park, on the beach of Playa Grande in the Tamarindo Bay. This park is famous for the largest nesting colony of leatherback sea turtles (the world’s largest sea turtle) in the Pacific coast of the Americas.
A UNESCO Site
The Leatherback Turtle [statue] at the Visitor Center
The nesting areas at Playa Grande
The view North
Gecarcinus quadratus – The Halloween Moon Crab (these guys were all over the road)
Playa Conchal:
Playa Conchal is known as one of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica. Famously the home of the The Westin Golf Resort & Spa, Playa Conchal, Playa Conchal translates to “Conch Beach”.
(Image courtesy of govisitcostarica.com)
(Image courtesy of govisitcostarica.com)
(Image courtesy of govisitcostarica.com)
We stuck around until sunset.
The [Infamous] Coco Beach:
Last but not least, Playas Del Coco, or Coco Beach in English. Probably the best known beach town in all of Guanacaste is “El Coco Town”. It’s known for as anchor for its many Pacific-centric activities like surfing, snorkeling, swimming, diving, and sport-fishing.
All that stuff is great, but we were there for very important business: happy hour.
Several buckets of Imperial Beer later…
Downtown El Coco is where you’ll find a little strip choc full of bars, hostels, shops, restaurants, and spots like the Hard Rock Cafe Guanacaste.
Pro-Tip: If you are in the mood for dinner, do what the locals do: skip the bar food and head straight to the street vendors. They had an amazing spread of fresh fish and beef & chicken skewers. Lines of locals and tourists alike would form waiting to grab a bite of the perfectly seasoned Costa Rican specialties.Â
Hard Rock Cafe Guanacaste (Image courtesy of Hard Rock Cafe)
The scene @ Coco Beach (Image courtesy of tanktopsflipflops.com)
Final Thoughts On The Beaches of Guanacaste:
The three beaches we visited were all different to be sure. Playa Grande was interesting due to its status as the resident Leatherback Turtle nesting spot (although I didn’t get to see any), and the beach was very nice and quiet. Playa Conchal was the swimmer’s paradise and the beach was sexy – easily the prettiest of the beaches. Lastly, Playas  Del Coco is where all the action (and ex-pats) were at, your typical Latin-American party town.
Pura Vida!
Cheers!
