The Best Beaches Near Tamarindo, Costa Rica

I spent nine amazing, relaxing and utterly chilled out days in Tamarindo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica, in June. A close friend of mine owns a condo in Tamarindo and she offered to lend me her place for my trip. I immediately took her up on the offer. I have the best friends ever – amirite???

We initially had ambitious plans to explore the area surrounding Tamarindo. But I was feeling burned out and exhausted and was desperately craving some beach time. So, to be honest, we spent pretty much the entire trip on the beach.

Do I regret it? Not a single bit. Tamarindo and the surrounding area in Guanacaste has gorgeous beaches with wide stretches of sand.  Costa Rica is also home to just about the friendliest people that I have ever met during my travels.

1. Tamarindo Town Beach

The first beach we explored was the town beach in Tamarindo, which was walking distance from our condo. Tamarindo’s beach is a wide stretch of light brown sand surrounded by surf schools, shops and restaurants. I had  read that Tamarindo is extremely developed and busy so, to be honest, my expectations for the town and its beach were fairly low. As it turns out, I had nothing to worry about.

Maybe it was because I visited during shoulder season (high season is November to May), but I didn’t find Tamarindo to be overly crowded at all. It was definitely fun and had a lively party energy on the weekends, but the weekdays during our trip were pretty laid back.

Tamarindo beach is the perfect place to watch the sunset. The beach is lined with many bars and restaurants perfect for grabbing a sunset cocktail and most of them have happy hour specials. One of my favorite places on Tamarindo beach for dinner and drinks is Noguis, which is a local institution. Also, if you surf (I don’t…I tried it in Nicaragua years ago but that’s a story for another post), Tamarindo beach is a great place to catch some waves.

2. Playa Avellanas

If you are willing to rent a car – which is convenient and affordable in Tamarindo – and are not afraid of driving on unpaved roads, I recommend spending at day on Playa Avellanas. Although Playa Avellanas is only 12 miles south of Tamarindo, the drive took me about 45 minutes one way due to road conditions.

You also can take the Avellanas Express shuttle bus to Playa Avellanas. As of the date of this post, the shuttle schedule was posted here.

Playa Avellanas is a beautiful white sand beach fringed by tall palm trees. There is a beach club on site called Lola’s that has great food and cold beer – just make sure to get there early enough to snag one of their coveted hammocks!

Lola’s is named after its resident pig, Lola. I heard rumors that the pig I met onsite is actually Lola’s successor, Lolita. I’m not sure if that’s true but if you know the answer, then I’d love to hear from you! Isn’t she a beauty?

3. Playa Conchal

Playa Conchal is one of the most unique and memorable beaches that I have ever visited. The sand is made up of tiny crushed seashells, which gives it a pink pearlescent effect. The water at Playa Conchal is crystal clear and had the calmest waves of every beach we visited.

Playa Conchal is an easy 30 minute drive from Tamarindo. The roads are paved all the way, except you have to drive across the sand on a neighboring beach to reach the parking lot at Playa Cochal.

Playa Conchal doesn’t have a beach club on site. However, there were vendors on the beach every day we visited selling beer, fresh coconuts and food. You can also pay one of the local vendors a small fee (we paid $10 USD a person) to use their beach loungers and a beach canopy for the day.

You also can reach Playa Conchal on the Avellanas Express shuttle. As of the date of this post, you can find shuttle information here.

4. Playa Flamingo

The last beach we visited in Guanacaste was Playa Flamingo. Playa Flamingo is a 30 minute drive north of Tamarindo on paved roads. The beach is an expansive stretch, almost a mile long, of powdery white sand with clear water.

Unlike Playa Conchal, the water at Playa Flamingo has a small break and at high tide we saw some people down the beach lose some of their belongings because they weren’t watching the tide. I wouldn’t let that deter you from going, because Playa Flamingo is extremely picturesque and was the least crowded beach we visited.

Playa Flamingo doesn’t have a beach club, but you can rent lounge chairs from local vendors for a small fee – we again paid $10 per chair.  There is also a fantastic restaurant on Playa Flamingo called Coco Loco that serves great cocktails and fresh seafood. You can check them out here.

Have you been to Costa Rica? I’d love to hear about your experience!

xx

Vicki

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