People often ask me, “which is your favorite beach in Costa Rica?”  That is a very difficult question because there are so many. There are approximately 1,290 kilometers of coastline on the Pacific and Caribbean coasts of this country.  And both sides are dotted with beautiful beaches.  I have written in the past about many of them, like Cahuita in the Southern Caribbean, or Manuel Antonio and Dominical on the Pacific side.  There are the most popular and well known beaches of Jaco, which is only about a two to two and a half hour drive from San Jose, and Tamarindo in Guanacaste, which is best reached by flying into the international airport in Liberia.  Then there are lesser known, but beautiful and fun beaches, like Montezuma, Samara and Nosara on the Nicoya Peninsula and the spectacular, but somewhat remote, Punta Islita.  The Northern Pacific is littered with gorgeous beaches, like Playa Grande, Playa Conchal, Playa Flamingo, and many many more.  All the beaches of Costa Rica have an exotic quality, as if you had shipwrecked and washed up on some deserted island in the middle of the ocean.  Personally I prefer the lesser known and less visited beaches to the crowded ones like Jaco and Tamarindo. With that in mind, the Southern Pacific probably has the best ones…..like Matapalo, Dominical, Dominicalito, Punta Uvita, Drake Bay and of course Corcovado National Park.  I could go on and on because the list of great beaches in Costa Rica is virtually endless.  Where you go depends on what you are looking for.  If you are seeking a lively place, full of people and “stuff” then by all means check out Jaco or Tamarindo.  However, if you want to have that “Gilligan’s Island” feeling, then try one of the lesser known and more remote beaches.  They are all relatively safe.  However, the ocean can be dangerous and on most beaches there are no lifeguards. Rip tides are very common, especially at beaches on the Pacific where the waves get big.  Oh and the temperature of the water….near perfect everywhere.  Many of Costa Rica’s beaches also are important marine life habitats.  An example is the annual arrival of turles to lay their eggs at beaches such as Playa Grande or Brasilito in Guanacaste.  If you come at the right time, you might be able to witness this amazing spectacle of nature.  Costa Rica offers so much, like the jungle, mountains, volcanoes, rivers, and, of course, the beaches.  Having grown up on the beaches of North and South Carolina, I will probably never get all the sand out of my shoes, even though now I live in the big city of San Jose. Another great thing about living in Costa Rica is that you are never too far from a beach.  Give me a buzz and I will gladly give you my ten cents on any of the Costa Rica beaches.

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