Best Beaches in Costa Rica

Beaches. Beautiful, white sandy beaches with sun peaking through the clouds, reaching my face and creating the best situation for relaxing. I love the sound of the water breaking on the surf, the scent of the sea, the warmth of the sun. Here are my top five beach towns in all of Coast Rica.

5. Puntarenas
Puntarenas is a small community, with multiple bus stops. This makes it ideal for many things. I am here right now, waiting for my next bus, and I am astounded at the lackadaisical beauty here. This beach town has a beautiful shore, and boardwalk, where you can enjoy the view of the water. Additionally, the restaurants are less expensive than the restaurants in Manuel Antonio, so you can sit and enjoy your lunch while you admire the ocean. The weather is absolutely gorgeous, locals are nice, and the palm trees line the beachside. This is a worthwhile stop, and quite enjoyable.

4. Manuel Antonio
I had heard so much about the beaches of Manuel Antonio. However, upon arriving, the beaches were not as amazing as I expected. They were crowded, and seemed small. However, upon paying the entrance fee to the national park, I saw some incredible shorelines, encompassed by beautiful rock formations, loads of animals, and lush green jungles. As I walked the paths to the beaches in the National Park, I glimpsed overhead and saw monkeys leaping from tree to tree. Swimming in the water here renewed and refreshed me. For this reason, I would recommend paying the entrance fee to get into the national park and enjoying the beautiful waters.

3. Puerto Viejo
The beaches around Puerto Viejo are gorgeous. However, their beauty is marred by cloudy days. This is why they are ranked third on the list. While you are at the beaches here, it is easy to find restaurants, bars or clubs to try out. Additionally, you can take an inexpensive surf lesson, and book tours all over Costa Rica. While in Puerto Viejo, you can enjoy the Public Beaches, or you can take a bus to Cahuita National Park, where you are inclined to see more wildlife. I do recommend biking to Manzinillo to see what’s out there, however.

2. Tamarindo
Tamarindo, one of the most popular tourist destinations was beautiful. When I arrived, there didn’t seem to seem to be many crowds, and the beaches were clean. I absolutely loved walking the seashore here, and saw many types of marine life. Additionally, I paid about $1.00 to visit the island across the bay. It was beautiful, and my friend James and I had almost the entire island to ourselves. We were able to just sit and relax by the beach, which is exactly what we needed at the time.

1. My all-time favorite beach town: Santa Teresa
I have no idea how this quaint beach town boasting solely dirt roads got on the map. However, it’s there and it’s absolutely beautiful. If I only had time to visit one beach in Costa Rica, I would visit this one, and I would spend my time surfing and enjoying the waves. The sunsets are absolutely gorgeous, and the shores are long and sparsely populated. Oftentimes, there were bonfires on the beach and it was easy to check this out. I loved every minutes of my time in Santa Teresa, and this is definitely my favorite beach town in all of Costa Rica.

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