The Best Beach Vacations in Costa Rica

Some of the very best beach vacations in the world can be found in nearby, U.S. friendly Costa Rica. There are several things you should consider while planning your trip however.

The first thing is to make sure that your passport is in order. Although Costa Rica has a long standing tradition of being friendly with the U.S. and its citizens, the authorities there still require that all U.S. travelers carry their VALID passport with them at all times. This means that you need the actual passport, not a photocopy. I know of many incidents where travelers were stopped by the police and only had a copy of their passport with them and were made to go back to their hotels and get the document while the officers waited outside.

Guanacaste in the north of Costa Rica just south of neighboring Nicaragua has some great spots for the best beach vacations. For couples who want a relaxing getaway without too many tourists or surfers my recommendation is Playa Hermosa. It is easy to get to and several of the major airlines including Continental and Delta fly regular flights to nearby Liberia Airport (LIR) which is only twenty minutes away. Playa Hermosa is very scenic and the rugged mountains surround the beach itself which is very large and clean. Palm trees and little restaurants with their colorful ranchos and palapas line the beachfront and you can cozy up and get a fresh ceviche or any manner of fish or other tasty dish. Most of the restaurants can make you a nice frozen margarita or daiquiri, and of course, cold beer (Imperial) will go very well on those hot days.

The water in Playa Hermosa is very calm and there are no big surf areas so that keeps the surfer crowd out for the most part. This means that you can relax and walk out into the calm, clear, warm waters and actually see the fish swimming at your feet.

From Playa Hermosa it is only an hour and a half drive to nearby Tamarindo, which has more nightlife and a lot more surfers and tourists. Going there will serve to upgrade your trip into one of the best beach vacations you ever had because Tamarindo has great restaurants and nightclubs. One tip: never leave a bag or anything of value inside your car when you go out. No doubt about it, the item of value will be long gone when you get back.

With a little foresight and planning, your journey to Costa Rica could result in the very best beach vacation you ever had and you will definitely want to come back again and again.