costa rica volcanoes arenal
Best Beach Town in costa rica?
I’m planning a trip to Costa Rica in February with my boyfriend. We would like to spend a few days near Arenal Volcano and then spend a few days in a nice beach town on the coast. We’re trying to decide on what beach town. We’d like to go somewhre with beautiful beaches, blue water, deep sea-fishing/snorkeling/scuba diving available, SAFE and with a marketplace to shop. Any suggestions?
We would like to go to a town that is pretty low key, not anything like spring break in Cancun. We want to relax and have a romantic time.
Well, a lot of people pick Manuel Antonio as the world’s most beautiful beach, but I hate to recommend going there other than to simply visit the national park and then leave the area. *ALL* of the supposedly “eco” hotels near the park share in the blame for killing tens of thousands of monkeys and destroying habitat. They call themselves “green” but they’re really as black as the Exxon Valdez. If you go, please consider staying further away, like at Quepos or even Jaco.
There are HUNDREDS of outstanding beaches along the Nicoya coast. Many will be tiny little outposts with nary a resort or market within miles, but there are some beach towns that might appeal to you: Montezuma, Tamarindo or Mal Pais. All of these places would be low key and all will have beautiful beaches and watersport opportunities for you.
There’s less on the Caribbean coast. Tortuguero is an interesting eco park known for its turtle nesting habitat, but it’s a poor choice if you want a real beach town. Puerto Viejo could be a good choice on the Caribbean side: it’s not huge, but it’s got good beaches, a dive shop, fishing and surfing spots, beach hotels, bars, etc. People go to Puerto Viejo, but it’s definitely low key.
Volcano Arenal The most active Volcano in Costa Rica