dangerous to swim in beach areas?
Apr 4th, 2001, 10:04 AM
#1
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dangerous to swim in beach areas?
i've heard that riptides could be a problem for swimming in the costa rican beaches. can anyone shed more light on the state of the swimming there? i'm bringing my 2 children and want to know if we'll be able to swim on the ocean?
Apr 4th, 2001, 03:01 PM
#2
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Nancy, I think it depends on where you are going. From what I saw last year you have to be a great swimmer to swim at at least some of the beaches on the Pacific Coast. We were in Tamarindo for 6 days and I don't think I saw even one person swimming in the ocean there. Apparently there are riptides and the waves were big most of the time too (lots of surfers there and kids with boggie boards). We went to Playa Conchal one day which is more sheltered and we saw people swimming in the ocean there (it's a very pretty beach). We also went to Playa Flamingo which was also a beautiful beach but totally deserted, huge waves. I wouldn't even dream of swimming there.<BR>From what I hear one of the beaches in the Manuel Antonio Park is nice for swimming. I think the general rule in CR is that if you see surfers on the beach it is not safe to swim there. Also local people (your hotel) should be able to tell you the location of the riptides on the particular beach you are going to.
Apr 6th, 2001, 08:02 AM
#7
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Nancy, as I said we were there with a 6 year old, and she had a blast. We met a couple of families with younger kids (ages 4 and 5) who were enjoying themselves tremendously. In general CR is a great destination for kids if they are outdoorsy and adventerous. There are no "boring" museums to go to, no tiring cities. I think that as long as you don't plan a very ambitious itinerary you'll be fine. Plan for a lot of days at the pool or on the beach and not a lot of driving. You have to be prepared for the fact that your 4 year old will be happier at the hotel pool than anywhere else and will probably not appreciate nature the same way as an adult (my daughter preferred to play with the kitty resident at our hotel than observe howler monkeys up in the trees). Also keep in mind that your 4 year old will not be able to do the same things as the rest of the family (canopy tours, long hikes etc.). All in all though you shouldn't hesitate to go on his account. Pick hotels that are kid and family friendly, plan to go slow and relax, stay in places that will have easy access to medical facilities and you'll have a great time.<BR>One hotel that I can recommend is Capitan Suizo in Tamarindo. We stayed there last year and are again going to stay there this year. It is very kid friendly, my daughter had a lot of company there. The pool area was shady, they even had a swinging rope hanging off a tree branch over the pool that kids really loved. The hotel is right on the beach and has beautiful grounds visited by iguanas, howler monkeys and a variety of birds and other animals. As I said before, you really cannot swim in the ocean there, but can certainly walk on the beach, explore the tide pools, ride the waives on boggie boards. If you have a car it is an easy drive to several other beach towns in the area.<BR>You can e-mail me if you have any specfic questions.<BR><BR>
Apr 7th, 2001, 06:52 AM
#9
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Nancy,<BR>it's me again. We are going to Manuel Antonio area this summer and decided to stay at Si Como No. I've heard very good things about it. Two other places I've considered in that area were Tulemar Bungalows (on the expensive side) and Villas Nicholas (more on the budget side). Check out www.maqbeach.com.<BR>Have a great trip.
