So I am having a hard time find a place to stay in Guanacaste and I'm now thinking that maybe this place maybe doesn't exist or maybe I'm being too picky (which is possible)! This is what I'm after:

• A hotel right on the beach
• A beach with decent waves for surfing
• A nice, good sized pool for the kids
• Within a few miles of restaurants but still quaint
• An outdoor balcony
• Under $250 a night

We've looked at Bahia del Sol (no balcony), Bahia Del Mar (no waves), and JW Marriot (nothing in the area). Anything I'm missing?

Are you looking for one room or two? All-inclusive or just lodging only?

As long as you're not looking for all-inclusive, that should be fairly doable.

Have you looked in the Tamarindo area?

Hi there, I'm definitely not looking for all-inclusive.

I would love a suite since I'm traveling with my two daughters but definitely not a must have.

I've looked a bit into Tamarindo. I went there about 15 years ago and was thinking of trying someplace new but even there I haven't found the "hotel" with my wish list.

The Diria seems to have those features.

I was thinking of The Diria in Tamarindo also.

The Diria has most of those ..

On a good surfing beach
Has an AMAZING pretty pool on the one side ( hotel straddles main road as you may realize.. we stayed on the road side and much much preffered it.. beautiful grounds and pool areas..
We loved our balcony.. roomy and fairly private.. as I said.. we stayed in the newer side..

Price may be tricky.. depends on season.. and check out all the websites for best price.. they can vary considerably.. Being from Canada we found best prices on packages for our next trip.. but this last visit we just walked up and got a good price too.. we talked to a man who got a room by walking up the next day and he paid alot more than we did.. so do research and dont trust a TA to get you the best price..