first time Costa Rica
 

Going to CR in April with a friend of mine. Would like to stay in a nontouristy beach town but with the usual amenities especially good seafood. We like to swim, snorkel, and drink and perhaps not in that order.
Since the two of us(males) spent almost 30 years of carousing and are now as self-rightous as we can be we would appreciate any input germain to a quiet place within walking distance from a good hotel. We plan to fly into SJO and take a small plane to our destination.
Thanks, Lou

Puerto Viejo, Nosara, Samara.

Good luck,
MY

Manuel Antonio is probably the most popular beach destination for first time CR goers; it meets all your requirements except for nontouristy. It has a great national park, wildlife, lots of restaurant choices, and nice hotels. It's not overrun with tourists, but if you want something quiet and isolated, it might not be for you.

Puerto Viejo is one of our favorite areas. Between PV and Manzanillo you can bike and walk to different beaches. Met more Europeans and locals there than American tourists as it's not so set up yet for the tourist market. However, there are many quaint and unique places to stay, great food, laidback but with nightlife available if you want.

I keep seeing people describing Manuel Antonio as "touristy". I went to Cancun last year... and that's what I think of when someone says a place is "touristy". How would you compare Cancun to Manuel Antonio?

There is no comparison. Cancun is touristy; MA is just, compared to most of the CR beaches, very developed and popular with tourists. It's a lovely place though development seems like it has never been held in check.

I think of Cancun as being a little bit tacky, and MA is nothing like that, it's just developed, lots of buildings, restaurants, construction, cars going by; other parts of CR have a much more natural and isolated feel, so it just depends on what you're looking for.

And, as Tully says, "compared to most beaches", many of which you have all to yourself! So compared to that, yes, MA would seems a bit more "touristy".