Need help with beach destination in Costa Rica
 

Hi
I posted a few months ago about help for my family of 4's first trip to Costa Rica. I was a little worried about how to make the trip relaxing, yet see the best of Costa Rica! Well, I finally booked the airfare and for the first 4 nights we will stay at Hotel el Silencio del Campo in La Fortuna. I keep going back and forth on where to stay the next 4 nights.....

We will be traveling mid April and after Arenal wanted to head to the beach for some down time and to see a different part of Costa Rica. On my short list so far is Tulemar Bungalows or La Mariposa in Manual Antonio, Ylang Yang in Montezuma, FlorBlanca in Santa Teresa.
Manual Antonio looks beautiful, more tropical, but none of the hotels really are right on the beach. Even though the hotels offer direct beach access and have beautiful views....we will still have to trek from room to beach. Will it be that big of an inconvenience?
Montezuma and Santa Teresa look like cute little beach towns and the hotels are right on the beach. However, in mid April, at the end of the dry season, will the sceanery be dry and dusty? We are looking for that green/tropical feeling.

Any other differences between the areas I mentioned? Any other suggestions for hotels I might have missed?
Thanks

Tulemar Bungalows is fantastic, and they have their own beach. The property is hilly, so they have a shuttle service that will come right to your door and drop you off at the beach at the bottom of the property - very easy. If you want green and tropical, Manuel Antonio definitely fits the bill. We've been in April and that's a wonderful time to go.

Have you considered Samara Beach? That's my favorite.

volcanogirl
What is your impression of the bungalows at Tulemar vs the 2-bedroom villas? They have both avaialble for my dates and I can't decide....the bungalow is much more affordable and seems to be located closer to the beach, while the 2-bedroom villa is bigger/nicely decorated and has balcony, located closer to top of property.

Hi, T - the bungalows do not have a balcony and for the most part are a little less up to date than the villas. We've stayed in Mot Mot, a bungalow, and Casa Panorama. The bungalow was perfectly comfortable, but we missed having the balcony when we stayed in one. The villas are all individually owned, so they vary in decor and amenities. We loved the ones we stayed in and would definitely go back. We saw howler monkeys, sloths, capuchin monkeys, and an aracari on the property. We also had a concierge which made things really easy. If a bungalow were the only thing available, I would still take it, but given the choice, I'd go for the villa if you care about having a balcony. The higher up you are the better the views tend to be, and the shuttle comes right away when you call so I wouldn't worry about proximity to the beach.

Someone previously mentioned Samara, which we also love. It's such a great beach town and great water for kids to swim in. There's a reef that breaks the big waves from coming in. Great, affordable restaurants and hotels. If you're at all interested in the area, check out Villas Kalimba. It's right across the street from the beach. You can rent out a two bedroom two bath villa for much less than Tulemar. You can even rent our their amazing house and have a private pool- extremely nice. We've been to Tulemar too. It was great and lots more wildlife, but significantly more expensive (hotel and food) and a lot less Costa Rican feeling.

Montezuma and Santa Teresa are looks more beautiful during the "Green Season" ie when it rains. During the rains the roads are less dusty, its lush green with thick vegetation, and amazing wildlife around. Some times it may get bit difficult to travel during the rains, so you can choose to visit the places at the onset of "Green Season" when the rains are not so prolonging.

Manuel Antonio is also one of the beautiful places in Costa Rica to see. You can look for vacation rental homes, resorts or home rentals near the beach, which gives a beautiful overview and easy access to the seas. You can check with "Manuel Antonio Rental Properties" to find ocean view villas and condos

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions :)

After going back & forth on which to choose....we decided to book Ylang Ylang for our beach days. The deciding factor was the hotel being truely beachfront. After being adventurous in Arenal, my family just wanted some relaxing beach days and this hotel seems to be just perfect.

Was thinking already of the next trip.....possibly Manual Antonio and Osa, there's just so much to see in Costa Rica!

Good choice! Ylang Ylang is a beautiful oasis with monkeys, a funky town to walk to, and excellent meals served to the sound of crashing waves. Plenty to do in the area, too. Have a great trip.

Hope you have a great time. I always hear good things about Ylang Ylang - it's really popular.

Well, if you ask for Hotel suggestion I can recommend you Gaia or si como no hotel in Manuel Antonio and Pranamar Villas in Santa Teresa. Santa Teresa always have a great weather, it is really cool no matter if it is raining or not. You do not imagine how I love Santa Teresa, it is an amazing town with an unbelievable positive vibration, harmony between nature and man, great yoga season, perfect waves for beginner or advanced surfers. Hope you enjoy Costa Rica.

Read more info at : http://www.pranamarvillas.com/en/san...esa-beach.html

I stayed in Playa Grande for a few months. If you're looking for magnificent beaches, world class surfing, and lots of quiet then Playa Grande is a must.

Here's a post about it http://blog.vacationdiggs.com/2013/04/27/slow-travel/