north pacific beaches
 

Help. my wife and I and a single guy friend are going to C.R. in August. We're having a difficult time choosing a beach to stay at. We're looking at Playa Hermosa, Playa Ocotal,Playa Grande, and Playa Carrillo. We want to snorkler, relax, maybe do a sunset cruise and we enjoy nature. Any information on the beaches would help. Thanks

All those beaches are nice, but many people will not know the areas by beach name. Can you tell us which hotels your considering? I think it may help....

We just returned from Playa Hermosa. We thought the beach was nice, clean and uncrowded. It is a black sand beach. We hired a guy to take us out snorkeling. We saw some fish and it was nice but did not compare to the Caribbean!

Thanks for such quick replies. The hotels we're considering are:Sugar Beach Hotel, Hotel Iguanazul, Hotel El Velero,Hotel Las Tortugas, Cantarana,and Hotel Las Brisas del Pacifico. We prefer not to be at a very large resort. We do enjoy a sunset cruise, snorkling, nature, though we know that in August we are too early for the turtles. Any help is much appreciated. Thanks again.

I cannot offer a LOT of information, but a little...<BR>I've stayed at Hotel Iguanazul, about 6 years ago and liked it. An absolutely beautiful beach, although a little rough for swimming...great for surfing and bodyboarding, and NO crowds. Lovely sunsets. The hotel sits up about 50' from the ocean, but there is a 'path' down to the beach. The rooms are a decent size and the one I was in had a great walk-in-shower. The bar area was cozy but fun! This hotel was fairly isolated (no other hotels in site, in fact, nothing else in site). The food was good for being so isolated.<BR>I've not stayed at Hotel Las Tortugas, but have had a couple breakfast there, and they also have good food. This hotel is also somewhat isolated, but closer to other activites and restaurants than the Igunazul was...at least when I was there, but I must assume there has been some development in the area. I've not been to Hotel Las Brisas, but must say Samara is one of the prettiest areas there is. Charming little town and beautiful beaches.

Of the choices you list I would stay at Playa Hermosa. You can do a great sunset cruise there, Hotel El Velero use to run the sailboat. If you don't end up staying at El Velero at least try to go there for dinner. After l4 trips to CR its still one of my favorites. Playa Ocotal is a good place to snorkel, around an island and north along the shore. The beach at Ocotal is not that nice, black sand and flees. Father Roosters on the beach is good for a snack. 2km north is Playa Coco, a small fishing town with some fun places and nice beach. Where ever you stay will be fine just some hotels are nicer than others.