sean420

The wife and I will be taking our first trip to Costa Rica in the beginning of June. We can’t decide whether to spend 3 nights in either Tamarindo or Mal Pais. Is Tamarindo as bad as people make it seem? We're just looking for some where to relax and do some light sightseeing. Mal Pais seems a bit remote and with not much to do if you are not a surfer. We will have a 4x4 so transportation is not an issue.

Any input would be appreciated

costaklaus

Hello, in Tamarindo you have more nightlife, surfing at the beach is great. Tamarindo is growing and has many constructions activities. Maybe there will be some problems with lorries and clean streets in the rainy season.
Saludos
costaklaus - www.costaricaweb.de

shillmac

Tamarindo is a fun town. Yes, they have some problems with growth and all that it brings/encourages. It isn't a problem restricted to Tamarindo. The area is excellent as you can enjoy the town, its shops, street vendors, night life, restaurants, or you can drive short distances and discover other beaches, smaller towns. Check out Playa Grande, Conchal, Flamingo, Playa Potrero, Sugar Beach--all with 30 minutes of Tamarindo. We've enjoyed this area for years and will continue to do so.

Also, if you venture an hour or so from Tam., you can check out Playa Hermosa, Playa Ocotal, Playa Coco, etc.

You can also go pottery shopping at Guayitil near Santa Cruz, visit Monkey Park, do a Canopy Tour.

siempretrvls

sean420,
Where are you spending the rest of your time in CR?

It really depends upon what you like. Tamarindo, although built up more than other places in CR is not some big city as some might think. There is just alot of new hotels and construction in the past 2 years. There are beautiful beaches, nightlife, and excursions from there.
Mal Pais, which seems to be getting more popular every day. Since alot of famous people have been spotted there in the past few months, it's ended up in magazines. Still, it is far from being overdeveloped. Mal Pais has numerous secluded beaches and great tide pools for snorkling and swimming around. It also backs up to Cabo Blanco Nature reserve which is a great place to walk through and see animals in their natural environment. There is some night life although not much. Surf camp has open mike night on Wednesdays which gets rather crowded and there is a bar Tabu that has DJ's and I think is open every night. To do:There is also horseback riding, canopy tours, atv rentals, sportfishing, diving, etc. in Mal Pais.

Since it is your first time in CR, I think you will probably like either one. You can save the other for your next trip.
If you need rec's for the mal pais area, I suggest www.costarica-beachrentals.com
They've been very helpful for me with hotels and car rental.

sean420

siempretrvls,

Thanks for the info. We will be in Coats Rica for 10 days. Our tentative itinerary is:

Alajuela first night
Aernal - 1 night
Tamarindo or Montazuma/MalPais - 3 nights
Manuel Antonio - 2 nights
Dominical - 1 night
Alajuela last night

We will have a 4x4 rental and will only have reservations for our 1st night in Alajuela.

siempretrvls

sean420,

Even though you have a 4X4 that's alot of traveling around for 10 days. The roads are pretty bad and it takes much longer than one would think to get from place to place...But I actually can spend 10 days in Mal Pais and never have a boring moment.

Some people like to just see a little bit of every place and if that's what you like go for it. Just keep that in mind about the roads. If relaxing is as important as sightseeing, you may want to take one location off your schedule.

shillmac

sean420,
Looking at your itinerary, I'd do one of 2 things: Either drop Arenal altogether, or drop the night in Dominical and add it to Arenal. You need 2 nights in Arenal. And you can get by just fine with 2 nights in Manuel Antonio if you are mainly interested in seeing the park and enjoying the beaches. Keep in mind MA is closed on Monday.

Also, because of the time/distance travel issue, you'll be able to save some time between transfers by choosing Tamarindo area over MalPais. From the time you arrive at the ferry landing in Puntarenas until you get across the gulf and over to MalPais will take close to 4 hours (just for that little section).

Siempretrvls gives you good advice regarding both Tam and MalPais. Both are fun places in different ways. And he (she) is right--you are doing a lot of moving about. But 3 locations in 9 days is certainly do-able without feeling horribly rushed. The first time we went to Manuel Antonio, we drove there from Tamarindo, stayed only 2 nights and returned to Alajuela in the afternoon before departure the next day. We thought we had ample time to enjoy the park and the beach, the Si Como No pool, the Butterfly Garden across the way, etc. You could certainly enjoy yourself in 3 nights as well.