We're planning to spend 3 days on Costa Rica's northern Pacific coast - Anyone have strong feelings about whether to stay in Tamarindo or Playa Grande? Also, how far apart are they? I'm also stumped as to WHERE to stay... Our budget is around $100/night. Here is my LONG list that I am having a really hard time narrowing down!! Please help!!

Tamarindo:
-- Arco Iris
-- La Laguna del Cocodrillo
-- Hotel El Milagro
-- Hotel Pasatiempo
-- La Palapa
-- Harry?s El Escondite
-- Casa Azul
-- La Colinda Hotel Condo
-- Vista Villas
-- Casa Doble B&B
-- Casa Rosa Beach Hotel

Playa Grande:
-- Hotel El Bucanero
-- Hotel El Mangular
-- Hotel Villa Baula
-- Las Tortugas Hotel
-- Hotel Bula Bula
-- Hotel Si Si Si

What are you looking for? Playa Grande has a more remote feel to it. Not much in ammenities. You have to go to Tamarindo for shopping, restaurants etc.. Grande has a nicer beach and great surfing. Also its the place to see the turtles lay eggs. Tamarindo is way more developed. The beach there is nice but Grande is nicer. Personally, I would stay at Grande and drive to Tamarindo when needed.

If you decide to stay in Tamarindo, I would avoid El Milagro. My husband and I hated it. The rooms are small and crowded. You can open the front windows, which are really more like doors, all the way. When they are closed, they are covered with slats that don't stay completely closed so at night people can peek inside. We never stayed at the Pasatiempo, but we eat there every time we go to Tamarindo. The owners are very nice, and I would like to stay there myself sometime. I've talked to people who have, and they really liked it. They say, though, you should get a room far from the bar/restaurant as it can get noisy. Also, if you like dogs, you will like the fact that 2 German Shepherds reside there!

We have stayed at the Pasatiempo a couple of times. Like the owner, like the price, like the atmosphere. We like Tamarindo (contrary to many), but these days we don't stay there, we just drop by for the day or part of the day. Never stayed Playa Grande, will do sometime. Would probably choose Hotel Las Tortugas based on conversations with others.

I have been to Playa Grande and is a fairly low key beach. I preferred Tamarindo's more lively atmosphere. It is possible to see turtle nesting on Playa Grande in Dec/Jan/Feb but I did not see any. I woke up at 5:00am three days in a row and only saw turtle tracks. Also, I would not recommend Las Tortugas. The room I stayed in (supposed honeymoon suite) was rundown with mildew and mold. The staff was aloof and not very customer friendly, unless you were a regular. There were 5 of us staying in the suite and we were told the room had four beds. When we checked in, there were only three as the owner decided to remove one a few weeks prior. We had to argue with him to get the fourth bed put back. Also, on our last night, I asked for a cab at 7:00am to take us back to the airport. The staff person I spoke to did not speak English and I know very little Spanish. The next morning, we waited and waited. Finally, at about 7:30am, a pick up truck showed up. We had to ride in the bed with our luggage!

It is about a 20 min. drive from Tamarindo to Playa Grande. I would stay in Tamarindo because of the varied restaurant choices and visit Playa Grande for the day to watch the surfers.

Wow, thanks for all the input thusfar... After doing a little more research, I found out that Playa Grande is CLOSED at night due to turtle nesting! Is that true? Kinda rules out taking an evening stroll down the beach, huh? Also, you either have to cross the estuary at low tide or drive 45 minutes around it to get to Tamarindo! So now I'm leaning toward staying at Tamarindo... Here is my shorter list of places to stay at... Thanks for the advice on Hotel Pasatiempo, has anyone stayed at either of these three other places?

Arco Iris - Tamarindo (funky, offers work-out classes, yoga, massage on site! NO pool)
http://www.hotelarcoiris.com
$50/night

La Palapa - Tamarindo (right on the beach! NO pool)
http://lapalapa.info/
$60-80/night

Casa Doble B&B - Tamarindo (very charming! On beach, pool)
http://www.casadoble.com/map.html
$100/night

dc, I think the beach would only be closed during turtle nesting season which is for less than 1 month in the fall, not sure exactly when. We stayed at the Villa Baula in a 2br bungalo w/outdoor kitchen - lots of fun! There is a beautiful pool and family-style restuarant as well all just steps from the beach. If you want a remote feel without being too far away from anything, this is a nice choice. Good luck whichever you choose you'll have a good time!

The beach at Playa Grande is closed at night during nesting season. I should have mentioned that I went out looking for turtles illegally... I was there in the middle of Feb. It was definitely the very end of the season because the night tours through the national marine park had stopped.

Another option?

Casa Sueca B&B
http://www.tamarindo.com/sueca/
$85/night

I'm looking for a peaceful place to stay that is relaxing and walking distance to all of the things in Tamarindo, but not right in the middle of it.

Anyone have luck staying at B&B's in this area????? Thanks!

unless you are a medium ot advanced surfer and used to rustic , dont tay in playa grande, its a pristine beach, but accomodations are lightweight, and its dark and dead at night. Stay in Tamarindo and if your budget is around $100 a day, definitely stay at El Diria hotel, its right on the best setion of beach, secure, very costa rican and includes this massive free breakfast. we actually booked a place in playa grande, but when we got there and saw it we cancelled. we surfed there and then drove over to Tamarindo, El Dirira looks expensive but we got two rooms for $70 bucks each after a little haggle. the other places you list are not right on the beach, so watch out. security is very important because tamarindo has a lot of drifters and hippy types. its about a 30 minute drive over a rough washboard road to playa grande.