Tamarindo-polluted & drugged out?
 

We are considering renting a house for us(60yr. old couple) and four twenty somethings on the upper west coast. (We have been to Manuel Antonio & the Osa) We would like to be near a town and within a day trip to non beach activities like the rain forest. While Tamarindo looks like a good choice I have read mixed reviews on this board. Someone wrote about the pollutted water and another described stepping over people who had passed out on the street from drugs. Any comments or suggestions for other west coast areas? Thanks.

I'd choose a rental at Playa Flamingo or Playa Potrero if I were you--it's a great location for exploring up and down the coast. Tamarindo is good for a day trip!

Tamarindo is busy and I keep hearing it can get roudy although I haven't seen anything more than people laughing and partying. I guess I miss all the interesting stuff.

It really depends on how open minded you are. We are in our 40's and still get asked, in the evenings only, if we need any weed or coke. I work in law enforcement so this doesn't shock me and I get asked the same question in Mexico, Jamaica, etc.

If you stayed somewhere like Capitan Suizo and only walked into town during the day or early evening, you would probably would not realize there are drugs available.

There are many other beautiful beach areas in Guanacaste, but Tamarindo offers many restaurants, surfing for the 20 year olds, shopping, fishing, laundy service, banks and lots of day trips.

What time of the year are you planning to go?

Thanks Shillmac and Linda. I checked out Playa flamingo and it did sound beautiful but didn't sound like it was within easy reach of town. Tamarindo sounds better for us. I've been offered drugs in Belize and we can deal with that. I just didn't want a town that was all 20 somethings partying on drugs and booze all day. Have any of you heard reports of pollution in the ocean at Tamarindo? We will go either President's week in Feb. or the third week in April.

The water in Tamarindo is still polluted and they haven't been able to get their blue flag back yet. We were just there in Feb & I would be more concerned with all of the construction going on than drugs. It had rained (rare in Feb.)so the streets were all just giant mud puddles & it really smelled awful. I always liked Tamarindo but I have no interest in
ever returning. We like Playa Grande because it's a quieter area, beautiful beach yet a short ride by car or even shorter by boat from Tamarindo.

February will be quite warm, but maybe things cool down a little by April. Kind of fun trying to decide where to stay, huh? We will be returning to Tamarindo (3rd visit) in November and I can't wait. We fish several times during our stay and continue to find more and more day trips we want to sign up for. We realized last fall how much there is to do in the Rincon de la Vieja area. We signed up for a rafting trip (Colorado River) and then we got up there and saw all the zip lines, horseback riding, etc. and couldn't believe it. We could have spent several days up there.

Transportation is easy in Tamarindo too. Lots of vans waiting along the streets. You can feel like going somewhere and be on the road two minutes later.

Water quality has been an issue in this area for awhile. From what I've read, steps are being taken to eliminate the problems. I personally haven't noticed anything unusual but that sure doesn't mean there aren't continuing problems.

This is from the April 8, 2008 am costa rica newspaper

Inspectors back in Tamarindo


By the A.M. Costa Rica staff


Inspectors from the Ministerio de Salud are back in Tamarindo checking for possible pollution sources, according to the Asociación ProMejoras de Tamarindo. The inspectors are working from the association's offices.

The association is inviting residents to talk with the inspectors, bring maps and otherwise orient them to possible sources of sewage. "Any kind of photos, locations, and maps, as well as written observations, would be helpful," the association said in an e-mail.

The community, part of the Cantón de Santa Cruz, received a shock when tests of ocean water showed alarmingly high levels of fecal contamination. The health department has been working with townspeople to eliminate pollution sources and has closed down some businesses.


Have you seen these stories?

Top story feeds are disabled on archived pages.

How disconcerting. What a horrible example of development run amuck--and ayuck!