Are there any nice laid back small surf towns below Costa Rica? We are a family of 4 and looking for womething a little more remote but still have a couple of restaurants? Any help would be appreciated! thanks!

How far south below Tamarindo do you want to go?

Playa Negra is nice but you need a sturdy 4x4 to get there. In the rainy season you may need to ford a few rivers to get there. There are a few places to stay. I f you go be sure to eat at Lola's or at the Mono Congo

Playa Junquillal is more accessaable by car (still need a 4x4) and has a few places to stay and eat.

Even further south is Nosara which is more developed that the other two beaches but has more to offer for lodging and meals

By all means check out Nosara! The town is very spread out and by design hotels and restaurants seem invisably tucked into the forest. Nothing is built on the beach, so a short walk through a natural vegetation path, on flat land, takes you to one of three almost empty beaches!

Food choices are amazingly wide, well priced and excellent. Nothing touristy here, except the large settlement of Americans, who place great emphasis on preserving the environment through an active civic association.

Boogie and surf board rentals are available, as are river kayak trips, or small panga boat fishing trips out of Garza just south of town, much less expensive than the big off shore charters, and we caught many more fish!

A four wheel drive is necessary as all roads are dirt, many washboard areas and some river crossings if you want to venture north for a day trip to a snorkling beach. The river was about knee deep when we went in December, very adventuresome feeling!

I should get a commission from this place, but we just loved it for its perfect blend of nature, lack of crowds and more than ample amenities. We stayed at the Gilded Iguana, best location to beach, open air restaurant made a great gathering place, pretty pool for kids and adults, attractive clean rooms, a/c, hot water, friendly owners and staff, can't beat the prices either!

I would skip Tamarindo. Was not impressed. Nosara is a great place and Samara is good too. Nice beaches and good restaurants. Remember that the roads in CR are not good so allow yourself plenty of time.

We are going back to Costa Rica in March - can you please tell me how long a ride it is from Tamarindo to Nosara? Thank you for all your help!

It will take you at least 2 1/2 hours to get to Nosara from Tamarindo.

I would recommend you skip Tamarindo, in all honesty.

We just came back from costa rica and had a GREAT time in the nicoya penninsula. We spent several nights in Mal Pais/Santa Teresa. Some of the best surf I've ever seen, much less developed than Tamarindo, nice clean beaches, cheap lodging and plenty of restaraunts.

It was our FAVORITE place, by far.

We will be going back next summer.

Tamarindo, while not my favorite place in Costa Rica, isn;t that bad. It really depends on what you are into. I'm going back there for the second time next month.

We regret that Tamarindo has become the mega development area that it has, but it is still a place that is interesting to visit--at least for a short time. How I would have loved to have seen it when it was just that little sleepy fishing village of a few short years ago!

Hi there, I agree with you all - Tamarindo really is no longer the Costa Rica that we all love but it is fun for a couple days. The Burger King downtown did it for us! Anyways is the Gilded Iguana the best place for a family of 4 to stay in Nosara? Is the 2 1/2 hour ride on rough, dirt roads? If anyone can give me directions that would be great. By directions I mean you will get on this dirt road and drive through the following towns - is it easy to find? This is our 4th time to Costa Rica so we are aware - Is there alot of nature in Nosara - monkeys, birds, etc. - any info is greatly appreciated. Thanks!