Which beach location (w/ small kids)?
 

Hello,

My husband and I will be traveling with our 3 small girls, all under 6 years old in July 2017 to CR. We are looking for a place to stay for one week that is on a beach that provides the following -

direct beach access
safe beach for children no large surf waves that don't allow us to bring the kids in
safe town that is walking distance for dinners
SAFE area in general
Prefer an area that has still preserved some of the CR feel and not just a developed american destination in CR...

We like Tulemar Bungalows in Manuel Antonio, not sure if that would be too Americanized for you.

we just got back from a 2 week long trip to CR with our 4 year old, which ended in a stay at Villas Kalimba in Playa Samara. the beach was very nice and spreadout, and the waves were perfect for her to swim. she was even able to do a bit of snorkeling near isla chora on the day we kayaked there from the beach. I really liked villas kalimba as they have kithens, 2 bedrooms, and private porches. not sure if it would be considered too Americanized for you....I wouldn't say it is, but that is me. samara itself is about 3 blocks of "town"...

also should mention that we went zip lining at wingnuts in samara, and they let kids as young as 3 zipline. my daughter loved it, and it was her favorite activity from our trip. (the ziplines at wingnuts are on the tamer side, which was perfectly fine by us...still plenty of fun and excitement)

Hello Parker. When I was in Costa Rica, I spent 5 days at the ocho artisan bungalows and enjoyed 5 wonderful days with my wife thanks to the kindness of the staff. The city is Tamarindo, which is incredible.
This is their web: https://www.ochoartisansbungalows.com
We hope to make a family trip (with our kids) soon. Best Regards!!!

Be careful on the beach. We were in Tulemar when my kids were very little. My husband went out into the water with them, fairly far out. Found out later there's a strong undertow there! We were lucky nothing happened, but I would check at your hotel specifically about small children in the surf.

We did get the cutest video of my younger daughter ever though! She was a year and a half and on the way back to the beach had been tumbled by the surf pretty badly. At dinner that night, she said in that baby voice all wide eyed and wagging finger "No ocean! Charlotte swim in pool.".