Beach sights in Central America
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La Playita
At the far western end of Playa Espadilla, beyond a rocky headland (wear sandals), is one of Costa Rica's most famous gay beaches and a particular draw for young men. For years it was also one of Costa Rica's only nude beaches, but the nearby construction of a big hotel seems to have ended that tradition, and those who bathe in the buff have been known to suffer police harassment. The beach is inaccessible one hour before and after the high tide, so time your walk well. Also, don’t be fooled – you do not need to pay to use the beaches as they’re outside the park.
reviewed
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Bando Beach
Utila doesn’t have much in the way of beaches, so someone finally took matters into their own hands and made one. Bando Beach, at the old airport, doesn’t have the deep, soft shoreline of a natural beach, but it’s pleasant enough, with beach chairs wrapping around a small point nicely shaded by low tangled trees. The main drawback is the regguetón (hip-hop with a blend of Jamaican and Latin American influences) that blasts all day long.
reviewed
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Playa El Carmen
Playa El Carmen, down hill from the main intersection, is a good beach break that can also be surfed anytime. The beach is wide and sandy and curls into successive coves, so it makes good beach combing and swimming terrain too.
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Playa Manzanillo
About 8km north of the Playa El Carmen intersection, Playa Manzanillo is a combination of sand and rock that’s best surfed when the tide is rising and there’s an offshore wind.
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Playa Santa Teresa
The most famous break in the area is at Playa Santa Teresa, and it's fast and powerful. This beach can be surfed at virtually any time of day, though be cautious as there are scattered rocks. To get here take the lane just north of La Lora Amarilla from the main road. The beach down the alley from Casa Zen is our favorite. White and powdery, it's great for swimming and surfing, as a small cove is protected by rock reefs on both sides.
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Bejuco
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Playa Camaronal
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Playas Corzalito
reviewed
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Bando Beach
Utila doesn’t have much in the way of beaches, so someone finally took matters into their own hands and made one. Bando Beach, at the old airport, doesn’t have the deep, soft shoreline of a natural beach, but it’s pleasant enough, with beach chairs wrapping around a small point nicely shaded by low tangled trees. The main drawback is the regguetón (hip-hop with a blend of Jamaican and Latin American influences) that blasts all day long.
reviewed
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Villa Nuria Beach
The town beach.
reviewed
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Playa de Peru
A decent windswept beach.
reviewed
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El Porvenir Beaches
Has ocean and river beaches.
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Cuyamel Beach
This often-packed beach has spectacular barbecued-fish stands.
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Playa Ocotal
Travelers are generally dissatisfied with the quality of the beach at Playa del Coco, but it's just a 4km drive or walk along the paved road to Playa Ocotal, which is clean, quiet and perfect for swimming and snorkeling.
reviewed
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West Bay Beach
West Bay beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in the country and is great for snorkeling too. Frequent water taxis make it a quick and easy trip over. You can also walk there - just keep heading south along the beach - although it's not recommended to do so alone or at night.
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Playa Espadilla
There’s a good beach, Playa Espadilla, near the entrance to the Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio, though you need to be wary of rip currents. There are some lifeguards working at this beach, though not at the other beaches in the area.
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Playa Marsella
Playa Marsella is a spectacularly beautiful beach with good snorkeling and an adequate estuary break. Watch the currents here, and don't forget the sunscreen because there's very little shade. If you need to escape the sun's rays, you can always kick back with a cool drink at the upmarket resort complex.
reviewed
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Playa Cocles
Playa Cocles has impressive waves for surfers who aren't so keen to break skin and bones on nearby Salsa Brava (Costa Rica's biggest break). It has lefts and rights, which both break close to the steep beach. Conditions are usually best from December to March, and early in the day before the wind picks up.
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Beaches
Trujillo is best known for its attractive Beaches, with pale sand fronting a glassy, waveless ocean. Some of the best are near the airstrip, 1.5 km east along the beach from town. Several beachside open-air thatched-roof restaurant-bars provide shade, food and a cool drink for beachgoers, and keep the beaches clean.
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Playa Los Cóbanos
A series of small coves and bays with thick beige sand makes this stretch of coast the best in the region. It also has El Salvador's best diving - around a major coral formation. It's not a reef, but thousands of rocky heads covered in coral. The rocks were scattered like birdseed during an ancient volcanic eruption.
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Playa Barqueta
This long and lovely dark-sand beach southwest of David is a popular weekend escape for city-folk, though you'll have the place all to yourself if you stop by here during the week. As inviting as the ocean seems, the riptides can really pick up here, but this is a great place to break out your surfboard if you've got one.
reviewed
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Reserva Silvestre Greenfields
This privately managed, 284-hectare (702-acre) wildlife reserve near Kukra Hill offers a variety of pricey but plush package deals that get better as you add people and days. You can go canoeing, swim on virgin beaches, hike through the orchids and butterflies, or just relax at the pool. A real road to Kukra Hill is currently being built.
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Playa Bonita
While not the finest beach in the Caribbean, Playa Bonita offers sandy stretches of seashore and good swimming, conveniently close to Limón. Surfers head to Bonita for its point/reef break, which makes for a powerful (and sometimes dangerous) left. Just north, Portete is a small bay with a wicked right working off the southerly point.
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Playa Blanca
Beaches in Lívingston itself are disappointing, as buildings or vegetation come right down to the water's edge in most places. Those beaches that do exist are often contaminated. The best beach in the area is Playa Blanca, around 12km from Lívingston. This is privately owned and you need a boat to get there (ask at Exotic Travel).
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Playa San Diego
This beach is a long, broad swath of flat, gray sand. Next to the water you'll find La Bocana, where two rivers empty into the ocean and form the San Diego estuary - it's popular for swimming, though God knows what's dumped in the water upstream. Here, a gaggle of restaurants compete mightily for your business, offering cheap beer and fish plates.
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