Guanacaste Beach Selection

Hey All!

Looking to spend about 6 days along the beaches in Guanacaste, then eventually heading to Puntarenas to meet up with some family.

The beaches that seem to interest me most are: Hermosa, Conchal, Grande, Junquillal and Samara.

1. Is Hermosa a good "base camp" to explore Papagayo (mom's suggestion), Conchal & Grande?

2. I'd like to spend 1 or 2 nights in Playa Samara-- how far is that from Puntarenas ferry?

3. Any good recomendations for horseback riding on the beach? I read about Junquillal, but maybe there are some closer to Hermosa or Samara.

4. "Easy access" to Puntarenas

I'm travelling with my boyfriend, and we've narrowed down our ideal locales to:
-beg-intermediate surfing
-horse riding on the beach
-turtles
-laid back/remote
-no touristy beaches i can go to in california
-minimal driving (if possible)

Trying to narrow down my itinerary, thanks for the tips!

There is a little beach called el Jobo, at bahia Santa Elena in Guanacaste, no surfing or turtles and you have to drive a little more... but you can relax here.

Hi, the beaches in which you can find everything that you mention are Nosara, ostional y samara but you have to drive a little bit.
Good Luck
Cinthya
www.jardintropicalbandb.com

Playa Hermosa is perfect for exploring the area and only 30 mins drive from Liberia Airport

Samara isnt accessed via the ferry, you get there via the Tempisque bridge.

Grande combines surfing, turtles and laid back beach but the construction of the huge Playa Grande Estates area is not pretty.
Junquillal is great for horse riding. (Contact Erika on (506) 658 8162), has a laid back deserted beach with some turtles and there are nearby surf beaches at Avellanas and Negra.
Conchal is very pretty but dominanated by the huge Hotel Melia Paradisus Conchal (or something like that).
Samara is laid back, with a good vibe and paved road all the way to Puntarenas, but no great surf or sunsets.
Papagayo does not lend itself to much exploration now that the Four Seasons have laid claim to four of the beaches. Hermosa is under development pressure too.

If you combined Grande with Junquiallal and Samara access between the three is pretty straight forward and onward travel to Puntarenas no problem.

Great tips everyone, thanks! I think i like the Grande/Junquillal/Samara combo the best.

My mom loves the ritzy resorts, but im just happy with a hammock and a cocktail!

I would look at Grande, Avellenas, Negra, Ostinal, Nosara

Nosara is your best bet. I saw a turtle on the beach there last week. Grande doesn't let you on the beach at Night, Nosara does and Ostional only does with escorts but is close to Nosara.

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to write back and report on my trip. It was an absolutely gorgeous vacation, and I thank everyone for their tips!

3 nights/2 days in Arenal was perfect, we loved the Arenal Observatory Lodge. We were able to see the lava coming down the volcano from our room, perfect. And we also really recommend the Eco-Glide zip-line tour, they were really friendly and safety first!

Next was Playa Samara -- beautiful calm beach, very laid back, has some nightlife if you're into that, or just great restaurants right on the beach too.

On to Playa Nosara -- We stayed at the Lagarta Lodge which was really wonderful. Kind staff, beautiful facilities and stunning view of the nature reserve and beach. It's a steep walk down to the beach area-- we ended up driving to PLaya Guillones for some beach time. But that was like 5 minutes. Great town, lots of activities! We also got to see the turtles at Playa Ostional, which was a great treat.

I stayed back with my family in Heredia, which is close to the capital. There are still plenty things to do in the Central Valley. The Doka Estate coffee plantation was really nice, and La Paz waterfall hike is something i'd like to do when i go back (didnt have time this year)

Pura Vida indeed!