Playa Junquillal’s surf is absolutely epic – and for experienced surfers, only! (But please don’t swim.) Read all about it in our Playa Junquillal travel guide.
For those who crave long walks at sunset and afternoons lounging in tide pools, ecological Blue Flag-recipient Playa Junquillal is a two-kilometer stretch of white-gray sands and beachfront wilderness – an outdoor paradise where jungle tumbles into sea, tide pools swirl, and boulders crumble into rocky reefs. Here, bluffs reach toward palm trees, the surf churns with seafoam, and the River Nanda Mojo cuts a swath through a 500-acre estuary and natural paradise.
Yes, this is Playa Junquillal – pronounced, hoon-kee-yal– a quiet retreat almost as hard to locate, as it is to pronounce. Located 10 miles south (as the toucan flies) of Tamarindo, this quiet corner of Costa Rica is a testament to the beauty of isolation: nearly deserted beaches, powerful surf swells (experience surfers only!), and molten sunsets that sizzle as they hit the horizon, Junquillal also marks the northern border of important sea turtle nesting beaches, both for olive ridley and leatherback turtles.
Our Playa Junqillal travel guide takes you to and through the best this secluded beach town has to offer.
Playa Junquillal Overview:
Location: North-Pacific Costa Rica, aka The Gold Coast, about 10 miles (16 km) south of Tamarindo
Average Temperature: 75-96º F (23-36º C)
Landscape: Lots of tropical ocean, protected turtle beaches, and dry and wet forest
Closest Airport: Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) – about 80 minutes
Top Activities: Turtle-watching, Surfing, Snorkeling & Scuba Diving, Horseback Riding, and Sports Fishing
Top Attractions: Beaches, Catalina Islands (scuba & snorkeling), Ostional Wildlife Refuge
Great for: Couples & Honeymooners, Anglers, Families & Family Reunions, Destination Weddings, Nature Lovers
We Recommend: For when you crave the quiet but don’t want to stay too far from world-class restaurants, Playa Junquillal is an isolated (yet Tamarindo-adjacent) natural wonderland.
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Property of the Month: La Perla 161
/0 Comments/in Vacation Rentals in Tamarindo /by Erin RaubWelcome to La Perla 161, a distinctive and exclusive Tamarindo vacation rental
When you close your eyes and see perfection, what does it look like?
In the tropics of Costa Rica, on the iconic coast of Guanacaste, we’d imagine it looks a lot like La Perla 161, a luxury condo rental with some of Tamarindo’s most spectacular ocean views. Sweeping from lush green hills to white-sand coastline and then out, into the sparkling blue Pacific, this is the kind of view you will contemplate for hours.
If you can pull your eyes (and heart) away from that view, then you’ll find La Perla 161 is just as stunning inside, with cool stone flooring, floor-to-ceiling doors and windows, minimalist lines, and sharp angles – save for the distinctive balcony, which curves like the coast to provide 280º of startling views.
And, did we mention? Christmas is still available at La Perla 161!
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Coming Soon: Ocaso Underground Music Festival
/in Tamarindo Lifestyle, Tamarindo Nightlife, Tamarindo Travel Guide /by Erin RaubThis year’s Ocaso Underground Music Festival Tamarindo will take place January 2-7, 2019, in three picture-perfect (literally!) Tamarindo locales
What do you get, when you blend the great beats with tropical vibes, an awesome festival with Costa Rica’s best music? Answer: The Ocaso Underground Music Festival, a world-renowned music festival that grows bigger by the year.
Whereas Ocaso was once a one-venue, three-day kind of festival, it has fortuitously become a much bigger, much grander, and yet, still intimate kind of event: This year – well, technically nextyear, as the festival kicks off on January 2, 2019 – Ocaso Underground Music Festival, which is produced by Native Events, will span six days and six venues, with dozens of DJs, artists, and other musical events.
It’s about more than music, though: Ocaso promises to be a place where the world comes together and where spirits meld, together to celebrate the mystical energies of the Costa Rican forests, beaches, and mangroves.
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7 of the Best Dinners in Tamarindo
/in Tamarindo Lifestyle, Tamarindo Nightlife, Tamarindo Travel Guide /by Erin RaubSeafood lovers (and every other kind of foodie), you’re going to love our choices for the best dinners in Tamarindo, an eclectic foodie town at the heart of Costa Rica’s restaurant scene
A vacation in Tamarindo. A getaway to the Pacific. A trip with your feet buried in the sand.We’ve set the stage and now, you know what’s coming – an epic, unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experience. So, you deserve an epic, unforgettable, and once-in-a-lifetime meal. Several of them, hopefully. You deserve the most delicious, the most memorable, and the best dinners in Tamarindo.
We are here to serve. We live here. We dine out often. And so, we have our favorites. We know. Because we’ve done the legwork (and the fork-work); we’ve ordered a few duds and had many more meals we’ll never, ever forget. Because we live here, on the Pacific. We live here, in Costa Rica. Here, where the freshest seafood, meets the freshest fruits and vegetables, meets some of the freshest takes on upscale beach cuisine.
And so, we bring you our choices for the best dinners in Tamarindo: seven incredible opportunities to make memories while you satiate your cravings for fresh-caught seafood and seared veggies, cold soups and rack of lamb, Argentinian barbecue and shrimp cocktail. We encourage you to try them all – especially anything that involves the Catch of the Day and/or signature tropical cocktails.
But, the real litmus test is, does it make your mouth water? Because that’s the common denominator here: We want your most memorable, most innovative, and all around best dinners in Tamarindo to be the meals that most excite you. The food that tempts you. Because, Tamarindo has it, whether you’re a dedicated vegetarian or a gluten-free celiac, a meat-loving barbecue fiend or a sea-faring foodie.
We hope the memory of these meals and these experiences are a kind of souvenir you’ll cherish forever. And so, without further ado, seven of the best dinners in Tamarindo:
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How to Find (and Choose) the Perfect Costa Rica Wedding Planner
/in Costa Rica, Tamarindo Wedding Guide /by Erin RaubWe highly recommend hiring a Costa Rica wedding planner. But, how to find the right one for you?
If you’re planning a wedding in Tamarindo, one of the most important first steps take? Finding, interviewing, and ultimately hiring a local, on-the-ground, right-here Costa Rica wedding planner.
For all those questions you have about your venue, for all the Costa Rica-specific details you don’t know, for all the Spanish-to-English communications you may require, for all the big picture and tiny detail items – a local wedding planner and/or wedding coordinator will make it easier (and actually doable) to plan, organize, and ultimately execute your absolute perfect day.
Because you should have a perfect, exactly-what-you’ve-always-dreamed kind of destination wedding. You’re in Costa Rica. This is paradise. And you’re finally, finally saying your I-dos.
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Property of the Month: Casa Lomas del Mar
/in Vacation Rentals in Tamarindo /by Erin RaubCasa Lomas del Mar overlooks Playa Grande and Tamarindo ocean views
Have you ever stepped into a home where it felt like you were still outside? Casa Lomas del Mar is like that.
Indeed, Casa Lomas del Mar has that special something: Light-filled interiors, walls made of glass, and outdoor living spaces that blend indoor/outdoor life and living in a seamless and well-balanced ballet that feels absolutely, completely perfect. If your Costa Rican dream were embodied in a vacation home, it would be Casa Lomas del Mar.
And that is just one of many reasons why we love this very special home. A Tamarindo vacation rental dedicated to indoor and outdoor living, space for togetherness and space for privacy, sleek modernity and comforting curves, the recently updated Casa Lomas del Mar is our well-deserved Property of the Month.
Casa Lomas del Mar
Welcome to Casa Lomas del Mar, where the outdoors is welcomed in – indeed, where outside is in, inside is out, and where the lines between the two are constantly blurred. And we mean that in the best way possible.
With sleek, floor-to-ceiling windows, a color palette that mimics sand and sea, and bouquets of light that send sunbeams streaming inside, being inside at Casa Lomas del Mar is almost like being on the beach. Except, cooler – literally, thanks to full air-conditioning, throughout the home.
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Best Happy Hours in Tamarindo
/in Tamarindo Lifestyle, Tamarindo Nightlife, Tamarindo Travel Guide /by Erin RaubLangosta Beach Club easily makes it onto our list of the best happy hours in Tamarindo
There’s nothing quite like winding down a Tamarindo day with a cold drink in your hand, the ocean at your feet, and the sand between your toes.
Well, nothing quite like it, except for that cold drink at half price. Because this is Tamarindo and we are all about happy hour. All the happy hours! Because salt-rimmed glasses, tropical fruit infusions, ice-cold microbrews, and lovely wines are the perfect accompaniment to an ocean view and kaleidoscopic sunset. Because 2×1 cocktails and $4 artisan pints and $5 glasses of wine are a deal that can’t quite be beat.
And now, without further ado, our choices for the best happy hours in Tamarindo:
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Tamarindo Halloween 2018: 9 Halloween Parties!
/in Costa Rica, Tamarindo, Tamarindo Lifestyle, Tamarindo Nightlife, Tamarindo Travel Guide /by Erin RaubHold onto your [witch’s] hat! It’s a Tamarindo Halloween!
From witchy drinks to live DJs, from breezy costumes to $1,000+ in prizes, Tamarindo is serving up all the creepy tunes, scary events, and spooky revelry you could want for your Halloween in Costa Rica celebration. Enjoy!
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Tamarindo Beach Receives its Hard-Earned Blue Flag
/in Costa Rica, Tamarindo Travel Guide /by Erin RaubPicture yourself at Playa Avellanas, a Blue Flag beach within Hacienda Pinilla
As 2018 draws to a close – can you believe there’s only two months left in the year?! – we’re already beginning to think about our next year’s travels. And when we think travel, we think of dream destinations. And when we think of dream destinations, we think beaches. Beaches, glorious beaches. Soft sands and swaying palms. Warm waters and lazy afternoons. Swimming, snorkeling, sunbathing, and strolling. Ocean perfection!
Ok, back to reality. Because, when it comes to beaches, there are no better in Costa Rica than Blue Flag beaches.
You’ve probably heard the term before – “Blue Flag” Beaches – and maybe you’ve even seen the flag, but do you know what the flag represents? In a nutshell, a Blue Flag designation means sustainability. It represents eco-friendly policies. It stands for safety. And it demands a healthy beach and even healthier community. And it’s very, very hard to achieve.
And for all these definitions – for all these reasons – we are so proud to share with you that Tamarindo recently earned its very own Blue Flag. Congratulations to us!
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Destination Overview: Playa Junquillal Travel Guide
/in Tamarindo Travel Guide /by Erin RaubPlaya Junquillal’s surf is absolutely epic – and for experienced surfers, only! (But please don’t swim.) Read all about it in our Playa Junquillal travel guide.
For those who crave long walks at sunset and afternoons lounging in tide pools, ecological Blue Flag-recipient Playa Junquillal is a two-kilometer stretch of white-gray sands and beachfront wilderness – an outdoor paradise where jungle tumbles into sea, tide pools swirl, and boulders crumble into rocky reefs. Here, bluffs reach toward palm trees, the surf churns with seafoam, and the River Nanda Mojo cuts a swath through a 500-acre estuary and natural paradise.
Yes, this is Playa Junquillal – pronounced, hoon-kee-yal– a quiet retreat almost as hard to locate, as it is to pronounce. Located 10 miles south (as the toucan flies) of Tamarindo, this quiet corner of Costa Rica is a testament to the beauty of isolation: nearly deserted beaches, powerful surf swells (experience surfers only!), and molten sunsets that sizzle as they hit the horizon, Junquillal also marks the northern border of important sea turtle nesting beaches, both for olive ridley and leatherback turtles.
Our Playa Junqillal travel guide takes you to and through the best this secluded beach town has to offer.
Playa Junquillal Overview:
Location: North-Pacific Costa Rica, aka The Gold Coast, about 10 miles (16 km) south of Tamarindo
Average Temperature: 75-96º F (23-36º C)
Landscape: Lots of tropical ocean, protected turtle beaches, and dry and wet forest
Closest Airport: Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) – about 80 minutes
Top Activities: Turtle-watching, Surfing, Snorkeling & Scuba Diving, Horseback Riding, and Sports Fishing
Top Attractions: Beaches, Catalina Islands (scuba & snorkeling), Ostional Wildlife Refuge
Great for: Couples & Honeymooners, Anglers, Families & Family Reunions, Destination Weddings, Nature Lovers
We Recommend: For when you crave the quiet but don’t want to stay too far from world-class restaurants, Playa Junquillal is an isolated (yet Tamarindo-adjacent) natural wonderland.
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Property of the Month: Casa Costa Blanca
/in Group Travel, Tamarindo Reunions, Tamarindo Wedding Guide, Vacation Rentals in Tamarindo /by Erin RaubCasa Costa Blanca is one of the most prestigious luxury vacation rentals in Tamarindo
Step into another world – into a beachfront paradise, a luxury community, an exotic wonderland. Step into Casa Costa Blanca, one of the most prestigious and spectacular vacation rentals in Tamarindo. In Costa Rica, even!
This seven-bedroom, seven-bathroom beachfront villa is equipped with the full menu of luxury amenities (including air conditioning, WiFi and cable television, among others), but what really pulls your spirit is That Ocean. Yes, the wide open Pacific is on full display here – overlooked from every common area, almost every bedroom, and the custom infinity pool and heated Jacuzzi.
And, what is paradise without a full-time housekeeper and groundskeeper? Monday through Saturday, your housekeeper even cooks up a delicious Costa Rican-style breakfast (you provide the ingredients).
It’s the perfect choice for Tamarindo weddings, family reunions, and other groups and celebrations for up to 24 guests. We look forward to welcoming you!
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