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Written by Nikki Solano

Nikki is the CEO of Pura Vida! eh? Inc. (Costa Rica Discounts), and the author of the guidebooks Moon Costa Rica (2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025 editions) and Moon Best of Costa Rica (2022 edition) from Moon Travel Guides. Together with her Costa Rican husband, Ricky, she operates the Costa Rica Travel Blog, created the online community DIY Costa Rica, built the Costa Rica Destination Tool, oversees the brand-new (summer 2023) Costa Rica Travel Shop, and designed the Costa Rica Trip Planning 101 E-Course. Also, Nikki wrote the Costa Rica cover feature for Wanderlust Magazine's sustainability-focused Travel Green List issue, showcased Costa Rica destinations and experiences on Rick Steves' Monday Night Travel show and podcast/radio show, and served as the Costa Rica Destination Editor for Essentialist, a luxury travel brand. Want to show your appreciation for her free article below? Thank Nikki here. ❤️️

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Some of the information below is an excerpt from our Costa Rica beach guide. If you haven’t yet decided to visit Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast and you’re open to visiting beaches in any region of Costa Rica, let the beaches in our countrywide beach guide direct you where to go:

80+ Costa Rica Beaches (In Photos) And Where To Find Them

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Costa Rica’s Central Pacific beaches

One of the most time-consuming parts of Costa Rica vacation planning is deciding on a beach destination, and with a total of 1,228 kilometers of coastline to choose from, the task isn’t an easy one. If you have no idea where you want to go in Costa Rica, our Costa Rica Destination Tool can help you with that; you can use it (as many times as you want) to narrow down 66 Costa Rica destinations according to nearly 150 criteria in less than 1 minute. Alternatively, if you’ve already decided to visit Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast but you’re not sure which beaches are found in the region, you’re in the right place. Our article below covers 17 beaches that stretch out along Costa Rica’s Central Pacific coast, some popular and others remote, including Playa Biesanz, Playa Blanca, Playa Dominical, Playa Espadilla Norte, Playa Espadilla Sur, Playa Esterillos Centro, Playa Esterillos Este, Playa Esterillos Oeste, Playa Gemelas, Playa Hermosa, Playa Herradura, Playa Jaco, Playa Mantas, Playa Manuel Antonio, Playa Puntarenas, Playa Uvita, and Playa Ventanas.

If you’re destined for a different region of Costa Rica (not the central Pacific coast), don’t miss our related blog posts:

Nicoya Peninsula Beaches In Costa Rica
Northern Pacific / Guanacaste Beaches In Costa Rica
Caribbean Beaches In Costa Rica
Osa Peninsula Beaches In Costa Rica

Central Pacific beaches map

We created the above map to showcase where each Central Pacific beach is located. Included on the map are the following sites:

• Playa Biesanz (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Blanca (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Dominical (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Espadilla Norte (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Espadilla Sur (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Esterillos Centro (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Esterillos Este (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Esterillos Oeste (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Gemelas (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Hermosa (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Herradura (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Jaco (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Mantas (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Manuel Antonio (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Puntarenas (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Uvita (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Ventanas (marked by a sun icon)

Playa Biesanz (CP)

Playa Biesanz is located in the Central Pacific region of Costa Rica. It sits south of the coastal community of Quepos, Costa Rica, on the north side of Punta Quepos.

Playa Blanca (CP)

Playa Blanca is located in the Central Pacific region of Costa Rica. It sits south of the coastal community of Tarcoles, Costa Rica. To learn more about Playa Blanca, including beach details, development, safety, access, parking, and more, see our related blog post: Photos of Playa Blanca Costa Rica (Central Pacific) From Our Own Personal Collection.

Playa Dominical (CP)

Playa Dominical is located in the Central Pacific region of Costa Rica. It fronts the coastal community of Dominical, Costa Rica. To learn more about Playa Dominical, including beach details, development, safety, access, parking, and more, see our related blog post: Photos of Playa Dominical Costa Rica (Central Pacific) From Our Own Personal Collection.

Playa Espadilla Norte (CP)

Playa Espadilla Norte is located in the Central Pacific region of Costa Rica. It fronts the coastal community of Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica.

Playa Espadilla Sur (CP)

Playa Espadilla Sur is located in the Central Pacific region of Costa Rica. It sits south of the coastal community of Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, and falls within the boundary of the Manuel Antonio National Park. You must pay the national park entrance fee to access this beach. To learn more about the Manuel Antonio National Park, including other beaches that you can visit inside the park, see our related blog post: How The Manuel Antonio National Park Is Different Than Other Costa Rica National Parks.

Playa Esterillos Centro (CP)

Playa Esterillos Centro is located in the Central Pacific region of Costa Rica. It sits east of the coastal community of Esterillos Oeste, Costa Rica.

Playa Esterillos Este (CP)

Playa Esterillos Este is located in the Central Pacific region of Costa Rica. It sits east of the coastal community of Esterillos Oeste, Costa Rica.

Playa Esterillos Oeste (CP)

Playa Esterillos Oeste is located in the Central Pacific region of Costa Rica. It fronts the coastal community of Esterillos Oeste, Costa Rica.

Playa Gemelas (CP)

Playa Gemelas is located in the Central Pacific region of Costa Rica. It sits south of the coastal community of Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, and falls within the boundary of the Manuel Antonio National Park. You must pay the national park entrance fee to access this beach. To learn more about the Manuel Antonio National Park, including other beaches that you can visit inside the park, see our related blog post: How The Manuel Antonio National Park Is Different Than Other Costa Rica National Parks.

Playa Hermosa (CP)

Playa Hermosa is located in the Central Pacific region of Costa Rica. It sits south of the coastal community of Jaco, Costa Rica.

Playa Herradura (CP)

Playa Herradura is located in the Central Pacific region of Costa Rica. It sits north of the coastal community of Jaco, Costa Rica.

Playa Jaco (CP)

Playa Jaco is located in the Central Pacific region of Costa Rica. It fronts the coastal community of Jaco, Costa Rica. To learn more about Playa Jaco, including beach details, development, safety, access, parking, and more, see our related blog post: Photos of Playa Jaco Costa Rica (Central Pacific) From Our Own Personal Collection.

Playa Mantas (CP)

Playa Mantas is located in the Central Pacific region of Costa Rica. It sits south of the coastal community of Tarcoles, Costa Rica. To learn more about Playa Mantas, including beach details, development, safety, access, parking, and more, see our related blog post: Photos of Playa Mantas Costa Rica (Central Pacific) From Our Own Personal Collection.

Playa Manuel Antonio (CP)

Playa Manuel Antonio is located in the Central Pacific region of Costa Rica. It sits south of the coastal community of Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, and falls within the boundary of the Manuel Antonio National Park. You must pay the national park entrance fee to access this beach. To learn more about Playa Manuel Antonio, including beach details, development, safety, access, parking, and more, see our related blog post: Photos of Playa Manuel Antonio Costa Rica (Central Pacific) From Our Own Personal Collection. To learn more about the Manuel Antonio National Park, including other beaches that you can visit inside the park, see our related blog post: How The Manuel Antonio National Park Is Different Than Other Costa Rica National Parks.

Playa Puntarenas (CP)

Playa Puntarenas is located in the Central Pacific region of Costa Rica. It fronts the coastal community of Puntarenas, Costa Rica.

Playa Uvita (CP)

Playa Uvita is located in the Central Pacific region of Costa Rica. It fronts the coastal community of Bahia, Costa Rica (a subset of the inland community of Uvita, Costa Rica). To learn more about Playa Uvita, including beach details, development, safety, access, parking, and more, see our related blog post: Photos of Playa Uvita Costa Rica (Central Pacific) From Our Own Personal Collection.

Playa Ventanas (CP)

Playa Ventanas is located in the Central Pacific region of Costa Rica. It sits west of the inland community of Ojochal, Costa Rica. To learn more about Playa Ventanas, including beach details, development, safety, access, parking, and more, see our related blog post: Photos of Playa Ventanas Costa Rica (Central Pacific) From Our Own Personal Collection.

QUESTION TO COMMENT ON: Which of the Central Pacific beaches described above is your favorite?

Pura vida!

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