Northern Pacific / Guanacaste Beaches In Costa Rica

Hey Lisa!

The drive from La Fortuna to Casa Conde (Playa Panama) takes a little more than 3 hours. For traveling from Casa Conde to an airport for a your flight home, Liberia will be much closer to you in Playa Panama, but you can fly out of San Jose if you want and don’t mind the extra few hours’ drive (if the schedule or flight pricing works better for you to fly out of San Jose). The drive from Casa Conde to the LIR (Liberia/Guanacaste) airport is roughly 20 minutes. The drive from Casa Conde to the SJO (San Jose/Alajuela) airport is roughly 4.5 hours, give or take some time for traffic.

Pura vida! 🙂

Hi Patrick!

Thanks so much for sharing your account with us! We agree, Playas del Coco attracts a specific type of traveler; the destination doesn’t tend to sit well with everyone, especially travelers like yourselves who experience other beach areas prior to arriving. If you visited the Manuel Antonio area at all while on the central Pacific coast, you’ll note there’s a stark difference between it and Playas del Coco. Everything from the infrastructure to the scenery to the atmosphere is different. While Manuel Antonio and other beach towns along the central Pacific coast appeal to the masses with ample tour offerings, accommodations, and dining opportunities, Playas del Coco (in our opinion) is best visited by travelers who want to spend time in a small but lively beach town with decent nightlife. Our take on Playa Hermosa is different; to us, it stands out from Playas del Coco being that it’s smaller and quieter. This being said, November, at the end of a long wet season, is one of the most difficult months to encounter pristine beaches and water on the Pacific coast, so the time of year that you visited likely played a significant factor in your overall experience.

As for Tamarindo, I’m glad you enjoyed your time there! The town is not as developed as many first-time visitors envision it to be, but compared to most beach towns in Costa Rica, it is very commercial. I’m glad to hear that you didn’t find the development in town to be a disadvantage, though, and that you were able to experience a variety of Costa Rican beach communities during your trip.

Pura vida! 🙂

Hey Brandon!

You’re more than welcome! Hope all is going well for you and Lazy Lizard over in Flamingo.

Pura vida! 🙂

Hi Brit!

I’m not sure I understand your question. Are you looking for beaches on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica where you can collect seaweed?

Until soon!