FOR YOU, FOR FREE: 17 years' worth of firsthand Costa Rica trip planning and travel advice compiled into hundreds of articles, plus exclusive discounts. Created by a Costa Rican and a four-time published Costa Rica guidebook author. Welcome, amigos, and as we say in Costa Rica, pura vida!
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. ❤️️
Get the Costa Rica info you need by browsing our article's TABLE OF CONTENTS:
clear water at Playa Las Manchasturquoise water at Playa Las Manchassoft sand at Playa Las Manchasnorth end of Playa Las ManchasPlaya Las Manchassouth end of Playa Las Manchassign at Playa Las ManchasNikki and Ricky; enjoying Playa Las Manchastide pools at Playa Las Manchastide pools at Playa Las ManchasPlaya Las Manchas
Playa Las Manchas fast facts
English name: Las Manchas Beach
Distance from San Jose: 305km (approximately 5 hours and 30 minutes)
Closest town: Montezuma (small town)
Beach status: Public beach
Playa Las Manchas beach details
Sand, shade, scenery, and unique features
Playa Las Manchas is a small beach withsoft sand that’s nearly white in some areas and pink-hued in others. Offshore, the water is light blue and turquoise in places. A collection of tide pools among rocky outcroppings provide opportunities for snorkeling. Though the beach is rocky in places, smooth areas are idyllic spots for sunbathing and picnicking.
Crowds and noise
Playa Las Manchas receives a small but steady number of visitors because it’s the best beach in the Montezuma area. Playa Las Manchas is a small beach, though, so unfortunately it can feel busy when there are only a few visitors, and especially so on weekends and holidays when locals sprawl out on the beach. For the most part, people come to Playa Las Manchas to relax in solitude, so noise is generally kept to a minimum.
Cleanliness and Ecological Blue Flag rating
Costa Rica’s Programa Bandera Azul Ecológica (Ecological Blue Flag Program) promotes sustainability and public health. Every year, beaches in Costa Rica strive for top honors, which are bestowed annually according to strict ecological criteria. Beaches that participate in the program and meet 90-100% of the eligibility criteria achieve a 1-star rating. Further efforts invite beaches to earn additional stars (5 stars is the highest rating), including special colored stars. (To learn more about the program and discover what each blue flag rating means, see our related blog post: Award-Winning Blue Flag Beaches In Costa Rica: Photos & Map; Most-Recent Winners.)
Playa Las Manchas is not currently participating in the Programa Bandera Azul Ecológica. Therefore, it does not have a star rating.
Development at Playa Las Manchas
Hotels, restaurants, tours, bathrooms, etc.
There is no commercial development at Playa Las Manchas, but a handful of accommodations are spread out along the road that connects the beach to Montezuma center (Road 624).
Playa Las Manchas safety
Swimming and water safety
Swimming is allowed at Playa Las Manchas. However, the beach has a known rip current. As always, exercise caution in and around the water, especially if you plan to visit with children or inexperienced swimmers.
General safety
Never bring items of value with you to the beach and always keep an eye on your belongings. Remember to lock your rental car if you have one. Do not visit the beach before sunrise or after sunset. If possible, visit the beach as part of a group to avoid being at this remote-feeling beach alone.
Playa Las Manchas location and road conditions
Access to Playa Las Manchas and 4×4 requirement
Playa Las Manchas is located on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast. It sits south of the town of Montezuma.
Playa Las Manchas is an approximate 1.5-kilometer, 5-minute drive (or 20-minute walk) south from Montezuma on the road that leads to the Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve. A 4×4 is recommended to reach Playa Las Manchas.
Map of Playa Las Manchas Costa Rica
Parking at Playa Las Manchas
There is no official parking at Playa Las Manchas. Locals park along the side of the road that backs the beach (Road 624, which travels south out of Montezuma and ends at the Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve). Beware: the narrow street gets congested with cars quickly, so there isn’t always room to park.
Best reason(s) to visit Playa Las Manchas
Playa Montezuma, the principal beach that fronts the town of Montezuma, isn’t much to write home about. So, if you plan to station yourself at a hotel in the Montezuma area, andyou’re in search of a beautiful beach where you can relax away from crowds, Playa Las Manchas is worth a day trip.
Beach-hopping from Playa Las Manchas (or alternative beach options in the region)
Do you have questions about Playa Las Manchas, want to know more about the area surrounding the beach, or need help incorporating a visit to the beach into your vacation? No problem! When you’re ready, make an appointment here to communicate with me (Nikki) privately and we can discuss these and other topics to get your questions answered fast and your Costa Rica trip poised for success. Pura vida, amigos! 🙂
Hey, Costa Rica Travel Blog reader, thank you for visiting and reading our blog! We're truly grateful for your time and preference.
Do you know that your spam-free reading experience is most important to us? Unlike some other Costa Rica blogs, we do not to sell your personal information, and we choose not to display ads, sponsored content, or affiliate marketing on our blog so we can keep your visit as distraction- and junk-free as possible. Because we prioritize your privacy, we don't earn money when you visit us, when you sign up for our e-course, or when you click on our links, which means the time and work we put into this blog—including its 300+ articles—is entirely voluntary! If you find our content valuable, and you'd like to thank us for making the trip-planning process easier and your Costa Rica vacation more enjoyable, please consider making a small donation ($1, $2, $3, or an amount of your choosing) to our blog. Doing so is a great way to pat us on the back if you feel we deserve it. 😊 Pura vida, amigos!
Click on the button above to donate through PayPal. (If you cannot see the PayPal button above, click here.) A PayPal account is not required to make a donation; credit and debit cards are also accepted. PayPal donations are confidential; we never see your payment details.
Love our blog? Check out our other Costa Rica-related projects, too:
Summary
Article Name
Photos of Playa Las Manchas Costa Rica (Nicoya Peninsula) From Our Personal Collection
Description
We provide photos of Playa Las Manchas Costa Rica (Nicoya Peninsula), plus info about beach features, safety, location, parking, and more!
The comment section of this article has moved! If you have a question or comment about our article above or Costa Rica travel in general, please post it in our Questions and Answers Forum on DIY Costa Rica, our sister website, where you can also access our private Costa Rica recommendations, our Costa Rica Destination Tool, and our Costa Rica Recommendations Map. See you there, amigos! 🙂
Author
Posts
Viewing 0 reply threads
The forum ‘Costa Rica Travel Blog Forum’ is closed to new topics and replies.
Short on time? Use our FREE electronic quick guide to instantly locate the exact Costa Rica advice or information you need among the hundreds of articles on our blog. No email or personal information required.
This website uses cookies to operate and provide you with the best user experience possible. To ensure you're aware of and okay with this and our other privacy-related practices, please review our Privacy Policy, then click the button below to accept it.
If you do not accept the policy, we respect your choice 100%. Unfortunately, several of our website’s features, including our Questions and Answers Forum, rely on cookies to operate. Most are also run by themes, plugins, and other add-ons to our website that we do not and cannot control, which means the cookies you receive are mainly provided by third parties. Because simple actions like reading our articles, asking a question, and even visiting our website’s homepage require the use of cookies, it is not possible to explore or use our website without them. If you would prefer not to receive cookies, we kindly (and sadly) ask that you do not visit our website. (Alternatively, you can try setting your browser to remove or reject browser cookies before visiting our website, but you may find that our website doesn’t function properly without them.) By visiting or submitting information through our website, you acknowledge and accept our use of cookies, and the use of third-party cookies. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy.
Thank you for understanding!
Remember my preference
In order for our site to remember that you accept our policy, please enable the Strictly Necessary Cookie.
If you leave the Strictly Necessary Cookie disabled, we will not be able to save your preference. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to accept the policy again.
Tagged: beach, beaches, costa rican beaches