Tamarindo, Costa Rica

Every once in a while, my parents, Husband's parents and the two of us get together for a big family trip. We just returned from a week in Tamarindo, Costa Rica. Why Costa Rica? Well, first, we went on this vacation during spring break, when everyone involved in any type of travel hikes up their prices, except, it seems, Costa Rica. Second, I spent a few weeks in other parts of Costa Rica, but never went to the northern area, called Guanecaste. I was interested in seeing that part of the country.

 

I think that the best way to experience Costa Rica is to town jump. Before, when I went to CR, I was on a study abroad trip for college and on a strict budget. We traveled to five different towns, San Jose, La Fortuna, Monteverde, Quepos and Puerto Viejo, and stayed in very inexpensive hotels/hostels. This time around, I was with my family, we stayed in one town, Tamarindo, and stayed in a really nice condo with a beach club. Very different trips. I think the best CR experience would be a combination of the both, traveling to different towns and staying in hotels that are a bit nicer than the ones I went to the first time around, but not all inclusive.

Tamarindo is a little town on the west coast of Costa Rica. We read that there is not a whole bunch of tourism in the coastal area where we wanted to go, but that Tamarindo was the largest town. To me, it seemed that a lot of the infrastructure in Tamarindo was built around tourism. The main road in the town was paved within the past few years and there are at least two large buildings going up with a "mall-like" atmosphere. Many of the stores were souvenir shops and the restaurants, but it did still have the feel of an "unknown" place. 

The beach was wide and really picturesque. It looked like a great beach for running, with nice packed sand. Locals rode their bikes along the beach with their dogs following close behind. There were several dogs, most with owners, some without, but all very sweet and only a little curious.

The Langosta Beach Club, where we stayed, was a best pick in my opinion. The rooms were large and comfortable and the beach club really made the trip relaxing. The pool was beautiful, with some shaded areas and some sunny, and hammocks and chairs on the beach. And the beach club menu was really good. It was nice to come back to a relaxing pool/beach area, lay in the sun or shade and read a book after running around and exploring during the mornings and afternoons.

We got some adventuring into that week, including a deep sea fishing expedition, a drive to other towns and beaches along the coast, a local rodeo, a great pizza in an unexpected place and even the dreaded tourist trap, all of which I'll tell you about in posts to follow. All in all, it was a great family trip.

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