Tamarindo Costa Rica

Here, you can find a Costa Rican selling coconuts for drinking in front of a restaurant serving French Cuisine or a clothing store specializing in pieces from Brazil. Although Spanish is the official language, a typical day in Tamarindo would not be complete without hearing at least two or three other languages. For a town of its size, Tamarindo’s only rival with regards to number of excellent restaurants must be San Jose, the nation’s capital.

Another unique feature of Tamarindo is its location on the bay. Few locations can have moorings and surfable waves within a kilometer of each other. Tamarindo is located on the southern end of Tamarindo Bay and is separated from Playa Grande by the river mouth (estero/estuary). On the northern side of the bay, Parque Nacional Marino Las Baulas begins. On the southern side of Tamarindo Bay, Punta San Francisco juts out into the Pacific. Just south of the point, Playa Langosta begins and runs all the way into the Hacienda Pinilla property. Both Playa Tamarindo and Playa Langosta are excellent beaches for watching brilliant sunsets of the Pacific. They are particularly gorgeous when the clouds of rainy season are drifting out to sea, and the sun reflects between the ocean the clouds.

Whereas Tamarindo is generally a beach better suited for swimming and beginner’s surfing, Langosta boasts bigger waves and a rockier coastline. It is also generally less crowded. More advanced surfers often come to Langosta for its larger waves and degree of challenge. One huge attraction is the warm water here. The water is also quite clear during dry season.

Langosta is a much more residential neighborhood with many homes in the 7-figure range, but you will find all kinds of services in the commercial heart of Tamarindo, located on the roads between the gymnasium to the east, the circle to the south, and the ferreteria (hardware store) to the north. In recent years the town has grown up a great deal, and now many banks, law offices, and construction firms can be found. Tamarindo has become the center of development in the area.

Another major draw for Tamarindo is the fact that it has something for everyone. When families come, they can spend a day at the beach together or try out activities such as surfing, deep sea fishing, snorkeling, scuba diving, 4x4 tours, horseback riding, canopy tours/ziplines, kayaking, national park tours and more activities are becoming available all the time. Then at night, you can enjoy a sophisticated seafood dinner or go gambling at one of the two casinos or dancing at one of the many night spots around town. There are also such modern conveniences as video rentals and internet cafes for those who need access to media.

All of this is only a short drive to Daniel Oduber International Airport, on the road to Liberia. Direct flights arrive daily from the United States and it also receives direct flights from Canada. Carriers include Delta, Continental and United Airlines and many more to be found on our links page. Tamarindo is also very convenient to the rest of the country as the local airport is just outside the town, and has multiple daily flights to San Jose and Liberia, from whence anywhere else in the country can be reached. Rental cars and tour operators are also easy to find in town.

Tamarindo and Langosta have many great restaurants.  Cala Moresca at Cala Luna Hotel has a great breakfast as well as affordable lunch options, a favorite of local business people.  The main restaurant has an extensive dinner menu, and the sushi bar also opens in the evening.  In Tamarindo, Nogui's and Gill's are favorites for breakfast.  Nogui's has a nice view of the water.  Olga's has the best coffee in town.  Dragonfly is a great choice for high quality fusion choices and prices that are more affordable than other restaurants.  Laguna del Cocodrillo, Jardin del Eden, Capitan Suizo are other great choices for dinner.  For something more basic, Pizzeria La Baula has great pizza dough and a very cool restaurant. Taco Stop, and Frutas Tropicales deliver to your door.

Hotels of note are Cala Luna in Langosta, and Capitan Suizo and Jardin del Eden in Tamarindo. You can also rent some gorgeous condominiums in Langosta including Horizontes del Mar and the Courtyard Villas through our Costa Rica vacation rentals section.

You can also find the best shopping in the area in Tamarindo including the new stores at Tamarindo Heights, with the largest supermarket in the area, Auto Mercado.  Optica Vision provies eye glasses and brand name sun glasses. Atocha provides high quality home furnishings.

Banks in Tamarindo include Banco Nacional, BAC San Jose, HSBC, Banco de Costa Rica, and Scotia Bank is now open in Tamarindo Heights.

For all of these reasons, more and more people are visiting or making Tamarindo their part-time or full-time home. The town only becomes more international everyday. Please contact us immediately if you are interesting in spending more time in paradise.