Nicoya Travel Guide

Tamarindo Beach is the most popular, vibrant beach resort in northwest Guanacaste, on Costa Rica's sunny North Pacific coast and one of the country's best-known surf and seaside towns. Its golden, wide beach stretches for kilometers with warm water and moderate, steady waves, set in the country's driest, sunniest region (clear dry-season skies almost every day), making Tamarindo ideal for beach holidays, surfing, sunbathing and sunsets. Once a quiet fishing village, it is now a well-equipped, international town—hotels, restaurants, bars, surf shops, souvenir stores and agencies line the beach and streets, lively and convenient. By day, people surf, swim and paddleboard, sunbathe and stroll; at dusk, Tamarindo's west-facing beach is perfect for Pacific sunsets as the sky and sea turn gold and red; by night, restaurants and bars bring lively beach nightlife. With golden sand, good waves, bright sun and a festive mood, Tamarindo is a vibrant Pacific beach getaway.

Playa Tambor sits at the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula on Bahía de Cóbano, with gentle waves and calm water ideal for families and sunset watching. Resorts and a small marina surround the beach.