Guanacaste, Costa Rica, or the “gold coast” earned its nickname due to the plethora of beautiful beaches in the province. You can spend days exploring the coast, finding gorgeous beaches that you can have all to yourself!
Yeison and I love living in Guanacaste for this exact reason. We’ve had a blast discovering hidden gems only the locals know. So in this article we’re going to share some of our favorites and the best beaches in Guanacaste.
Best Beaches in Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Map
Click here to go to a map of all the beaches in this article.
The More Popular Beaches
Who doesn’t love a white sand beach? Though Costa Rica doesn’t have as many as people think, there are still a handful of spectacular white sand beaches. The two of the best beaches in Guanacaste with white sand are Playa Conchal and Playa Flamingo. Because of the white sand and clear waters, they are also two of the most popular beaches.
Conchal Beach
Conchal beach was made famous for one unique characteristic – it had shells instead of sand. Nowadays, there aren’t as many shells since many people took them home as souvenirs, but when you grab a handful of the sand you can still see bits and pieces of sparkling shells.
There are two entrances to Conchal: through the all-inclusive Westin Conchal or Playa Brasilito, the adjacent beach with the public entrance.
This beach is one of the most beautiful and is certainly one of the best beaches in Guanacaste so don’t pass up an opportunity to visit.
Flamingo Beach
Flamingo beach is another white sand beach, not too far from Conchal. This beach has more of a town than Conchal so it is more touristic, catering to visitors looking for a luxury vacation. You’ll see plenty of high end condos, upscale restaurants and luxury resorts such as the Margaritaville.
These are the two main white sand beaches in Guanacaste but there are actually several secret beaches with white sand. This is why you have to explore when you’re in Costa Rica, nothing is what it seems like on the surface! The best way to find them is to rent a car, learn some Costa Rican Spanish and ask locals!
Surfing
Costa Rica is known world wide for excellent surfing so don’t miss these spots if you’re here to catch a wave or two!
Playa Tamarindo
Tamarindo is the go-to beach for beginners and mid level surfers. Come for a lesson or book a surf vacation. Schools and shops line the streets with surfers filling up the beach in hopes of catching the perfect wave.
There are always waves at Tamarindo and it has a long break, perfect for beginners.
Playa Grande
Playa Grande is another beloved surfing beach and for those who want to hit the waves from sun up to sun down, Grande is a great place to go. Has gorgeous sunsets and is less crowded than Tamarindo.
Since it is part of a national park, visitors aren’t permitted on the beach after sunset but you can spend all day, every day surfing.
Playa Avellanas
Surf lovers can’t miss Avellanas. With waves up to 18 feet, both intermediates and pros can happily surf at Avellanas. There’s a reason why it’s nickname is “Little Hawaii!”
As it’s fairly close to Tamarindo, visitors can have a complete surfing vacation between the two beaches. Some surf camps start you off with lessons at Tamarindo for a week and then take you on your last day to Avellanas.
Family Friendly
Playas del Coco
Playas del Coco is usually the beach town that locals flock to for the holidays and weekends and it’s because this beach is very family friendly. There’s a park where families can have a picnic, kids can lay down, run around, have a copo and play in the sand. There is also a children’s playground with swings and monkey bars.
Waves are usually gentle enough for kids to swim and the beach is long enough so that no matter how crowded it gets, you’ll always be able to find a spot for your family.
Playa Panama
Panama is a favorite among families due to its extremely soft waves. Babies, toddlers and little ones will love splashing around in the calm waters and the adults can enjoy a swim or have a drink on the beach.
Sunsets here are stunning and since Playa Panama doesn’t have a town (the closest is Playas del Coco), it is much quieter and less populated than its bustling neighbor.
There are plenty of trees and shady spots to lay down to have a intimate family beach day. You can even stay at the two resorts on the beach, El Mangroove Hotel and the all-inclusive Casa Conde.
Samara
Samara is a popular beach town in southern Guanacaste. It has great beginner surfing waves, beautiful coastal views and a nice family friendly atmosphere.
Lesser Known Beaches
We’ve written a post about 5 beaches in Guanacaste you’ve never heard of but here are a couple more.
Playa Mina
Playa Mina is one of our favorite secret beaches near Tamarindo. It has soft white sand, crystal clear waters and lots of trees for shade.
Waves can get a big strong so just keep an eye out if you want to swim, especially in rainy season. We also recommend a high car if you visit during rainy season since the road is unpaved with lots of pot holes and mud. In dry season, it is passable with a normal car going slow and carefully.
Las Catalinas (Playa Prieta, Sugar Beach, Danta and Dantita)
This area has some amazing beaches that aren’t as well known as the Gulf of Papagayo beaches. You can do all the same activities like swimming, snorkeling, kayaking and sailing with way less people!
Las Catalinas is a small developing community so there isn’t much there. Casa Chameleon Las Catalinas is a gorgeous adult only resort with ocean views on the hill or you can find a vacation rental nearby.
Playa Cabuyal
Gorgeous Playa Cabuyal is on the road to the Four Seasons with whiteish sand and bright blue waters. There are picnic benches, a playground and bathrooms so this would also be another great family friendly beach. It’s one of the best beaches in Guanacaste for those who don’t want to be around crowds.
Just make sure to bring your own food and water and keep an eye out for the mantas that like to frolic close to shore!
Playa Ostional
Ostional beach makes the list of best beaches in Guanacaste, Costa Rica because of the nesting turtles. It is one of two beaches in Costa Rica where arribadas (mass gathering of turtles) occur. During an arribada, you can see thousands of turtles on the beach!
Sunsets here at spectacular and you can witness a natural phenomenon only found in 7 places in the world. Ostional is definitely one of the most incredible places in Costa Rica!
Playa Real
Playa Real is in the Bahia de los Piratas and is also a turtle nesting beach. It has white sand, calm waters and is absolutely beautiful. You need a 4wd to get there, which makes it even more an adventure.
Great day trip from Tamarindo or Conchal!
Need more beach wanderlust? Check out our post on the best beaches in Costa Rica and our favorite white sand beaches!
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Paul says
Do you know if there is a way to access Playa Celeste? It looks amazing.
Sammi says
There isn’t a beach called Playa Celeste in this post, do you mean Playa Conchal?
Crystal Allstot says
Hi! Thank you so much for all of the helpful information! How is the drive to Las Catalinas, if we were to rent a private residence?
Sammi says
If you’re coming from Liberia Airport, it is on a paved road but I would check with your host to see how the road is to your private residence since there are many small unpaved roads stemming from Las Catalinas.
Rashmi says
Thank you so much for wealth of information.
I am planning to visit costa rica with my family – kids -5 & 8 yrs old. We are staying at JW marriot, flying at Liberia. can we do day trips to Arenal, Monteverde and Baldi Hot springs? I do not want to change my hotel. Should I rent a car or uber?
Thanks
Sammi says
I would recommend to book day tours through the JW Marriott as those destinatinos are far from the hotel (4 hours one way) so it’s best to go with a guide on a day trip.
Andrew Brod says
Guanacaste, a province in northwestern Costa Rica bordering the Pacific, is known for its beaches and biodiverse parkland. And your blog is very informative and helpful thank you for sharing.
Daisy Milton says
Thanks for information
Nancy says
Does anyone ever find sea glass on any of the beaches? Haven’t seen any pictures or posts with this topic. Heading to CR in January and love to walk the beaches looking for treasures from the sea.
Sammi says
Hi Nancy, Costa Rica doesn’t have much sea glass on the beaches but they actually do not encourage or want people to remove anything from the beaches since it is disturbing nature (and so many people have taken shells from their beaches that some beaches are empty of shells). You will see signs for that everywhere to encourage people not to take anything.
luci says
thankyou so much for writing this, im guanacasteca and your informative comment is so important, 10 years ago the beaches were so much more beautiful when people didn’t take so much of the shells. I always tell tourist when i see them take.
Skippy says
Nice write up and pix! These are only a fraction of all the wonderful beaches in Guanacaste (there are about 60 or so more). Suggest organizing them so that you can get a better sense of where they are in relation to each other. Also would be nice to highlight which ones are “blue flag” rated (i.e., the cleanest).
Sammi says
Thanks for the suggestions, I do need to go through and add some more info to this post since there are a lot more beaches we’ve visited since I wrote it a few years ago!
Alexandria Monge says
Hello,
My family and are planning to go to CR this upcoming March for kids spring break, so we don’t have to many days. The last part of our trip is Manuel antonio and Guanacaste. Where do you recommend we spend more days?
Thank you and also your site is has really great info. Sharing with others.
Sammi says
Manuel Antonio and Guanacaste (depending on where in Guanacaste you’re staying as Guanacaste is the province) are quite far apart but if that is your plan, you can find a place along the way like Jaco.
Sammi says
Hi Jeff, you can check out this post for best things to do in Guanacaste here: Things to do in Guanacaste
The best snorkeling in that are is actually up in Gulf of Papagayo, Tamarindo doesn’t have very good snorkeling. For rainy season, it is best to wait and you can book tours once you are in the country but August is not too bad – rainy season in Guanacaste is usually sunny mornings and rainy afternoons. Thanks for reading our blog!
Jeff Simspon says
Thank you for sharing your blogs and suggestions. My wife, two daughters (23 and 25) and future son-in-law are staying in south Playa Tamarindo for 8 nights in early August. We enjoy snorkeling. I assume we can rent snorkeling equipment locally for several days at a time. We will have a 4WD SUV. What are the best snorkeling spots in reasonable driving distance where we can snorkel from the shore? We would also enjoy a snorkeling boat tour, a trip into the jungle for animal sites as well as zip-lining, horse back riding, (mild) white water tubing or rafting and anything else you can recommend! As we are in the ‘rainy’ season, we are reluctant to reserve any adventures as this may depend on the weather conditions. Are we able to obtain any special rates via your connections? I have heard we may be able to negotiate rates given this is the low season for visitors. Any additional info and details on the above is greatly appreciated! Keeps the blogs comming.
Joanna Ruckenstein says
Hi!
I’m going to Costa Rica next week, will be travelling alone, and want to meet people, eat well but not expensive, and go out a few nights and dance, listen to music, see a bonfire on the beach. I’m planning to fly into Liberia, maybe stay one night at Playa Hermosa Guanacaste or Monteverde, and then head to Nosara/Samara. Any recommendations on where there’s more nightlife, good music vibes?
Thanks!
Sammi says
I would actually stay in Coco instead of Hermosa, there is no downtown in Hermosa and all the nightlife is in Coco. Samara has a fun scene too as well, if you want more of a party town, Tamarindo has a better nightlife.
Haydee Gomez says
Great article, thanks for sharing.
Sammi says
Thanks for reading!
Tracy says
Planning a trip in June with our teenage son and we are looking at Playa Potrero. What are your thoughts on this beach / town? Thanks!
Sammi says
Hi Tracy, Potrero is a great little beach! It doesn’t have white sand but it’s a very laidback beach and close to Brasilito and Flamingo. It’s a nice quiet beach in that area since you have the popular Flamingo and Conchal beaches nearby.
Jill says
Hi, thanks for a great article! I’m trying to find a beach front apartment or Homestay in a less touristy area but still within a town with transport links and restaurants. What do you think the best area would be for this? Thank you in advance.
yeison says
Hi Jill thanks for reading our blog, you could take a look on any of the many FB groups people always post places to rent on different areas of Guanacaste https://www.facebook.com/groups/447618411923621 or https://www.facebook.com/groups/391902260966966
Mary says
Staying at playa samara for five nights at the end of our trip. Is there a bus to get to the airport in Liberia? Would you suggest spending the last few nights at another beach closer to the airport? We do not have a car
yeison says
There a shuttles from Samara to the airport and it might take around 2 hours to get there, also you can take public transportation but I it might take 3 or 4 hours. If you can get a hotel room or an Airbnb close to the airport it will be better.
Sammi says
Hi Lisa, there is a guy who has a parking lot right at the border of Penas Blancas, we’ve left our car there for 3 days before. You can read more about it here:Crossing the Costa Rica Nicaragua border guide
Lisa Petzke says
How safe is it to leave a rental car at the border of CR and Nicaragua?….we are spending 5 days in Tamarindo and 5 days in SJDS…….
yeison says
Hello Brian! Thank you for reading our blog
Brian says
Sammi! So much great info here! We will be staying in Roma Del Mar the first week of June. Any recommendations for this area? Beaches, day trips from this area,, or really just anything you can suggest…Brian
Big Mike says
Hi Guys! Thanks for the great website very helpful! in 3 weeks, Apr 2-9, maybe we will run into you! Do you know if any of the beaches have sea glass??? Thanks, Big Mike
Sammi says
Hi Mike thank you! Sea glass isn’t very common here, you can find sea shells on some beaches but they highly discourage taking them as they want to preserve the beaches, better to take memories 🙂
Ben says
This selection of beachesare missing great ones like Guiones , Pelada, Montezuma,. I would suggest bypassing tamarindo and Del Coco unless you just want to be overly surrounded by gringo influenced BS.
Sammi says
Thanks for your opinion Ben! To each their own 🙂
Sandra Guthrie says
We really liked Playa Carillo as well. Very unspoiled and quiet.
Sammi says
I’ve heard it is very nice!
Sammi says
From the Riu, I highly suggest going boating around the Gulf. That way you can visit several different beaches and see different parts of The Papagayo Gulf. You can read about why you should go boating here: Boating in Playas del Coco
If you don’t go boating, you’ll have to drive to the other beaches. Riu is close to Playa Ocotal/Playas del Coco, it’s also near Playa Danta/Dantita or you can head the other direction and go to Playa Conchal/Flamingo for white sand beaches.
You can read about the best beaches in Guanacaste here which you can all visit either by boat or car from the RIU: Best beaches in Guanacaste.
Amanda V says
I wish I had seen this before I booked my CR trip! My boyfriend and I are staying at the Riu in Matapalo in about 2 weeks!! Your site has been so helpful 🙂 What is the best beach to visit from the Riu??
Sammi says
Do you mean Playa Hermosa in Guanacaste? (There are like 10 Playa hermosas in CR). Here is our guide to that beach: Playa Hermosa
If you want to dive, go to either Playas del Coco or Playa Matapalo. Coco has several diving shops: Rich Coast, Deep Blue and Summer Salt. Rocket Frog Divers is at Playa Ocotal and ScubaCaribe is at the RIU at Playa Matapalo. I’ve heard Rich Coast is one of the best (PADI) but it is a bit more expensive. We didn’t dive with ScubaCaribe, we went with them for snuba but we loved the company. Heard great things about their diving too!
Kristi Miller says
Any info for Playa Hermosa?
We really want to dive – any recommendations for the best beach for diving?
Stef says
They all look stunning but from the photos I think I have to go to Playa Grande and Playa de Coco. I will definitely have to do much more research before I will visit CR in August and your blog will be the most helpful source I will use. Thanks for your great work and for sharing that.
Sammi says
You’re welcome Stef! They are all really great beaches 🙂