Playas Del Coco, Costa Rica: Best Beach Town in Gulf of Papagayo

Playas del Coco in Costa Rica is one of the more popular beach towns in the country for both locals and tourists. Additionally, Playas del Coco is a popular place for Canadian, American and European expatriates, immigrants and retirees as it offers a relaxed and easy living style with highly agreeable weather year round.

In this guide you’ll read about the beach, the town, where to stay, where to eat, what to do and more to help plan your visit.

Location

Playas del Coco is located on the North Pacific side of Costa Rica in Guanacaste which is the northwestern province of the country bordering Nicaragua.

Map of Playas del Coco

playas del coco Map — Click here to go to our interactive map

Playas del Coco is 243 kilometers (151 miles) and a 4.5 hour drive from San Jose. Playas del Coco is 27 kilometers (17 miles) and a 30 minute drive from Liberia International Airport.

How to get to Playas del Coco

The closest airport to Playas del Coco is the Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport.

By bus: The Pulmitan de Liberia (public bus) runs from Liberia to Coco from 5 AM to 7 PM every hour costing 550 colones one way (~$1 USD). You will need to walk onto the Highway 21 to flag down this bus as it doesn’t normally pass by the airport.

By shuttle: You can book a convenient private shuttle which costs around $50 USD for 1-4 people.

By taxis: Around $40-55 USD, make sure to take the official taxis from the taxi stand. I know people who have been charged $65 USD for this short drive which is way too much!

By car: Many people rent a car and pick it up once they land at Liberia Airport. The drive to Coco from the airport is very easy and straight forward and it’s only about 25 minutes. If you’re planning on renting a car, take advantage of our Costa Rica car rental discount.

Uber: Uber is in Guanacaste and in the Liberia area but there aren’t that many. I have also heard that the police are keeping an eye out for Uber (as it’s *technically* not legal) so don’t count on Uber.

From San Jose

If you’re coming from San Jose, it’s about a 4-5 hour drive. The cheapest transportation method is to take the bus, which costs around $8 USD per person and takes around 6 hours. Read our complete guide to taking the bus from San Jose to Coco.

You can also take a local flight to Liberia airport and then shuttle/bus/taxi/drive to Playas del Coco.

At San Jose International Airport, there are tons of Ubers and Didis but not Liberia Airport. In Playas del Coco, we haven’t seen an Uber yet.

Playas del Coco Beach and Town

The dark sand beach of Playas del Coco lies within the Gulf of Papagayo and stretches 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from point to point.

Coco beach isn’t a surfing beach, but it is an excellent fishing spot. Swimming and bathing are perfectly suitable for Coco waters but the waters are not very clear for snorkeling. On some days when there is a swell, waves are perfect for skim boarding. On those days, you’ll see lots of local kids skim boarding and having fun.

We personally don’t really like swimming at this beach but a lot of locals do as the waves are generally very calm.

Sunsets at Coco beach are amazing and when we lived there, we would walk out to watch them almost every day.

Three islands can be seen from shore where many divers go to swim with sharks, octopus, turtles and stingrays. Many hills and cliffs surround the horseshoe shaped beach and it is a beautiful view to see with green mountains and hills and striking blue water.

The Town

Coco town is very small with one main boulevard (Route 151) going all the way to the public park and beach. There are many bars, restaurants and shops in downtown. The small neighborhoods are right outside the center of town.

See what the town looks like in the video below!

Playas del Coco Weather

Playas del Coco experiences the typical tropical seasons: dry and rainy. However, it does have a longer dry season (December – April) than the rest of Costa Rica due to its location and surrounding mountains.

Temperatures consistently stay at 85 – 100 F (32-38 C) during dry season. If you visit during this time of year, it looks like a yellow desert because it becomes very dry and arid. March and April are the hottest months and we have seen our thermometer at 38 C (100.4 F) everyday for weeks in March!

As for rainy season, which is May – November, Playas del Coco doesn’t start raining constantly until around August. October is the peak rainy month. During rainy season, a typical day is cloudy and dry in the morning with off and on showers in late afternoon and nights. As soon as this area gets a few hard rains, the mountains turn very green.

May is considered a transition month so it may be super cloudy but not rain much at all. June may rain a bit more in the afternoons and nights but still with cloudy mornings. In July, it dries up for a few weeks and feels like summer so July has great weather.

By end of August or so, there will be more afternoon and night rains. It is not typical for Coco to rain all day, it is usually off and on showers in the late afternoons and nights.

Rain in Playas del Coco

Here’s a short clip of rain in Playas del Coco during May. This is a very good representation of tropical rainy season days. It rained very hard like this for about 20 minutes. When it stopped raining, the clouds cleared up and it became very sunny and humid.

Something else to know about Playas del Coco is that due to the dryness, shorter rainy season and surrounding resorts, Coco constantly experiences water shortages and droughts.

Local People

The people from Playas del Coco are very friendly. They are very proud to be Gunacastecos and they call themselves “coqueños” (from Coco). The locals love to hangout at the beach to skateboard, swim, and play basketball or futbol. Many of them are descendants from Nicaragua as the Guanacaste province used to be part of Nicaragua.

Normally on the weekends you can see families enjoying the sun, having lunch on the beach, or walking with their kids. Most of the locals work in the tourism or fishing industry.

Playas del Coco Restaurants

You can find a small mix of local and international restaurants in Coco. Here are our favorite places.

Los Pelones – fried chicken only now.
Soda La Teresita – local food, beachfront, reasonable prices.
Villa Italia – Italian, decent prices, excellent pasta.
La Caveja – Italian, pizza is pretty good. On the way to Playa Ocotal.
Cafe de Playa– International, beachfront, more expensive.
Pistio Gourmet: Upcale Italian. One of the best!
Claudio y Gloria – International, seafood, fine dining, beachfront . More expensive.
Che Sirloin – meat, barbecue but has vegetarian options too.
Le Coq – Lebanese, wraps, hummus, falafel. One of our favorites. In downtown across from Coconutz. Very reasonable prices.
Hot Wok Coco: Reasonable fast Chinese food and sushi options.
Best Burger: in Plaza Costa Mar. Yummy burgers, big portions.
Chorotacos – fresh burritos, bowls, tacos and wraps. Reasonable prices. At the entrance of the Las Palmas neighborhood.
Johann Bistro – coffee, sandwiches, Costa Rican food, sushi, a bit of everything. Reasonable prices and close to the beach near the park.
Fifties: Frozen yogurt
Toucanoos – a little of everything! In the same plaza as Chorotacos at the entrance of the Las Palmas neighborhood
Heladeria Italiana 0039 – Amazing gelato. Cash only. In downtown near Coco Beach Hotel
Zi Lounge, Bambu Bar, El Ancla, Bambu Beach Bar and Coconutz are bars with excellent happy hour and typical bar food. Coconutz has great craft beer!

Playas del Coco Hotels

Coco doesn’t have a ton of hotels but there are some nice reasonably priced options.

Toro Blanco: a modest hotel one minute walk to the park,beach and town. Mid range, comes with an equipped kitchenette, swim up bar and nice pool with pretty lights. We paid $90 USD a night for 3 adults in September. No breakfast included when we stayed though.
Hotel Colono: This hotel opened early 2017 and is right in downtown, has more modern furnishings. 15 minute walk to the beach.
Hotel Puerta del Sol: another mid range option close to the beach, newly remodeled with a pool. 5 minute walk to the beach.
Hotel Chantel: Small boutique hotel with 12 rooms located up in the hills. Has ocean views and a rooftop seafood restaurant. Rooms start at $90 USD. Apartments range from $100-200 USD
Laura’s House Bed and breakfast. Small B&B, two minute walk to the beach and five to town.
Hotel M&M Beach House: They are right on the beach and has a hostel atmosphere but rooms don’t have AC.
Villa Buena Onda: boutique adult only resort up in the mountains. Offers all-inclusive options.

All Inclusive Resorts

If you’re looking for a resort or all inclusive, there is the all-inclusive Hotel Riu Guanacaste which is about a 30 minute drive from Playas del Coco.

There are a few more resorts on the Papagayo coast, all about a 20-30 minute drive from Playas del Coco such as Four Seasons, Secrets (all inclusive), Planet Hollywood (all inclusive), Occidental Papagayo (all inclusive) and Andaz.

Vacation Rentals

If you’re looking for other options besides hotels, Airbnb has quite a few listings for a really great price. Vacation rentals are very popular in Playas del Coco. Most are owned by foreigners who rent them out as extra income or when they are not in Costa Rica.

There are a couple popular neighborhoods for these vacation rentals such as Las Palmas (not gated, 2 minute walk to the beach, standard prices, typical 1-2 bedrooms apartment in a 10-12 unit community) and Pacifico (luxury, 2-3 floors, gated, 20 minute walk to the beach).

Here is a review of one of the more local Airbnbs in Coco.

Things to do in Coco Beach

There are a ton of fun things to do in Playas del Coco. Thanks to its excellent location on the coast, there is a plethora of ocean and land activities to enjoy for day trips.

Scuba diving

Playas del Coco is one of the best spots in Costa Rica for scuba diving since you’re close to several excellent islands like Monkey Head, Bat Islands and Catalinas Islands. There are many scuba diving shops in town such as Rich Coast Diving, Deep Blue Diving and Summer Salt.

Surfing

Although you can’t surf at Coco beach, you can take a 45 minute boat ride to Witch’s Rock in Santa Rosa National Park, one of Costa Rica’s premiere surf spots. This is for intermediate and expert surfers. If you are a beginner or first timer, it is best to go to Tamarindo beach for lessons.

Fishing

Since Coco is a fishing village, the fishing is one of the best in Costa Rica. You can go in shore or off shore fishing to catch red snapper, mahi mahi, sailfish and more.

Other Activities

Other activities to do in Playas del Coco are kayaking, sunset sailing, watching the sunset on the beach, happy hour and hanging out at the local park. There are also snorkeling tours and sunset sailing tours like Kuna Vela and Marlin del Rey.

Day Trips

When tourists come to Coco, they usually enjoy the beach/town for a day and the rest of the time, go on tours.

Coco’s location makes it an excellent home base to explore national parks like Rincon de la Vieja, learning about Costa Rican culture and seeing wildlife at Hacienda El Viejo (get 7% off), ziplining at Diamante Eco adventure Park (Mytanfeet reader’s get 10% OFF) or hiking the blue Rio Celeste river.

Find out what the best day trips from Coco are here.

Our favorite activity – beach hopping and snorkeling in Gulf of Papagayo

Our favorite activity? Boating around the Gulf of Papagayo. This is the best way to experience all the wonders of this part of Costa Rica such as hidden white sand beaches, caves, amazing snorkel spots and marine wildlife.

We always go with our local friend who owns a boating company and takes us on private tours. Best way to see all the beautiful beaches and coastlines, see marine life and go snorkeling!

Sample Itineraries

As we lived in Coco for 3 years, we’ve had many friends and family visit us. Here are some ideas of itineraries.

4 days (car not necessary)

Day 1: land at Liberia Airport, rest, watch sunset on beach, have dinner at Zi Lounge.
Day 2: Full day beach hop, snorkel and fishing in Gulf of Papagayo. Do a 10 AM to 6 PM tour to see the sunset from the boat.
Day 3: Rest, sleep in, do some shopping, walk around town. Food recommendations: El Coq, Best Burgers, Soda Teresita or Papagayo Seafood.
Day 4: 1 day adventure tour at Hacienda Guachipelin for ziplining, horseback riding, hot springs, mud baths and white water tubing. Or Diamante Eco Adventure Park for ziplining, animal sanctuary and cultural experience.

1 week: using Coco as a homebase and renting a car. Lots of adventure!

Day 1: Land at airport, rest, etc.
Day 2: Full day beach hop, snorkel and fishing. Rest, shower, get dinner at one of the bars in town.
Day 3: Rio Celeste hike. This is also a full day activity.
Day 4: Diamante ziplining. Go in the morning for best weather. Relax and rest the rest of the afternoon.
Day 5: Visit Tamarindo beach town. 1 hour and 15 minute drive one way. Take a surf lesson if timing works out.
Day 6: Rest, shop.
Day 7: Fly out

Coco Beach Nightlife

Even though Coco may look like a small quiet town during the day, it all changes at night. The biggest bars are El Ancla, Bambu, Coconutz and Zi Lounge. Coconutz is a sports bar with multiple TV’s everywhere and they always have some big game on. Zi Lounge has live music on the weekends and is a more chill atmosphere.

All the bars are open with counter seating along the perimeter so you can have a drink, eat, and people watch to your heart’s content. Coconutz is a sports bar that always plays all sorts of games and matches and they have great craft beer (Angry Goatz).

During weekends and holidays, music blasts from all the bars and there’s always a party going on. Sometimes they’ll have live music and you can dance the night away. If you’re in Coco during New Years, you’ll get to experience one of the biggest parties in Costa Rica!

The nightlife in Coco is limited to the main street as it is where the majority of the restaurants and bars are. There is a small park called Parque Amor de Temporada with a nice boardwalk where one can sit and watch the sunset, listen to live music or people watch. You can also enjoy a nice fresh coconut water or a shaved ice treat.

Health

Playas del Coco has a public clinic run by the government called Ebais that anyone can go to. There is also a private clinic in town called Coco Medical Center.

The Coco Medical Center offers COVID testing for tourists. The test costs ~$150 USD per test and results are within 72 hours. Their Whatsapp number to make appointments is 506 8705 3260.

You can also get a COVID test in Playas del Coco with LABIN Logistics. They offer house calls, email labinlogisticsnorth@gmail.com. Results in 24-48 hours. Email them your flight information, name, passport information and your location.

Shopping

Shopping in Playas del Coco is not bad but it’s not great. There are several small souvenir shops and clothing stores.

Souvenir shops line the main street of Coco and near the entrance of the beach and boast a huge stock of handmade wood-carved sculptures, jewelry, handbags, clothes, hammocks, and a plethora of trinkets.

Costa Rica souvenir stores — Souvenir stores in town

You can find traditional coffee makers and clothing, Pura Vida signs and all sorts of animal statues. Though the souvenir shops have lots of items, I prefer Sussy Souvenirs which is near the park at the main entrance of the beach. There is also a nice store in the plaza across from Auto Mercado. It’s next to the Citron restaurant and they sell cute jewelry, home furnishings and things like that.

You can also check out Perla’s Beach Fashion for clothes. For surf and skate, Arenas is right next to Auto Mercado.

Living in Playas del Coco

Costa Rica is known for its laid back living style and that is certainly proven in Playas del Coco. Living at the beach, one has to have an easy going attitude about life and leave the stress behind. This is what many people are looking for when searching for their new home in Costa Rica and they find it in Coco.

View of Coco beach — Living in Playas del Coco

These are just some reasons why so many people move to Playas del Coco as a retiree as it is perfect for someone looking for a relaxed and slower pace of life. It’s an attractive place to get away from the cold or for someone who needs to leave their stresses of life behind.

We lived there for 4 years and have many family and friends who are still there. Although we don’t live there anymore, we enjoyed our time in Coco and love visiting!

Playas Del Coco, Costa Rica: The Small Fishing Village in Gulf of Papagayo

Location