Tamarindo Travel Forum

Hello! My wife and I are planning a trip to Tamarindo from Dec. 28th to Jan. 6th. I have a few questions for you all.
1. We are looking for a quiet place to stay. We don't mind crowds, but I have heard that Tamarindo gets pretty "wild" during the holidays. Is this true, or is it an exaggeration? What can it be compared to?
2. Is Playa Grande a better choice, or are there quiet "areas" of Tamarindo where you can escape the crowds?
3. We are looking for something under $100 that is simple but quiet (gardens..etc.)Any suggestions?
Thank you for your help.
Kenny

You´re going to have some trouble finding accomodations in Tamarindo for those dates if you don´t already have them. I was just scowering the place the other day for some clients and found none. I´m not sure what I would compare Tamarindo to, but just to give you an idea of the size, there is only one paved road. There will definaitely be a lot of people there though. Before New Years, you´re going to be very hard pressed to find anything that takes reservations for under $100.

Playa Grande is definitely the better choice. Check hotel Las Tortugas, The Ripjack Inn, or Hotel Bula Bula. All good choices. Check the websites - paradise found

Thanks for the advice...Yes, it looks like it will be hard to find accommodations anywhere at this time of the year. Playa Grande seems like a good option after listening to various opinions. We are also now thinking of skipping Tamarindo and going to Manuel Antonio as it seems to have more of what we are looking for. I understand that it is a bit expensive compared to other places, but it appears to be more laid-back than Tamarindo and its close proximity to the national park is a plus. If you have any opinions about Manuel Antonio, I would like to hear them. Thanks again!

Manuel Antonio Park is nice - we went there last year. I was not very impressed with Quepos which is the town nearby. Neither was I very impressed with Jaco which is another tourist spot. I have just finished booking my rooms with Hotel Las Tortugas (http://www.cool.co.cr/usr/turtles) - Carrie the booking agent is wonderful! And I can tell you that they do still have a few rooms available - you get a discount by booking by email. That hotel is in Playa Grande and is absolutely authentic Tican. Another place I highly recommend is The Sunset Reef ($80/per night)in Mal Pais. This hotel is right next to Cabo Blanco - another nature reserve. We went fishing just off of the beach in a little 15 foot john boat and caught tuna and dolphin which our WONDERFUL chef cooked for us at the hotel. The resteraunt is top notch, the staff treat you as family, the pool/grounds are secluded and well landscaped. My husband and I stumbled across it last year and ended up staying for 3 days. We didn't want to leave but the volcano was a must see so we left. The rooms are nice - hot water and a/c and they have a surf camp in the hotel if you want lessons. They can also arrange any type of tour you would like to do. We drove over to Montezuma and checked out the waterfalls. It's a sleepy town and everyone was friendly - Lots of children around and everyone smiling. It's just as Juan Carlos told us while we were there....."no worries". There are so many places to go there - I am going to be scouting property while I am there. But check out those two hotels Las Tortugas in Playa Grande and The Sunset Reef in Mal Pais. The sunsets are amazing in both places, you can just lay in one of the many hammocks on the beach and watch it go down. AMAZING!

Thanks again so much for the extra information. I hope it also helps others looking for info about this area on the forum. It sounds like you know Costa Rica fairly well! My wife and I finally decided to go to Manuel Antonio. We will go up to Arenal first and stay a few nights around the volcano. I was able to find rooms in both places after getting a lot of "we are full" replies...so I am extremely excited to be going! And, we can see both the coastline and the volcano! I guess Playa Grande will have to wait....Hope you have a good time in Costa Rica! I will post a message on the forum when I get back about my stay there...Thanks again!
Kenny

HI there!
My husband an I visited Tamarindo at the exact same time of year two years ago. :) Your requirements sound the same as ours did too. I can highly recommend La Laguna Del Cocodrilo (check out my Tamarindo pages) for both accomodations and food.

Good luck and have a great vacation!
Vicky