Costa Rica Travel Forum

We want to spend our last 2 days at a beach- clean, beautiful, and relaxing. It could have activities or not, but it has to be easy to arrive at from Monteverde. Manuel Antonio seems like too much of a drive from Monteverde.

Please help me. Thanks!

You may want to check Playa Grande. I am not sure how easy the drive is from Monte Verde, but the beaches on the Pacific coast are the closest ones to Monte Verde (still about a 4 hours drive). On our next trip to CR (later this year), we are thinking to go to Monteverde for 3 nights and then head to Playa Grande for another 3 nights.

What is the best way to get to Playa Grande from Monteverde? Is Manuel Antonio indeed too far from Monteverde to warrant only 1.5 days...?

Montezuma is easy via public transport. If you leave early all your connections will line up and you will be on the beach mid afternoon.

One thing to consider, the northern Pacific beaches are about 3 1/2-4 hrs from Monteverde (depending on which one you go to, some are even further) but they are more like 5-6 hrs back to San Jose. Manuel Antonio would be the same amount of driving (5-6 hrs from Monteverde to MA and 3 hrs to SJO). Either way you are going to have some long hours in the car unless you are flying into and out of Liberia. You will need to decide where you want those hours. If you are flying in and out of Liberia then by all means do go to the Northern Pacific beaches. Playa Coco, Play Hermosa are good places. Playa Flamingo is a very pretty beach.

Keep in mind that all driving times can only be approximate. There are lots of factors that can change them such as current road conditions. Most people are very surprised at how long it actually takes to get places in that country because it looks so small.

To get to Montezuma or Tambor you are looking at about 2 hrs to Puntarenas, an hour wait most likely unless you arrive just before sailing and get lucky and the ferry isn't crowded (which it can be). You should try to get there early. Then you have about a 1 1/2 hr ferry ride and then you have about another hour to Montezuma. That whole trip length will be repeated on your way back to SJO.