Tamarindo(oooooo)
Tamarindo is as stereotypical surfer town as it gets. Chill dudes and radical chicks roam through dirt roads and post up at taco joints all around town. Located on Costa Rica's rugged, dry and arid Western coast, Tamarindo was our go-to choice in Costa Rica because it is the place to be if you want to have some wild nights out, followed by doing nothing but nothing the next day. Here's how you can thrive the same way we did.
Where we stayed: Casa Catalina
This pool made it quite difficult to get up and leave every day-it's not hard to see why.
If you are lucky enough to snag this property off VRBO, then do it. It's $500 a night, and sleeps 8 people easy. You do the math. Huge, vaulted ceilings, a stunning infinity edge pool, beautiful traditional Costa Rican details, an outdoor bed, and modern amenities make this house a dream come true. Plus, its location is pretty solid. An easy 10 minute walk down to the beach, but granted a seriously difficult 20 minute walk back up.
The house has some bugs, but its Costa Rica, so there is only so much you can do. Only one pan was somewhat odd and frustrating while trying to cook. And the faucet is so high tech that we did not figure out it was a hands-free faucet until the second to last day we were there.
Overall, this is the best place to stay in Tamarindo (trust me, I did research on this for about 4 months straight).
Don't worry, the house was returned in perfect condition I promise
Where to eat tacos while swinging around: Green Papaya
Located in the back of the small town, this establishment is somewhat westernized but pretty cool nonetheless with swings as chairs to go along with awesome food. Everything here is made in house, and you really can taste that, which I always appreciate. We ended up coming here 3 times in our week in Tamarindo, so that should tell you a lot about how good the food and the service is. They serve unlimited chips and salsa, and they're really good. Don't be deterred by this restaurant's location, as it is somewhat set back, away from the beach and on a local street, as this spot is not to be missed.
Where to splurge for a night on some seriously good sushi: Bamboo Sushi Club
On Tamarindo's main road, the Bamboo Sushi Club has sushi that is surprisingly close in quality to what you find in Los Angeles. The restaurant itself is super cute, set inside a courtyard which is accessed via a small hallway, with beautiful landscaping and lighting. The service was fine, but we had to pay individually at a desk which I found odd for a restaurant of that quality. Sure, there is something slightly odd about having a luxurious meal of raw fish in a town like Tamarindo, but sometimes, we just can't help ourselves. And when your taste buds are craving something other than tacos, Bamboo is the place to go.
Where to eat on the beach: Honestly, it doesn't matter, they're all the same
The main beach is lined with dozens of restaurants and bars, and our group ended up stopping by at many of them during our time here. None of these places are necessarily cheap, but the food is consistently solid no matter where you go. And while sitting on the sand, watching the surfers go by and the sun slowly fall down below the horizon, I had this euphoric smile, knowing that the only thing in the world I had to worry about was whether or not I would finish my third Pacifico Beer. So don't worry about specifically which restaurant, just find one that suits your fancy and enjoy.
Where to go when you're itching for touristy adventure: Diamente Adventure Park
The one time we decided to go out and do something fun and adventurous was when we went to the Diamente Adventure Park. Let me just start by saying, it's touristy as hell. It's as white-washed of a place as you can possibly imagine, so prepare yourself for that. Prices aren't cheap either, as one would expect from a super touristy place like this. There are three tour options here: the cheapest, the middle, and the most expensive. I forget the names and I'm too lazy to google it. Sue me. What I do remember is that the most expensive option is the most worth it in my mind. We went down to the zoo and checked out the animals first. Seeing the sloth was definitely the highlight of this part of the tour. Afterwards, we got into the back of a truck and went to the top of the mountain, where we went down the longest zipline in all of Costa Rica. Now, this isn't the type of zipline you typically hear about in Costa Rica. You're not flying through trees, skimming the canopy, and slapping tropical foliage. Instead, you're going from peak to peak, flying over a desert, with beautiful views out over the ocean. It's still beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but it isn't what most people think of when they hear about zip lining in Costa Rica. After flying super-man style down the longest zipline in the country, you go through six more ziplines until you get back down to the zoo. Make sure you follow their exact instructions before you launch through the sky, because otherwise you'll find yourself stuck in the middle of the line, pulling yourself to the end. I can't really blame them though, as it was a windy day. Once the ziplines were over, we had access to the Diamente Beach, where we grabbed a couple kayaks and went around the bay (all included in the price of the expensive ticket). The Diamente Beach is on the same beach as the Riu hotels, so after our "tour" ended, we just hopped over to the Riu, purchased a couple day passes for $50, and used those 2 day passes to get all 8 of us nice and drunk by the time we decided to leave (I was designated driver, don't worry). All in all, it was about an 8 hour day to get from Tamarindo to Diamente, see the animals, fly through the sky, kayak around the bay, and get drunk at a 5 star hotel.
Where to party: Sharky's, Crazy Monkey, Pacifico
Tamarindo PARTIES. I knew going into this trip that it was one of two party towns in Costa Rica, the other being Jaco (which is apparently trashier), but I did not quite expect to party the way I did. Every night, a different bar owns the scene. Tuesday's belongs to Sharky's where you can participate in Karaoke night. Saturday's belong to Pacifico, and Friday's are Crazy Monkey. Crazy Monkey is bizarre because what they've done in designing the place is completely separate the locals and the tourists. There is a DJ bumping American songs on the outdoor dance floor on one side of the bar, and on the other, Spanish music serenades under a rooftop. It was a little bizarre to see how juxtaposed our cultures are, and the explicit split at this bar made that even more apparent. Pacifico is your standard, beachfront club that had a GREAT combination of Spanish and American music (on the same dance floor). So no matter where you decide to go out, make sure you talk to some locals or experienced tourists during the day and get the inside scoop of which club will be the place to be for that specific night. And when you're done partying, heading out to the beach and getting a nice skinny dip session in is one of those experiences that you will surely never forget.
General thoughts:
If you have the strange desire like I did to go to Costa Rica for spring break, Tamarindo really is the place to go. I thoroughly enjoyed the lazy beach days and crazy party nights. Casa Catalina was an incredible home, so huge shoutout to those guys, and renting a car is crucial (just don't do it at the airport, they suck). Diamente was fun, but would I do it again? Absolutely not. The key to Diamente is that you can get the typical Costa Rican adventure without leaving the western coast of the country. Otherwise, it's a several hour drive to areas such as Arenal and Monteverde that are famous worldwide for their jungles. Next time, next time. Next place up on the travel list is Fiji, so get ready for that!
It's a good life