Tamarindo Travel Guide

  Blue Dolphin Catamarans - Happy Girls...
by Kaspian
 
  • Blue Dolphin Catamarans - Happy Girls (2009)
      Blue Dolphin Catamarans - Happy Girls...
    by Kaspian
  • Tamarindo Beach
      Tamarindo Beach
    by Canadian_Traveler
  •   Tamarindo
    by jenn_d
  •   Tamarindo
    by Excaper
  •   Things to Do
    by CaptainDan
 

Pro

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  World class surfing, good nightlife 


Con

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  Not the "inexpensive "destination that it once was 


In a nutshell

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  In years to come, I already know I'll miss the way it is now. 

 

Explore Tamarindo

Things to Do  

Getting Lost

Getting Lost, Tamarindo

 FreddyGoldman Says:  My friend and I were going to meet here. But be careful because I guess there are two places with the same name. He finally found me after a long journey. We swam in the fas-fluorescents and slept in hammocks it was awesome! 

Estuary Tour, Kayak, and Surf

Estuary Tour, Kayak, and Surf, Tamarindo

 kristinacolt Says:  There is a great little island just a kayak ride away from Playa Tamarindo. You can easily see it from the beach and it is a great little workout and you get some sun. Once you get to the island you can snorkel or explore...or even lay out. There are loads of conch shells... 

Iguana Surf: Shop and School

Iguana Surf:  Shop and School, Tamarindo

 Kaspian Says:  After only a 15-minute lesson on the beach, the instructor from Iguana Surf has me up on the board in the water and riding my first ever wave all the way to shore. "Wow," I think to myself, "surfing is so easy!" That was the first wave. ...By the third, my arms feel like... 

Blue Dolphin Catamarans: Sunset and Snorkel Sail

Blue Dolphin Catamarans:  Sunset and Snorkel Sail, Tamarindo

 Kaspian Says:  "There it is, underneath us!" I look down into the clear blue water and see the white underside of giant tail fin, almost half the size of our boat, slowly rotating. The whale surfaces right in front of us and blows water into the air. Everyone on board cheers.Minutes later,... 

Surf Lessons & Surfboard Rentals

Surf Lessons & Surfboard Rentals, Tamarindo

 Strategic_Dolphin Says:  My point is not just the exelent service in here this guys went far from that, it makes me feel like a friend, tons of tips about whatever you can imagine, this guys love what they are doing.My kids and wife went on a surf lesson i personally rent a board (high quality... 

Truly friendly place in Tamarindo

Truly friendly place in Tamarindo, Tamarindo

 Strategic_Dolphin Says:  The thing is when you are traveling you dont know anybody and nobody knows you, and to arrive by yourself to a place, then meet people than actually you can trust or feel like truly they are telling you friendly advices is great. That happened to me when i walk into Costa... 

Tamarindo not worth visiting

Tamarindo not worth visiting, Tamarindo

 costaricakid Says:  The truth is, that despite all of the clever marketing and pretty pictures, we do not reccommend travelingto Tamarindo, Playa Coco, or Guanacaste for that matter. What the travel reps and sales people for these regions won't tell you is that there is a severe problem there... 

Hotels  

Hotel Capitan Suizo

 4 Reviews and 250 Opinions  Having stayed at the Peace Lodge at La Paz Waterfall Gardens, I considered Capitan Suizo in... 

Witch's Rock Surf Camp

 1 Review and 140 Opinions  Awesome accomadations and excellent surf instruction. The place has about 10 rooms, all a/c (a must)... 

Restaurants  

Restaurant Las Brasas: The best Steakhouse and Pasta in Tamarindo

Restaurant Las Brasas: The best Steakhouse and Pasta in Tamarindo, Tamarindo

 tulumix70 Says:  I spend the Christmas with my family in Tamarindo and we descovered a new restaurant Las Brasas, it's a rustic style whit wood-grill in a natural enviroments.They have a lot of cut of meat and chiken, the chef is Italian and his Pasta is fantastic.We hate here some... 

Restaurant Laguna del Cocodrilo: Best Food in Tamarindo!

Restaurant Laguna del Cocodrilo: Best Food in Tamarindo!, Tamarindo

 Canadian_Traveler Says:  This restaurant is located in the Laguna del Cocodrilo hotel. The setting is in an open air garden lit mostly by candles. It's incredibly romantic but the music makes it fairly lively as well. The real treat here though, is the food. You will not be disappointed.My husband... 

Panaderia de Paris (at Hotel Laguna del Cocodrilo): Fresh Baked Goodies!

Panaderia de Paris (at Hotel Laguna del Cocodrilo): Fresh Baked Goodies!, Tamarindo

 Canadian_Traveler Says:  A simple, little French bakery on the main street in Tamarindo with fabulous chocolate croissants and various other fresh baked goods (crescent rolls, breads, cookies, pastries)that will make you believe you're in a Parisian Bakery. The chocolate croissants are delicious!... 

Nubbana Tamarindo Costa Rica: Disappointing

Nubbana  Tamarindo Costa Rica: Disappointing, Tamarindo

 garypersia Says:  We are in CR for a month, and the first time we went to Nibanna it was fine, I had the chicken marsella we went again last night and it was not good- one in our party had the steakand they loved it, I had the chicken marsella again and it was a deboned thigh, I think for the... 

Bruno aka Vita Bella: Not the best at all

Bruno aka Vita Bella: Not the best at all, Tamarindo

 jkamen Says:  We went to this restaurant our first night in Tamarindo. Although many people love this place, it is apparently for its pizza only.We asked the owner if we could share a shrimp appetizer and he said no problem. Well, two arrived. My wife did not like hers so we asked for a... 

Nightlife  

Yucca Bar at Hotel Pasatiempo: Local bands jam at Pasatiempo on Tuesday nights

Yucca Bar at Hotel Pasatiempo: Local bands jam at Pasatiempo on Tuesday nights, Tamarindo

 sean420 Says:  Tuesday nights the Yucca Bar at the Hotel Pasatiempo hosts an open mike night featurnig local bands that play mostly covers of everything from The Clash to Aretha Franklin, to Santana.You can expect several hundred people to be there with a good sized line of people waiting... 

Aqua Discoteche: girls and bottles in the middle of nowhere!

Aqua Discoteche: girls and bottles in the middle of nowhere!, Tamarindo

 Moose49 Says:  there are plenty of bars in tamarindo and i think we went to every one. But the only i would say is Jersey style was the only club there called Aqua. They gave us bottles for only $125.we got on the stripper poles and have videos to prove it. The local girls get up on the... 

Transportation  

Xplore Costa Rica Tours & Transportation

Xplore Costa Rica Tours & Transportation, Tamarindo

 TOTravelNut Says:  We just got back from a wonderful 2 weeks in Tamarindo. We used the services of Denise & Paul with Xplore Costa Rica and we can't say enough good about them. They helped us from before our arrival with immediate email response; the airport pickup and tours (Palo Verde - ATV... 

Shopping  

Secret Spot Surf Shop: Beach clothes shopping and getting a surf lesson

Secret Spot Surf Shop: Beach clothes shopping and getting a surf lesson, Tamarindo

 kaceek Says:  I took a surf lesson from Secret Spot Surf Division and was really pleased not only with my lesson (I can surf now!!!), but with the content inside the shop. It wasn't just a "Surf Shop" with boards you can rent and such, but a really cool clothing and accessory store. They... 

Cooper Mays Pottery: Durable, Usable Pottery in Costa Rica

Cooper Mays Pottery: Durable, Usable Pottery in Costa Rica, Tamarindo

 coopermays Says:  Visit the studio and gallery of porcelain potter, Martha Cooper Mays.Located on Playa Junquillal, next to Hotel Iguanazul, producing functional tableware and home decorating items. All are made on the potter's wheel, each is unique, "one of a kind" and all related in... 

Warnings Or Dangers  

RIP TIDES!!!

RIP TIDES!!!, Tamarindo

 jenn_d Says:  Sure..it looks peaceful from the surface but novice swimmers should proceed with caution. According to locals, the safest area for swimming is in front of Capitan Suizo. While we there, a young Aussie tourist had gone missing in the surf. He ws still missing when we... 

What to Pack  

Bring your Sunscreen/Bugspray/Aloe...

Bring your Sunscreen/Bugspray/Aloe..., Tamarindo

 NCGabrielle Says:  it's pretty expensive here... bring an umbrella during the rainy season and ALWAYS bring a flashlight... its good to have at night for the roads... so you dont step in potholes... and during the rainy season so you dont step into a RIVER hahah... depending on how nice your... 

Favorites  

Dental Emergency

Dental Emergency, Tamarindo

 floragv Says:  I was learning how to surf in Tamarindo....... and of course I fell ( like most of the time) I hit the board with my face and I broke my front tooth, this was on a saturday afternoon, my local friend Carlos took me bleeding an d crying to a cople of dental clinics, but they... 

 
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The Place

Plan a Tamarindo vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Tamarindo locals

Experience Tamarindo
  •   161 Tips and Reviews
  •  220 Photos
  •  4 Videos
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The People

11 Members Live Here
 
Our Members Say
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 This is the only close white sand beach around. The white sand is thousands of tiny broken up sea shells which makes the water look so light blue! Its a very... 

11 members live in Tamarindo

 

Questions and Answers

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Q:  Hello, my boyfriend and I are flying into Liberia from Houston, and staying in Tamarindo at the end of June. We are wondering if... 

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A: Thank you so much for the info:) I'll look into that definitely 

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Top Tamarindo Writers

1

Life Changing

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 I think I was most struck with how rural this country was. Most of my travels have been to urban places and as we drove the 4 hours between Tamarindo from San Jose I kept wondering when I would see...... 

2

playa Tamarindo y playa Grande

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 Playa Tamarindo is a touristic place, even if it's also the destination of the local tourism but definitely it's crowded around Christmas time and its restaurants and shops are the typical touristic... 

3

Pura Vida en Costa Rica

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 I'm not sure about the rest of the world but in the US people always talk so good about Costa Rica like its a definate must see destination. They say its a great place to vacation and a great time to... 

4

Surf & Sun in Tamarindo

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 Most days in Tamarindo we were surfing as the sun was beginning to set. What a fabulous way to spend the afternoon / early evening. We spent four lovely days in Tamarindo and would have liked to... 

5

Tamarindo is BABYLON

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 Tamarino has changed a LOT in the past year. Lots of construction and new buildings – mostly 5-6 story condominiums, a pizza hut, subway sandwiches, TCBY yogurt and a Burger King! We saw a billboard... 

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