Ever considered a Costa Rica road trip? Read on to learn more about the fourth day of our eight day road trip across the Northern part of the country. Did you miss Day 3? Catch up here!
We spend our third night back on the Pacific coast in Tamarindo. Our stay at the Best Western Villas in town was quite nice, and well worth the $50USD. The hotel includes a full Costa Rican style breakfast and a swim up bar. The room even includes a free drink with your stay, which we consume after a morning at the beach. This fourth day of our Costa Rica road trip is a little less busy for a change.
Soaking in Tamarindo
We scheduled the fourth day of our Costa Rica road trip to be more of a relaxing day, given how packed our first couple days were. After breakfast at the hotel, we make our way down to the beach, directly across the street. The beach isn’t terrible busy, but we walk south about 1km to an area that is slightly less occupied. As we make our way along the beach, we are approached by several coconut and souvenir vendors who continue on their way once we politely decline them. There are also many activities offered along the beach, should you be interested. Horse back riding, couples massages and surf lessons are among the more popular options.
We continue along and find the ‘perfect’ spot to set up and CHILL. Our location is in full sun and we blow up our inflatable loungers to sit on and soak up some rays. Looking out to the ocean, the beach is quite long here and stays shallow for many meters. It is a great beach to wade out on. The beach is also known for the surf that can rise here. There are a few folks out playing in the small surf that is breaking today. After a couple of hours on the beach, soaking it all in, we head back to the hotel for a pool side beverage before heading up to Playa Conchal.
Snorkeling on the Pacific Coast
There is the option to set up day trips out to local snorkel spots by boat, but we are quite content to scope out the spots that are accessible by beach. The next beach up the coast is about a 30 minute drive from Tamarindo and is said to have good beach access snorkeling. Google maps describes this spot as a ‘picturesque, palm fringed sandy beach’ . Because there is no direct access to it, there are some logistics associated with accessing it.
Firstly, we park our car along the main drag in Brasilito and grab a quick bite for lunch. We split the mahi mahi entrée which came with rice, beans and plantains. Along with two cups of coffee, all for $9USD. The perfect pre-snorkel snack.
Mahi mahi is locally referred to as ‘dorado’.
As with most regions of Costa Rica, there are plenty of eco-tourism activities in the Tamarindo area.
Discovering Playa Conchal
We make our way down to the beach and walk South along Brasilito Beach toward Playa Conchal. You can go the sketchy, rocky, ocean side route (like we did), or the semi-paved, safer route to the left (we take that on the way back). As we round the rocky corner, at the north end of Playa Conchal, we notice a small pool with snorkelers in it. Success! We drop our bags and gear up to enter the water.
Caution: there are rip tides near at Playa Conchal
This small pool has the usual assortment of small tropical fish and the visibility is OK during our visit. There are several folks interested in the snorkeling here, which would explain why it was recommended to us. Unfortunately, if you’re an avid snorkeler, this spot is quite limited in space and overall species variety. Also unfortunate, Kat had another run in with a sea urchin here, this time taking three spines to her right big toe (previously her right thumb).
We had originally discussed continuing north along the coast to explore the Gulf of Papagayo, but ultimately settled on making our way back, inland. We bask on the beach for a short moment (did we mention the sun is HOT here?!) and return to the car to make our 1.5 hour drive to Liberia.
Onto the Next Town…
Though rainy, the 1.5 hour drive into town ends quite beautifully as Rincon Volcano creeps into the background. We arrive in Liberia just before sunset.
This town has a little more hustle and bustle to it, and is a little more commercialized than the other towns we’ve visited. It is also home to Costa Rica’s second largest airport, and so tends to be the Northern hub. We make our way through the city; we are staying at Hotel Javy on the north side of Liberia. As we pull up to the gate for the hotel, we aren’t quite sure what to make of all the tall walls and security fences. The staff is kind and ensure us that walking around after dark (as a couple) is nothing to be concerned about.
As we settle into our room and take in the sunset from our balcony, one of the staff brings us a plate of fresh cut fruit and we begin to discuss our dinner plans. Our hostess recommends Restaurante La Casa de Cala (her favourite spot in town). So we decide to take her up on her suggestions. The restaurant is about a 20 minute walk from the hotel and lucky for us, the rain has passed.
Venturing Around Liberia
After a short walk into town, we arrive at the restaurant to find we have the courtyard (mostly) to ourselves. this is likely due to the pending rain in the forecast. We take our seats and begin to peruse the menu. The waiter enlightens us to the evening’s specials and we are sold. And boy, we do not regret our decisions one bit! Kat ordered the parmesan chicken and eggplant dish, and Phil the mahi mahi with coconut cream sauce dish. We also order their horchata and pineapple basil smoothies, and capped the meal off with a flan for dessert. WOW! This was honestly the best meal we had in Costa Rica! The staff here is wonderful, the layout is charming and the food is incredibly delicious! If you find yourself in Liberia, we highly recommend grubbing up at Restaurante La Casa de Cala.
After dinner, we stroll back to the hotel, taking in the local architecture and culture. Once we return, the goal is to work on the urchin spines Kat has in her right big toe, and get some rest for the day to come.
Tomorrow we’re off to Rincon de la Vieja National Park to chase waterfalls and wildlife. Next up, Day 5 of our Costa Rica road trip.
Do you make an effort to indulge in local dishes when you are traveling? Do you have a favourite international dish?
Great post, you make me want to visit especially Leberia for the great food at La casa .
Always happy to inspire Debbie! If we can’t convince you to get there and see it for yourself, we are glad to help you travel there spiritually, if only for a second!
Ahhh….I got a bit relaxed looking at your amazing pix! Must have been a great trip!
Thank you Patricia, happy to share the vibes!! We really had a great time and hope to go back!
When I was little I had a friend from Costa Rica and I thought it was so cool. I’ve never been but it looks beautiful!
That’s so awesome Emily! DO you still keep in touch? Maybe you could go visit and catch up! Really hope you get a chance to check it out!
I liked reading this. I have always wanted to go to Costa Rica but people that have been there recommend waiting until my daughters are older (newborn and 4 years old). Do you experience the same? Or is it a plane you’d go to with such small children?
Great question Elsa! There is a lot of family friendly things these to do and we did see some small children around. We imagine it would be more enjoyable once they get a little older, but it depends on how you prefer to travel with them. There are a lot of ‘freebies’ that come with small children. It’s worth weighing out the pros and cons 😉
I would never have considered a road trip in a tropical place, but this sounds like so much fun! Maybe one day I’ll get to do it for myself.
It is definitely a unique way to explore the tropics Stephanie! Of course, it depends on your budget. The bus system there is also widely used and recommended.
A really interesting read. Haven’t been to this part of the world yet – certainly on my list to do so. Thank you for sharing your experiences.
Definitely worth checking out if you find yourself in the western hemisphere Georgina! Bet you’ve seen many great things in your travels thus far. Happy travels!
I’ve heard so many amazing things about Costa Rica being such a perfect destination for vaccinations! Hope I’ll make it there one day.
Enjoy your trip!
We think you meant vacations Cristina (not vaccinations) but that is a good point to raise! There are no required vaccination prior to traveling here (outside of the usual DTaP suite). Thanks for bringing that up 😉
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