Tamarindo
Tamarindo was the highlight of our trip. If ever I was to live in Costa Rica, this would be the spot. It permeates slow living and is the epitome of surf culture.
Where to eat:
Green Papaya Taco Bar
Hands down, our favorite place we ate at was "Green Papaya Taco Bar." It is vegetarian and vegan friendly. Their menu is fresh and offers good variety. One of the cool things about this place, is that you get to sway on a swing while you munch on your food.
Pico Bistro
Pico Bistro is a coffee shop. It is a great spot to get a cup of coffee and check the surf, or just enjoy the being on the beach. The aesthetic of the place is clean and modern. This is a great place to work on your book, write a blog post, or edit some photos, and when you notice the surf getting nice, take off and hit the ocean.
What to do:
Horseback riding
Take a break from surfing and spend the day riding a horse through jungle and on a beach. I will never forget my experience of riding horses in Costa Rica. We booked our tickets and found ourselves in the back of someone's personal vehicle. The driver did not speak English and we were not sure if we were being kidnapped or if there was a major misunderstanding. After some time the driver finally pulled off into a random driveway and dropped us off at someone's private residence. Once again, nobody spoke English, and by using some basic hand gestures and some poor Spanish, I was able to deduce that there were in fact horses there. We were assigned our horses and promptly set out upon our journey. Our trek took us through rainforest and eventually ended with us trotting down the beach during sunset.
Chilling on the beaches
There is Playa Tamarindo itself, and it is a wonderful beach to chill at, but there are other beaches in the surrounding area that are worth you attention. One of our favorite beaches during our whole vacation was Playa Flamingo. We basically had this beach all to ourselves. It was bright and beautiful and a great place to relax and read a book. Pack a lunch and enjoy the morning or afternoon here.
Travel Tip: Travel to Costa Rica in the off season. You do not have to worry about overcrowding and can get the pick of the liter wherever you go. We stayed at great places and the airline tickets were cheaper in the off season.
Surfing
Never surfed in your life? No worries, you can learn here. There are some great surf shops here, where you can learn from expert surfers. Within in a couple of hours you will be popping up with ease. We choose to rent our boards and get lessons from "Iguana Surf" as it was the cheapest option at the time.
If you do not surf while you are in Tamarindo, then you are missing the whole point of being here. For someone who has only surfed a couple of times, I was able to find something that suited my skill level. If you come to Tamarindo, then surfing is a must.
Where we stayed:
Bed & Breakfast - The White Sails Tamarindo
We loved this place so much that we elected to spend 1/2 a day just chilling here. It is owned by a lovely French couple who escaped the hustle and bustle of Paris for a better life in Costa Rica. The husband previously owned a successful restaurant in Paris, but now he uses his talents to treat his guests to a breakfast every morning. We were greeted every morning by this couple and they were more than welcome to share their knowledge of the surrounding area, and give us ideas of what we should do. I would highly recommend if you come to Tamarindo that you make your stay here.
