Sámara

Samara beach

Sámara is a place we could return to and spend more time. The beach is good for walking and there are some places with umbrellas and sun loungers to rent. And if we got bored – which we didn’t this time – there are distractions nearby.

Montezuma

view from balcony

This was our second visit to Montezuma and our first time staying in the village. It seemed noisier and trashier than last time. That could be down to staying in town rather than up in the hills. And we definitely didn’t miss the steep hill.

Playa Grande

Playa Grande sunset with surfer

Playa Grande was another beach we wanted to try out. We found it a little limited to support a longer stay but we enjoyed the 4 nights we spent there. The beach is great for walking though there’s no shade. It is fun watching the surfers.

Santa Elena

green toucanet

This was our second visit to Santa Elena, and while it wasn’t as surprising and exciting as it was the first time, we enjoyed our return visit. The cloud forest is like nowhere else we’ve been.

Arenal

Eco Termales hot springs

Arenal is high on many lists of must-visit spots in Costa Rica. This was our third trip to Costa Rica and our first time here. We enjoyed the hot springs and the van-boat-van trip to Monteverde. And it looks like there are lots of things to do here, if you’re into that.

Cahuita

painted bench and art

I said I would feel like I was on vacation when we were walking to the village down a dusty dirt road along the beach and that’s exactly like it happened. Cahuita is pretty close to our ideal beach location in this hemisphere. We think we could spend a couple of weeks here.