Potrero Beach, Guanacaste

Potrero Beach, in the canton of Santa Cruz Guanacaste, is a beach of dark sand and little surf, located just north of the Marinas de Flamingo.

It is one of the first beaches to be developed for tourism in the area, and has a real community of residents, most of whom work for the hotels, rental houses and villas in the area.

Pleasant family vacations

Due to its low surf, long sandy beach, Potrero is a favorite destination for those looking for a place with restaurants, bars, various types of hotels and other lodging options, as well as a wide variety of beach and ocean activities, including paddle boarding, boogey boards, boat tours, sailing catamarans and yachts.

Other beaches nearby

To the south is Playa Flamingo, famous for its beautiful white sand beach, as well as rock pinnacles at both ends, ideal for snorkeling.

To the north, there is Playa Penca, Prieta, Pan de Azúcar and Playa Danta, four equally beautiful white sand beaches. This in case you have transportation and want to visit the neighboring beaches.

How to get to Potrero Beach

Potrero is on the north side of the canton of Santa Cruz. The easiest way to get there is to drive from Libera or Nicoya to the Belen crossroads. Once there, you must enter towards the Ostes, and continue to the community of Huacas. Once in Huacas, follow the road to the Flamingo marina, and a few meters before, there is a junction to the right that leads directly to Potrero.

Hacienda Pinilla, Guanacaste

Hacienda Pinilla is a large beach community of luxury villas and vacation rentals situated on the ocean, south of Tamarindo Bay.

It is one of the most regarded beach community, with abundant green areas, wide open spaces, community services and privacy.

Beaches at Pinilla

Pinilla basically has two beaches for the enjoyment of the owners and visitors, Playa Mansita, which is a smaller beach with lots of rocky pinnacles, and Playa Avellanas Beach, a fantastic and very long beautiful white sand beaches that is world famous for surfing.

Community services and facilities

There are several services on site at Pinilla, including:

Community security, Golf, Wedding and Event venues, and a large and fantastic Club House, situated right on the beach, which offers an ocean view and beachfront restaurant and bar and large pool.

Vacation rentals at Pinilla

Pinilla offers a large number of luxury vacation rentals and villas, the vast majority in  Spanish Colonial architecture, blending in perfectly into the tropical dry forests that is the local vegetation in Guanacaste.

Pinilla is definitely perfect for clients looking for options other than hotels, especially in case of groups of friends, families with children or even couples that simply wish to have accommodation options that provide the independence and privacy a hotel could not offer.

Activities

There are many things to do while staying at Pinilla, from local activities such as playing Golf, walking through the vast grounds and watch nature and birds, snorkeling in one of the many rocky pinnacles located on the beach, surfing, surfing lessos, horseback riding and more options.

In case you wish to see even more activities, just a short drive from Pinilla is Tamarindo, a super popular beach community, which again, offers even more tours and activities, such as canopy tours, volcano trips and even guided tours to national parks.

Sailing is another popular activity, and chartering a private sailboat or catamaran is definitely one of the activities we recommend the most, especially in order to finish an unforgettable beach vacations in Guanacaste.

Papagayo Peninsula, Guanacaste

Papagayo Peninsula, located in the Canton of Carrillo-Liberia, is a small hilly peninsula located north of Culebra Bay.

Currently, Papagayo is home to a number of super luxury hotels and luxury ocean view homes (vacation rentals and luxury villas).

It is currently the most expensive beach destination in Costa Rica, with famous chains such as Four Seasons, Andaz, Pexs, Exclusive Resorts. The Mangroove, Planet Hollywood and others. Read more about the Gulf of Papagayo.

Scenic Beauty

The beauty of Papagayo is its large cover of dry tropical forests as well as its dramatic, intricate and shifting coastline. As a result, there are some of the most beautiful beaches in the area, including Virador, Navazcolito, Playa Huevos as well as the two beautiful Huevos Islands.

Culebra Bay

Culebra Bay, the bay that extends south of Papagayo, is also a fascinating ecosystem. Due to the geography, there is an almost total absence of waves in the area. And it can be said that it is practically a Tropical Fjord.

For this reason, it is also an ideal place to practice marine activities such as stand up paddle, windsurfing, snorkeling and diving.

Papagayo Marina

The Papagayo Marina is one of the largest marinas in Guanacaste, and has numerous slips, where several luxury yachts, boats, sailboats and catamarans are parked.

How to get to Peninsula de Papagaste

To get to Peninsula de Papagayo, the easiest way is by land, either from the Liberia airport or from San Jose.

To reach the end of the peninsula, it takes approximately 45 minutes from Liberia, with a road service in perfect condition.

Ocotal Beach, Guanacaste

Playa Ocotal is located south of Playas del Coco, and is a small beach of black sand, and many rock formations, especially on its south and north side. The rest of the beach is sandy, and ideal for swimming.

Until recently it was a relatively unspoiled beach, however, in the 1990s, hotels and spectacular beach houses (vacation rentals and luxury villas) began to be built, most of which are located on top of the hills, offering a breathtaking view of the sea.

Due to the absence of large waves, it is ideal for a relaxing vacation, where you can enjoy long swimming sessions, relax on the sand, or sunbathe.

Snorkeling, as well as paddle boarding, are two of the favorite activities, for the same reason. Especially during high tide is when the snorkeling is best, and colorful coral fish can be seen in the rock formations.

During low tide, natural pools are formed, which also offer snorkeling possibilities, especially for children.

For recreational options, such as bars, restaurants and supermarkets, it is advisable to make the short trip to Playas del Coco, where there are plenty of beachfront restaurants, bars and all the basic services, such as banks, clinics, stores and options to buy communication cards, such as sim cards and other items.

El Coco is famous for being a real fishing village, and was formed many years ago, so, also from a cultural perspective, it can be interesting a short visit, either during the day or during the evening hours, to perhaps enjoy a dinner in a typical restaurant, from seafood to other menus.

Las Catalinas, Guanacaste

Las Catalinas is located on Playa Danta Beach, in northern Guanacaste.

This amazing coastal resort village, offer the visitor a unique experience, one of beautiful architecture, beachfront location and first-class service.

The unique  design of Las Catalinas

Las Catalinas is a beautiful beachfront place with beach houses, shops, restaurants, small hotels and inns, pedestrian streets, plazas, parks, and recreational areas.

Based on  the principles of the New Urbanism movement—environmentally friendly design, walkable neighborhoods, intertwining private and public spaces—Las Catalinas offers a refreshing new scene for sustainable beach communities that are built to thrive and also, revolucionize the concept of what a luxury beach community should be.

The beach

Playa Danta is situated north of Potrero Beach, in the canton of Santa  Cruz. It is a smaller white sanded beach with magnificent natural surroundings and simply beautiful sand, calm waters, and great snorkeling opportunities.

Right behind the beach border is Las Catalinas, a small, intimate and newly built beach community, which offers several luxury rental homes, villas and vacation rentals.

This community offers local restaurants, bars, two hotels , and even shops and an ice cream parlor

Several ocean activities are also available, including the rental of paddle boards, snorkeling gear, booky boars and the rental of catamaran sailboats, monohull sailboats and luxury yachts.

How to get to Las Catalinas

Las Catalinas, and thereby Danta Beach, are located at the northernmost end of the Santa Cruz Canton beach extension. Situated past Potrero, Prieta, Pena and Sugar Beach, there is only one beach further north, which is Dantita.

You can reach the community by driving past the beach road of Potrero all the way north until you will automatically reach Las Catainas.

Hotels in the area

Two hotels, Santarena and Casa Chameleon, offer high end accommodation options. While Santarena is situated more on the beachside of the project, Casa Chameleon sits atop a hill with breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean.

Playa Hermosa Beach, Guanacaste

Playa Hermosa, in the canton of Carrillo, Guanacaste is one of the most popular beaches for beach vacations in the province.

One of the reasons is its proximity and good access (the roads are excellent) as well as its soft waves, gentle sea and its many lodging options.

Ideal vacation for families

Because of all these ideal conditions, Playa Hermosa is one of the favorite beaches for families, who are looking for a beach with conditions for swimming in the sea, snorkeling at both ends of the beach, where there are volcanic rock formations and good visibility, ideal for snorkeling and to see plenty of coral fish, sea urchins, starfish, eels, and many species of fish, in healthy and large populations.

Along the sandy beach, there are also restaurants, one of the best known being Acqua Sport, which is located right in front of the sea.

Hotels in Hermosa Beach

In Hermosa there are several lodging options, among them several beachfront hotels, such as La Gaviota Tropical, Playa Hermosa Bosque del Mar, El Velero, as well as other hotels located on top of the hills, such as Condovac and Villas Sol Playa Hermosa.

Rental Homes

As for rental houses and luxury villas, there are many of these lodging options as well. Most of them are located on top of the hills, offering the renter a breathtaking panoramic view, in the middle of hills still with plenty of dry tropical vegetation.

Tours in Playa Hermosa

On the beach there are also a lot of activities and tours available, among them sailing tours, catamaran tours, boat tours or luxury yachts, jet skies, paddle boards and many more.

 

Flamingo Beach, Guanacaste

The beautiful Flamingo beach, in the canton of Santa Cruz, Guanacaste, is one of the most beautiful beaches for beach vacations in the area.

It is known for its white sand, gentle sea (sometimes with a medium swell) as well as for its many rock formations, ideal sites for snorkeling.

One of the best snorkeling sites is at the southern end of the beach, and on a day with no swell, visibility can be surprisingly good.

It was one of the first beaches to be developed for real estate investors, including foreigners as well as locals.

Luxury ocean view homes are abundant along the beach, however, it is not yet an overdeveloped area, basically because behind the beach, and the line of coconut palms, there is an extensive evergreen mangrove swamp, which is protected by law.

In the northern part, where Flamingo meets Playa Potrero, there is an extensive marina, and a small peninsula with condominiums and luxury homes overlooking the sea.

At the tip of that small peninsula, there is a beautiful island, called Isla Plata, which is totally uninhabited and is an excellent snorkeling site as well.

Flamingo Marina

This marina is perhaps the best marina in the North Pacific and the entire Guanacaste region, and will have more and more lodging establishments, such as condos and hotels nearby.

It is also a site where many of the sailboats and yachts that offer private tours in the area are anchored, which can be rented for half or full days, some even for multi-day trips.

Tamarindo is one of the most popular beaches in the province of Guanacaste

Tamarindo is one of the most popular beach destinations in Guanacaste, actually, perhaps the most well known destination in the province among locals and foreigners alike.

It was first discovered as a tourism destination in the 70´s, when it was still a small and authentic fishermen community, with nothing more than a few homes distributed along the beach street.

In the 80´s, it grew with some cabins and smaller rustic hotels, which also made it possible for some smaller bars and restaurants to start.

Hotel Tamarindo Diria and Cabinas Pozo Azul were among the first accommodation options to be born.

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During the 90´s with the exponential growth of tourism, more and more hotels and cabins began, and by then, Tamarindo was already quite known among locals and also some foreigner tourists, including several travel agencies.

Today, Tamarindo has become something beyond a small beach community, it is nowadays actually a very busy and developed beach community, with dozens of bars, discos, hundreds of accommodation options, including some five star beach hotels like Tamarindo Diria, Capitan Suizo, El Jardin del Eden, 8 Artisan Bungalows, Cala Luna and many more.

The development has even reach Playa Langosta, the neighboring beach, which until the 90´s  was basically undeveloped.

Tamarindo Beach

One of the most appealing highlights in Tamarindo is definitely its long, sandy and clear beach, which offers great surfing, but is also ideal for bathing, swimming, boating and sailing.

During the low tide, one can also snorkel in the rocky pinnacles located towards the southern end of Tamarindo.

During the evenings, Tamarindo turns into a vibrant beach community, with several beach bars and colorful restaurants coming to life.

Las Baulas National Park

Besides its development, Tamarindo also offers nature. The entire community is surrounded by the Las Baulas National Marine Park, which is an important haven for Leatherback Sea turtles, but also many more species, such as birds, reptiles, monkeys, insects and fish.

The Park has been endangered by some developments that have illegally been developed, even within the national park boundaries, but this has been stopped.

The national park offers a big estuary and wetlands, which can be explored by boat. Tourists can also walk along the long sandy beach, crossing the estuary ( after the estuary north, the beach is actually called Playa Grande ) and walk for miles and miles along a secluded sandy beach.

Conchal is one of the most beautiful beaches in the province of Guanacaste

Conchal Beach, literally meaning ( a bunch of shells ), is one of the most beautiful and therefore known white sand beaches in Guanacaste.

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It is located in in the canton of Santa Cruz, and its name comes from the fact that in its middle section, its sand is actually not sand as we know in most beaches, but rather millions of small, rounded pieces of shells, hence its name.

This characteristic also makes it a beach where snorkeling can be extremely good, since even with some waves and currents, the smaller pieces of shell do not affect the water visibility.

It is also quite common to see spectacular turquoise and blue and emerald – green waters in Conchal, which, combined with the crystal-clear water, makes it a very solicited beach destination.

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Best spots in Conchal

The most amazing section of the beach is a little left of the Westin Conchal Hotel, until around 800 yards before reaching its southern end, near a small coastal village called Puerto Viejo de Conchal. That is where the most amazing sections of “ sand “ can be found.

Nature

Also, because of the two main hotel developments on the beach, W Hotel and Westin Conchal, the developers committed to conservation, and therefore, the vast majority of the beach is surrounded by tropical dry forests to the backside, which makes the beach even more appealing.

The main way of reaching the beach is either through its southern end, at the village called Puerto Viejo, or from Brasilito, in which case the car only gets to Brasilito Beach´s southern end. From there, you need to walk.

Of course, if you are a  guest at the W Hotel or Westin, you have direct access directly from the resorts.

Private sailing charters from Potrero, Guanacaste Costa Rica

Potrero Beach is a dark sand beach located between Las Catalinas and Flamingo, in Central Guanacaste. It is a great place to enjoy our sailing charters, since we can pick you up on the beach,

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If you are staying in Potrero Guanacaste, and want to go on an exciting adventure of sea, dolphins, whales, then our private catamaran tour is the best tour available. 4 hours or 8 hours of beautiful scenery, exciting encounters, relaxation under the Pacific Ocean sky and fun.

Our companies has several catamaran sailboats and sailboats anchored in Potrero Beach, Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

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Our sailing trips leave from the beach in Potrero, and clients can book a half day private charter, which can depart in the morning from 8 30 to 12 30, or in the afternoon, from 2 to 6 PM.

Our half day sailing charters from Potrero include open bar, food items, music system ( blue tooth ) and onboard service by our friendly and also experienced crew.

We also offer a private full day private sailing charter that leaves at 10 am and returns by 6 pm. The full day trip, besides the inclusions of the half day charters, also include a full lunch, which is served while anchored near or next to a secluded beaches to the north or south of Potrero.

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Explore the secluded Guanacaste !

During the tours, which combine great service and amenities with the exploration of secluded and pristine coastline. If you are lucky, during the whale watching seasons, you might also spot some humpback whales, which come to the warm waters during some months of the year.

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Other species you might well encounter include sea turtles, sea birds, and tropical coral fish.

Activities included are:

• Snorkeling
• Paddle boards ( Most boats PLEASE INQUIRE )
• Kayaks ( Some boats INQUIRE )

Tours available:

• Half day morning 8 30 to 12 30
• Half day sunset from 2 to 6 pm
• Full day private charter from 10 to 6 pm

Pricing

The price of our sailing charters depends on the number of people, so please indicate that as well as the desired dates. In case of children coming onboard, they are very welcome, you should also know the age of the children, since that affects the price of the trip.

Boats available

Boats available from Potrero include sailing catamarans, which are preferred for larger and medium sized groups since there is more deck space and also more interior space ( Catamarans carry a large interior saloon and shaded deck space ). We also offer classic monohull sailboats, which are perfect for smaller groups or those who simply like this kind of vessel more.