Playa del Coco
Costa Rica Travel: Playa del Coco & Playa Ocotal, Northern Pacific, Nicoya Peninsula
By Explore Costa Rica Staff
Feb 26, 2008, 06:22

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Northern Pacific, Nicoya Peninsula
Playa del Coco and Ocotal

Playa del Coco Costa Rica

Playa del Coco is located 253km (157 miles) NW of Costa Rica's capital San Jose, and 35km (22 miles) W of Liberia on the northern pacific coast.

Playa del Coco was one of the first beaches in Guanacaste to be developed, and it has long been a popular vacation destination with middle-class Ticos and weekend revelers from San Jose. It's also on of Costa Rica's prime scuba-diving spot. The beach, which has grayish-brown sand, is quite wide at low tide and almost nonexistent at high tide. In between high and low tides, it's just right.

The crowds that come to Playa del Coco tend to like their music loud and constant, so if you're in search of a quiet retreat, stay away from the center of town. Still, if you're looking for a beach with a wide range of inexpensive hotels, lively nightlife, and plenty of cheap food and beer close at hand, you'll enjoy Playa del Coco.

Better still, in my opinion, head over to Playa Ocotal, which is a couple of kilometers to the south. This tiny pocket cove features a small salt-and-pepper beach bordered by high bluffs and is quite beautiful. When it's calm there's good snorkeling around some rocky islands close to shore here.
 
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