
Central Pacific, Costa Rica
Jacó is the busiest beach town on the Central Pacific and the closest real beach life to San José, about 90 minutes away. There's a long dark-sand beach, good surf, restaurants, gyms and supermarkets, plus a nightlife some people love and others avoid. If you want everything within walking distance, this is it. If you want quiet, look a few minutes south.
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Playa Herradura
Playa Herradura is a calm bay just north of Jacó, best known for Los Sueños, a gated resort community with a marina, a golf course and some of the region's priciest homes. Outside the gates it's a small, local beach town. It's about 80 minutes from San José, which makes it popular with people who want both the beach and the city close by.
Playas del Coco
Playas del Coco is the main town on the Gulf of Papagayo, about 35 minutes from the Liberia airport. It has the supermarkets, banks, dive shops and nightlife the smaller beaches lack, plus an established foreign community. It's busy and a bit scruffy along the main strip, and the quieter neighborhoods are just outside town.
Playa Hermosa, Guanacaste
Playa Hermosa in Guanacaste is a family-friendly beach on the Gulf of Papagayo, with calm, swimmable water and sunsets over the bay. It's about 25 minutes from the Liberia airport and close to Coco for errands. Families and retirees live here for the calm water and the easy pace. Not to be confused with Playa Hermosa near Jacó.
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