Costa Rica
Out of context: Reply #9
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- gramme0
I've stayed in Tamarindo, on the west coast. Very touristy, but a lot to do in the surrounding areas. Not recommended if you want something off the beaten path. Playa Grande just to the north is nice, cool little hotel on the beach but asshole transplanted Italian surfers in the water. Thumping beachbreak, always bigger there than across the river in Tamarindo.
We had a nice reefbreak in front of our hotel in Tamarindo, a fast right with a sketchy takeoff near a large lava rock that jutted out of the water by about 6 ft., but really fun. Only broke at higher tides, otherwise too shallow. I only surfed there once on our last day, but it was sick.
Good waves around the point to the south in Playa Langosta—reef, rivermouth. I didn't surf there, only watched as it was too big for someone as rusty as I was at the time. Couple really nice hotels there, plenty of houses to rent on the stretch between Tamarindo and Langosta. More secluded, less noise in Langosta.
Playa Avellanas, about an hour south via extremely bumpy dirt road (in dry season, that is), has a few good reef, river and sandbar breaks. Lolas, named after an enormous pig who wallows out to work on her tan right at the tideline each afternoon, has delicious food—fresh fruit smoothies, insane Costa Rican-style fish & chips, etc. No decent places there to stay though, as far as I know.
I hear good things about Dominical and Manuel Antonio too, as dmullins says above.
Then there's the East Coast, which has a distinct Caribbean vibe. Turquoise water. Surprisingly wide array of waves, many of which are actually pretty dangerous. Much less touristy over there.