[Melissa Gallagher]

Hi John & Emily,

Thanks for reaching out to IL. Your 3 destinations sound like a perfect overview to popular spots in Guanacaste. And February is a beautiful time to be in CR. The rains are over and everything is green.

Not knowing your budget and preferences as far as amenities, it is difficult to give you on-target “where to stay” recommendations. However, I do live in Tamarindo and can tell you there is a multitude of different sorts of accommodations within walking distance of town and the beach.

If you want a vibe of staying in an apartment/condo or a casita, you may want to do a few searches on Airbnb https://www.airbnb.com/, VRBO https://www.vrbo.com/ or flipkey https://www.flipkey.com/. All of them should have active properties in the 3 places you are looking. We also recommend this site for CR classifieds in general, including properties for lease: https://www.encuentra24.com/costa-rica-en/classifieds

As far as Tamarindo, if you prefer a large hotel, The Diria is right on the beach in the middle of town: https://www.tamarindodiria.com/. I prefer a more boutique kind of vibe. Such as Luamey (one block from the beach) https://www.hotelluamey.com/ or Ocho (glamping) https://www.ochoartisansbungalows.com/. If you prefer something more economical, you might want to book the Best Western – also has a nice ocean view. I was featured in an “ask an expert” blog a couple of years ago regarding places to eat and things to do in Tamarindo. It still holds true today: http://gigigriffis.com/ask-a-local-what-should-i-doseeeat-in-tamarindo-costa-rica/ All restaurants I have mentioned are popular expat hangouts.

In Nosara, the expats actually stay/live in Playa Guiones, but they just call the general area Nosara, since that is the main town (where the airport is located). My favorite hotel in Nosara is the Guilded Iguana. https://www.thegildediguana.com/ It is new, clean and modern, right in the heart of “downtown”, walkable to many restaurants, shops, and the beach. It is also a huge gathering place for expats. If you are looking for a place more budget minded there, you can find numerous hotels on a site like Trip Advisor or Hotels.com. Just remember you would most likely not want to stay in Nosara town (which is 5kms inland), you would want Guiones. All around downtown you will find expat hangouts at coffee shops and restaurants. It is truly and expat town, with very few locals living there. A bit like Tamarindo, but even more pronounced.

Regarding Arenal, there are many tourist hotels all along the base of the volcano. Some pricey and some affordable. If you are looking for more of a local experience, you might want to book in the town of La Fortuna (in the shadow of the volcano). There are small hotels in town and it is more walkable. You may also want to look at the town of Nuevo Arenal if you want to be away from the throngs of tourists. It is on Lake Arenal, a Tico/Gringo town which is seeing expat development for the last couple of decades. This area is spread out (it takes a couple hours to get around the entire lake driving) and you will most likely want a car to get around. I assume you are renting one? I am not as familiar with the eateries all around Arenal, but there are many catering to the volume of tourists in the area, so you will not go hungry!

I hope that helps with your planning. Let me know if you have other questions!

-Kathleen Evans
IL Costal Correspondent
costarica@internationalliving.com
+506-8722-6677

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