
Where to take your family in South America
Get ready for your next family adventure!
Wild, rugged and charming, the Pacific Guanacaste coast & Nicoya Peninsula is a land of contrasts in every way and the ideal scene for whatever you want your Costa Rica holiday to be. Home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the country, there’s Tamarindo for sun worshippers, grey-sand Hermosa for family-friendly shallow waters, Langosta for the best swimming (and some peace and quiet), and Playa Grande for keen surfers. Down on the exquisite Papagayo Peninsula, where the hotels are of the sleek and sophisticated variety, combine your relaxation with wildlife-watching in the forests (iguana, endangered macaw and howler monkeys) or in the ocean (manta rays, parrotfish and turtles). In Cabo Blanco National Park, there’s a menagerie of animals to spot, and at Montezuma, hike, swim in waterfalls and then explore the craft shops in town. So, that’s black or white sand beaches; luxury hotels that will cater for your every whim or teeny, boutique boltholes mere steps from the beach; surfing or yoga; hiking or ziplining; sun-splattered sands or animal-filled forests… The choice is yours!
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Jutting out from Costa Rica's northern Pacific coast, the peninsula is 80 miles of pure heaven, with idyllic beaches to relax on, warm waters to swim in, and watersports galore. Paddleboarding, kayaking, surfing - you name it and it's probably here. A favourite are the snorkelling excursion, where you'll float alongside dolphins, manta rays and sea turtles. Back on land, explore the forests of greater Guanacaste on foot, always keeping an eye out for dazzling birdlife, monkeys, sloths and iguanas.
Watching an iconic Pacific sunset, cocktail in hand, ceviche in front of you, and the sounds of the waves crashing gently beside you. Bliss.
The beauty of the Pacific Coast is that the beaches are dry and sunny during the European summer months (June to September), unlike many in the rest of the country. It’s also marginally drier in the ‘official’ rainy season.
As you go further up the Nicoya Peninsula, the hotels and villages become more and more isolated. Abandon the car and take a flight or a small ferry – you’ll be thankful later!
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