Papagayo Peninsula

The Papagayo peninsula encloses a sheltered bay in northern Guanacaste, and it has been developed since the 1990s under a state concession scheme that placed a group of large resorts, a marina and golf on the headlands while requiring public access to the beaches, since all Costa Rican beaches are public by law. The bays are calm and sheltered from the swell that works the open coast, with dark gold sand and dry forest running down to the shore, and monkeys and coatis move through the resort grounds. Playa Nacascolo and Playa Virador are the accessible beaches. It is twenty-five minutes from Liberia airport, which is much of its appeal.

What you actually see

• The sheltered bays - the calm water inside the peninsula.
• Dry forest shore - the deciduous woodland running to the sand.
• Public beaches - Nacascolo and the others reachable through the gates.
• Wildlife in the grounds - monkeys and coatis around the resorts.

When to go

December to April in the dry season, which is peak and expensive; May to November is greener, wetter and cheaper. Christmas and Easter are the busiest and most expensive weeks.

Honest expectations

Almost everything on the peninsula is private resort land and access to beaches runs through controlled gates, which visitors find awkward despite the public-access law. Prices are among the highest in the country. There is no town and no independent restaurant scene.

Nearby

Playas del Coco lies south; Liberia is east.