Playas del Coco

Playas del Coco is an older Guanacaste town rather than a built resort, a fishing and holiday settlement on a dark-sand bay with a working boat anchorage, a strip of restaurants and bars along the beach road and a Costa Rican weekend population alongside the foreign one, which gives it a different feel from the developments north and south. It is the main dive base on the north Pacific coast, with operators running to the Catalinas and the Bat Islands, and boats leave from the beach. The beach itself is dark grey volcanic sand, calm and shallow, better for boats than for surf. Nightlife is the busiest on this coast.

What you actually see

• The bay and anchorage - the boats moored off the dark-sand beach.
• Dive operators - the base for the Catalinas and Bat Islands trips.
• The beach road - the restaurants and bars along the front.
• The working town - the Costa Rican community behind the strip.

When to go

December to April in the dry season for the most reliable weather; the Bat Island shark season runs May to November. Christmas and Easter fill the town with domestic visitors. Nightlife runs year round.

Honest expectations

The beach is dark grey sand and not the postcard white; visitors expecting otherwise are disappointed. The bay is busy with boats. The nightlife strip is loud and the town has a reputation for it. Water clarity for swimming is moderate.

Nearby

Papagayo lies north; Playa Flamingo is south.