Where to stay in Tamarindo – Best 4 AREAS and hotels

If you are wondering where to stay in Tamarindo, the center of the town is a great place to start your search, especially if you are visiting for the first time.

It has an amazing beach with a fabulous sunset, great easy waves to surf, especially for beginners and intermediates, bars, restaurants, cafes, and fantastic nightlife.

There are however 3 other areas that may work better if traveling with kids or you want to have a quiet or even secluded vacation, or you are tight on the budget.

In this post, I talk about the 4 best places to stay in Tamarindo and nearby with all the pros and cons. I have also created a map and an easy table to compare the areas which will make your final decision so much easier.

But let’s dive into it

Where to stay in Tamarindo – Key Points

Here is the quick comparative table. Click on the area name to jump to the full description including all the pros, cons, and a few suggested hotels and accommodations.

On a mobile, swipe left or right to see all the columns.

Area/Town	Ideal for	Pros	Cons	Accessibility	Restaurants	Families	Nightlife	More on the area
Tamarindo Beach & Town	First-time visitors	Beautiful beach, surfing, nightlife, dining	Expensive, can be noisy	Easy	Excellent	Good	Excellent	Vibrant, beachfront
Playa Grande	Seclusion	Quiet, wild beach, cheaper	Limited bars/restaurants	Moderate (ok boat, car complicated )	Limited	Good	Limited	Wild, secluded
Playa Langosta	Nature lovers, families	Quiet, natural pools, nature	Limited beach during high tide, too quiet	2 miles from the beach, busy road, no nightlife	Limited	Excellent	Limited	Natural, quiet, scenic
Villareal	Budget travelers, big groups	Affordable, countryside nature	2 miles from beach, busy road, no nightlife	Car needed	Limited	Good	None	Local, inland.

If you are in a hurry, here are my 3 suggested places to stay in Tamarindo and around.

Although I consider driving in Costa Rica very easygoing, you do not really need a car if staying in town, everything will be within walking distance and you can always join day tours to explore other destinations.

In saying that, renting a car in Costa Rica is going to be a game changer, you will be able to discover so many hidden beaches, beautiful waterfalls, and incredible rainforests, all at your own pace and most shared with just your partner and your family. One word: idyllic.

I usually rent my cars with DiscoverCars, a website that compares local and global rentals to provide the best price and service available. And with just $7/day you can full insurance your car in Costa Rica.

Tamarindo Beach & Town – Best place to stay for first-time visitors

If you are wondering where to stay in Tamarindo on your first visit, then look no further than the town itself which develops along a beautiful beach, very wide on low tide but quite narrow on high tide.

Honestly, the beach is picture-perfect, probably what you expect from Costa Rica, with plenty of palm trees and a fantastic vibe at sunset time, with music and drinks available everywhere.

What kind of activities can you do at the beach?

Obviously surfing, Tamarindo is the capital of beginner surfers because the waves are very forgiving and easy to ride, perfect to start this sport, and that’s what I did last December.

I have been practicing windsurfing for decades but I have been always struggling with surfing. So I took this opportunity to practice more and honestly, I felt a bit spoiled by the effortless surfing in Tamarindo, so easygoing, so predictable, and easy to do. A must-try for anyone.

Another positive thing is that there is a great choice of surf shops and schools. Expect to pay around US$40 for a 2 hours group lesson and US$10 for a day’s rent, which is a bargain. True, this is the bottom range of the price range, because most tend to charge a bit more than that, so you need to bargain around.

My experience with Matos Surf Shop was great. It seems closed permanently on Google Maps but I assure you that they operate. They even discounted the price to just US$6 for half-day surf rent, when most shops don’t even bother about short rentals.

Another very popular activity is horse riding at the beach, you will see a few of them going back and forward. Then there are 2 fields for volleyball and a beach field for soccer, so plenty of options if you feel energetic.

The best places to stay in Tamarindo are just behind the main beach. There is a great choice of accommodation and plenty of shopping, bars, restaurants, nightlife, and everything you need on your vacation.

The place I enjoy the most for food and drinks, which tend to be very fashionable at the moment, is El Mercadito de Tamarindo, This is essentially a very trendy food court where you can find 10 shops all offering different kinds of cuisine and a central bar offering extraordinary cocktails.

What are the drawbacks of staying in Tamarindo?

Unfortunately, this is the most expensive area to stay in Tamarindo. You can still find some great bargains but the number is very limited, especially in the high season, between Christmas and April.

This part of Tamarindo can be also quite noisy, especially if your hotel is close to the bar and restaurant areas, so be very careful about the accommodation you book. I have a few suggestions below that have been either tried and/or verified for a quiet night’s sleep, and they work perfectly if you are traveling with your partner or the entire family.

https://youtu.be/d2p8_dMzLwo

Playa Grande – Where to stay in Tamarindo for seclusion

Playa Grande is hands down the best place to stay in Tamarindo for a secluded vacation.

This is a long stretch of beach just a few hundred meters from Tamarindo, but, there is a little catch, a river that separates the two areas, and no bridges.

During the day, you can take a small boat for just two dollars that will take you to the other side of the stream, however, this operates only during day time.

At night you will need a car or a taxi to move between Tamarindo and Playa Grande and, unfortunately, the drive goes quite inland and takes a long time, around 40 minutes.

Playa Grande has a fabulous beach, much wilder and with fewer people, but it’s not as organized as Tamarindo, which means you won’t find as many bars or restaurants.

There is a bunch of surf shops/renters but, because the choice is limited, they tend to charge more for everything.

On the positive side, the price of accommodations tends to be cheaper and better value than in Tamarindo.

Ultimately, you want to stay in Play Grance if you are looking for a seclude and quiet time, with the possibility to access Tamarindo’s facilities, very easy during the day, and more complicated at night.

Playa Langosta – Best area to stay in Tamarindo for nature

Another great alternative, much less commercial than Tamarindo, is Playa Langosta, just three kilometers from the town center.

Playa Langosta is essentially a very quiet and fairly new vacation village immersed in nature, with lo-key houses and hotels, almost unnoticeable and hidden in a forest, really a stunning set.

This is the best place for a laid-back stay in the middle of nature. There’s even a national park at the end of Langosta Beach, Parque Nacional Marino Las Baulas, which is a fabulous spot to have a walk along the coastline.

The beach itself has two lives. When it’s high tide you can’t really walk along it and you can’t swim in it because of many random sharp rocks. However, in low tide, you will find plenty of Natural Pools which are a great playground, especially for kids.

Playa Langosta is one of the best places to stay for families with small kids that want to enjoy a quiet time, the spectacular beach with the natural pools during the low tide, and the swimming pool of the resort during the high tide. The best of all worlds.

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Villareal – Where to stay in Tamarindo on a budget

Villareal is a small local town just 2 miles (~3 km) inland of Tamarindo.

Most of the accommodations are either apartments or villas and a couple of hotels too, which may work great if traveling in a big group or you are on a budget.

Besides the better value for money of the accommodations, you will find also a couple of supermarkets where the locals go, which means they sell goods at a cheaper price. I suggest stopping at Maxi Palí, my favorite for the week’s expenses. The choice is not as great as Auto Mercado, but the quality and price are unbeatable.

The drawback, of course, is that you are about 2 miles from the beach. I personally suggest renting a car in Costa Rica if you plan to stay inland. Public transportation is available but not as reliable.

One place you should visit in Villareal is the Black Stallion Eco Park where you can do some exciting zip lining or just enjoy horse riding through the amazing countryside nature.

For dinner, you will have better options in Tamarindo. There are only a few local restaurants and bars in Villareal that get shut in the early evening. No nightlife of course.

Also, the road from Tamarindo gets very very busy after three o’clock so the trip back from the beach to Villareal in the afternoon can take some time, around 30 minutes, even if it is a short 2 miles.

Having your own car helps, at least you are flexible with your time and you avoid waiting for the unreliable bus.

Conclusion

Overall, I would suggest staying in Tamarindo Town in one of the accommodations I suggested. If unavailable, make sure the hotels you plan to stay in are not close to bars and clubs.

The center is the best area to stay in Tamarindo for first-time visitors looking for great facilities, a beautiful beach, and some nightlife too.

The other three options are perfect for a quieter or more secluded stay. Playa Langosta is a great place to stay for families that want to have a mix of resort and safe beach time. Villareal is the best value option, which works great for long stays and digital nomads.

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