Manuel Antonio Beach

My favorite beach in Costa Rica. Parking should cost you around $6-$8 per day Chair and umbrella rental about $8-$10 for a pair. Follow the safety guidelines and listen to the lifeguards. Pay attention to the flags as this is one of the beaches with the strongest rip ties.

This beach is probably one of the best in the world. If you’re lucky enough to be here right when the sun is out then it’s your lucky day. The water is warm and there are jungle leaves floating in it which makes it feel magical. The white sand paired with the stunning jungle create the perfect scene. AND there are capuchin monkeys loitering around.

So fun to be on this beach with all the locals! Get off the resorts and mingle — you’ll have an amazing experience! We stayed at the Millennium Hotel this time. You can walk right to the beach from there. You can get cabanas and surfing lessons — there’s parasailing and lots of restaurants.

The walk to the beach was hot and humid (great anticipation) only to get to the beach and see how amazing the waves looked with a gorgeous view south

The best beach in the Manuel Antonio Park! Very calm sea, no waves, beautiful water color and absolutely magnificent tree providing some shade for the visitors.

This beach has next level beauty. The Pacific has an emerald hue here. It gets very busy however, as it is attached to the most popular National Park in Costa Rica. My advice would be to go early and before your tour of the National Park to avoid the crowds. I visited here after the tour, and as the park rangers police this beach, they very forcefully make sure you are on your way home by 4pm. They blow their whistles loudly and continuously, which is kind of annoying. It does not take away from the stunning unspoiled natural beauty of this place. There is no plastic allowed on entry which is great, so you will be relieved of your plastic water bottle should you have one. They allowed me to bring my snorkelling gear in thankfully. The water is lovely and clear, so there is fish to see, but I ran out of time to really make the most out of that, due to that 4pm cut off. The sand is lovely and soft with a tint of black in there. There are also rinsing facilities and toilets behind the beach. The black iguanas co-exist side by side with people on this beach, that it becomes the norm after a while. Be careful of the many capuchin monkeys who will appear out of the rainforest, and are determined to steal your small items if given the chance.

Probably one of the best beaches I’ve ever been into in the world (and I’ve been to over 50 countries…)!

Pros: we saw three sloths, several monkeys up close, lizards, parrots, insects and crabs. Without a guide. Cons: lots of people, bad facilities and terrible and expensive shop/restaurants. Advice: go early or go late, avoid the crowds. Do not get a guide, we saw everything without a guide and if you walk past a crowd of people just look where they are looking, guides are very friendly and often pointed stuff out to us. Bring your own reusable water bottle. Do not bring food or drinks, they will get taken at the gate. Do not pay for parking, it’s a scam, just park on the street there is plenty of space. Book online do not pay through companies. Bring binoculars.