Manuel Antonio Beach

Had the perfect beach day here. Perfect weather, lots of shade, clear blue water, and the wildlife and scenery is unmatched.

The park itself is beautiful, but the staff behaved terribly. First, we had to wait in line under the sun while the staff at the bag check and ticket entrance moved like sleepy — or even dying — flies. They were all about “Pura Vida” — fine, but this was just careless. Then, our 3-year-old wanted to buy a coconut right outside the entrance. We weren’t allowed to enter the park with it — okay, fair enough — but we also weren’t allowed to throw it away in their eco trash bin. I had to leave and walk half a block just to throw away a damn coconut. And then came the most absurd part: at the beach, our toddler caught a tiny crab and released it. A security guard saw this and tried to kick us out of the park. It was ridiculous and humiliating. We tried to calmly explain ourselves, but the guard called in three more people over the radio — none of whom spoke English — and all four of them started escorting me, my husband, and our small child out of the park. They followed us all the way to the exit. Honestly, there’s no need to visit this place for the animals — you’ll see sloths, toucans, monkeys, crabs, and iguanas on any Manuel Antonio beach. And as for spotting anything else — I doubt there’s much more to see inside anyway. Playa Blanca, located not far from Jacó, is far more beautiful — the water is calmer, the sand is whiter, and the scenery is much more impressive. So no, I absolutely don’t recommend paying to be treated this way.

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.

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.

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 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.

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