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| View from My Beach-side Hammock (3-pix panorama) Manzanillo Beach, Costa Rica |
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| Looking to the Left Manzanillo Beach, Costa Rica |
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| Looking to the Right Manzanillo Beach, Costa Rica |
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| Dangerous Currents – No Swimming! Manzanillo Beach, Costa Rica Yeah! They had a sign in English too, but this one more interesting! 🙂 |
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| Maybe Dangerous, But Fun Waves for Many! And many swim anyway and/or try to surf – “At Your Own Risk” Manzanillo Beach, Costa Rica |
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| Multiple Caution Signs Protect the Hotel And are probably required by their Insurance Co. And “No Life Guards” is indicated at check-in Manzanillo Beach, Costa Rica |
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| Barefoot Beach Futbol (Soccer) Manzanillo Beach, Costa Rica And by the way, ALL BEACHES ARE PUBLIC in Costa Rica! There are no private or hotel only beaches. |
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| Local Boys – Not Tourists! Manzanillo Beach, Costa Rica |
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| Tourists Walk By, Watching the Soccer Game Manzanillo Beach, Costa Rica American, Canadian, European, South American? All nationalities here! Though Asian visitors seem to be mostly on the Pacific side and inland. |
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| And Someone Kayaks By Our Beach Manzanillo Beach, Costa Rica |
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| Sundown Mist One Evening Manzanillo Beach, Costa Rica This beach was not positioned right for the sometimes beautiful Caribbean sunrises Like this one at Tortuguero and on wrong side of country for sunsets! 🙂 |
I am not a “Beach Person” as some people call themselves, not liking to swim in the ocean at all! But I do love to visit and walk on the many beautiful beaches here. Some friends ask me to compare the Atlantic and Pacific beaches and that is difficult.
It is almost down to specific beach compared to specific beach. In general the Caribbean (or the Atlantic beaches) are less developed with more wildness and more natural things than much of the Pacific, though the Osa Peninsula or Corcovado National Park is a big exception on the Pacific side as are some other “South Pacific” beaches. In the north or Guanacaste there are a few pretty beaches but overall I think it is over-developed and I thought the famous Tamarindo Beach was ugly and overcrowded! Jaco is pretty but also overcrowded, especially on weekends as the closest beach to San Jose. South of there at Manual Antonio National Park there are two gorgeous beaches that are very crowded, both the one in the park and the one outside the park.
I still have a lot of exploring to do before I even think about ranking beaches. Then there is the important reason or purpose! Are you a surfer, swimmer, sunbather, fisher, or photographer? Each beach is different for each purpose. And there are a lot of choices! If you believe travel articles, here is one on “The Best Beaches” by “Costa Rica Experts.” You will not find Manzanillo listed though it is one the nicer ones I have visited and least crowded! Then here’s an article on “Costa Rica’s 6 Most Stunning Beaches” by TicoTimes, the online English language Gringo newspaper. And travel sites like TripAdvisor rank the ones that hotels and resorts pay them to rank best, so don’t believe everything commercial sites say. For example Tamarindo is promoted as one of the best, but after my visit there, it is one of my least favorite, remembering that I do not like crowds, commercialism and a lack of nature. So maybe that is why I favor the Caribbean beaches more than most people.
See also my VISTA GALLERIES for Caribbean Beaches and Pacific Beaches
