When you think of Costa Rica, when you begin to plan your vacation, when you start to dream big – chances are, you’re envisioning a week, a fortnight, a forever on the best beaches in Guanacaste. Luckily, we know a thing or two (or twenty) about them!
Playa Tamarindo
When it comes to the “best” Guanacaste beaches, “best” really comes down to you. And if you’re the type of traveler who loves not just a great stroll and soft sands, but epic surf and incredible restaurants and nightlife options and memorable tours – well, Tamarindo is going to top your best list.
Only a mile long from tip to stern, this sandy beach town (once, a fishing village) is one of the most developed on Guanacaste’s coast. And here, amidst great restaurants and professional tour operators, big breaks and live music, you’ll also find sand that feels like a pillow, water that’s both surfable and swimmable (in different areas), and plenty of vacation homes that will make you feel more than at home.
Where to Stay: Casa Xanadu
Tamarindo | 4 Beds | 3.5 Baths | 10 Guests
What do two beaches, one national park, one wildlife estuary, one mountain range, and the magnificent Pacific Ocean have in common? They’re all views from lovely Casa Xanadu, a tropical paradise of the sort you’ll never want to leave. (Pack your bags appropriately!)
Because here, amidst tropical forest and the privacy of your own infinity pool, between memorable sunsets and the bluest Pacific vistas, this special home pairs your beach days with lazy afternoons and plenty of wildlife encounters, including with the parrots, butterflies, and howler monkeys that often swing by your backyard.
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Where to Stay: Casa Puros Dieces
Tamarindo | 8 Beds | 8.5 Baths | 20 Guests
Ah, the “perfect 10” – that oft-sought-but-not-oft-found slice of perfection that you seek from your escape. Welcome to Casa Puros Dieces, a “straight 10” or “perfect 10,” in every sense of the phase: One of Tamarindo’s largest luxury homes, a Balinese-style mansion perched high on a tropical hilltop overlooking magnificent Pacific panoramas.
Panoramas that come with an ocean-view Jacuzzi and private infinity-edge pool, with expansive sun terraces and shaded outdoor seating – with a blurred line between indoor and out, between reality and fantasy, between vacation and real life. Because this is the life and it’s exactly why you’re here.
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Playa Langosta
Tamarindo’s quieter, less flashy counterpart, Playa Langosta is just down the beach from the pomp and circumstance of its big sister. And yet, while it’s close to everything – a 15-minute walk (5-minute drive) to all the restaurants, activities, shopping, and nightlife you could want – it’s also a world away.
A very tranquil, rocky-outcroppings-and-gentle-tidepools, hear-the-hush-and-watch-the-pelicans world away. It’s Tamarindo, for vacationers who don’t appreciate the appeal of Tamarindo. And yet, Playa Langosta is a beach its own: Easily one of the best beaches in Guanacaste, thanks to its spectacular scenery and epic surf.
Where to Stay: Soul House
Playa Langosta | 4 Beds | 4 Baths | 14 Guests
Answer the call to breathe and the invitation to soothe your soul. Here, at this Balinese-inspired villa located in peaceful Playa Langosta, Soul House is an escape to serenity and a promise of zen.
Populated with Balinese-style artwork and accents – each, reinforced via thoughtful details throughout the home, this special retreat offers quiet and privacy for all, including in the second-floor private apartment. Outdoors, a backyard enclave, complete with shaded seating, lush gardens, and the centerpiece: a private pool, perfect for quiet afternoons of diversion and reflection.
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Where to Stay: Casa de Luz
Playa Langosta | 8 Beds | 7 Baths | 23 Guests
A spectacular property for larger groups, Casa de Luz embodies your vision of a tropical vacation: magnificent Pacific Ocean views, separate sleeping spaces (one main villa + two independent courtyard casitas), a private pool, and the world’s best backyard: the grand Pacific Ocean, bordered by soft sands and lapping waves.
Even better, Casa de Luz is named for dual purposes: The House of Light, not only because it’s bathed in natural sunlight, but because of its unique offering: One of Tamarindo’s only solar-powered homes, Casa de Luz is luxury without the guilt, delivering clean energy, biodegradable cleaning products, and ozone sanitation systems in the pool and laundry (the reduce the need for chlorine and cleaning products by 90%).
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Playa Flamingo
A crescent-shaped, mile-long strip of white sand and scenic views, Playa Flamingo is the Costa Rica you’ve seen in postcards: pristine beaches and turquoise water, bordered by shade-lined coast and water so clear, you can count the rays that swim beneath the surface.
Add in one of the country’s largest (and most upscale) marinas, convenience to the international airport in Liberia, record-breaking sport fishing, and some of the country’s most striking scenery and wildlife, and it’s easy to see why quiet Playa Flamingo is one of the best beaches in Guanacaste.
Where to Stay: Flamingo Blu
Playa Flamingo | 5 Beds | 6 Baths | 10 Guests
When seclusion, views, and privacy are synonyms of luxury, Flamingo Blu stands out as best-in-class: Perched on a quiet hillside that arcs from a breezy bluff down to Flamingo Beach, this is more than a home; it’s a work of art.
Built completely in the round – Flamingo Blu is designed to radiate outward from an inner courtyard – the home is an architectural homage to ocean views and sea breezes, to natural light and salt-scented air. Outdoors, an expansive infinity pool spills over the mountainside and seemingly disappears into the Pacific, inviting afternoon swims and baths beneath the stars. When you’re ready to dry off, the curving sun deck offers a light-dappled spot to enjoy the view, read a book, or simply sip a cold drink as the sunset sets the sky ablaze.
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Where to Stay: Casa Cielo
Playa Flamingo | 4 Beds | 4.5 Baths | 8 Guests
Hey there, good looking! Casa Cielo, a four-bedroom private resort, is as lovely as its pictures promise: Offering the ocean views of your dreams, paired with a hilltop bluff, crystalline pool, and outdoor shower, this vacation home puts Playa Flamingo and its wonderful wilds on center stage.
And, if you seek privacy, know this: Casa Cielos bedrooms are comprised of independent structures – a mini-vacation home, for each guest – in order to ensure total seclusion and the luxury of space all your own. And then, well, we circle back to the views. Those views. Those incredible, unparalleled vistas that sweep from Playa Conchal, Playa Brasilito, and Playa Flamingo, to Playa Potrero, Sugar Beach, and the Catalina Islands.
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Playa Conchal
When the travel books and experts and seasoned visitors discuss the best beaches in Guanacaste, it’s often an introduction to one of the country’s most beloved beaches: Playa Conchal, named for the millions of tiny shells (conchas) that comprise its slightly pink-hued beach.
Its other claim to fame: Reserva Conchal, one of Costa Rica’s most luxurious beach communities and home to resort amenities including an 18-hole golf course, a spectacular beach club, fine dining, and more.
Where to Stay: Casa Moderna
Playa Conchal | 5 Beds | 4.5 Baths | 14 Guests
New to Luxury Villas Costa Rica and a fresh take on modern design, Casa Moderna is sleek and crisp and curated, in every way – the perfect complement to the flash and elegance of Reserva Conchal, one of Costa Rica’s most exclusive resort communities and home to this modern retreat.
Here, you’re likely to spend most of your time outdoors, at the home’s indoor and outdoor common areas, on the sun-splashed patio, and lounging by your private pool. And, because it’s the little things, you’ll love to know that Casa Moderna is just minutes to some of Costa Rica’s most desirable beaches – a short walk to a longer stroll beneath the sun and amidst the millions of tiny shells that make up famed Playa Conchal.
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Where to Stay: Villa Marlene
Playa Conchal | 4 Beds | 3 Baths | 11 Guests
You can have it all. That’s the promise of Villa Marlene and its spectacular ocean views. Located in the enviable Reserva Conchal community, this luxurious home is more than a home: It’s an invitation to one of Costa Rica’s most sought resorts and its Beach Club, golf course, restaurants, and other amenities.
And still, Villa Marlene doesn’t rest on its community laurels. This best-in-class home offers expansive outdoor terraces, ample indoor/outdoor living, all-ensuite bedrooms, and a private pool with Pacific Ocean and tropical forest views. Because, yes, you really can have it all.
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Playa Grande
One of the world’s last remaining nesting sites for leatherback sea turtles, Playa Grande is one of Costa Rica’s most important sites of ecological importance. It also promises gorgeous coastline and world-class surf, within the protected borders of Las Baulas National Marine Park.
Playa Grande’s other claim to fame: Proximity! Located just across the estuary from Tamarindo, Playa Grande offers the seclusion and nature-watching of an out-of-the-way beach town, paired with all the amenities of Tamarindo, just a few minutes away.
Where to Stay: Villa Brisa del Mar
Playa Grande | 5 Beds | 4 Baths | 10 Guests
On the turtle-rich shores of Playa Grande, Villa Brisa del Mar is the last house on the beach: Both your own, private wildlife sanctuary and a luxury vacation destination, where you’ll pair a private pool with swooping pelicans and an oceanview patio with possible turtle sightings.
Home to recently redesigned interiors and a chef-ready kitchen, a spectacular master suite and gorgeous views, this special home – one of the area’s original beach bungalows – is a complete beach experience. Welcome to the charming Costa Rica of old, updated for today’s modern tastes.
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Playa Avellanas
Housed within the hallowed borders of Hacienda Pinilla, pristine Playa Avellanas – widely regarded as one of the top-10 beaches in Central America – is easily one of the best beaches in Guanacaste, for its scenery, amenities, and surf.
Let’s begin with the scenery: White sands and blue Pacific Ocean, bordered by the Hacienda Pinilla Beach Club and its many amenities, including a beachfront resort pool, restaurant, lounge, fitness area, and more. And then, just outdoors, that surf: the famed “Little Hawaii” break and its swells that can crest 18 feet in best conditions.
Where to Stay: Casa Bonita Beach
Playa Avellanas | 5 Beds | 6 Baths | 14 Guests
Located within the upscale community of Hacienda Pinilla, proud home to Playa Avellanas, Casa Bonita Beach is named for these “lovely” sands. And yet, this remarkable home is more than its access to three community beaches: It is a modern home and luxury escape, complete with oversized glass and soaring ceilings, stone accents and clean lines.
But, as striking as is its interior, the true focus at Casa Bonita Beach is outdoors: a luxuriant private pool and wending waterslide, paired with a shaded terrace, deluxe outdoor kitchen, grilling station and wine fridge, and outdoor dining space. Because here, you’ll be there – outdoors, drinking in the sun, the privacy, and all the many indulgences this home and community afford.
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Explore, Stay, and Fall in Love with the Best Beaches in Guanacaste
For a country smaller than West Virginia, Costa Rica is vast. Its promises are many, its wonders expansive, and its to-do lists long. So really, it begins with you: What do you want to see and do? Where do you want to go?
At Luxury Villas Costa Rica, we have two specialties: homes at and on the best beaches in Guanacaste, and you. Yes, you. Because a great vacation is rooted in heart – in what you hope to get out of your travels. So please, tell us why you’ve chosen Costa Rica. If you don’t know exactly where you want to go, even if you haven’t whittled down your wish list, we can help. We love to help.
So please, peruse our Costa Rica destinations. Dream a little (and a lot). And then, get in touch! We look forward to it.
