The wife and I were headed to Belize but the flight filled up. So off to Costa Rica we went with little time to plan. Thanks to those on the pipe who have posted ideas in the past. This was a short trip. Arrived late Friday night and left early Monday morning.

Details:
Flew into Liberia
Travel Destinations in Costa Rica (Good info on beaches near Liberia)

Destination: Playa Grande (Big Beach) this is right next to Tamarindo but much less crowded. The two beaches are separated but a large estuary. Playa Grande is a national park with only one hotel on the beach. Everything else is 5-15 min walk. The beach is totally empty! 4-5 miles long and may 50 people. So if you just want to hang out, surf the waves, and not be bothered by street vendors Playa Grande is for you. If you want to go to bars, have lots of food options, and be bugged by street vendors Tamarindo is for you. You can take a water taxi from Playa Grande for $3 a person but these must be pre-arranged. Cab is around 30 min and around $25.

Getting to Playa Grande – $80 each way with a private van. Not sure about other methods. If you stay in Tamarindo there was a van service for $18 each way.

Where We Stayed: Hotel Bula Bula $75 a night, king size bed, small but comfortable rooms. Only 8-10 in the entire place. Great bar and restaurant but you pay US prices. Beer $2.50 vs $1.50 in Tamarindo and food around $10 and up. Full menu breakfast is included. The hotel has Wifi and has a laptop you can use at the bar. I used Skype on my iPhone to call the states and it worked great. Hotel also has a small pool and a resident parrot, Burt. Small quiet and great staff. Owned by some American guys. Everyone speaks English.
Hotel Bula Bula – Serenity in Playa Grande, Costa Rica. Lodging, Surfing, Diving, Eco Tours, & more.

Where to eat in Playa Grande: Kikis (sp) is the local place on the main road as you enter town. Not walkable from Hotel Bula Bula but is from other places. Huge menu, cheap food, and cheap beer. Also has a pool table. Hotel food was very good but you will spend $25-$40 per meal for two.

Where else to go: I would head to Playa Conchol which is 30 minutes away. There are very quiet places there and some busier ones. You can rent jet skis, atvs, etc there or just hang out on a quiet portion of the beach with no waves. Playa Flamingo is the next beach north and there is where you can go deep sea fishing.

Getting Home: $80 ride back to the airport
Departure Tax is $26.00 per person
You can bring liquids through security but then you bags are searched before you board the airplane.

Overall impressions: The beaches favor surfers and if you want to surf. Water is Pacific water so not clear like Belize, Roatan, etc. Bug count was low. Only needed bug spray at night and it was not as bad as Roatan.

This is a quick review. Look for more details including photos by the end of June.