258km (160 miles) NW of San José; 40km (25 miles) SW of Liberia
While most of Costa Rica's coast is highly coveted by surfers, the beaches here are mostly protected and calm. A good destination for families with kids, Playa Hermosa means "beautiful beach," which is an appropriate name for this crescent of sand. Surrounded by steep forested hills, this curving gray-sand beach is long and wide and the surf is usually quite gentle. Fringing the beach is a swath of trees that stays surprisingly green even during the dry season. The shade provided by these trees, along with the calm protected waters, is a big part of the beach's appeal. Rocky headlands jut out into the surf at both ends of the beach, and at the base of these rocks, you'll find fun tide pools to explore.
Beyond Playa Hermosa you'll find Playa Panamá and, farther on, the calm waters of Bahía Culebra, a large protected bay dotted with small, private patches of beach and ringed with mostly intact dry forest. Around the north end of Bahía Culebra is the rapidly developing Papagayo Peninsula, which is currently the home to two large all-inclusive resorts and one championship golf course. This peninsula has a half-dozen or so small to midsize beaches, the nicest of which might just be Playa Nacascolo, which is inside the domain of the Four Seasons Resort here -- but all beaches in Costa Rica are public, so you can still visit, albeit after passing through security and parking at the public parking lot.
This area is in the midst of a major boom. Condos, beach homes, and hotels are sprouting up all over the once forested hills here, and throughout the day you can often hear the sound of construction all around.
