Planning a Trip

Getting There & Departing

By Plane -- Sansa (tel. 877/767-2672 in the U.S. and Canada, or 2290-4100 in Costa Rica; www.flysansa.com) has seven daily flights to Tamarindo from San José's Juan Santamaría International Airport, with the first flight leaving at 6am and the last flight departing at 1:50pm. The flight takes 55 minutes. The fare is $102 (£51) each way. During the high season, a later afternoon flight is added.

Nature Air (tel. 800/235-9272 in the U.S. and Canada, or 2299-6000; www.natureair.com) flies to Tamarindo daily at 6:30, 10, and 10:10am, and 12:25 and 4:30pm from Tobías Bolaños International Airport in Pavas. The fare is $108 (£54) each way. The flight takes 55 minutes. Nature Air also has connections between Tamarindo and Arenal, Liberia, and Quepos.

Whether you arrive on Sansa or Nature Air, a couple of cabs or minivans are always waiting for arriving flights. It costs $3 to $6 (£1.50-£3) for the ride into town.

Sansa flights leave Tamarindo for San José between 7am and 3pm. Nature Air flights leave for San José at 7:25 and 11:25am, and 2:25 and 4:35pm.

If you're flying into Liberia, a taxi should cost around $50 to $70 (£25-£35). Alternately, you can use Tamarindo Shuttle (tel. 2653-1326; www.tamarindoshuttle.com), which charges $18 (£9) per person.

By Car -- The most direct route is by way of the La Amistad bridge. Take the Interamerican Highway west from San José. Forty-seven kilometers (29 miles) past the turnoff for Puntarenas, you'll see signs for the turnoff to the bridge. After crossing the river, follow the signs for Nicoya and Santa Cruz. Continue north out of Santa Cruz, until just before the village of Belén, where you will find the turnoff for Tamarindo. In another 20km (12 miles) take the left fork for Playa Tamarindo at Huacas and continue on until the village of Villareal, where you make your final turn into Tamarindo. The trip should take around 4 1/2 hours.

You can save a little time, especially in the dry season, by taking a more direct but rougher route: You turn left just after passing the main intersection for Santa Cruz at the turnoff for playas Junquillal and Ostional. The road is paved until the tiny village of Veintesiete de Abril. From here, it's about 20km (12 miles) on a rough dirt road until the village of Villareal, where you make your final turn into Tamarindo.

Alternatively, you can drive here via Liberia. When you reach Liberia, turn west and follow the signs for Santa Cruz and the various beaches. Just beyond the town of Belén, take the turnoff for playas Flamingo, Brasilito, and Tamarindo, and then follow the directions for the second option above. This route takes around 5 1/2 hours.

By Bus -- Tracopa-Alfaro express buses (tel. 2222-2160) leave San José daily for Tamarindo at 8:30 and 11:30am and 3:30pm, departing from Calle 14 between avenidas 3 and 5. Tralapa (tel. 2221-7202) also has one daily direct bus to Tamarindo leaving at 4pm from their main terminal at Calle 20 between avenidas 3 and 5. The trip takes 5 hours, and the one-way fare is around $6.50 (£3.25).

Alternatively, you can catch a bus to Santa Cruz from the either of the above bus companies. Buses leave both stations for Santa Cruz roughly every hour between 6am and 6pm. The trip's duration is 4 hours; the one-way fare is around $5.50 (£2.25). Buses leave Santa Cruz (tel. 2680-0392) for Tamarindo roughly every 1 1/2 hours between 6am and 6pm; the one-way fare is $1.60 (80p).

Gray Line (tel. 2220-2126; www.graylinecostarica.com) has a daily bus that leaves San José for Tamarindo at 8am. The fare is $33 (£17). Interbus (tel. 2283-5573; www.interbusonline.com) has two daily buses that leave San José for Tamarindo at 7:45am and 2:30pm. The fare is $35 (£18). Both companies will pick you up at most San José-area hotels.

Direct buses leave Tamarindo for San José daily at 3:30 and 5:45am and 2 and 4pm. Buses to Santa Cruz leave roughly every 1 1/2 hours between 6am and 6pm. In Santa Cruz you can transfer to one of the frequent San José buses.

Orientation

The road leading into town runs parallel to the beach and ends in a small cul-de-sac just past Zully Mar. A couple of side roads off this main road lead farther on, to playa Langosta. You'll find several of the newer hotels mentioned below off these side roads. To reach playas Avellanas, Negra, and Junquillal, you have to first head out of town and take the road toward Santa Cruz.

Fast Facts

The local police can be reached at tel. 2653-0283. In the event of a medical emergency, call Pacific Emergencies (tel. 8378-8265).

There's a Banco Nacional branch at the little mall across from El Diria, and a branch of the Banco de Costa Rica in the Plaza Conchal mall. There are also several Internet cafes and a couple of pharmacies in town. You'll find the Mariposa Laundry (no phone) just past the turnoff for Playa Langosta.

Getting Around

For a rental car, Adobe (tel. 2653-0031), Alamo (tel. 2653-0727), Budget (tel. 2436-2000), Economy (tel. 2653-0752), Europcar (tel. 2653-1809), Hertz (tel. 2653-1358), Payless (tel. 2653-0015), and Thrifty (tel. 2653-0829) have offices in Tamarindo.

The town itself is very compact and you should be able to walk most places. Aside from that, a large fleet of taxis are usually cruising around town, or hanging out at principal intersections and meeting points. If you need to, you can call a taxi at tel. 2653-0751, 8836-7783, or 2653-0586.

Yo Quiero Hablar Español -- If you want to try an intensive immersion program or just brush up on your rusty high school Spanish, check in with the folks at Wayra Instituto de Español (tel./fax 2653-0359; www.spanish-wayra.co.cr). This place is located up a side street from Iguana Surf.