Shopping

Tamarindo is awash in souvenir stands, art galleries, jewelry stores, and clothing boutiques. The new Garden Plaza shopping center is located near the entrance to town, and has several high-end shops, as well as a massive and modern Automercado supermarket.

Pretty Pots -- The lack of any long-standing local arts and craft tradition across Costa Rica is often lamented. One of the outstanding exceptions to this rule is the small village of Guaitíl, located on the outskirts of the provincial capital of Santa Cruz. The small central plaza -- actually a soccer field -- of this village is ringed with craft shops and artisan stands selling a wide range of ceramic wares. Most are low-fired relatively soft clay pieces, with traditional Chorotega indigenous design motifs. All of the local tour agencies offer day trips to Guaitíl, or you can drive there yourself, by heading first to Santa Cruz, and they taking the well-marked turnoff for Guaitíl, just south of the city, on the road to Nicoya.