Hotels in Playas Tamarindo and Langosta
In addition to the hotels listed with full reviews on this website, Tamarindo, Playa Langosta, and Playa Grande have a wide range of beach houses and condos for rent by the night, the week, or the month. For more information on this option, check out RPM Vacation Rentals (tel. 2653-0738; www.rpmvacationrentals.com). You’ll also find many options on VRBO.com and Airbnb.com. The area’s largest all-inclusive resort is the 198-room Occidental Tamarindo (tel. 2653-0363; www.barcelo.com), previously called the Barceló Langosta Beach.
- Hotel
Cabinas Las Olas
This is the only hotel in Playa Avellanas with direct beach access, making it a favorite with surfers, as a range of gnarly breaks stretch up and down the white-sand beach in each direction. The hotel’s five duplex buildings are located 100 yards or so inland under tall trees, and…$$Outskirts - Hotel
Cala Luna Boutique Hotel & Villas
By far the most luxurious option in Tamarindo, Cala Luna offers beautiful guest rooms done in warm tones with a stone-wash effect on the walls. Sawed-off tree trunks are used as nightstands, and sea shells and driftwood are incorporated into the decor. However, the real draws here…$$$Around Town - Hotel
El Diriá
This massive complex sits right in the center of Tamarindo. The original hotel rooms and pool are right on the beach, and are my favorites. I especially like the third-floor sunset rooms, which offer up beautiful ocean and sunset views from their private balconies. However, most of…$$$Around Town - Hotel
Esplendor Tamarindo
This cushy Wyndham resort gets its wow factor from the spectacular view of Tamarindo Bay from the infinity pool, though the distance from town and the beach can be a downside. It has three towers with five floors each, and all 104 rooms have an ocean view. Great place for sunset…$$Around Town - Hotel
Hostel La Botella de Leche
This cool hostel is on the map thanks to its emphasis on customer service. Manuel Fontana of Argentina, who bought the quaint blue hostel in 2015, says he concentrates on the three pillars essential to running a hostel: hardware (working air-conditioning and bathrooms in all the…$Around Town - Hotel
Hotel Arco Iris
The charm quotient is high at this boutique complex of rooms and bungalows located about a 5-minute walk from the beach. Most of that has to do with the lovely staff, who really make all guests feel like VIPS. The rooms are immaculate, featuring white travertine tile floors and pure…$$Around Town - Hotel
Hotel Capitán Suizo
Built in 1995 and owned by Ursula Schmid of Switzerland, this luxury hotel on the quieter southern end of Tamarindo Beach has top-notch service, and the rooms are large, well-kept, and thoroughly inviting. Most feature colonial-style terra cotta floors and four-poster canopy beds.…$$$Around Town - Hotel
Hotel Marielos
This longstanding, family-run budget hotel is located right across from the beach near the entrance to town. Owner Maria de los Angeles (“Marielos”) Gonzalez and her children run a tight ship, meaning rooms are neat as a pin. Rooms come either with fans or air-conditioning. A few…$Around Town - Hotel
Hotel Pasatiempo
Each room here is named after a local beach, appropriate as this place pretty much embodies a “fun in the sun” aesthetic (that being said, the hotel is not a beachfront one; you’ll have to walk a few blocks to the sands). Guest digs are spacious and well maintained, with cool tile…$$In town - Hotel
Hotel Playa Negra
This small collection of hexagonal thatched-roof concrete bungalows is just steps away from Playa Negra, a legendary right point break that was made famous in the surf film classic “Endless Summer II.” Hotel Playa Negra caters to families as well as surfers, and the bungalow suites…$$Outskirts - Hotel
Hotel Zully Mar
With an enviable location on a prominent corner right in the heart of Tamarindo, this family-run operation delivers clean, cozy rooms at great prices. It’s worth the small splurge for a room with air-conditioning and television. You can enjoy a small, free-form pool for cooling off,…$Around Town - Hotel
JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort & Spa
This handsome resort is built around a massive pool (said to be the largest in Central America) and fronts a gorgeous but small patch of soft, white-sand beach. The rooms are ample and well-equipped, with fine dark-wood furnishings and red tile floors in a herringbone pattern. The…$$$Outskirts - Hotel
Mar Rey Hotel
For more than 40 years, the Martinez and Reyes families have run this budget favorite under the name Zullymar, but they decided on a rebranding that combines the two family names about a decade ago. The name has changed, but the ambience hasn’t. The two-story building is still…$Around Town - Hotel
Pueblo Dorado Surf Hotel
This two-story, 29-room hotel with a swimming pool, one of the oldest lodging options in town, had fallen into some disrepair before being acquired in 2015 by Joe Walsh (not the rock star) of Witch’s Rock Surf Camp, about 300m to the south. It’s now being used to house overflow…$Around Town - Hotel
Sueño del Mar
This intimate bed-and-breakfast, in a quiet setting on Playa Langosta, has a loyal following that comes back year after year for the personalized service, gorgeous sunsets, and spectacular breakfasts. It’s a great spot for a once-in-a-lifetime romantic occasion like a wedding or…$$Around Town - Hostel
Tamarindo Backpackers Hostel
A few blocks from the beach, this hostel is secluded enough to be quiet at night but close enough to walk to a party. The pretty little hostel has a swimming pool and a shared kitchen, with two dorms and four private rooms with a/c and cable TV.$Around Town - Hotel
Tamarindo Diria Beach Resort
This resort may be a victim of its own success, having grown just a bit too big, and service and upkeep can suffer at times. Many of the beds are too hard, the Wi-Fi is spotty, and some of the rooms need updating. Still, the Diria has arguably the most convenient location of any…$$Around Town - Hotel
Tuanis B&B
Set in the heart of town near, right above a beachside restaurant and gift shop, this tiny inn is an excellent value. There are just a few rooms, with polished-concrete floors and corrugated metal ceilings; all have flatscreen TVs and air-conditioning. Rooms face a charming terrace…$Around Town - Hotel
Villa Alegre
In a converted home bordering a small private reserve, this intimate bed-and-breakfast is an excellent, friendly option. The rooms and small villas are all cozy and each is decorated in a distinct country theme. The villas feature small kitchenettes and private balconies. The Mexico…$$$Around Town - Hotel
Witch’s Rock Surf Camp
While you don’t have to be a surfer to stay here, you most likely are. This beachfront surf resort caters mostly to young, budget-minded surfers interested in a weeklong surf camp, surf lessons, or just hanging out and catching Guanacaste’s best waves. The rooms are comfortable and…$$Around Town - Hotel
Wyndham Tamarindo
This cushy Wyndham resort gets its wow factor from the spectacular view of Tamarindo Bay. It has three towers with five floors each, and all 104 rooms have that ocean view, as does the large infinity pool that nearly spans the length of the property in front of the hotel. Its…$$Around Town
