Playa Grande, Costa Rica
Playa Grande, an especially long and wide blue-flag beach, is internationally famed for two of Costa Rica’s biggest attractions, surfing and leatherback turtles. For surfers, this is a perfect playground at any level. Being at the most western point of the Nicoya peninsula, the beach gets swells from north, south and west.
For wildlife conservation advocates, Playa Grande is considered Costa Rica's most important nesting site for leatherback turtles, the largest reptile and marine turtle in the world, and one of the world’s most endangered species. Between October and March, tourists come from all over the world to marvel at the magnificent sight of these giant turtles hauling themselves ashore, laying their eggs and gently burying them before returning to sea. Tours led by official guides are available to take visitors to see this incredible spectacle.
With the protection of turtles being the priority, Playa Grande remains relatively under-developed compared to other beach destinations along this stretch of the Pacific coast. For shopping and restaurants most vacationers head for its famous neighbor, Tamarindo. Although only two kilometers apart, there is no direct road between Playa Grande and Tamarindo and the drive is about 45 minutes. Nevertheless, you can walk down the beach to the estuary and take a boat to cross the river, which will take about half the time of driving round the estuary. On accommodation choices, Playa Grande offers a handful of budget hotels, simple beach homes and upscale beach villas right on the sand such as the popular Carmela by the sea; there are also some condo apartments and shared-villa suites.