Hotels near Nosara - NOB, Nosara

Costa Rica is a very special country, but what I like best of all in Nosara (Guiones/Pelada) are the people. Both Ticos (Costa Ricans) and expats are among the friendliest, most genuinely helpful and generous, and most laid back folks anywhere. And it is the gorgeous natural beauty and tranquility of this place that must be the cause.

The town is very charming with lots of both local, mid range and upscale restaurants. The problem is with the roads. We drove 2 1/2 hours from Playa flamingo down the coast and fully half of that time was on rutted dirt roads. The town itself had ro ases that were worse than rutted with giant potholes sometimes two or 3 feet deep. It made us wish we had a four-wheel-drive which many of the locals drive. They called them quads, which are four wheeled ATVs. We were there in dry season so I can only imagine what happens to the roads in the rainy season. It would not be a pretty sight.

It was extremely quiet in low season. The roads to Playa Guiones and Playa Pelada, in downtown Nosara, were very challenging even with a 4x4. We can only imagine how difficult it is to drive and park in the high season. All the locals did not encourage us to walk the beach at night and advised us to watch our belongings everywhere. The yoga was great at Bodhi Tree and turtle hatching at Ostonial very moving. We much preferred the beaches of Samara (Samara Beach at the great spot of Bahia Beachfront Restaurant as well as the quiet and coco tree lined Playa Carillo), of course if you are in mood to drive on the gravel roads to Samara.

Choose accomodation carefully as the area is quite large and spread out. Not as devloped as other places along the coast. Beaches are amazing and quieter than Tarmarindo or Samara beaches. Bring ypur own. Loungers and beach umbrellas, as limited availability. Also not too many places serving refreshments So bring your own.

Nosara is apparently one of the most expensive places in Central America, more expensive than the rest of Costa Rica, and the vibe is a bit weird - lots of wealthy travelers, $9 drip coffee, middle-aged white people mostly and lots of second-home mansions. We went to yoga at a resort that was $600/night and that seemed like no big deal for most of the American clients. However once we got to know the locals, learned to eat at local "sodas" instead, and realized the beach break is fantastic for surfing and protected so there's no beach vendors or beach bars, we had a great time. It's not a backpackers town, but it is very safe.

A nice beach town which has most conveniences but is not too big. We had visited in 1988 so the development since then was breathtaking. We visited during the off-season (October) so it was very rainy but had clear periods each day. The advantage to visiting this time of year is hotel prices are generally lower, but many businesses are closed so for example a restaurant you wanted to visit may not be open and I had more difficulty renting a good surfboard than I thought I would. As mentioned before, the rain can be a problem during the off-season but I understand the period from December to April is mostly rain free. I would imagine the town is much more crowded in season which could affect the experience.