We've pretty much decided to ixnay our July 4th trip to Jamaica and switch to Costa Rica. I've narrowed down our options to Occidental Grand Papagayo or Barcelo Playa Langosta. Any experience with either area/resort? We're only going for 4 nights and probably won't leave the resort much (just want to relax and recuperate from two very stressful jobs). I could see us perhaps going into town once and maybe doing a zip-line. TIA!

An Aggie's Wife

Id stay away from Tamarindo, too much crime (mainly theft)

UH OH! I leave for Tamarindo on June 13th. My first time there. I have been reading up on the place and the only negative I saw was a theft of unwatched items (cell phone, etc) on the beach. Do you have more first-hand info on things I should watch for or places to stay away from? I was told to just be as alert as you would at a Houston city park and it'll be fine.

Where are you staying Valve?

We remted a house across the street from the beach, not sure of the street name. It is a 10 minute walk to downtown Tamarindo, I am told. There will be 8 people total (4 couples).

I stayed for a week at the Diria in Tamarindo a couple years ago. I didn't hear of any crime or ever feel threatened. It was a great time and I'd go back in a second.

[This message has been edited by Lester Bangs (edited 6/2/2010 10:49a).]

Lester, How would you compare the prices of things such as dinner, beer, bar tabs, etc. to Mexico? Like I said, its my first time there and dont really know what to expect. What about tipping? We have rented a house and plan on going to the grocery store once there. We plan to cook a couple of nights, but will be dining out the rest of the time. Did you notice a cigar shop in Tamarindo? Thanks in advance for the info.

Stayed a week in Tamarindo. Never felt unsafe. Nothing was stolen.

Went to Tamarindo 3 months ago for our honeymoon. Stayed at Hotel Capitan Suizo for 3 nights and everything was great. Couple hood rats come out along the strip at night, but what city doesn't have that? We had a blast and never had any issues!

Also stayed at Capitan Suizo in Tamarindo for our honeymoon. Good experience. But, we went about this time of year, and the currents were VERY strong, and there's lots of big rocks lurking under the surf. Swim with caution.

Never felt unsafe in Tamarindo, but I can see how you could find trouble if you weren't careful. Once you get away from the center of town (& the beach right in front of it), it gets really dark really fast. Just use some common sense. Walk in groups, take a cab home if you have to walk on anything other than main thoroughfares. From the Suizo, it's was a half mile south of everything else in town, so you had to walk a down a pitch black beach or some narrow streets to get home, so we took a $5 cab ride home every night.

Anyway, Papagayo is the peninsula way up to the NW, right? I think that's pretty isolated from everything else. Lot less options for day trips, seeing other towns/beaches, etc., but supposedly nicer beaches.

Valve,
It depends on where in Mexico you are referring to. The prices for the nice restaurants were less expensive than American prices and less expensive than say, Cabo, Mexico. A real nice dinner (steak, lobster, several beers, shots, etc.) ran about $50 a person. Take into consideration that it was a guys trip and heavy drinking. If I was doing a relaxing dinner there with my wife, I'm sure it could have been $50 for both of us, or less. In regard to a cigar shop, I didn't look for one, but think there is one right outside the Diria hotel. It is a little strip of shops and I think a cigar shop is one of them. Hope that helps.

Thanks for all the info Ags. I'll post a report when I return. One other thing I found out, Im going to open a bank account with one of the online banks that have free transaction fees. I can pulse money from any ATM wth no charges and get a better exchange rate than with the hotels. I had never thought about that. Im sure all you world travelers prolly already knew that, but I thought I'd throw it out there. Valve

By the way, I would highly recommend the restaurant El Coconut if you are looking for a nice dinner. Neat place that overlooks the strip. Their seafood was really good! Nibanna is pretty good as well.

Here is a short video of El Coconut. It's in Spanish, but you can get an idea of the atmosphere and it shows a couple of the entrees.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KN9w_ssTXFs

+1 for the Coconut. The food was great, the scene was nice. Also, the owner is a really hot model looking chick that moved to Tamarindo from Norway. At least that is what I remember after drinking all day . . . In reality, she may look like the crypt keeper.

I think we're going to book at Barcelo Langosta Beach for the 4th of July weekend!

Just returned from Tamarindo and I will say that it is probably my favorite place of all my vacation destinations thus far. We ate at the Coconut as suggested on this board and had a great meal. The owner is indeed a former model and was a very gracious host. She stood at the entrance and greeted guests in 4 different languages. Food was great everywhere we went. Ate sushi every day. Surfed. Went offshore fishing with Kingpin charters and had a Blue Marlin hooked for about 20-30 minutes before it broke off. Capitan Lee (from South Carolina) says it was in the 400 pound range. Also caught Yellowfin Tuna and Mahi Mahi. Awesome experience. We went white water river rafting through the rainforrest on class 3 and 4 rapids also. I cannot say enough about how friendly the Costa Rican people are. They greet you with the saying "pura vida" and they live by it. I dont think they have any stress. I plan on returning to that country as soon as possible. Thanks to all who gave advice and opinions. Tamarindo is basically a surf-bum town and has alot to offer to those just wanting to relax.

We ate at Nibbana and it was divine. We really enjoyed our stay near Tamarindo. Such a gorgeous setting.