As I stare down the barrel of my next adventure, I find myself looking back on my stay in Nosara during my 2024 Costa Rica adventure. This place was a destination where your parents are most definitely footing the bill if you aren’t backpacking. Despite this, a few backpackers make their way here for some great surfing and a peaceful existence after the chaos further up the coast in the infamous Spring-Break, Gringo-town of Tamarindo.

When reading this, it’s worth remembering that my experience will have likely been different from a family visiting both in terms of budget and travelling solo.

Located in the Guanacaste Province on the Peninsula de Nicoya facing the Pacific Ocean, Nosara is north of Santa Teresa and south of Tamarindo. There is a gentle bohemian vibe to this beach town, with some plush stays and chic restaurants paired with the eclectic local market and ATVs parked up around the town. Compared to Santa Teresa, Nosara is quieter and more opulent, without being pretentious. Generally, this is not a budget backpacker destination, but it was worth every penny. 

I was in Tamarindo and had originally planned to stay for a week at surf camp, until I arrived and took one look at the wave forecast which was not promising. I spent a handful of days catching up with friends I had met in San José before packing up and getting on the road again. 

The original bus I had looked to book was no longer available (classic me, leaving it too late) so I booked one for the next day. That night I went out to a great bar with some friends I’d met in Santa Teresa and San José, when I bumped into two guys who had just arrived in Costa Rica, also bound for Nosara the following day. I went on to spend the whole week with these guys and several girls we met there too, forming what felt like a group of old friends. 

How to get there

These friends were from the USA and just visiting Nosara on vacation. They flew into Liberia, taking a taxi shuttle to Tamarindo staying for the night. The next day they hired motorcycles to drive along the dirt track roads to Nosara. 

I had booked a shuttle through the Selina hostel concierge which cost me $65. It arrived on time at 2pm (I was not a victim of Costa Rica time in this instance) and I was the only person on this service besides my driver. Booking through the hostel gave me a great deal of confidence that this was safe, rather than attempting to search for a service on my own. 

The driver was friendly, he was happy for me to practice speaking Spanish with him or for me to go quiet and listen to my music. The journey was originally sold as four hours, but we arrived promptly in under two, with a stop for fresh orange juice which he picked up for me from a stall on the roadside (I know my father may be reading this bit thinking STRANGER DANGER but gut feeling was that he wasn’t about to traffic me through orange juice). He delivered me directly to the front door and helped me with my bags. I couldn’t recommend a better way to get from A to B. 

Where to stay

I stayed in the Selina Nosara (the Selina chain has recently rebranded to Socialtel) which was quite possibly the loveliest hostel I have ever stayed in. It felt more like an ecolodge than a hostel and the entire complex felt like a retreat, costing me $25 each night. I was in a large bamboo house with 12 beds split between upstairs and downstairs, with only 3 beds occupied on arrival. By the end of the week, my little friendship group of seven was housed under the same roof with no extras besides an elusive Frenchman called Jean-Pierre who was nowhere to be seen after dropping his bags.

This hostel was a 20-minute-walk from the town and Playa Guiones, on a small jungle path. We did this once at night going for dinner which was probably not the wisest idea but we lived to tell the tale. In the daytime it was perfectly fine but I’d still recommend going in a group. 

A faster way to get in and out of town was via tuk tuk. You could ask the hostel to call one for you and often in the centre of the sleepy town you could find some waiting to take tourists back to their respective lodgings. They were very accommodating, allowing us to take our surf boards to and from the hostel in the tuk tuk, and with no surf boards present, you could fit around 4 passengers in. 

There was no shortage of activities to do at the hostel which was a great way to meet other guests if solo travelling. The staff there are very kind and friendly, really getting everyone involved.

The first morning started with a yoga class – a very zen and mindful way to commence a day in paradise – before finding some breakfast. We ate at the in-house café/restaurant at Selina which was not included but was convenient. I would often have a smoothie and iced coffee to start the day but there were classic brunch options such as omelette and eggs benedict. 

There were two pools, a smaller one in the shade where we would play volleyball in the afternoon as an alternative to surfing. It was a welcome refresh at the end of a hot evening before retiring to our bamboo house. 

One evening after a fabulous sunset surf, we took ourselves to the hostel’s paint-and-wine (BYOB) which was very gentle and wholesome. The eight or nine of us attempted to paint a sunset at the beach which shone a light on everyone’s individuality – some more impressive than others.

The Wednesday salsa night was definitely my favourite night at the hostel, where we were joined by 30-40 people – some from nearby hostels and hotels, and we had an incredibly enthusiastic choreographer leading us at the front. Much to my dismay I wasn’t selected to be his partner to demo to the crowds, but probably for the best – we were giggling all evening. 

The reception staff at Selina were very happy for us to store our rented boards there, ready to pick up each morning. This leads me onto what one can do outside of the lovely hostel…

What to do

Surf & Beach

We rented boards from Nosara Tico Surf School, for $10-20 per board day rental. From the shop it was a 5 minute walk to Playa Guiones where the waves had some oomph but nothing too intimidating, the white wash was far out enough that us less-seasoned surfers had space to catch something and not end up beached.

If you go to Playa Guiones, it is exposed once on the beach – bring a lot of sunscreen and a hat! At one point we built a little shelter out of driftwood and our towels to hide from the midday sun. This tropical UV exposure is no joke (especially as a freckle-faced, fair-skinned girl), and I have spoken about it in a previous post – more to follow at the end. 

PELIGRO – When going to swim we put our bags under a seemingly inoffensive tree without noticing the not-invisible CUIDADO signs (beware). The tree we had chanced upon was known as El árbol de la muerte (tree of death) whose sap and bark are poisonous and can be deadly – look up Hippomane Mancinella for more. Unlike us, pay attention when you are on the beach, it can be easy when on holiday to go about the place care-free but this is a country full of jungle and creepy crawlies so be aware!

Also the ocean can be quite dangerous here – I wouldn’t recommend swimming too far out in case of rip tides. If you go into the ocean, the best thing is to go out with a surfboard so you have something to float on should it go pear-shaped.

Not to be doom and gloom, but these are all important things to share!

On a lighter note, one evening after dropping off our boards back at Ticos, one of the guys working there gave us all a lift after sunset back to Selina in his 4×4 so we gave him a few dollars to say thanks. The whole team at the surf shop was super friendly and helpful. 

Market

We took a wander through the market on the Tuesday morning. There were lots of cute pop-up stores with locally made items or independent clothing brands and woodwork, also some jewellery stands but beware, anything remotely artisanal is blindingly expensive! It was lovely to window shop but the only thing I could afford at this market was a fresh juice for 6$.

If you are on holiday here and looking for a worthwhile souvenir, you will likely find something rather lovely here – one friend bought a beautiful chopping board/plank which he managed to stuff into his hand luggage on the trip home!

ATV Trip

Despite the pure joy that comes from surfing, my favourite day on this part of the coast was probably this one. We decided to explore and hired a six-man ATV/buggy after finding out no two-mans were available.

One of my friends had planned a whole day trip for us between Nosara and Samara, just south, stopping at various beaches along the way. The day was immense fun. However, we found out the hard way that the vehicle didn’t have power steering so we thanked our lucky stars he was at the wheel and not me! If you do decide to hire something similar, make sure the designated driver has some muscle. 

We finished the day in Samara which is similar to Nosara but has an arguably more backpacker vibe to the place. We had a late lunch/early dinner at some restaurant looking out at the beach, and many margaritas (apart from our driving friend). We watched the sunset and then packed up to go back to the hostel. 

We never felt worried about leaving the ATV whilst we went to our various beaches but I would definitely advise you don’t leave anything behind, valuable or not. If you are worried, I would leave anything you don’t need in a locker in your hostel. 

Shopping

In a beach town like this hosting various luxury hotels, you won’t be surprised to know there are a handful of lovely shops ranging from concept stores to bigger stores stocking your classic surf brands such as Rip Curl and Billabong. A lot of the clientele in Nosara are not on the same budget as I was, so if you are visiting and fancy some retail therapy, rest assured you’ll find it but don’t forget your credit card.

Sunset

I don’t think I’ll ever write a travel post about a beach destination and not list the sunset as an essential activity. The Nosara sunsets were a stunning crispy burnt orange, the embers of which glowed long after the sun had gone to bed.

Similar to Santa Teresa, many people descend upon the sand to watch the final few hours of light before slinking off to their dinner reservation. 

Small tip – watch your belongings if you go for a dip! High tide can really sneak up on you and we very nearly saw half our bags washed into the Pacific forevermore.  

Where to eat and drink

We had the majority of meals at Selina for convenience as getting into town usually required a tuk tuk or the 20-25 minute walk (not advisable in the midday heat). When we were down in town, we found some lovely spots for a bite to eat or even full-blown brunch. 

Howlers

We made several visits to this bar where we had a few drinks and some tacos. It’s a great mid-afternoon hideout from the sun and only several minutes walk from the beach.

Posada Margherita 

This Italian was a gorgeous space on the main road of the town, the food was delicious and the staff very attentive. It was a relatively up-market restaurant in Nosara and we were given a little alcove for our table of seven but we certainly were not forgotten about! This place did come with a price-tag to reflect, not unexpectedly when considering our fellow clientele. 

La Luna

A walk down the jungle path in the pitch black of night took us to La Luna, where we found ourselves for dinner after our first full day. Similar to Posada, the prices were substantial but the food and wine were divine. This spot is on the north side of the headland of Nosara, as opposed to the south side where Playa Guiones is located. After dinner, we all took a stroll along Playa Pelada and stargazed for an hour or so. 

Destiny

Brunch came highly recommended here and the waiting time was a testament to that! Try to book ahead where possible. We were able to order coffees and juice whilst queuing which was a saving grace for someone as coffee-dependent as myself. The brunch was worth the wait and set us up for an active day of surfing ahead! It is located just inside the La Negra Surf Hotel.

Miscellaneous tips

Cash

Take out some cash before you get to Nosara for tuk tuks (cash only) or even heading to the market (some places will add on 20% if you want to pay for your market-stall smoothie by card). There is maybe one ATM but it wasn’t working when we found it.

Sun protection

It can be super hot here and on a blue sky day you could find yourself somewhat sizzled! If you surf, wear a rash guard and perhaps a hat, use some zinc on your face and on any sensitive/exposed patches. Don’t be embarrassed to take a time-out from the sun like I had to, sun stroke is not worth an extra 30 minutes in the ocean. 

Hydration

I have mentioned this in the Santa Teresa blog post too, electrolyte drinks can be a great friend somewhere like this. I would buy Electrolit which was sold in most supermarkets as well as the hostel. 

Walking alone

Despite how tranquil this place is, I still wouldn’t advise walking alone especially at night, and/or if you are staying 20 minutes or more from the central part of Nosara. Walk in groups or take a tuk tuk/ATV. 

Until next time…

Nosara is somewhere I’d love to go for a retreat and a recharge perhaps when I have a proper salary so I could really indulge. If you are looking for something similar and you’ve got a generous budget, this off-the-beaten-track idyll is a no-brainer – sunshine, ocean, good food, nestled away on a quiet part of the Pacific coast.

Disclaimer: all photos are my own.