Randa's Guidebook
Sightseeing
Approximately 35 kilometers away, you will find Santa Teresa beach (my personal favourite!) Santa Teresa is a tiny beach village that draws in a lot of surfers and yogis.
Santa Teresa is a world-class surfing spot in Costa Rica with gorgeous white sandy beaches. Be sure to plan one night to visit the beach: the sunset is an incredible experience! From around 5 in the afternoon, it seems like the whole town comes out to gather on the sand; surfers catch their last wave of the day and everyone tries to catch a perfect sunset pic.
Besides surfing, there's a variety of things to do: hiking, shopping, dining or renting an ATV to explore more tucked-away beaches and villages.
From Santa Teresa you can easily access nearby beaches including Montezuma, Mal Pais, and Hermosa beach. There is also Montezuma waterfall close by.
For eats, we recommend Eat Street (large variety of cuisine, vegan and dog friendly), Kook's Smokehouse and Bar (if you love BBQ, like we do, then this one is a must-try), and Manzu (you can watch the waves and the sunset here; a perfect beach-side restaurant--service is also amazing!)
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Santa Teresa Beach
Approximately 35 kilometers away, you will find Santa Teresa beach (my personal favourite!) Santa Teresa is a tiny beach village that draws in a lot of surfers and yogis.
Santa Teresa is a world-class surfing spot in Costa Rica with gorgeous white sandy beaches. Be sure to plan one night to visit the beach: the sunset is an incredible experience! From around 5 in the afternoon, it seems like the whole town comes out to gather on the sand; surfers catch their last wave of the day and everyone tries to catch a perfect sunset pic.
Besides surfing, there's a variety of things to do: hiking, shopping, dining or renting an ATV to explore more tucked-away beaches and villages.
From Santa Teresa you can easily access nearby beaches including Montezuma, Mal Pais, and Hermosa beach. There is also Montezuma waterfall close by.
For eats, we recommend Eat Street (large variety of cuisine, vegan and dog friendly), Kook's Smokehouse and Bar (if you love BBQ, like we do, then this one is a must-try), and Manzu (you can watch the waves and the sunset here; a perfect beach-side restaurant--service is also amazing!)
Activity
Perfect for hiking. This was one of Costa Rica's first conservation areas, protectingboth land and marine zones from development, so there is usually plenty of wildlife like monkeys and birds.
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Reserva Natural Cabo Blanco
Perfect for hiking. This was one of Costa Rica's first conservation areas, protectingboth land and marine zones from development, so there is usually plenty of wildlife like monkeys and birds.
While staying at our little slice of heaven, you might want to spend some time at the all-inclusive Barcelo resort next door. You can purchase a day pass for about $60 pp for the day starting at 10am. Your pass will include all-inclusive buffets, drinks and access the the amenities. There are also water sports (depending on the sport, there may be a surcharge).
Spend the day, come back to Los Delfines to shower and change, and walk back down the beach for dinner and the show.
Hotel Barcelo Playa Tambor
While staying at our little slice of heaven, you might want to spend some time at the all-inclusive Barcelo resort next door. You can purchase a day pass for about $60 pp for the day starting at 10am. Your pass will include all-inclusive buffets, drinks and access the the amenities. There are also water sports (depending on the sport, there may be a surcharge).
Spend the day, come back to Los Delfines to shower and change, and walk back down the beach for dinner and the show.
Experience
Montezuma is another laid back beach town. Its is located on the very southern coast of the Nicoyan Peninsula. Not as crowded as Santa Teresa but has the same groovy, bohemian feel. Here you'll find backpackers, couples and young families, as well as a lot of expats. On Playa Montezuma, you can enjoy a little sunbathing or swimming.
If you want to be a little more active, take a walk north to find more beaches and secluded coves. About 15 minutes away is a small waterfall marked with dozens of rock sculptures ("cairns".) About 45 minutes away you'll find Playa Grande. This is a long beach and one of the best for surfing.
The best thing to do in Montezuma is to visit the waterfalls just south of town. The Montezuma Waterfalls are a set of three cascades. Bring a picnic and do some swimming at the largest waterfall, but if you are REALLY daring you might want to jump at the other two.
For eats, we suggest trying out Soda el Artesano. Their nightly pescatarian selection is caught fresh daily. We will probably visit this place at least once a week when we are in Costa Rica (or rather more like 2 to 3 times a week if I'm being honest--its that good!).
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Montezuma
Montezuma is another laid back beach town. Its is located on the very southern coast of the Nicoyan Peninsula. Not as crowded as Santa Teresa but has the same groovy, bohemian feel. Here you'll find backpackers, couples and young families, as well as a lot of expats. On Playa Montezuma, you can enjoy a little sunbathing or swimming.
If you want to be a little more active, take a walk north to find more beaches and secluded coves. About 15 minutes away is a small waterfall marked with dozens of rock sculptures ("cairns".) About 45 minutes away you'll find Playa Grande. This is a long beach and one of the best for surfing.
The best thing to do in Montezuma is to visit the waterfalls just south of town. The Montezuma Waterfalls are a set of three cascades. Bring a picnic and do some swimming at the largest waterfall, but if you are REALLY daring you might want to jump at the other two.
For eats, we suggest trying out Soda el Artesano. Their nightly pescatarian selection is caught fresh daily. We will probably visit this place at least once a week when we are in Costa Rica (or rather more like 2 to 3 times a week if I'm being honest--its that good!).
Necessities
Cobano is the local hub of the whole southern Nicoya Peninsula. Roads to all beaches (Santa Teresa, Mal Pais and Montezuma) pass through the small town, and when going from one beach village to the other you mostly have to backtrack via Cobano.
Cobano has managed to maintain it's Tico feel despite all the expats and tourists.
If you need supplies, this is the place to go. You'll find a few supermarkets and some fast-food joints, as well as a few sit down restaurants. You'll save some money here as the supermarkets and stores are cheaper than the beach villages.
You will also find a bank, a post office, a barbershop, a few hardware stores, a doctor and a vet. About a kilometer outside of the main part of town you'll find 2 gas stations if you need to fill up.
Cobano is quite a busy place during the day but seems to shut down after dark. We are not sure if this is due to covid or if it has always been this way, but if you need to grab some supplies, it would be best to visit Cobano during daylight hours.
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Cobano District
Cobano is the local hub of the whole southern Nicoya Peninsula. Roads to all beaches (Santa Teresa, Mal Pais and Montezuma) pass through the small town, and when going from one beach village to the other you mostly have to backtrack via Cobano.
Cobano has managed to maintain it's Tico feel despite all the expats and tourists.
If you need supplies, this is the place to go. You'll find a few supermarkets and some fast-food joints, as well as a few sit down restaurants. You'll save some money here as the supermarkets and stores are cheaper than the beach villages.
You will also find a bank, a post office, a barbershop, a few hardware stores, a doctor and a vet. About a kilometer outside of the main part of town you'll find 2 gas stations if you need to fill up.
Cobano is quite a busy place during the day but seems to shut down after dark. We are not sure if this is due to covid or if it has always been this way, but if you need to grab some supplies, it would be best to visit Cobano during daylight hours.
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Visit Tortuga Island--it's a must!
We would strongly recommend booking a day trip out to Tortuga Island. The trip to the Island is beautiful; the last time we went we were treated to a spontaneous visit from a large family of dolphins. It was an exquisite experience and one I will never forget!
Tortuga Island itself is great for lounging in the sun (keep in mind lounge chairs and umbrellas are available for rent) and for those wanting adventure there is snorkeling, hiking, ziplining and kayaking.
If you are interested let us know and we can try to connect you with "Octavio."