Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

While staying with a Tico family, I found out that a favorite beach in Costa Rica of most locals was Manuel Antonio. When you're looking for the best, trust those who know best; and I was looking for the best beach in Costa Rica.

If you're in search of a party town, stay far away from here. If you're looking for wide beaches, with a hundred feet of low tide before the waves break, this is exactly where you want to be. Though there are better beaches in Costa Rica for surfing, there's definitely room to ride a few afternoon waves.



Everyone else has told me Manuel Antonio National Park is a must-see, but unfortunately because this was a very last minute planned trip, sneakers were accidentally skipped in the packing process, and we didn't make it to the park. While we were slightly disappointed not to be able to see the park, another half of a day at the beach was well welcomed.

 
We stayed in an adorable and perfectly clean hostel called Beachpacker's that was only a 200 meter walk down to Playa Uvita. This is a safe beach, and you shouldn't worry about leaving invaluable belongings on the sand while you're in the water, but you should still keep an eye on your things. One downside about this town and beach was that if you plan to return after dark, be very sure of where you need to turn back, because this beach is pitch black the second the sun sets.





From the Pacific side of Costa Rica, you can't see a beautiful sunrise and unfortunately even the sunset is often blocked by clouds. The picture below was taken at about 5:30am, so as you can see, the sunset and sunrise still won't disappoint if you're looking for some intense glow in the sky.