There are a lot of beaches within easy reach of Playas del Coco. Some are five minutes away. Others take a car and forty minutes on the road. All of them are worth knowing, because they are quite different from each other. Different sand, different water clarity, different crowds, different things to do.
All of these beaches are within about an hour of Liberia International Airport, making them easy to reach on your first or last day without losing beach time. Here is a rundown of the main beaches in the area and what to expect from each one.
Playa del Coco
The town beach. Coco is not the clearest water on this stretch of coast, and the south end near the fishing boats can be murky. The north end is better for swimming and the water is generally calm. The real draw here is the town itself. Restaurants, bars, shops, and services are all within walking distance of the beach. If you want amenities and convenience, nothing in the area beats it.
Walk-through video
Playa Ocotal
A five-minute drive south of Coco. The water at Ocotal is noticeably clearer and calmer than Coco's beach. The sand is mostly dark, closer to black than the pale grey you see at most Guanacaste beaches. The south end has shallow, easy snorkeling. The north end drops off faster and suits more experienced snorkelers. The beach is much quieter than Coco on most days. Howler monkeys are regularly spotted in the trees along the access road.
See Ocotal
Playa Penca
A small sheltered bay with some of the best shallow-water snorkeling in the area. Both ends of the beach have reef close to shore, and the water is calm enough that you do not need to be a strong swimmer to reach it. The Waldorf Astoria resort has been built on the hillside above the beach, but public access remains open. The road in has improved significantly since construction started. It used to be rough enough to put people off. Now it is an easy drive.
Tour Penca and the Waldorf
Playa Hermosa
More built up than Penca or Ocotal. There are restaurants, accommodation options, and water sport rentals along the beachfront. The beach is wide and the water is reliably calm, with good views across Papagayo Bay from most of the shoreline. Snorkeling is best at the north end. If you want to rent a jet ski or book a boat tour, Hermosa is the easiest place to arrange it.
See Hermosa and nearby beaches
Playa Buena
Between Hermosa and Playa Panama, and much less visited than either on most days. The water is very calm and clear, which is why it fills up on weekends and Costa Rican holidays when people drive down from surrounding communities to spend the day. The beach wraps around a small peninsula where the Papagayo adults-only resort overlooks the beach. Walking around the point at sunset is worth the trip out on its own.
Playa Matapalo
This beach is a bit farther drive to the south from Coco. It is long enough that it rarely feels crowded even when it is busy. The RIU Guanacaste and RIU Palace resorts are behind the beach and maintain a roped swimming area in front of their property. The water is calm. White-faced capuchin monkeys are almost always visible in the trees along the treeline, and they tend to come down lower in the early morning. A car is a benefit here.
See Matapalo
Playa Cabuyal
The furthest north on the Papagayo Peninsula. It is the least visited beach here by a fair margin on most days, though it gets genuinely busy on Costa Rican holidays when families drive up and camp for the night. There is a campground at the beach. An estuary runs along the south end. Crocodiles have been spotted there, so worth staying well back from the water in that section. The swimming beach is good, though the break runs choppier than at the more sheltered bays to the south. The views of the Pacific coast from the north end are the best of any beach on this list.
See CabuyalIf you only have time for one, Ocotal is the easiest choice. It is five minutes from town and the water is noticeably clearer than the main beach. For snorkeling, Penca is the top pick in the area. If you want a full day out with lunch and somewhere to sit, Hermosa has everything you need along the beachfront.