Playa Grande boasts a sandy bottom and waves big enough to surf, but not big enough to prevent a comfortable swim. There are multiple surf breaks starting at the river mouth and running towards Hotel Las Tortugas. The beach is also long enough that you can always that you never feel crowded. Multiple beach accesses slice through the foliage, but they can be a little bit difficult to place due to the lack of visible buildings in the area.

Playa Grande Estuary

Salinas is actually the name of the little town at Playa Grande, but this name is rarely used anymore. A small supermarket can be found here as well the Turtle Museum, small hotels and surf camps and restaurants of varying culinary styles. On the northern end of Playa Grande lies Playa Grande Estates, a newer development with American backing. Here residential lots can be found. On the southern end of Playa Grande, Palm Beach Estates in another development with its own amenities. It has a small supermarket, restaurants and a couple hotels. It also has a panga dock that allows quick boat rides up and down the estuary so that one can reach Tamarindo in five minutes for shopping or other necessities. Both developments are mostly residential in nature, however. Both also have multiple beach accesses.

Grande is a popular destination because it is convenient to everything including golf courses at Paradisus Playa Conchal and Hacienda Pinilla , but it remains relatively quiet at night. There is never any traffic to speak of and the atmosphere is a little more laid back than in other areas. Due its geographical location between Tamarindo and Flamingo , there is no doubt that Grande is due to experience some rapid changes as development has already taken off here. It also is only an hour away from the Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia, Costa Rica.

Mar Bar is a local favorite serving awesome shrimp burritos. The Great Waltini's and Hotel Bula Bula is a nice restaurant for dinner with boat taxi service to Tamarindo. Cantarana is another good choice in Palm Beach. The Ripjack Inn and Hotel Las Tortugas also have restaurants.

You can check out more info on Playa Grande including current surf conditions, property for sale, vacation rentals, and national park info at SurfingPlayaGrande.com

More Playa Grande Costa Rica Resources:

Playa Grande Surf Report

Playa Grande Blog

Parque Marino Las Baulas

Playa Grande Map