If you’re a beach person like I am, you most likely appreciate the white sand and turquoise water beaches that I’ve written about in my previous posts about Long Island, New York and Caye Caulker, Belize. I have yet to mention one of my all-time preferred places to go, which has the exact opposite kind of beaches that come to mind when thinking of locations of Central America. Two of my most favorite vacations that I have gone on with my family has been to Costa Rica. We loved the area and the natives so much the first time we went there, that we just had to go back years later to spend a week and a half exploring the most beautiful parts of the country. Both times we visited we spent most of our vacation time on Jaco Beach, a famous surfer beach alongside a small town that is known for it’s regular surf.
Birdseye view of Jaco Beach. Photo taken by Costaricapro.
Playa Jaco, as the natives call it, or Jaco Beach is located just north of Manuel Antonio National Park (another one of my favorite beaches) and south of Herradura Beach. It is located on the central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, just north of the equator and less than a two-hour car ride away from the capital, San Jose. If you have ever driven through the streets of Manhattan, the streets leading to Jaco might actually be worse due to the steep mountains and twining roads. Though, Manhattan doesn't give you ideal views from the road, which overlooks the rainforests and Costa Rican farms. Once you arrive to Jaco Beach, you will see a long beach that runs parallel to a main strip of local restaurants, surf shops and markets. Rocky points sit along each end of the beach, which is known for it’s gray sand and consistent waves. When I visited Costa Rica my family and I stayed in the Los Suenos Marriott just down the road, tucked away from the main strip. There are other hotel options that are closer to the beach such as Hotel Perico Azul or Croc’s Casino Resport. Jaco is a heavily populated beach town open to families and young adults, but not all people are tourists. The strip and beach attracts people ranging from tourists to local residents.
Photo of a surfer at Jaco Beach, taken by Chris Goldberg.
Jaco Beach is known for the surf, which accommodates both experts and beginners. Many people flock to the beach to enjoy a morning session, surf lesson, or surf camp. I unfortunately did not get the opportunity to have surf lessons, but this is a must if you’re up for it. Jaco has consistent waves almost everyday, which is why it’s so appealing to surfers. If you’ve never surfed a day in your life like me, don’t worry because the waves are the perfect size for beginners. If you’re lucky, you might even see some professionals going out for their daily surf. An interesting fun fact is that the 2016 INS ISA World Surfing Games took place in Jaco Beach this past August, where the top National Surfing Teams competed against one another. The beach is not too far from the jungle, where many visitors enjoy activities such as zip lining, ATV tours or canopy tours. While I was there, we spent a lot of our time either walking around the town, or lounging on the beach. One of the experiences I will never forget from my vacations in Costa Rica was when my family and I went zip lining through the canopies of the rain forests. We loved this excursion so much we went back for a second time! The main strip of Jaco is filled with small and affordable surf shops, where you can find tiny trinkets, paintings and jewelry. This is a perfect rainy day activity because in Costa Rica it rains, a lot. This is one of the many joys of vacationing in the middle of the rain forest!
Other activities that are available around Jaco Beach are:
Swimming
Deep sea fishing
Bicycle rentals
Horseback excursions
Crocodile safari
National parks and reserves
Boat and kayak excursions
White-water rafting
After a long day at the beach or enjoying an adventurous excursion, many people hit the main strip to enjoy Jaco’s nightlife and restaurants. A typical Costa Rican restaurant is generally called a “soda.” Sodas are typically small restaurants that welcome those who have just walked off the beach. Normally the restaurants are open-air, and provide Costa Rican inspired meals. My favorite meal to eat at a soda was a plate of fish tacos. I have never experienced real fish tacos until I visited Costa Rica, and since then fish tacos have never been the same! At the typical Costa Rican soda, meals can cost from around $6 to $25. My favorite part of every meal was that instead of giving you bread, the restaurant would give you fried plantain chips to munch on while looking over the menu. The restaurants in Jaco range from cafés to bistros to steakhouses. One of my favorite restaurants in Jaco is called El Hicaco, a more upscale restaurants, which offers great food and an ideal location. While dining at El Hicaco, you can watch surfers and a cotton candy sunset during your meal. Every Wednesday there is an unlimited buffet with everything you can imagine such as filet mignon, sushi, jumbo shrimp and lobster. Though this could be a bit pricey as it is around $70 per person. The great thing about Jaco being a beach town is that no matter what kind of restaurant you go out to dinner to, from a soda to someplace like El Hicaco, there is no need to wear anything fancy. A casual sundress, pair of jeans, a shirt and flip-flops are the typical dress for dinners. After a long day after the beach, the sunsets at Jaco are sure not to disappoint.
Photo of Jaco Beach taken by Liz Roy.
Whether you are surfing fanatic, or like me, a lover of finding small residential beach towns, definitely look into visiting Jaco Beach. Vacationing here is a great way to learn how to surf, eat some fish tacos and explore the rain forest. But don’t forget to brush up on your Spanish; you may need to learn a couple of key words to help expand your experience!
