The number-one tourism destination in Costa Rica has it all.

Playa Ocotal
According to Lonely Planet, Playa Ocotal has “the cleanest and quietest beach in the area, offering good swimming and snorkeling.” Known for its breathtaking view of the Gulf of Papagayo, with lush Santa Rosa National Park across the way, Playa Ocotal is a dreamy getaway for those seeking peace and relaxation. Elegant vacation homes scatter the mountainside through Ocotal on the way to Bahía Pez Vela – then disappear from sight the moment you enter our secluded community.

Playa del Coco
Only five minutes from Bahía Pez Vela, Playa del Coco lies 35 kilometers (22 miles) west of Liberia, Guanacaste’s main city, and is the easiest beach on the Nicoya Peninsula to access by road from San José. This pleasant fishing town is a popular destination for Ticos, and offers a variety of nightlife and restaurants. Sailboats and fishing boats can be seen scattered throughout the bay, offering a great opportunity to watch local fisherman at work.

Guanacaste and the Nicoya Peninsula
Once part of Nicaragua, the Guanacaste province chose to secede from Nicaragua to join Costa Rica in 1824. Famous for its unforgettable beaches, perfect climate and friendly residents, Guanacaste is Costa Rica’s most popular visitor destination.

Nicknamed the “Gold Coast”, Guanacaste enjoys a drier climate than the rest of the country; the region experiences little precipitation even during the rainy season – just one of the reasons why so many feel it is “the place to be” in Costa Rica.

With an international airport in Liberia, Guanacaste’s main city, and direct flights now available from Atlanta to Liberia on Delta Airlines, visitors destined for Guanacaste can bypass San José altogether – and head straight for the beach.

The Nicoya Peninsula’s spectacular beaches and long Pacific coastline are the region’s star attractions. The country’s best dive sites are here, as well as ample opportunity for record-breaking sportfishing, surfing, snorkeling, swimming or just plain sun-worshipping. The area also offers excellent windsurfing and sailing.
A region rich in folklore, music, color and delicious casados (typical dishes), Guanacaste offers up the bounty of the sea to its tables, including lobster, ceviche and whole pescaditos (fish).

The area’s national parks harbor some of the oldest formations in the country, such as the caverns of Barra Honda National Park, with their many stalactites and stalagmites, as well as important expanses of dry tropical forest. In addition, many of the region’s protected areas possess worldwide importance for protection of wildlife, including the several species of sea turtle that nest on the peninsula’s beaches.

National Parks in the Area
Guanacaste is home to several national parks protecting a spectacular host of flora, fauna and marine life.

Barra Honda
Approximately 90 kilometers (55 miles) from the property. Stroll through a network of caverns created sixty million years ago by limestone reefs thrust upward by tectonic forces.

Guanacaste
Approximately 75 kilometers (45 miles) from the property, across from Santa Rosa National Park. Rainforest, tropical wet forest, cloud forest and tropical dry forest shelter hundreds of bird and animal species and thousands of insect and plant species.

Marino Las Baulas
Approximately 75 kilometers (45 miles) from the property. On the northern side of the village of Tamarindo, this national park protects Playa Grande, one of the world’s most important nesting sites for the leatherback turtle (baula in Spanish). Leatherbacks are the largest reptiles in the world, with some measuring an astounding five meters (over 16 feet) head to tail.

Palo Verde
Approximately 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the property. A migratory and resident waterfowl refuge, the lakes and floodplains here are inhabited by more than 50,000 waterfowl and forest birds. Swimmers, take note: crocodiles up to five meters (over 16 feet) long have been seen in the Tempisque River, which runs through the park.

Rincón de la Vieja
Approximately 60 kilometers (35 miles) from the property. This park’s claim to fame is the active volcano it’s named after; it also boasts the country’s largest populations of guarias moradas (purple orchids), Costa Rica’s national flower.

Santa Rosa
Approximately 75 kilometers (45 miles) from the property, across from Guanacaste National Park. This park harbors important habitat for protection and restoration of Costa Rica’s Pacific dry forests, as well as several sea turtle nesting sites.

For more information on these and other National Parks in Costa Rica, check out the following websites:

www.costarica.com/travel/parks.html
www.costaricabureau.com/nationalparks.htm