Your Tamarindo Honeymoon: A Guide

So, you’ve settled on a Tamarindo honeymoon – congratulations! Tamarindo is a wonderful choice for a honeymoon: both urban and relaxed, at once romantic and memorable, both secluded and packed with things to do, this is the perfect backdrop for making memories (and all those honeymoon photos, of course!).

In fact, Tamarindo is one of Costa Rica’s most popular towns, thanks to our mix of beautiful beaches and epic surfing, adrenaline-drenched adventures and great dining, luxury amenities and spectacular sunsets.

What’s more, we’re also perfectly located to many of the Costa Rican adventures on your bucket list: active volcanoes and powder-soft beaches, wildlife rescue centers and palm-lined coast, tropical forests and jungle waterfalls, couples’ massages and sunset sails. The things to see, do and experience on a Tamarindo honeymoon are nearly endless.

Go ahead, you can do a happy dance! This is exactly the brand of newlywed bliss you’ve been looking for. Did someone say #BestHoneymoonEver ?

Your Tamarindo Honeymoon: The When, Where & What

Let’s start with the very basics:

When

Obviously, your when probably depends on your wedding when. But, maybe not! (Did you know? More and more couples are postponing their honeymoons, aka “later moons” – and here’s why.)

Anyway. First things first, Tamarindo averages 75-95º F (23-35º C)and gets a consistent 12-13 hours of daylight, year-round; the sun rises around 5:30 and sets just after 6, almost every day of the year. There are two basic seasons: dry season (December-April)and wet season (a.k.a. green season, May-November). If you’d like to know more, check out our guide to Costa Rican weather.

Bottom line: If you have flexibility (or planning luck), we recommend booking your Tamarindo honeymoon during dry season or, even better, shoulder season (November and May). Why? Shoulder season often delivers the best of both worlds: great weather at lower prices!

Where

Tamarindo sits on Costa Rica’s north-Pacific coast, also known as the “Gold Coast” for its golden beaches. We’re about 75 minutes southwest of Liberia International Airport(LIR) – for the GPS oriented, that’s 10.2993° N, 85.8371° W.

You should know: Tamarindo is a somewhat catch-all term for the greater Tamarindo area, which includes Playa Langosta, Playa Grande, Hacienda Pinilla, and even, sometimes, Playa Flamingo.

What

What? There’s a what about Tamarindo? Sure, there is. Let’s start with this: Tamarindo forms a crescent of coastline, sweeping from Playa Grande (famous for surf and turtles) to Playa Langosta (famous for sheer natural beauty) – a great stretch for walking, people-watching, biking, shopping, and dining.

And, lest our popularity concern you, take heart: Tamarindo is literally a mile long. We may be “big” for Costa Rica, but there are plenty of chances here to traipse off the beaten path and find some honeymoon privacy.

And let’s add a why: Tamarindo is a once-sleepy fishing village turned top tourism destination, and for great reason! Not only is the city deeply dedicated to its unofficial motto of “surf, eat, and have fun,” but we’re in one of the most beautiful areas of Costa Rica, with one of the best restaurant scenes, and easy access to much of Costa Rica’s most popular things to do. We’re basically professionals at having fun.

What kind of fun? Well, we’re glad you asked! Tamarindo is flanked by the Pacific Ocean and powdery sands, but we’re also surrounded by wet forest, dry forest, and even desert-like savannah landscapes. It’s an incredible place to explore and wildlife-watch, but we don’t stop there; we pile on the activity with surfing, SUP, canopy zip-lining, yoga, catamaran sailing, turtle nesting, snorkeling & scuba diving, wildlife & nature tours, sports fishing, swimming, golf, and much more. But, more on that, below.

** EASY BUTTON **If you’re looking to pack the most (or the least) into your Tamarindo honeymoon, get in touch. Our help is completely, 100% free– no strings attached – and we can do it all, from activities and transportation, to couples’ massages and chef services. We’ll take care of everything before you arrive, so you don’t spend your honeymoon… well, planning your honeymoon. (Send us an email.)

Where to Stay

After the destination, choosing your honeymoon digs is probably the most important (and exciting) part of your honeymoon planning.

First things first: There are a lot of lovely hotels in Costa Rica. But we believe that private, luxury villas are the best choice for honeymooners. Why? Well, first – privacy. Do you really want to spend your honeymoon surrounded by other travelers? Having them next door to you, only a shared wall away, at all hours of the night… It’s not the most romantic thought, is it?

Beyond that, villa rentals offer amenities that hotels don’t, from luxuries like private pools and hot tubs, to conveniences like full kitchens to mix cocktails and prepare midnight snacks. To us, private homes are the right choice, especially when you’re celebrating something as special as your honeymoon.

So, that said, when it comes to your Tamarindo honeymoon, we have many suggestions. We’ll start with these: four standalone, private homes offering some of the best views, best amenities, and best locations in the greater Tamarindo area:

Casa del Cabo

Oceanfront | Open-Air Architecture | Matapalo

Carefully crafted from fallen trees and simple lines, Casa del Cabo offers total privacy and spectacular memories for eco-conscious honeymooners. The fully-open living space is designed to be gentle on the surrounding environment, and the treehouse-esque atmosphere is designed for maximum romance. The ocean views and sea breezes aren’t bad, either!

Villa Mansita

Private Pool | Ocean View | Hacienda Pinilla

Decorated with an eye for modern lines and bright colors, Villa Mansita is our choice for honeymooners seeking a good balance between privacy and amenities. A newly updated, 2-bedroom, 2.5-bath villa in the spectacular Hacienda Pinilla community, this is an escape to ocean views and a lovely pool, quiet afternoons and upscale amenities (a beach club, golf course, walking trails… we could go on).

Casa Catalina

Ocean View | Private Pool | Tamarindo

If you’re looking to honeymoon in total luxury (and privacy), Casa Catalina is your breathtaking home-away-from home. Set at the top of a seaside hill, 330 feet above the sand, there is no other property that affords this view of the ocean or this sense of serenity. Here, the earth drops away, the garden blooms, and you newlyweds are suspended in a dream-like panorama of sky and sea.

Casa Zen

Tropical Setting | Private Pool | Tamarindo

If you’re looking for something different, we welcome you to Casa Zen, a fascinating combination of modern architecture and timeless tropical textures – an exuberant and very special tropical garden home, surrounded by towering palms, striking gardens, and banana trees. It’s intimate exclusion and sultry romance, within walking distance of Tamarindo’s dining scene.

What to See & Do

We’ve already touched on this topic, but Tamarindo is one of Costa Rica’s most popular destinations, not only for its beauty but also for its location: in the center of the Gold Coast’s famous beaches, close to much of your bucket list, and surrounded by some of the most exotic, spectacular scenery in the country (and that’s saying something!).

So, what can you see and do on your Tamarindo honeymoon? Well, just about anything you please. From thrilling zip-lines and world-class surfing, to record-breaking sport fishing and picture-perfect nature-watching, Tamarindo has it all. (Including some of the most romantic things to do in Costa Rica.)

Here are a few of our favorites:

Surfing: Beyond our honeymoon recommendations, if we had to pick just one activity to recommend, it would be surfing. Tamarindo’s surf is world-famous and yet, you can find a wave to suit even the most beginner of surfers. So, book a couples’ surf lesson and get to it. New-spouse bonding awaits!

Sport Fishing: If you’re a catch-your-dinner kind of couple, then why not try your hand at Costa Rica’s north Pacific, one of the world’s top sport fishing destinations. Not your speed? We can hook you up with the BEST boat and the BEST crew ever: the typical panga fishing boat, for the authentic Costa Rican fishing experience.

Turtle Nesting: Yes, we rave about this a lot – because it’s totally worth it. If you’re in town for turtle nesting season, book a night tour to Las Baulas National Park, an internationally renowned (and incredibly important) nesting site for leatherback sea turtles, a threatened species.

Canopy Zip-line Tour: This one’s iconic for a reason; zipline tours are great fun! You’ll combine a little sightseeing with a little adrenaline, and will have yourself a thrilling adventure. Bonus points for tours with waterfall rappelling, swimming holes, and other add-ons!

Snorkeling / Scuba Diving: Book a good snorkeling or scuba diving tour, and your captain will motor you directly to some of the best underwater spots near Tamarindo. Depending on the time of year (and luck; nature is notoriously unpredictable!), you may spot reef sharks, manta rays, octopuses, and many other species.

Mangrove Tours: There are so many nature tours available in Costa Rica, but none quite so unique (and uniquely Tamarindo) as a mangrove tour, which will take you through winding canals in search of photo ops and nature sightings, including crocodiles, iguanas, monkeys, and dozens of bird species.

Of course, there are many, many more things to do and see in greater Tamarindo, from tubing/rafting to horseback riding, ATV tours to ocean kayaking, luxury spa days to daytrips further afield, including to Palo Verde National Park (wetlands and wildlife-watching) and Rincón de la Vieja National Park(hot springs, hiking, horseback riding and more!).

Getting to/from Tamarindo

Your honeymoon is no time for stress, especially arrival stress. You’re tired. You’ve been traveling for hours. You just want to be on your honeymoon already. Sooner rather than later, please! So, what’ the best way to get to Tamarindo (and back again)? We’re glad you asked:

Option 1: Private Airport Shuttle

In our opinion, this is The Wa to get to your Tamarindo honeymoon. After a long flight and so much anticipation, there’s nothing better than finding your name on a sign, climbing into an air-conditioned vehicle, and letting your driver handle your bags, the driving, and all the other details. You’ll be at your private villa in no time!

Option 2: Drive

If you’re the adventurous kind of honeymooners, chances are you’ll want to rent a car while in Costa Rica. First of all, don’t worry: If you book an airport shuttle, we can have your rental car dropped off at your house. But, if you’d prefer to drive straight from the airport, that’ll work, too.

Once you have your car, the drive will take around 80-90 minutes. We recommend using Waze, a free GPS app, to navigate to Tamarindo. Otherwise, from the airport, take Route 21 south to Route 155 southwest, and then follow signs on Avenida las Palmas west to Tamarindo downtown.

You have three additional transportation options, as well – but we don’t recommend them. The first is flying into SJO (San José International Airport) and taking a local plane to Tamarindo. The second is taking a shared shuttle from Liberia, but you should know that only a couple run every day, often at inconvenient-to-you times and with strict luggage limitations. The third option is to take the public bus, which we recommend only to backpacker travelers accustomed to the limitations of public buses in Latin America.

What else would you like to know?

And that, honeymooners, wraps up our primer for your Tamarindo honeymoon. That said, we know you have questions. We know there are details to iron out. And so, we want you to know that we’re here. If there’s anything you’d like to know, please get in touch! We’re always happy to help. As we said, no strings attached.

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