Any beaches in Puntarenas, Costa Rica

[Bohemian]

We're going to be visiting Puntarenas in January '10 on the Constellation and I was wondering if there are any nice beaches withing a 30 minute cab ride of the port. I'm not interested in ziplines, rain forests or trams. I would much rather spend my time on a nice beach and later do some exploring of the area. Any recommendations?

[HattieCR]

Don't really know what you mean by "nice beaches" but the town of Puntarenas is at the end of a peninsula and has a very long beach all along one side - the southern side. It is near the Paseo de los Turistas in Puntarenas. It is a pretty busy place but there are many beach areas and you can just ask a taxi driver to take you to a quiet beach. The other alternatives are Jaco which is south of Puntarenas and Puerto Caldera or you can take the ferry across to the Nicoya Peninsula and visit one of the southern beaches such as Playa Tambor.

 

Check this website for more information: http://travel.mapsofworld.com/costa-rica/puntarenas-tours/beaches.html

[mysparky]

Puntarenas is not really a great area in terms of beaches because although it's along the coast, the beaches are more like city beaches and have dark sand. They're probably not what you have in mind when you picture a beautiful beach in Costa Rica. Unfortunately most beautiful places in Costa Rica take time to get to because of the roads. To get out of Puntarenas and really see something (even if it's just a beautiful beach), you should plan on an hour drive.

 

If the beach is definitely the plan for the day, you may want to consider going to Punta Leona if driving (or hiring a driver). That's probably the closest, sugary-sand beach and it won't be crowded.

 

Another option would be to look into taking a trip (boat) over to Tortuga Island. Although I've never personally been on this trip through Calypso Catamaran, I have heard good things. This will take you to a nice beach and you will be able to enjoy the views of small islands and the southern coast of the Nicoya Penninsula. Google the name if you're interested.