Playa Langosta
Here you will find Tamarindo's “quiet end.”
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Why Visit Playa Langosta?
Playa Langosta is a small community a couple of minutes south of the famous beach town of Tamarindo on the Guanacaste coast.
While Tamarindo is a bustling center and a vibrant community, Langosta is more residential more sedate. It's an upscale area full of classy condos, boutique hotels, and the occasional large resort.
Being in Playa Langosta is really like being in Tamarindo, but here are a couple of reasons to choose Langosta as your base if you're vacationing in the area.
- Beaches: Playa Langosta is a beautiful beach suitable for intermediate and advanced surfers. And it also gives you easy access to many other beaches in the area.
- Access to Tamarindo Without Being in the Center: Tamarindo is a bustling town with stores, supermarkets, and everything anyone might need in the modern world. Langosta is close enough to all this but just separate enough to enjoy it while staying away.
Where to Stay
Playa Langosta is a residential neighborhood with plenty of condos, rental homes and hotels around the area.
Things to Do
Playa Langosta is perfect for surfing, relaxing at the beach, renting kayaks and watching the sunset.
Discover Langosta Beach: A Calm and Beautiful Gem
Playa Langosta is located just south of Tamarindo in the province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica. You could consider Playa Langosta a part of Tamarindo, similar to a quiet and laid-back suburb. The community is mainly dotted with small bed & breakfasts, condos, and rental homes that range from simple to extravagant.
The beach itself is a long one and one of Costa Rica's prime surfing spots. Therefore, currents can be vital, especially on a falling tide. The sand is a lovely, cotton-like white color and is lined with natural foliage for shade. It's a great beach to find peace, walk south, watch the surfers, and enjoy the sunset. Playa Langosta is perfect for a picnic lunch while getting away from the hustle and bustle of Tamarindo.
Best Time to Travel to Playa Langosta
Playa Langosta is great to visit year-round. The driest time of the year is December to April. The rainiest is September and October, but Guanacaste is the driest part of the country.
Surfers can come to the area any time of the year, although the most consistent waves are between June and November. Leatherback turtles nest on Playa Grande to the north of Tamarindo and in Las Baulas National Marine Park to the south of Langosta between September and March.
The best fishing in the area is from May to November.
Weather in Playa Langosta
Guanacaste is the driest and warmest part of Costa Rica - the best weather for beach lovers. You can expect mid-to-late 80s F (early 30s C) temperatures for much of the year, with humidity lower than elsewhere.
The rainy season is from May to November, but even then, there's not a great deal compared to elsewhere in Costa Rica. Think hot and sunny most of the day with strong afternoon showers. The wettest months are September and October.
Is Playa Langosta Safe?
Playa Langosta is a safe, quiet community, although you should take the same precautions as anywhere else, especially if you're out at night in Tamarindo. Swimmers and surfers should take extra care at Langosta, as this is a beach with big waves, reefs, undertows, and currents.
Top Restaurants in Playa Langosta
El Sapo Ristopizza: A creative selection of burgers and brick-oven-produced pizzas.
Fish and Cheeses: An Italian restaurant with excellent plates of pasta. Best Italian in all, Tamarindo?
Surf Club Bar & Grill: It's something for everyone here if they're looking for great, unpretentious bar food and tacos.
How to Get to Playa Langosta
Outside of Liberia, Guanacaste Airport (Airport Code LIR) is the closest international airport to Playa Langosta.
Distance & Driving Time to Tamarindo
From LIR Airport: 40 miles (65 kilometers), about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
All Costa Rican Vacations packages include an airport "meet and greet" service and private transfers with English-speaking drivers. This means you're all set when you arrive in-country - just sit back, relax, and our driver will get you to your destination.
If you're driving from Guanacaste Airport to Tamarindo, give yourself just over an hour's driving time - say 1 hour, 15 minutes to be on the safe side. Then, if you're renting a car at the airport, allow yourself an hour or so to sort that out.
Head out of the airport onto the main road, and turn right, heading away from Liberia. Keep following this road through, ignoring traffic, turning off to the right towards other beaches. You want to keep going through Filadelfia until you reach Belen. It's here, in Belen, that you take your right turn at the gas station. After that, you stay straight on this road, following the traffic, as they're likely heading to Tamarindo.
Soon, you'll come to Huacas and a V-shaped junction. Take the left hand of the V, heading towards the south. After passing a couple of supermarkets, you'll find Villareal, a "suburburb" of Tamarindo. There's a switchback of a right-hand turn, leading you directly into town. You'll pass the airstrip, the AutoMercado, and see the Pacific Ocean. You're now in Tamarindo.
Drive along the main road, with the beach to your right, passing the Tamarindo Diria and other hotels, shops, and restaurants. You'll come to a V-shaped junction where you need to take a left. Drive towards the big condos you'll see (Pacific Park) and take a right.