Pinilla & Playa Avellanas
One of Costa Rica's top surfing spots.
Family Time
Beach
Spring Break
Why Visit Playa Avellanas?
Thirty minutes south of Tamarindo, on a rough and potholed road, is a beautiful, off-the-beaten-path beach called Playa Avellanas.
Backed by mangroves (one of the prominent Instagram images of the area feature a wooden pathway through mangrove trees), Avellanas features nothing but tan-colored sand and some of the best surfing in Costa Rica.
It's the perfect place for a day trip getaway from Tamarindo or a few sun-soaked days relaxing and winding down. Here are some of our top reasons for making the journey to Playa Avellanas.
- The Beach: This is the only reason to come to Playa Avellanas. It's a perfect, sandy beach with great surf and few people.
- Lola's: Lola's is a fantastic beach restaurant - possibly Costa Rica's most incredible beach restaurant! Of course, the food is excellent, but it's more about the location and the vibe.
Where to Stay
Avellanas has no town attached; there are no shops around. Instead, it is a scattering of small, laid-back hotels and cabinas where surfers hang out.
Things to Do
This place is all about surfing, but we've already mentioned that. Plus chilling on the beach. That's pretty much it!
Pristine Beach Wilderness Awaits in Playa Avellanas
Playa Avellanas is perfect for those who enjoy exploring the roads less traveled. Amid rising development in Costa Rica (especially in this part of Costa Rica), Avellanas is a natural oasis where travelers can truly experience everything that sums up the spirit of Pura Vida. Unfortunately, all you'll find is a handful of restaurants. Aside from these, Playa Avellanas is unmarred by commercial businesses, and not many cars make it down on golden sands.
The biggest attraction of Playa Avellanas is the surf. This beach may be quiet, but it attracts surfers from worldwide. Known as ‘little Hawaii’ by the locals, the offshore swells can reach as high as 18 feet, making Avellanas a dream destination for any surfer.
Avellanas is mainly for experienced surfers, but you can enjoy the place if you're not. Who doesn't like fantastic nature, beautiful golden sand, and bright blue waters? This is a go-to place for relaxing, kicking back under palm trees, and chilling out with a good book. It's even great at night, too, where the lack of light pollution makes for amazing starry nights.
And then there's the famous Lola’s Beach Bar. You can't miss this place, as it's the center of life on Playa Avellanas. Lola's offers good cocktails and great beach chairs to relax for a while.
Best Time to Travel to Playa Avellanas
Surf conditions in Avellanas are perfect throughout the year, with swells coming in both from the northern and southern hemispheres. The dry season is from December to April, with blue skies and steady offshore winds.
Avellanas gets very busy with tourists and locals during Christmas and Easter Week. We recommend visiting it when it is not the high season to enjoy this beach's privacy and peacefulness.
Weather in Playa Avellanas
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 Avellanas Safe?
It's safe here, but we recommend not leaving anything in your car if you're driving to Playa Avellanas for the day. Also, leave nothing on the beach if you're in the ocean. Just don't bring valuables with you at all is the best bet.
The Pacific Ocean is vital here, and the conditions are suitable for more experienced surfers. Be very careful in the ocean here.
Top Restaurants in Playa Avellanas
Lola's: By far the best and most famous restaurant in the area, this place is unmissable.
La Purruja: Great beachside burgers and tacos.
Ill Rustico: An upper-end Italian option in Avellanas.
How to Get to Playa Avellanas
Outside of Liberia, Guanacaste Airport (Airport Code LIR) is the closest international airport to Playa Avellanas.
Distance & Driving Time to Playa Avellanas
From LIR Airport: 45 miles (72 kilometers), about 1 hour and 20 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 on going through the town of Filadelfia until you reach Belen. It's here, in Belen, that you take your right turn at the gas station. Now you just stay straight on this road, following the traffic, as they're likely also 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. Keep on going, and after passing a couple of supermarkets, you'll find yourself in Villareal, a "suburb" of Tamarindo. Instead of taking the right-hand switchback to Tamarindo, head straight down to the south until the road ends at La Media Vuelta's bar and take a right.
You'll now start seeing signs to Pinilla, which means you're on the right track. Keep on until the ocean, passing the JW Marriott, and soon you'll reach the beach.