Beach Near Tambor Costa Rica
| |

The Quiet Life in Playa Tambor and Santa Lucia

ByCharles Kosman

In my last post about our travels in Costa Rica we were bouncing our way South down the Nicoya Peninsula. I say bouncing simply because the only road from Naranjo to Paquera is about as rough a road as you’ll ever drive. After such a tough stretch driving down, we were greatly relieved to finally make it to our planned destinations.

We were hopeful that Santa Lucia, Tambor and Montezuma would ease our frazzled nerves and give credence to their well deserved reviews. Well, that isn’t totally true. After that rough road we were anxious to just sit back and rest. We weren’t sure Santa Lucia and Tambor would offer much respite, but we looked forward to seeing them regardless.

We met a nice couple while on a day tour out of San Jose when we checked out some active volcanoes, a coffee plantation and a whole bunch of waterfalls, who passed on some great advice. They had just spent a week renting a large house in Santa Lucia with a dozen extended family members. They had all converged on Santa Lucia for a week from all over North America and in their last few days in the country (when me met them) they all went their own ways to do their own things. We thought it was a nice way to have a joint vacation and are hoping to do something similar with our extended family in the coming years.

Anyway, they loved the area, but said there really wasn’t a whole lot to do in Santa Lucia proper. Oh sure, they went ziplining, did a little snorkeling, walked the beaches and went kayaking but there wasn’t a lot to do in the town itself. Following their advice, we simply cruised through town and did a quick stop at the local beach to check out the views.

Beach Near Tambor Costa Rica
Sea Birds Off the Coast Near Tambor Costa Rica

The area around Santa Lucia was gorgeous (as expected) however they were right on the money in terms of things to do. If you’re hoping for a string of restaurants and a wild nightlife just keep on trucking. Santa Lucia is perfect for those looking to get away from it all and have a nice quiet stay. Some of the houses right off the water would be a great place to relax for a few days with the kids, however the lack of close amenities could be a massive turnoff for some.

In a similar vein, if it wasn’t for its tiny airfield, the large all-inclusive Barcelo Tambor Beach Hotel and the Los Delfines Golf and Country Club, we’re not sure Tambor would exist on a map. Since we weren’t flying out from there (they offer 20 minutes flights to and from San Jose and several other Costa Rica destinations for a surprisingly reasonable amount) and weren’t planning on staying at the very large and seemingly very nice Barcelo Tambor Beach Hotel (though we were awfully tempted to check in for a few days of all-inclusive decadence) there wasn’t a lot to do in town.

There’s a supermarket, a few car rental places (due of the airport) and the usual collection of souvenir shops and tour operators. We did a drive by to check out the beach and though the surf seemed calm (Ballena Bay is supposedly one of the safest bays to anchor in on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica) and the volcanic grayish sand looked fairly fine we decided to keep on driving to Montezuma.

Of all the places on the southern tip of the Nicoyan Peninsula, we had heard the most about Montezuma. It was both greater and less than we expected.

On that note I’ll leave you wondering. You can expect the Montezuma post up in a day or two.

Safe travels Barefoot Nomads!

Similar Posts

  • | | |

    Kamloops to Waikiki, a Mini Adventure in the Making

    This winter we decided to make it a work season. We usually enjoy celebrating Canada’s coldest season simply by not being here. Hockey lovers, skiers, snowboarders, snowmobilers, cross country skiing lovers and all those other winter pastime people are pretty much crazy in our minds. Sure, if you’re stuck here anyway you should make the most of it and provided the weather is nice all of those can be quite enjoyable. We however, would much rather be just about anywhere else during the season of snowstorms, windchill warning days and “the greyness” as we like to call it.

    Since we were trapped here for the winter and Micki’s contract was scheduled until May we decided that a short warm vacation was in order. We never knew how much of an adventure we’d have before we even got on the plane though…

  • | |

    Montezuma – Artisan Paradise or Failed Hippie Rejuvenation Project?

    Of all the places on the southern tip of the Nicoyan Peninsula, we had heard the most about Montezuma. Of all the people we had talked to, there was never a negative word said about it. We really hadn’t done a lot of homework on the place but we knew it had a few hotels and restaurants and had pre-decided that if we spent the night, it would probably be in Montezuma. Neither one of us knew what to expect as we drove down the steep road leading into town and to be honest, we still have mixed feelings about the place. It is at once greater and lesser than we expected.

    It is greater in that it is quite a cute little offbeat town tucked on the sides of a mountain with gorgeous beaches running along both sides of it. There are a dozen little restaurants and shops hidden along its curving streets and lanes. There is a nice park and play center right smack in the middle of it all. The people in town seem friendly enough and the prices, though not amazing, seem on par for that area of the world. There is a definite “earthy” feel to the town with yoga classes, all natural foods and organic fare available at a bunch of places. We even had decent healthy food at The Bakery Cafe while watching a pair of monkeys descend from the treetops to entertain us while we ate a late lunch.

    That all being said, there seems to be an hidden undercurrent to the town. Both ends of the beach have…

  • | |

    Active Volcanos, Coffee Plantations and Waterfalls

    While we were in San José last week we decided that we were going to go take a tour or two. Most people that come to Costa Rica fly in to San José, stay a few days, go on a bunch of tours then get their arses to the coast and the beaches. Though San José doesn’t offer much to do in the big city proper, there are some of the best sights in the country within an hour or two of the city limits. To be more exact, San José is in the center of the country and because of Costa Rica’s smaller size, almost anything in the country can be reached and experienced in one day. Of course, some of those days will be excruciatingly long but they can be done nonetheless.

    Since we have a two and five year old with us, a lot of the more common day trips weren’t going to cut it. As much as I would have enjoyed rafting class 4 and 5 rapids, rappelling down a majestic waterfall, galloping horses through a jungle or even ziplining down a 1/2 inch wide cable a mile long while precariously hanging a hundred feet in the air those just aren’t in the books for us this go around. Cole could probably do a few of them but Jordan is just too young.

    This led us to going on a lengthy day trip to some quintessential Costa Rican areas. There are literally three things that pop into my head when I say the name Costa Rica: jungles, volcano’s and coffee. We were lucky enough to stumble on a day trip that encompassed all three. We booked our trip..

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *