North Guanacaste's main dive hub on the Gulf of Papagayo, a short drive from Liberia airport. Playas del Coco is the lively town with the dive shops and sportfishing fleet, Playa Hermosa the calmer beach to the north, and Ocotal a small bay to the south, all with quick access to the Catalina and Bat Islands.
Playas del Coco is North Guanacaste's dive capital, the launch point for boats heading to the Catalina and Bat Islands, where divers come for manta rays, bull sharks, and big schooling fish. The town wraps around a gray-sand bay on the Gulf of Papagayo and stays busy after dark with restaurants, bars, and a working sportfishing fleet. Day trips run easily to calmer Playa Hermosa just north and the small horseshoe of Ocotal to the south.
Coco works as a base because almost everything sits close together and Liberia airport is only about 30 minutes away, so you trade a short transfer for a town with banks, clinics, pharmacies, and a real grocery run. Divers and anglers stay here to be near the boats; families and couples wanting quieter sand often pick Hermosa or Ocotal and drive into Coco for dinner. You get reliable services without the resort-corridor prices found further along the Papagayo peninsula.
Liberia's Daniel Oduber (LIR) airport is the closest gateway, about a 30 to 40 minute drive, and most visitors arrive that way or by private shuttle. Driving from San José takes roughly 5 hours. Coco town itself is walkable end to end, with the main street running down to the beach, so you can manage without a car if you stay in town. A rental car or taxi helps if you are based in Playa Hermosa or Ocotal, since both are a short drive from Coco and not connected by a continuous walkable path.
The dry season, roughly December to April, brings the clearest skies and the calmest, warmest water, which is prime for diving and the busiest stretch for visitors. Bull shark season at the Bat Islands typically peaks in the wetter months from about May to November, when the town is quieter and rates drop. Green-season afternoons can bring heavy rain, but mornings are often clear.
A map and checklist of every beach along this coast. Beach guide.
Boutique hotels, jungle lodges, hostels, and private villas, verified and current. See all 24.
Playas del Coco
Anika Boutique Suites is a small adults-only hotel in the La Chorrera neighborhood of Playas del Coco, about an 8-minute walk from the beach. The property has air-conditioned rooms with private bathrooms, a swimming pool, and on-site parking. It operates as a boutique retreat rather than a full-service resort, with no restaurant on-site.
Ocotal
Barefoot Vacation Villas operates a small group of all-inclusive private villas overlooking Playa Ocotal, with individual properties ranging from 8 to 16 bedrooms and sleeping up to 32 guests. Stays include chef-prepared meals three times a day, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and Wi-Fi, with each villa booked exclusively by one party. The company also plans destination weddings on-site, with on-site capacity for up to 86 overnight guests.
Playas del Coco
Costa Rica Villas operates ten all-inclusive luxury villas in gated communities above Playa Ocotal and Playas del Coco, with private pools and Pacific Ocean views over the Bay of Papagayo. All-inclusive rates cover a private chef, bartender, housekeeping, and daily laundry for washable items, with an eight to twenty person capacity depending on villa. The company also arranges weddings, fishing charters, and canopy tours for guests, and is 25 minutes from Liberia airport.
Fine dining, beach bars, local sodas, and cafes worth your time. See all 31.
Playa Hermosa (Guanacaste)
Beachfront restaurant in the center of Playa Hermosa serving seafood and international dishes, open daily for lunch and dinner. It sits right on the sand at the second entrance to the beach.
Playas del Coco
Buzzed Monkey BBQ & Grill is a Southern-style barbecue restaurant and bar in central Playas del Coco, open daily from noon to 10 p.m. The menu centers on smoked and grilled meats, and the bar hosts a weekly Ladies Night on Fridays. It sits a short walk from the town's main strip, past the SúperCompro supermarket.
Playas del Coco
Café Corazón is a coffee shop and bistro bar at the end of Playas del Coco's main street, about 50 meters from the beach. The menu leans on natural, fresh ingredients with a Latin American accent, including breakfast plates, sandwiches, and fruit smoothies.
Park guides, catamarans, sportfishing, ziplines, rafting, and more. See all 20.
Featured
Playas del Coco
Costa Rican-owned tour company in Playas del Coco operating the Happy Coco catamaran and the Alore sailboat for morning snorkel, sunset and private BBQ tours along the Papagayo coast. Trips include snorkeling, drinks and food prepared by the crew.
Playas del Coco
Blue Kai Fishing Charters is based in Playa del Coco and runs full day, half day and combination bottom fishing and beach day trips on a fleet of Hatteras and Viking sportfishers. The crew, led by captains Angel, Bryan and Al, targets sailfish, marlin, yellowfin tuna and roosterfish, and offers pickup from hotels across Guanacaste and Tamarindo. Booking runs through their own online system, with phone and WhatsApp using the same US number.
Playas del Coco
Captain Zodiac Costa Rica runs private RIB boat charters from Playas del Coco, with trips built around surf transport to Witch's Rock and Ollie's Point, snorkeling, private beach visits, and sunset cruises. Boats hold up to 16 passengers with a captain and bilingual guide, and humpback whales are sometimes spotted on tours from around July through March. All tours are private and can be customized on request.
Transport, property management, concierge, chefs, spas, and practical help. See all 27.
Playas del Coco
Optometry practice in Plaza Colonial run by Dra. Zaimy Lopez Aparicio, offering eye exams, prescription glasses, and contact lens fitting, including pediatric vision therapy. A second location serves Playa Potrero.
Playa Hermosa (Guanacaste)
Blue Sea Construction is a home building and maintenance company based in Playa Hermosa that covers the northwest Pacific coast including Playas del Coco, Playa Ocotal, and Playa Panama. Alongside custom home construction, the company runs a handyman maintenance service covering drywall, electrical and plumbing repairs, painting, and general upkeep for rental and primary properties.
Playas del Coco
Daniel Rojas is a private chef serving villas and vacation homes across the Papagayo Peninsula and Playas del Coco area, cooking traditional Costa Rican and international dishes with local seafood and produce. He offers custom menu planning for dietary restrictions, family-style dinners, buffet setups for large groups, and food delivery, and typically works with an assistant to serve and clean up. He has more than 20 verified reviews from guests booking multi-day meal packages during villa stays.
Yoga studios, spas, and wellness in Playas del Coco.
Playas del Coco
Coco Yoga & Wellness is a yoga and wellness collective based at a dedicated shala space in Playas del Coco, offering a weekly schedule of vinyasa, yin, and other yoga styles taught by different local instructors, plus periodic workshops and sound healing sessions. Classes and private sessions are booked directly with each instructor through the collective's website or social media. The shala sits on a private residential property and is not open to walk-in visitors.
Playas del Coco
Spa and wellness center in Playas del Coco offering massages, couples rituals, facials, HydraFacial treatments and a private mineral tub. Service is available in English and Spanish, with packages from short relaxation massages to multi-hour signature rituals.
Banks, ATMs, and medical help in Playas del Coco, checked against live sources.
State bank branch with ATMs that dispense colones and US dollars; travelers report low or no withdrawal fees on BNCR machines, though your own bank's fees may apply. Branch phone and hours not verified.
Private bank branch with ATMs in Coco. Phone is the BAC national call center, not the branch direct line.
Private urgent-care and medical center serving Coco, Hermosa, and nearby beaches; WhatsApp +506 8303 6655 and air-ambulance coordination. Call 911 first for life-threatening emergencies; serious cases go to Liberia.
Local pharmacy in Coco; a mobile line +506 8457 1770 is listed for contact and delivery.
The main private hospital in Guanacaste, in Liberia, with a 24/7 emergency room and surgery; closest private hospital to Coco. Alternate line +506 2666 1717.
The public CCSS regional hospital for Guanacaste; where 911 takes serious public-system emergencies from the Coco area.
In an emergency, dial 911. See the full emergency numbers page.
Coco is North Guanacaste's diving and boating hub, sitting right on the Gulf of Papagayo. Here is what is actually worth doing, from the Catalina and Bat Islands to a Papagayo sunset sail, with the verified operators who run each trip.
PracticalRestaurants already add a mandatory service charge, USD is widely accepted, and cards work almost everywhere in tourist areas. Here is how paying actually works.
Things to doPlayas del Coco is the launch point for North Guanacaste's two headline dive sites. Here is what the Catalina and Bat Islands actually offer, who each one suits, and when to go.