The first time I went to Costa Rica was about 6 years ago as a compatibility test trip with my Covid-cuffing, now-wife Caroline. It was work-from-wherever times, and our weekend getaway turned into a monthlong adventure exploring Costa Rica in a rental car with a “BRB” license plate that maxed out at about 45 mph.
We visited the Arenal Volcano, then spent some time in Santa Teresa, which is nice but more nightlife-focused. Friends kept telling us about this Nosara spot, including Matt Flynn, landscape architect at VIDA, who suggested we drive up and check out one of his projects, the Harmony Hotel. The Harmony was booked, so we checked into the Gilded Iguana instead. We quickly fell in love with the rhythm of the town and extended our stay a few times.
“Pura vida” is not a tourist-trap slogan; it translates to “pure life” and embodies the spirit of Costa Rica. Flight delayed? More time to surf, pura vida. Beers on the beach at sunset? Purrra vida. Yoga class goes over by 45 minutes when you’re supposed to be working remotely? Pura vida. It’s a greeting, but it’s also an attitude. Things happen, life goes on, be present and be kind. On my first trip, I saw two Ticos (aka locals) casually resolve a motorcycle crash over an exchange of pura vida. Although to be fair, “pura vida but like…” is a not-so-infrequent phrase for me the first couple days of any trip.
The Nicoya Peninsula, where Nosara sits, is also one of the world’s five recognized Blue Zones, known for unusually long lifespans. I’m sure the healthy, active lifestyle and clean eating have something to do with it, but after spending time there, it’s hard not to believe there’s a little pura vida in the equation too.
Nosara is a surf town that’s turned into a surf-and-yoga town (being sore is a big part of learning how to surf). Playa Guiones, the huge crescent-shaped main beach, has around 330 rideable days a year, with incredibly consistent waves, a sandy bottom and warm water, which makes it an amazing place to learn but still fun if you know what you’re doing.
And while you can’t get a margarita served to your lounge chair on the beach, the upside is that the beach is completely undeveloped and equally available to everyone. To reach it from town, you walk through a jungle nature preserve that wraps the length of the whole playa.
A perfect day is some combination of waking up to the howler monkeys and enjoying coffee in your jungle backyard, surfing, yoga and/or a massage, fishing, swimming in the waves, watching the sunset with the rest of the town on the beach or over dinner with a rum and a lime (which look like oranges here… because they sort of are…), and going to bed by 9 pm to do it all over again.
It is a beach vacation that involves almost zero time spent sitting on the beach, which is my ideal beach vacation, but there is a lovely jungle pool for lounging and sipping house margs over backgammon with a friend and the monkeys above.
I love traveling somewhere new, that feeling of discovery and coming home seeing things a little differently. Normally, given the choice, I’d rather go somewhere I haven’t been. But Nosara hooked me, and it’s become a place I crave returning to, in part because of the respite that comes from the change of speed.
Since that first trip, we’ve spent a couple weeks there almost every year, including having our tiny wedding ceremony at the Harmony earlier this year. We typically go in January or February, but I hear rainy season can be great in its own quieter way. I wouldn’t recommend the week between Christmas and New Year’s. We did that once and prime time had a different vibe, but we are shoulder-season people, so if prime time is your thing, I’m sure it’s magic.
GETTING THERE
Fly into Liberia and rent a 4×4 SUV from National or Budget. From there, the drive to Nosara is about 2.5 hours—make sure you don’t take the “faster” beach road your first time—it’s gotten a little better over the years, but can still be sketchy, especially in rainy season. This is a good playlist by the Harmony to set the mood for the drive, and I have enjoyed this podcast that gives some Costa Rican history.
If you’re traveling with kids or prefer being a passenger princess, booking a private shuttle from Terratour is a great fast option that we’ve done and will do again!
I enjoy the drive because it helps with the transition from life’s intensity to the slowness that makes Costa Rica so special. However, if that romanticized picture of a bumpy long car ride doesn’t suit you, there is now a puddle jumper by Sansa Air that flies you straight to Nosara from Liberia or San José. If you take Sansa, you can rent a car in town from Enterprise, but a car is by no means required. There are lots of friendly tuk-tuk drivers that would be happy to chauffeur you around!
WHERE TO STAY
The Harmony Hotel is one of my favorite hotels in the world… It’s what I imagine the beach house from Pierce Brosnan’s Thomas Crown Affair to be in hotel form. The Harmony makes Nosara for me.
It is luxury hospitality in the ways that matter most to me—friendly and helpful staff, delicious and farm-to-table food, great cocktails (shout-out to our favorite bartender Coco!), thoughtfully lived-in spaces and killer landscape architecture that blends seamlessly into the jungle. It is not luxury in FHR turn-down service, fancy food or chair service on the beach kind of way. The pool feels like a pool in your friend’s beautiful jungle backyard with drink service.
We’ve stayed in all of the room types now and there isn’t a bad one. If it’s just us two, we like a bungalow. If our daughter is with us, we like a Palma room, because the living room can serve as a second bedroom.
We’re not the only people that go back again and again to the Harmony, so it can be hard to get a room at times as people have their standing reservations every year. If that’s the case, two nice alternatives are:
Sendero Hotel – Newer, with a more modern design.
Gilded Iguana – Great surf camp for kids.
THINGS TO DO
Surfing
Guests of the Harmony have access to a large selection of great surfboards. They can also help you book surf lessons and plan your surf schedule. The times you surf will be based on your skill level and the daily tide. Our favorite surf instructor is Marco Castillo; he recently changed surf shops, so I would DM him on IG (@marcast_xii).
Fishing
Offshore fishing is super fun and only a ~30 min boat ride to “deep sea” fishing. One trip we caught a 150-pound tuna (no joke)—Marco (different Marco, pura vida) from Costa Catch (@costacatchnosara).
Yoga
The Harmony yoga studio is set in their jungle studio at the back of the property. Daily yoga is complimentary for guests but non-guests are also welcome for a fee. This is what we normally do, but the sunset yoga class at Bodhi Tree Yoga is also a real treat worth doing.
For kids
Nosara Day Camp & Kids Club @ Gilded Iguana.
SHOPPING
Lobo – Boutique with a good, beachy edit.
Swill Wines – Natty wine bottle shop and bar in town that also sells KREWE!
Olo Alaia Surf & Brew – Good surfing apparel options and a killer cold brew.
Tuesday market – On Tuesdays from 8 am to 1 pm on the main street near Playa Guiones, there is a cute pop-up market with a variety of food, clothing and souvenir vendors.
FOOD
La Luna (sunset and dinner) – Quintessential paradise vibes! This is usually our first proper dinner spot on a visit. Book a table outside 30 minutes before sunset. You’re here for the vibe which is incredible, but we like the whole fish and the appetizers with focaccia (over the flatbread).
Coyol (sunset and dinner) – A hefty drive up the mountain that’s more than worth it for the jungle and beach sunset, and the food is also great. Book a reservation outside 30 minutes before sunset and give yourself more than enough time to get there. The drive up the mountain is beautiful (the bougainvillea fence!), but there’s one fork in the road that can be confusing. Look for a small Coyol sign with an arrow. The food is great here—we like the seafood tostadas, eggplant appetizer, the short ribs and the queen mezcal cocktail.
Posada Margherita (lunch/dinner) – Owners of the popular Posada Margherita in Tulum moved to Nosara and opened this spot so they could surf. Super cute courtyard with great pizza and the best Negroni in town. This is a good spot for lunch or dinner after watching the sunset on the beach.
Howlers Beach Lounge (casual lunch/dinner) – I’ve never had a better fish carpaccio than at Howler’s. Fish carpaccio and margaritas is the order here.
La Brasa (dinner) – Delicious Argentinian spot when you’re ready to take a break from fish. Book a table 30 minutes after sunset. The short ribs and empanadas are killer.
Sendero Kitchen (lunch/dinner) – The restaurant in the Sendero Hotel is great; we’ve played a lot of cards here.
Soda Playa Garza – Casual lunch on the beach.
Olga’s – Super casual lunch/dinner on the beach.
Poke bowls @ Organico Grocer – An easy lunch.
Tacos y Tacos – A food truck for lunch near Harmony.
Juice Bar @ Harmony (breakfast/lunch) – The Papaya breakfast is delicious.
“Better Call Tito” (+506 6288 2847) – Tito is the local “Uber Eats” if you want late-night food delivery.
COFFEE
Sunrise Coffee (when you’re ready to shake things up).
WHAT’S IN MY SUITCASE
KREWE sunnies obviously, white noise machine, 35mm camera, rash guard, decks of cards.
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