Costa Rica: El Diria Hotel and Tamarindo Beach

If you are looking for brilliantly hot sunshine, tempered with a breeze and things to do, this is the place. In the morning, the El Diria Hotel provides guests with a complimentary breakfast. We were told it would be continental style. The feast before us included waffles made to order, cereal, omlettes made fresh just the way I like it, a huge spread of pastries, bread and fruit. This is not continental but it is delicious.

After breakfast, we got a prime beach front location. Being on the beach, everyone is going to try and sell you something. From whistles and pottery, to your lounge chairs in the sand, to surf lessons...everything is for sale. You can have a massage on the beach, or play in the sand. Eventually, I was tired of being pestered so I withdrew to the pool and parrot watched instead. They seem to have green parrots here. The kids are being fish in the pool so, a close eye has to be kept on sunscreen. Pure vida as the saying goes.

Lunch today consisted of more homemade sandwiches with the yummy bread. I think that is something we are really missing back home, the access to a good bakery. I tend to go overboard when I find one as I never get it otherwise. Sunflower seed bread...omg.

This afternoon, we drifted back to the clover shaped family pool. It has stools in the water for me as the tiles are blisteringly hot on the feet. There is a swim up bar for those that want it, but I was happy with my water, it's even too hot to drink here at 37 degrees. There are trees for shade and bridges with water spraying out. The pool is also much deeper than the beach side pools so the kids can actually swim. Swim they did, for over four hours, which likely saved them for a terrible burn as they instinctively swam in the shade. Even my sun loving self chose shade over the mid day sun as I was afraid of the burn.

Showered and changed, we opted for a sunset walk along the beach. The sunset was fabulous, and the monkeys nowhere to be seen. The sandflies so were enthusiastic and the pelicans were having a feast. I have to note that you will smell happy smoke wafting across the beach in sections the closer you get to the public side of the beach access points.

Tamarindo is young at hippie/surfer heart. The people here understand the love of surfing and have hostels aplenty. I actually feel odd that we are not hosteling it here.  The locals are on the beach as much as the tourists. There was even a pottery class.  There are a few touristy shops, and lots of tour options to choose from, but in the end, this place is about the waves.


For food, after the walk, we chose wok and box, or something like that for food. It was amazingly tasty and reasonably priced. Of course, we had to stroll back to the gelato shop to sample more of his flavors. Since we now know that he makes it all himself, I want to try cinnamon and baileys mixed together. I had hazelnut and coconut tonight and that is happiness in an ice cream cone.

Sleepy, I am ready for bed. Hopefully, tomorrow is cooler. But only a bit....

Tamarindo on Dwellable