Best Beaches in Costa Rica for Families (And the Ones We’d Avoid)

Wondering where the best beaches in Costa Rica for families are are? Many people travel to Costa Rica to enjoy the beach, although there are a wealth of other things to do as a family in Costa Rica too.

Regardless of where in Costa Rica you go, there are some great beaches with:

• calm, shallow water
• a sandy shoreline
• ones that don’t get too packed
• don’t have too much of a ‘party’ atmosphere

So if you’re looking for the best beaches in Costa Rica for families, then read on- we’ve got a guide of the best ones for you, by region.

If you’re in Costa Rica with kids, these are some of the beaches worth checking out!

Best-Family Friendly Beaches in Costa Rica

The most common areas to experience beaches in Costa Rica are:

• the Guanacaste region (in the northeast of Costa Rica, closer to Liberia)
• Manuel Antonio Region (in the southeast of Costa Rica, closer to San Jose)

Chances are, if you want to spend time at the beach, it will be in one of these two areas, or somewhere in between. Knowing which beaches you want to visit may affect which family-friendly hotels you book.

The west coast of Costa Rica is much more popular and family-friendly than the east coast.

I’m going to show you the most family-friendly beaches in each of these areas, depending on which one you’re staying closer to, to help you build your Costa Rican itinerary.

Good to Know: Beach in Spanish is “playa”, with the y making the same ‘y’ sound as in English. (In other Latin American countries, it makes a j sound.) Most beaches in Costa Rica are named with the word Playa at the beginning

Best beaches for families in the Manuel Antonio Area

Fly to: San José International

The Manuel Antonio region is perfect if you’re looking for a mix of beach and rainforest.

I personally prefer the Manuel Antonio area to the Guanacaste region, because I enjoy having access to the rainforest and beaches and the activities that come with that. (Hiking, photography and wildlife spotting – which my kids really enjoy.)

There are a number of jungle tours you can do in the Manuel Antonio area with family, and some good beaches for families too.

Here are the best beaches in the Manuel Antonio area.

1. Playa Manuel Antonio

There are a few beaches located inside of Manuel Antonio National Park, this one is the main beach named after the park.

You’ll have to pay the park entrance fee, and walk about 30 minutes from the park entrance in order to get there. The walk is mostly shaded and stroller-friendly. The beach has picnic tables and plenty of shade.

It was quite busy when we were there, but it wasn’t hard for me at all to find a spot in the shade.

The waves are medium; high enough to play in, but I wouldn’t describe the waters as calm. Life jackets for young children would be a must, or a parent holding on to them. My 9-year-old had no problem swimming in the waves independently.

Good to know: Playa Manuel Antonio is great for all ages. Because of the size and strength of some of the waves, I would supervise toddlers and younger kids. But with handholding and supervision, small children will love this beach!

2. Playa Espadilla Sur

Playa Espadilla Sur is another one of the beaches located inside the Manuel Antonio park. It’s located directly behind the Playa Manual Antonio (mentioned above), which means:

• you’ll pay the park entrance fee ($18 USD)
• take the stroller-friendly well well-shaded walk until you get to the beach.

Most people visiting the park head to the Manuel Antonio beach, so Espadilla Sur is a bit quieter.

Like Manuel Antonio Beach, Espadilla Sur is in a small cove, surrounded by lush rainforest and you may see wildlife.

IMPORTANT: The entrance fee to Manuel Antonio National Park is $18 USD for adults and $5 for kids, with babies under 2 being free. To make the most of your visit, consider doing a guided tour which will show you the animals and give you time to enjoy and swim in the beaches after the tour. This is what we did.

3. Playa Espadilla Norte

Playa Espadilla Norte is one of the most popular beaches in the Manuel Antonio area located outside the park.

It’s a bit confusing because there are two beaches named Espadilla in the Maniel Antonio area:

• the one inside the Manuel Antonio Park is Espadilla Sur (south)
• and this one is Espadilla Norte (north.)

The two beaches are extensions of each other, but are considered to be two different beaches. Espadilla Sur is inside the Manuel Antonio National Park, whereas Espadilla Norte can be accessed without going inside the park.

Espadilla Norte is often known as just “Espadilla” alone. Its also known for being especially child-friendly.

The above photo doesn’t show it, but are many hotels, restaurants, Costa Rican souvenir shops and food trucks along the beach.

There is food and drink for purchase, and you can also book umbrellas and chairs upon arrival. There may be some people trying to get you to buy things. A simple but firm “Non, gracias,” will help.

4. Playa Linda

Playa Linda (meaning “meaning beautiful beach” in Spanish) is a quiet beach south of Manuel Antonio National Park.

It’s further away from the cluster of more popular beaches in the area, so you can often expect it to have very few tourists.

Going to Playa Linda would require a day trip, because 40 minutes from Quepos, and there isn’t really much else to do in the area. There’s also an undeveloped beach (no washroom facilities – so that’s something to keep in mind.)

If you want a simple day of relaxing in the sun without much other distractions, then Playa Linda may be for you. Click here to read about how to get here.

4. Playa Tulemar

Playa Tulemar unfortunately, isn’t open to the public – its a private beach owned by the Tulemar Resort in the Manuel Antonio area.

Its a beautiful, non-busy beach worth mentioning, but the only way to visit this one would be to stay at Tulemar Resort.

From there, there’s a free shuttle that brings guests to Tulemar Beach.

At Tulemar Beach, there are sun loungers, kayaks and boogie boards for use and food services on site.

5. Jaco Beach

Jaco Beach is a 4 km (2.5 mile) long sandy strip. Its about a 1-hour drive from Quepos, the main town near Manuel Antonio Park.

Its popular for families because of its shallow and calm water. It’s not the most transparent water, because its mixed with sand. The sand is also darker; it doesn’t have the same ‘Caribbean feel’ as the beaches in Manuel Antonio. But it’s a low-key beach, and doesn’t get too busy.

If you have older children, Jaco Beach is a good place to learn to surf. You can walk along the beach, and enjoy a beautiful sunset here around 5:30 pm each evening.

The town of Jaco has restaurants, hotels, and a lively atmosphere. Water shoes are recommended.

Beaches That I Don’t Recommend in the Manuel Antonio Area (And Why)

Here are some other beaches in the Manuel Antonio area that you could consider visiting as a family. They don’t stick out to me as the most ‘family friendly’ for reasons I’ll explain below

• Playa Biesanz – It has a steep trail to get to the beach, and is also a bit rocky near the shoreline. It’s a good beach, there’s just easier ones to get to in the area
• Playa Playitas – Beautiful beach as well, but it attracts more of an an adult crowd. Playa Playitas has become an unofficial clothing-optional beach, so if you wouldn’t feel comfortable with your kids seeing adult strangers in the nude, then this may not be the best beach for your family

• Playa Las Gemalas – secluded beach inside Manuel Antonio National Park, and lots of wildlife. You may see iguanas and even crabsIt’s also very rocky though, which is why it may not be best for kids (older children would probably be fine.) It’s also inside the national park, so you have to pay the entrance fee. I think the other two beaches inside the park are better for families, because they have nearby facilities, and less rocky
• Playa Dominical – Dominical is a hippie surf town, but it draws a lot of backpackers and young people, so it has a party vibe. It’s also rockier along the shoreline

You can read more about any of the beaches I recommended (or didn’t recommend) on the Quepos Paradise website.

Best Beaches for Families in the Guanacaste Region

Guanacaste region is famous for beaches. Most families travelling to Costa Rica who are primarily looking to spend time at the beach come to this area.

1. Sámara Beach

Samara Beach (Playa Samara) is a favourite in the Guanacaste area, about 2 hours south of Tamarindo.

It has a quieter, sleepy small beach town atmosphere than some of the other beaches in the province.

It’s lines with small restaurants and souvenir shops, and the beach is so huge that you’ll have no problem finding a spot on your own.

The area is also very popular for nesting turtles, and there are tours you can book to see sea turtles at Sámara.

Book a turtle tour (3 hours) for ages 3+ and $70 USD per person on Samara Beach

2. Conchal Beach

Conchal Beach (Playa Conchal) is a day trip from Tamarindo, and might be best visited with older children because of the 20 minute walk there from the parking, and because of the waves which can get quite strong.

Playa Conchal is a bit harder to get to, but its still popular beach for families.

The Playa Conchal coastline, rather than sand, is made up of many tiny shells; some of which might be cracked.

This means to bring sandals or water shoes for yourself and children. If you don’t like the idea of the shells, you should walk to the southern part of the beach – the more south you go, the more sandy it gets.

There are activities along the beach, such as Costa Rica fishing and snorkeling tours, massages, etc.

They also do horseback riding on the beach, (so just watch for horse poop.) There aren’t any facilities, so you should bring any food you need. The closest parking is at Brasilito; from there, its a 20-minute walk.

3. Playa Brasilito

Playa Brasilito is a 2 km (1.2 mile) strip of dark sand. Brasilito may not be as pretty as Playa Conchal, but it might be better for young children, because of the calmer waves.

Being nestled in a cove makes the waves a lot less strong than at Conchal.

Brasilito is a quiet beach and never crowded, as most tourists go to Conchal or Flamingo.

If you’re looking for a quieter beach, Brasilito is it. You can find restaurants, bathrooms and electricity on the Don Julian campsite located right on the beach.

4. Playa Flamingo

Playa Flamingo is just north of Playa Conchal and Bratsilito Beach. It has soft white sand, as opposed to brown sand like most of the other beaches in Costa Rica.

It’s great for swimming, but it would be best for older children who are confident swimmers. Playa Flamingo has plenty of space, and is rarely (if ever) crowded.

5. Playa Langosta

Playa Langosta is just a 5 minute drive from Tamarindo. Tamarindo Beach is the most popular beach in the Guanacaste area, but its also very popular and used often for surfing.

It is backed by a lot of greenery and a natural view of the surroundings and ocean.

Playa Langosta is a good option for those who want lots of shade, and a ‘natural’ look to their beach.

Playa Langosta doesn’t have a bunch of amenities (washrooms, food services, etc) so bring everything you need with you.

This is a place to come to spend time in nature and get away from the hustle and bustle of busier beaches!

6. Playa Tamarindo

Playa Tamarindo is the largest beach town in Guanacaste. There are hotels, restaurants, bars, rental shops, and even a night market.

Its one of the busier beaches in the area. There will be people surfing and many families.

Because Tamarindo Beach is so central and easy to access, its a beach you’re most likely to visit in Guanacasta if this is the area you’re staying in.

There’s a family-friendly resort just a stone’s throw from Tamarindo Beach, making it easy to walk there and enjoy the sand, swimming and other activities.

Best Beaches in Costa Rica for Families: Conclusion

As you can tell from looking through these options, the Guanacaste region is a bit better for beaches, especially family friendly beaches.

If you’re not a huge beach person though and only plan to spend a small amount of time at the beach, then I’d head to Manuel Antonio. The few beaches it has are lovely, and the rainforest are great.

Costa Rica Beaches that You Should Probably Avoid with Young Kids

The following beaches are probably not the best environments for kids under 10, either because of the strong waves, or the environment. Some beaches have a surfer/party atmosphere that isn’t ideal for young children.

Playa Hermosa in Puntarenas Province – very strong waves, ideal for surfers but not for swimmers. You could say its family-friendly, but only if you and your kids kids are somewhat comfortable surfers.

Playa Dominical: This beach is popular for surfing, specifically, more advanced surfing. Its rocky, and not ideal for young kids. It also has a backpacker vibe with lots of hostels nearby, so it draws a bit of a party crowd as well

Best Beaches in Costa Rica for Families: FAQs

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about family-friendly beaches in Costa Rica, and visiting Costa Rica with kids

What is the safest beach in Costa Rica?

There are plenty of safe beaches in Costa Rica and most of them are on the Pacific coast. Some of the safest, most family-friendly beaches are Playa Manuel Antonio, Playa Espadilla, Playa Brasilito, Playa Tamarindo, among several others. Costa Rica in general is a safe country to visit, with a lot of family-friendly amenities and attractions.

What is the prettiest beach in Costa Rica?

There are so many beautiful beaches in Costa Rica, and since they’re all apart of the same coastline, many of them are similarly beautiful.

Best Beaches in Costa Rica for Families: Final Thoughts

By now, hopefully you have a good idea of which beaches in Costa Rica you want to visit with your family. There are a lot of great beaches in Costa Rica for families and I hope that this guide has pointed you in the right direction..

If you head further north to the Central Valley (San José, La Fortuna, Monteverde) you can find rainforests with hanging bridges that give you a bird’s eye view of the jungle – very cool experience for the whole family.

Beaches can be visited in Costa Rica anytime of the year; high season (December through March) or even during the wet season. Even though its called wet season, it doesn’t normally rain every day. I went to Nicaragua during July, and the rain didn’t spoil our trip at all.