by Lisa Martens

Created on: August 22, 2008   Last Updated: August 24, 2008

Tamarindo is a beautiful beach to bring your family, and it's still relatively unknown.

If it's winter in the United States, then it's summer in Costa Rica. This is another appealing reason to visit Costa Rica during the holiday season. The weather will be mainly hot with some speckled showers. The ocean is also calmer during the summer. This makes Christmastime a great place for the family.

Tamarindo beach is especially luxurious but can be hard to get to. I recommend going by tour bus or taxi. Driving there can be extremely difficult for someone who doesn't know the area. At one point, traffic rules go out the window, and the "road" becomes a dirt path.

Tamarindo beach is a lot more family-friendly than beaches like Jaco. At night, everything is fairly quiet. The major restaurants tend to be owned more by natives, although there is a Burger King and such.

I recommend surfing lessons for the family or for the wannabe who never had the time. Tamarindo has the best prices for surfing lessons that I've ever seen. You can be picked up from your hotel and taken to the surfing site, if you so desire. The surfing lessons can either be personalized, or you can learn with a group. The surfers demonstrate on the sand and let you practice before venturing out to the water. There's a picture of me watching a surfer practice on the sand, and I'm most definitely flirting with him. This "practice-surfing" definitely makes for a good...and maybe embarrassing...photo opportunity.

There's plenty of shopping and boat rides available. There's snorkeling as well as whale and dolphin-watching excursions. You can stay on the boat or you can go into the water. One captain even let me steer...for a little while. Tamarindo has a very relaxed atmosphere, mainly because it's a generally safe and nice place to be!

If you're feeling adventurous, I recommend renting a kayak and heading out to an island near the coast of Tamarindo. You can see it from the shore. Definitely make sure someone on land knows where you're going and have a set time of when to come back. This island kind of sparkles.

The whole island is covered with very unique-looking shells. These shells...resemble a certain part of the male anatomy, to put it lightly. These shells make great gag gifts, and the occasional "normal" shell makes a good present for mom and dad. Getting to the island is definitely fun but it's not a guided excursion. Most beaches in Costa Rica do not have lifeguards. If you decide to do this, you are on your own.

Also, you can say, "Pura Vida" instead of "Hello" or "Hola." It's local slang. Costa Ricans will be overjoyed to hear you say this! It translates into "Pure Life", but really means, "Life is good." If you say this in Costa Rica, it really shows that you're in touch with the people. "Pura Vida" can also be used in place of "I'm fine" (if someone asks how you are) and "goodbye." If someone has good news or if something lucky happens, it would also be appropriate to say "Pura Vida." Don't be surprised if you hear it a lot!

Have fun, mucho gusto, and Pura Vida!

Learn more about this author, Lisa Martens.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.