Playa Matapalo Holidays

Costa Rican beach retreat

Staying at Playa de Matapalo puts you in a peaceful tropical paradise. It’s a secluded spot where the emphasis is on getting away from it all. The beach is reserved for those staying at Riu Guanacaste and Riu Palace, so it’s likely you’ll see more monkeys than people.

Buzzy Coco Beach

The bustling resort of Coco Beach is a 10-minute cab or water taxi ride away. Trips here put loads of bars at your fingertips. And restaurant-wise, there’s pizza, Mexican and American cuisine. But the speciality is the ocean-fresh seafood. We’re talking big plates of shrimp in creamy sauce or little bites of sushi with added Caribbean flavour.

Action-packed days out

Exploring the beaches and mountains in these parts is best done on horseback. There are daytrips that’ll have you slathering yourself in volcanic mud, before washing it off under a waterfall shower, whizzing through the jungle on a zip-line, and conquering sand dunes on a quad bike. The scuba diving is first-class, too. Expect to see turtles, eels and manta rays.