If beach bumming is on your to-do list, there are ample options, particularly on the Pacific coast in Guanacaste Province. The little beach towns that dot the shoreline are filled with water-sports activities and tours, beach bars to prop up and condos to rent. Health and wellness is a huge part of life in Nosara, an upscale but not fussy community noted for a retired crowd that comes for the range of amenities and the biodiversity.
Taking it up a notch, the pedestrian-only town of Las Catalinas looks like it’s hundreds of years old – and yet it was built in 2006. This compact, walkable town is an example of new urbanism; the design and architecture are focused on community. European and Latin American colonial styles blend around quiet courtyards, stone stairwells, fountains and ivy-covered walls. It’s like a big neighbourhood of stately villas and apartments to rent, plus the central Santarena Hotel – a gathering point. The nearby 400 hectares of protected forest is connected via a single-track trail system, so bring your hiking boots.
