The 6 Best Things to do Good for Couples in Nicoya, Province of Guanacaste

May 8, 2022 Elouise Mccaul

Nicoya, a city on the Nicoya Peninsula of the Guanacaste province, Costa Rica, is one of the country's most important tourist zones; it serves as a transport hub to Guanacaste's beaches and national parks. According to the 2000 census, the city's population was 13,334; second in the province only to Liberia. The city is the district seat of a cantón of the same name, which in 2013 had 24,946 residents.
Restaurants in Nicoya

1. Puerto Carrillo

Guanacaste, Canton Hojancha Realmente Puerto Carrillo Pertenece a Hojancha y NO a Nicoya, EL Dato ES Errado, Nicoya 50201 Costa Rica
Excellent
85%
Good
15%
Satisfactory
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Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 72 reviews

Puerto Carrillo

Reviewed By ccone413 - San Francisco, United States

My boyfriend and I were staying in nearby Punta Islita, but found the beach there to be very volcanic and rugged with silt-filled water. We took about a 30 minute drive north (due to bad roads, not the distance) and found Puerto Carillo! The beach is beautiful! Long crescent beach - easy to walk the whole thing. Lighter sand (but still hot!), and clearer water. There are some good waves here if you like to boogie board. It wasn't too hard to get in past the break, but you need to be careful or you could get pummeled. I'd classify the water as warm. Due to the lack of amenities, it was not overly crowded. Personally, I find that to be a good thing. No bathrooms. No restaurants. No shower/rinse facilities. There are a couple of vendors set up along the street selling coconut water, shaved ice, and a guy renting beach chairs/umbrellas. We paid $10 for two beach loungers and an umbrella and it was (necessary) heaven. There are some palms along the road that you can escape to if you don't feel like springing for man-made shade. Just be sure to bring everything else you need for a day at the beach along with you (towels, books, sunscreen, food, water, etc.) because you won't find it there!

2. Barra Honda National Park

Al Noroeste de la Ciudad de Nicoya, Guancaste, Costa Rica 22 km, Nicoya 50201 Costa Rica +506 2659 1551 http://areasyparques.com/areasprotegidas/parque-nacional-barra-honda/
Excellent
59%
Good
28%
Satisfactory
7%
Poor
4%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 136 reviews

Barra Honda National Park

This park is best known for its well-preserved limestone caves.

Reviewed By N4521MAdanielab - Anchorage, United States

I guess i never in my lifetime make something as extreme as the expedition to the caverns, so far was a great and complete workout (not for people with health issues) jajajaja i really enjoy the effort for make it possible, was a challenge for complete, the guide was right before started the experience and recommended us bring more water, lots of hike, wildelife, she take the time for explain to us with a map and a wildlife guide all the plants and animals species we found during the route, the trail for car and 4x4 was closed due damage for severe rains so was longer than usual, but we really enjoy it a lot. The view of Barra Honda town was priceless, i recommended watched first before the caverns and seat for a moment on the chair and rejoy with that awesome view.

3. Curu National Wildlife Refuge

Paquera, Puntarenas, Nicoya 50201 Costa Rica +506 2641 0100 http://www.curuwildliferefuge.com
Excellent
60%
Good
23%
Satisfactory
9%
Poor
6%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 351 reviews

Curu National Wildlife Refuge

Privately owned, this refuge has excellent birding and wildlife watching.

Reviewed By Mari245 - San Jose, Costa Rica

This place is fabulous. There is ample opportunity for birdwatching, lots of fauna, nice trails, hordebackriding and two beautiful beaches. My favorite: Curú, even over the white beach of Quesera. We did the horseback trip to Quesera which takes a little over 1 hour one way, two other trails and had the best time staying in the super basic zero frills cabins! Lots of photo opportunities!

4. Cabo Blanco Absolute Natural Reserve

Southern Tip Of the Nicoya Peninsula, Nicoya 50201 Costa Rica +506 2642 0093 http://www.costarica-nationalparks.com/caboblancoabsolutenaturalreserve.html
Excellent
59%
Good
28%
Satisfactory
9%
Poor
3%
Terrible
1%
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4.5 based on 162 reviews

Cabo Blanco Absolute Natural Reserve

Reviewed By aml888 - San Francisco, United States

There are two options for hiking in this beautiful preserve: a shorter ~2 mi trail and a 6 mi (10K) loop out to the beach. We chose the longer trail to the beach. Finding the reserve and parking is easy. The fee is $12 USD per person and can be paid in dollars, colones or via credit card. The trail is almost entirely shaded, a huge relief on a hot sunny day, but it is not an easy trail. There's a lot of elevation change, at least several hundred feet cumulative in each direction (you basically hike up to a high point and then down to the beach, then back up and down again on the return). Some areas are a bit technical (big steps up/down, lots of roots and rocks in some spots) but not terrible, just slow going. The real challenge is the heat. Be sure to bring a lot of water, more than you think you'll need. We each brought about 500 ml and wish we'd brought twice that. And wear sturdy hiking shoes (we wore trail running shoes, which were fine). If you wear flip flops, be prepared to be miserable. Also, while fine in the dry season, the footing would likely be quite treacherous in the rainy season. The beach at the end is very pretty. We arrived at low tide and it was quite rocky by the water; even an hour or two later the water would probably have been up to the pretty white sand. There are no facilities (restrooms, potable water) at the beach but there are several nice picnic tables. The mileage according to my GPS watch was almost spot on at 3 mi each direction. It took us approximately 1.5 hrs to hike out and a little longer coming back (tired!). One disappointment - we did not see many monkeys, birds or other wildlife (we started the hike at 9:20am so maybe it was too hot by then). We celebrated surviving our jungle hike with cold beer at La Selva Brewery, a few km on the road back to Montezuma. Overall, I'd definitely recommend this hike if you're up for a bit of a strenuous walk through a beautiful jungle.

5. Playa Manzanillo

Entre Playa Cocal y Playa Santa Teresa, Nicoya 50201 Costa Rica +506 6033 1275
Excellent
55%
Good
34%
Satisfactory
7%
Poor
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Terrible
4%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 29 reviews

Playa Manzanillo

La playa no esta turísticamente desarollada, las puestas del sol desde allí son increibles. Desde el restaurante Puesta del Sol Dorada, cual ofrece comida tica deliciosa, se puede admirar. Enfrente la playa rocosa, mejor para banharse es la playa más al norte en dónde hay piscinas para echarse una banhadita. Allí, envez de conchas, se encuentran piedras en diferentes tamanhos y colores.

Reviewed By hoffman5 - San Jose, Costa Rica

This beach is a little bit down from Playa Punta Uva, which is our favorite beach in the world. Playa Manzanillo is almost as good. The water is a little less clear but still incredibly beautiful. The waves are fun to jump in, not enough for surfing but perfect for body surfing or boogey boarding. The beach was almost empty except ourselves. Highly recommend.

6. Seascape Kayak Tours

Excellent
100%
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5.0 based on 14 reviews

Seascape Kayak Tours

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