Playa Avellanas
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Referred to by locals as “little Hawaii,” Playa Avellana packs extraordinary offshore waves that can reach up to eighteen feet, making it an ideal destination for experienced surfers from around the world. Additionally, this secluded white sand beach invites tranquility and peace. It is a great spot to sit by the beachfront bar and take in the sights and sounds of the ocean. A very special feature of the beach is “Lola”, the 400 kg pig that will be there to welcome you at the beach bar or in the shallow parts of the surf.
Playa Avellanas Facts
- Beach Name: Playa Flamingo (Flamingo Beach)
- Distance from San Jose Airport: 153 miles (245 km)
- Distance from Liberia International Airport: 26 miles (42 km)
- Closest Town: Playa Flamingo
Playa Avellanas: Beach Details
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Playa Avellana is located on Guanacaste’s “Golden Coast,” just minutes from the popular beach town of Tamarindo. The Guanacaste Province is renowned for its outstanding beauty, gorgeous beaches, and sunny radiance. It also features fascinating conservation areas such as Marino Las Baulas National Park and the Ostional Wildlife Refuge, both of which are important nesting sites for endangered sea turtles.
beach town
Playa Avellanas: Beach Town
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The popular surf town and beach of Tamarindo is just a short drive away from Playa Avellana. In Tamarindo you will find wonderful restaurants, bakeries, boutique shops, and spas, as well as an assortment of budget to luxury lodging accommodations. Visitors can also find endless activities such as water sports, Horseback riding, golfing, scuba diving, snorkeling and much more within a close proximity.
In the evenings, Tamarindo becomes alive with festivity, and the sound of Latin music streams from the corner bars. Whether you are looking for a surf vacation, relaxation, nightlife, or adventure, it’s available in the Playa Avellana area.
Development in Playa Avellanas
Two major developments are taking place in the area that will significantly add to the area’s population, economy and potential land value. “The Point” is a four-phase condominium and single-family home development 300 meters from the beach. Right now there are just under 30 homes in this exclusive gated community. It advertises two-bedroom and three-bedroom homes starting at under $200,000.
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Two major developments are taking place in the area that will significantly add to the area’s population, economy and potential land value. “The Point” is a four-phase condominium and single-family home development 300 meters from the beach. Right now there are just under 30 homes in this exclusive gated community. It advertises two-bedroom and three-bedroom homes starting at under $200,000.
Despite its rural setting and dirt roads, Playa Avellanas has a lot going for it. The area is remote and off the beaten path, which is an attractive quality in the socially distanced world we currently inhabit. Improved water, electricity and internet infrastructure are giving visitors and residents the comforts of modern living while still providing a wild, natural environment where monkeys swing from the branches and parrots and macaws crow from the treetops.
Restaurants in Playa Avellanas
Playa Avellanas boasts a surprising number of great restaurants, all located within a 1.5-km radius. The most famous is Lola’s beachfront restaurant. It has a chill outdoor vibe and offers fun views of surfers riding the waves. Lola’s has a great reputation with tourists and locals alike. The main attraction is its unusual pets: two large pigs named Ave and Ana (Avellanas, get it?) and a donkey named Lana. You can see them frolicking down the beach and playing in the waves!
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Other restaurants serve up authentic homemade Italian food (Il Rustico), fantastic burgers (Barumis), leisurely Mediterranean brunches (Soul Shine), and wood-fired pizzas (Kon Tiki). Take a short drive to the nearby town of Playa Negra for more options such as Mexican, fine French dining and an assortment of mom and pop restaurants (called sodas) that offer Costa Rica staples such as fried fish and chicken, rice and beans, and fried plantains.
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These days new dining choices are opening up all the time. Purruja has a coveted beachfront location where you can enjoy cocktails while snapping pics of the amazing sunsets over the Pacific Ocean. Construction crews are busy right now erecting even more buildings in the area, which will undoubtedly add to the culinary array.
Tamarindo is also a short drive away, offering a wide range of restaurants, shopping and nightlife, as well as modern supermarkets and banks.
Activities in Playa Avellanas
Don’t surf? Don’t worry! The area around Playa Avellanas offers an adventurous assortment of fun activities to keep you active and occupied.
- Yoga: Yoga has been a big part of the Pura Vida lifestyle here since before Lululemon ever existed. A variety of indoor and outdoor studios and shalas offer yoga classes taught by experienced and certified instructors.
- Ziplining: Fly through the forest canopy where the monkeys live and get a bird’s-eye view of the area!
- Stand-up paddling (SUP): You can ride the gentle surf, or glide down a nearby estuary for a relaxing paddle while watching the wildlife.
- Sunset sailing: Sailing tours depart from Tamarindo daily. Enjoy a rum cocktail as the captain guides you and your friends up and down the beautiful coastline. Stop for a snorkel and lunch, and gently sail home as the sun disappears below the ocean waves.
- Sportfishing: Guanacaste fishing guides will take you out on their boats and show you how and where to catch some of the sea’s abundant sportfishing prizes.
- Crocodile tours: There are several national parks within a short drive where you can enjoy activities such as cave exploring or crocodile watching on the Tempisque River. Don’t dangle your feet over the edge of the boat!
- Turtle hatching/nesting: This area of Costa Rica is an important home for vulnerable sea turtles. Leatherbacks, olive ridleys and green turtles all nest and hatch on the beaches that stretch along the coast. Playa Ostional is home to a rare phenomenon known as arribadas (arrivals), where tens of thousands of sea turtles simultaneously come ashore at dusk to lay their eggs. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see a magnificent and breathtaking natural event.
You can also tour a coffee or rum plantation, hike a volcano, visit a spa or just chill out in a hammock.
