Overnight getaway to 'Tamagringo'

Tamarindo, sometimes referred to by locals as Tamagringo due to the insanely large number of gringos who vacation there, is about an hour and 40 minutes by car from Samara. Kalen and I chose to go there for an overnight trip last weekend because we wanted to explore a new area by another beach, and because we just wanted to relax after a long first week at TEFL. On the way there we drove part way on a very bumpy and holey road that was quite the adventure before stumbling upon a pull-off for a beach. We walked out and saw the most beautiful unreal looking beach ever. It literally felt like a dream. There was black sand, beautiful clear blue water, and very few people.

On the most beautiful black sand beach we found on the way to Tamarindo

Upon arriving to Tamarindo, we immediately saw why it is referred to as Tamagringo. There are hotels everywhere, signs are mostly all in English, and there are well, gringos, everywhere. We chose to stay at a beautiful little bungalow we got a deal for on booking last minute called Favela Chic which is adult's only. It is a small but beautiful property outside of the main area of Tamarindo. There was an insanely comfortable bed, a beautiful pool, and two reclining chairs on the porch.

Kalen relaxing on the porch outside the bungalow

Beautiful pool. I used it in the morning one day.

Besides relaxing, we ventured out to get dinner and some drinks. We had a nice dinner at a Mexican place and then had some beer at a brewery called Volcano Brewery. Like a lot of craft beer in Costa Rica, it isn't nearly as strong or as distinct in flavor compared to beers we have had in the U.S. However, the tres leches cake we got for dessert was fabulous.

A little tip for when you are in Tamarindo: There are locals who wear yellow vest that "help" you park pretty much everywhere. There was a woman at the beach who asked us for money to park, and we were barely going to be there. I told her we only had 500 colones, and she said that was okay. We had no issues, this is just something to be aware of.

We spent the rest of our time in Tamarindo resting at the pool or on our deck listening to the rain, and made a little stop at Parque Nacional Marino las Baulas, which is a protected coastline where you can see sea turtles hatch during part of the year.

In sum, I'm glad we visited to relax and see it, but Tamarindo is not at all somewhere I would want to live. I was happy to get back to Samara.

map of Samara as drawn by the talented Sonia, another TEFL student