Where we live! Playas del Coco

Playas Del Coco


Not all roads are endless. One long road ends in Costa Rica’s Guanacaste Province where the town of Playas Del Coco sits like a pearl on the end of a silver chain. The road from San Jose through Liberia is long, but the gem at the end is worth the trip.

Walking from the Luperon Supermarket along the main street of Playas Del Coco, I ask myself, “What is it about this little town that draws me and keeps me here?” What I see doesn’t give me the answer, because what I see is not Las Vegas-style glitter or the usual tourist ballyhoo. Instead, I see a single two lane road stretching lazily ahead of me through a quiet town center. There is activity, but it is not hurried. I see some bicycles, pedestrians and a few cars and motorcycles. I see the modern, low-key facade of the Coco Verde hotel and casino, more or less at the town center. I see the water of Papagayo Bay shimmering in the distance, about a half-mile ahead.

People on foot parade in and out of the small restaurants, shops, vendor stands and other small businesses set back from the blacktop (this road, known as El Centro, is one of two paved roads in Coco—as the town is called by everyone within 50 miles). Coco doesn’t have sidewalks, but no one seems to mind. There is something upbeat, something different, about this place. Coco gives off a unique flavor of optimistic cheer. I decide that what I like about the place is defined by what it is not.

Playas Del Coco is not a “bustling tourist destination.” Tourists come here, but Coco doesn’t bustle (during the day at least), it sort of emits a low level hum. The activity is slow-paced and pleasant.

It is not a place where eating places have names like Starbucks, Pizza Hut or McDonald’s. There is not a golden arch to be seen. There is a Jimmy Burger, however, which puts out a truly fine hamburger. There are some huts, but none of them are Pizza Huts. A very attractive entryway graces the Paradise Pizza, a pizza place that offers many varieties of that excellent Italian pie. I pass the midtown Papagayo Seafood restaurant, which boasts an enclosed upstairs dining area for those who think they need air conditioning.

Ambling along, I stay to the right as the road forks and the vista of a broad beach and moored fishing boats opens to me. I see small shops and outdoor stalls displaying souvenirs and the other things that tourists seem to like. I follow the road around to the left. I make another left, completing a loop, and I’m heading back the way I came. I pass the Bohio Bar, where local people congregate every evening at Happy Hour. Across the street from Bohio, I see an open air coffee shop outfitted with five or six stools, a counter and a kitchen that takes up all the space behind the counter. Instead of a flashy menu advertising overpriced coffee combinations and pastries, I see a hand-lettered menu with a wide range of breakfast choices, all reasonably priced. The coffee choices here are not latte or Cappuccino; the choices here are small or large. It’s Costa Rican coffee, and it’s always excellent.


Beginning at 8 PM or so, music (turned up full blast) and other sounds of serious partying fill the air. People throng the sides of the road. The flow of people in and out of the restaurants and bars is constant. A smile is on every face. That’s what I like about Coco.