The Area
Why Horizontes 101?
Horizontes Del Mar 101 is an amazing, spacious 3 bedroom beachfront condo in Tamarindo, Costa Rica, featuring a gorgeous view over the ocean front pool to exquisite Langosta Beach. It's the perfect vacation rental for a family trip or surfing holiday when you travel to beautiful Costa Rica.
If you are looking for a luxury vacation rental, right on the beach, with world-class surfing at your front door, and a calm 'lagoon' around the corner, this is THE place. There is literally no other 3 bedroom unit that walks right out to the pool and beach in all of Tamarindo, and probably all of Costa Rica!
Why Tamarindo/Langosta?
It is rare to find a place with numerous world class activities all in such close proximity as you do in Tamarindo/Langosta, Costa Rica. There's never a shortage of things to do (see Activities page). You get all the adventure with stunning views and pleasant tropical climate all year (see Climate below). In comparison to Costa Rica's other main beach area (Jaco), Tamarindo is cleaner, safer, less run down, and features better year round weather and diversity of things to do.
Tamarindo is multi-cultural, with people from all over the world calling it home yet it has a 'real', small town feel to it, unlike a ‘mega’ resort (like Cancun or Miami Beach, for instance). There are no monster hotels, and no mass commercialization. Yet there are all the amenities one could want - 50 restaurants with local and international cuisine, vibrant nightlife with dance clubs, live music and sports bars as well as spas, car rentals, inexpensive taxis, great shopping and a first class supermarket.
The surf culture permeates the entire town creating a young, upbeat, relaxed vibe. Non surfers enjoy the welcoming ‘Pura Vida’ attitude and everyone enjoys the sight of fit, tanned bodies that stroll up and down Tamarindo’s streets. And while Spanish is the official language, English is understood and spoken everywhere. The locals are friendly and helpful and the streets are safe for families and women even at night.
Sitting just south of Tamarindo, the small beachside community of Playa Langosta is an exotic locale with excellent surfing conditions. The sprawling sandy beach is much quieter than its neighbor, and is one of the best places in the region to let your hair down and relax. Langosta could be described as the exclusive, upscale, luxurious part of Tamarindo. Much quieter, even safer, and yet just a 15 minute walk or $4 taxi ride away from all the amenities of Tamarindo itself. It is an absolutely idyllic setting for families and surfers alike. It is much less crowded than Playa Tamarindo, and sits right next to miles of untouched beachfront National Park (a nesting ground for sea turtles) - just a 5 minute walk away across the shallow river mouth. The river mouth and the estuary itself are a nature lover's dream - miles of pristine shallow channels ideal for kayaking or stand-up paddleboards.
Even within beautiful Costa Rica there is no better place, combining such a beautiful setting (and beach!), a huge variety of activities, ideal climate and safety.
For people with an active lifestyle, it doesn't get any better than this!
Why Choose Costa Rica?
Costa Rica has long been a 'hidden gem' for tourism. It is, by far, the most tourist friendly of all the Central and South American countries. Long known as the Mecca for Ecotourism, Costa Rica has even more to offer beyond that. It is a very safe and politically stable country. There's been virtually no turmoil in its history. For this reason, it has become increasingly popular for foreign investors, ex-pats and tourism. The real estate market for foreigners is booming many now calling it home or at least have vacation properties. Despite this, foreign influence remains subtle and commercialization is very low key. Costa Ricans themselves do not seem to have any resentment, but rather an appreciation, toward visitors to their country. There is almost no 'hawking' of tourists and no hassle in general. The cost of living remains quite low, and your dollar still goes a long way.
Costa Rica is an exceedingly beautiful country, remaining famous for her numerous national parks that feature enormous ecological diversity and wildlife. Costa Rica takes up only 0.1% of the land in the world and yet it contains over 5% of the world’s biodiversity! Mountains, volcanoes, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, beaches, rainforests, dry forests, estuaries, mangroves, beaches, islands and more, are all represented. The parks are easily accessible and safe. A great number of them are easily reached from Tamarindo, by bus, by organized tour, or by road. Rental cars are readily available and road travel is quite safe and easy.
Costa Rica is becoming increasingly known for its many other drawing cards, including its fabulous beaches (of which Playa Tamarindo and Playa Langosta are among the best).
Climate
There is really no bad time of the year to visit as Tamarindo & Langosta is located in an ecosystem called 'tropical dry forest', the only such ecosystem in Central America. Because of this, it receives much less rain than other areas of Costa Rica or Central America in general. Even at the wettest time of year, there is rarely a day without some sunshine. Hurricanes or severe tropical storms are not a factor in the area.
The climate is tropical and pleasant. It's warm, but not excessively so. The nights are cooler, but still warm enough for shorts and a t-shirt.
There are 2 seasons in Tamarindo/Langosta, the dry season and the 'green' season (or wet season). Each lasts about half of the year - the dry season from mid-November to mid-May, and the green season from mid-May to mid-November. During the dry season, it is quite arid and there is almost no rain. Even within the green season, there is a 'little summer' (July and August) which receives very little rain. During the other green season months, the rain comes in the form of brief (often refreshing), intense showers. The sun still shines nearly every day.
Getting Around
Nearly every activity imaginable is within short walking distance from the condo. But, if you want to venture further afield, there are a number of different options. There is a local Tamarindo airport serviced by Costa Rica's Sansa Airlines, which also flies everywhere in the country. There is an easy, safe and cheap public bus system, as well as private tourist buses (called 'Fantasy Bus') which can take you pretty much anywhere you'd want to go. Rental cars can be delivered straight to the condo or are available from several agencies, steps from the condo, as well as at the Liberia and San Jose airports. Road travel is relatively easy and safe. Taxis are readily available, and inexpensive (negotiate a good price). Other options include scooter or bicycle rentals.
Getting There
Until recently, Tamarindo was quite difficult to get to, and was visited only by the die-hard adventure traveler. This has all changed in recent years.
The airport in nearby Liberia was opened up to regular scheduled flights from the U.S. in 2002. Continental, American and Delta Airlines all have year round regular flights. Charter flights fly directly into Liberia from Toronto and Vancouver in the fall, winter and spring. Tamarindo can then be accessed from Liberia by shuttle, one way rental car or a 45-minute taxi ride (about $40).
As well, the recent construction of a bridge to the Nicoya Peninsula has made Tamarindo much more accessible by road from Costa Rica's capital, San Jose. Tamarindo can also be accessed from San Jose by a short flight ($50-$100), right to the local airstrip.
Tamarindo/Langosta can now be reached in a number of ways - flying into nearby Liberia airport (LIR), and then taking a taxi, shuttle, rental car or local flight to Tamarindo, or by flying into San Jose (SJO) and doing the same.
Transportation services and logistics – We can arrange everything from private air travel and personal FBO services to greet you at the airport to chauffeurs, buses, helicopters and more. Inquire for details. Let our transfer company greet you at the airport and whisk you directly to the property.