Best Places to Stay in Hermosa, Guanacaste
Playa Hermosa provides a lot of reasons to deserve its name. Meaning Beautiful Beach, Hermosa is a peaceful, quieter experience when compared to other Guanacaste hot spots. Crescent-shaped and surrounded by trees, it’s not very crowded and it caters to travelers who want a low-key vibe to enjoy the surroundings.
Because of this, most hotels are on the small size end. There are some beach resorts (particularly at the north of the beach), but rental homes, hostels, and boutique hotels dominate the area, offering a more cozy experience for visitors. Among them, the best is without a doubt Bosque del Mar. This beachfront boutique eco-hotel provides both a luxurious experience and a close connection to nature. Steps away from the ocean, it’s flanked by trees in all directions, providing shade and all the beach fun simultaneously.
The powdery sand and convenient location of Playa Hermosa truly make for a beautiful and tranquil stay. It has also won the “Bandera Azul” award, which is granted to beaches whose communities uphold eco-sustainable practices. This means the beach is both safe and clean, and the local wildlife tends to live peacefully in the area too.
Highlights of Playa Hermosa, Guanacaste
Besides all its natural beauty, Playa Hermosa’s greatest appeal is its calm waters. The tide is easy and never rough, which makes it an enjoyable destination for families with little kids or those seeking rest. There are some businesses in the area—enough to keep you supplied, but few enough that the beach rarely gets crowded. This is a perfect alternative for those who want all the perks of a Guanacaste beach without the big swaths of visitors.
Playa Hermosa is also particularly famous for its stunning sunsets. There’s nothing better than enjoying a refreshing drink during happy hour or a stroll on the sand with the bright and deep colors of sundown. The place is also ideal for some ocean adventures, such as kayaking, swimming, and a little light snorkeling. A favorite is to ride on horseback up and down the beach to see it in its entirety. Truly worth the trip!
What to Know about Playa Hermosa (Guanacaste) before Visiting
Playa Hermosa has a really convenient location. It’s only some 30 minutes away from the Guanacaste International Airport, merging accessibility with remoteness. As a relatively small community, Playa Hermosa doesn’t have a bustling lifestyle. This is a place for those who want to relax and have a laid-back atmosphere. If you’re the more adventurous type, there are plenty of activities accessible from Hermosa as well. Snorkeling, sport fishing, scuba diving, adventure parks, and catamaran cruises are among the most popular choices.
The local town also offers some services, though nothing too fancy. There are great restaurants, a mini-supermarket, various accommodations, a laundromat, and some other locales such as real estate offices and even a catholic church. If you want to use Playa Hermosa as a tranquil home base, then you can easily access nearby towns. Playas del Coco, for example, is only 15 minutes away and offers both more amenities and nightlife, if that’s what you’re after. It also attracts bigger crowds and more noise, so staying in Hermosa is a great option to get the best of both worlds.
How to Move Around Playa Hermosa in Guanacaste
Playa Hermosa is only 15 miles away from the Guanacaste International Airport, which means it’s an easy 30-minute drive away. It’s a bit farther from the San José International Airport, about 4 hours away through a scenic drive. There are some bus schedules and taxis available from/to Liberia, but we highly recommend getting a private driver. It’ll make your trip hassle-free and more enjoyable, and that’s why we include private transfers in all of our packages. If you want, you could also hire a rental car. From the Guanacaste Airport, you follow the main road south until you cross the Tempisque River. There you turn right, and at the next entrance, you turn left. A road surrounded by fields guides you all the way to Playa Panama, where you turn left again, heading south once more. Hermosa is shortly within view. There are two main entrances from the main road. They’re both marked and either one is fine since they take you right to the beach. Given how convenient everything is in Playa Hermosa, it really is worth the visit!