When I first stepped onto Playa Guiones in Nosara my first thought was “is this what Heaven looks like”?
Nosara is a small beach village located on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica on the Nicoya Peninsula. It’s known for surfing, yoga and the Pura Vida life. What drew us to Nosara is that it is one of the five blue zones in the world. A blue zone is where people live the longest and are the healthiest. You will see why that is the case in Nosara right away with how peaceful it is. When planning our trip, we worried we might get bored and started looking into all the places we could do day trips to- but when we arrived we couldn’t get ourselves to leave Nosara even for one day.
Playa Guiones
Where to Stay
I couldn’t imagine a better place to stay in Nosara than Olas Verdes Hotel. When you walk into Olas Verdes you are immediately immersed into the jungle with stunning landscaping, a resort-like pool and of course the expansive luxury suites equipped with a small kitchen, large bedroom and comfortable living room to feel right at home during your stay.
Olas Verdes has had a mission to reduce it’s carbon footprint since it opened in 2015. They became the first LEED Platinum hotel in Costa Rica and are focused on their sustainable practices in everything they do.
Here are a few of the perks to staying at Olas Verdes to make your stay in Nosara as comfortable and enjoyable as possible:
- Bikes are available for guests to use at no charge. This allows for easy trips into town at any time.
- Safari Surf is located on the Olas Verdes property. They offer surf lessons and boards for use. We took a lesson from Alonso and had the best time!
- Yoga classes are available in the pavilion each day at a small additional fee.
- El Manglar restuarant is located on the property. Breakfast is included in your stay, but the lunch and dinner options are mouth watering as well.
- Laundry service is included in your stay.
- Playa Guiones is a short walk away. Staying by the beach was important to us and this beach was absolutely Heavenly with sunsets we will remember forever.
Book your stay at Olas Verdes here.
What to Do
When visiting Nosara, you do not need to come with an itinerary of things to do. In fact, it might be better if you don’t. This village is designed for you to take a step back, live in the moment and enjoy living the Pura Vida life for your stay.
Nosara is also known for it’s surfing. We have never surfed before but decided to try it and we are so glad we did. We took a lesson with Alonso from Safari Surf and continued surfing the next few days on our own. The conditions were always great and it helped us feel connected to the nature around us.
Experience Nosara offers many activities in the area. One that stood out to us was a tour of the expansive mangroves on either a stand up paddle board or kayak. This tour provided one of our favorite days we had in Nosara. We chose to do our tour on stand up paddle boards. The morning we spent in the mangroves was such a special experience.
During this tour, you will see many species of unique birds and wildlife, with the howler monkeys screeching around you. You will paddle down the mangroves while learning about the environment and why so many living things thrive here. Our guide, Miguel, made this experience so much fun and taught us a lot.
We paddled until we reached a beautiful, empty, beach. You will have some time to enjoy the beach and go for a swim. Afterwards, your guide will provide a snack of pineapple and coconut before you paddle back to where you began the tour.
The whole tour took about 2-3 hours, and you will be so happy you took a portion of your day to visit the mangroves. Book the tour here.
Where to Eat
Nosara has amazing food options- many very healthy as well. Here are some of our favorites in the area:
- La Luna– Known to have the best sunsets in the area. This Mediterranean restaurant is a short drive from Nosara to Playa Pelada located right on the beach. We recommend the shrimp skewers- they are incredible. You’ll enjoy the views as much as the food.
- LuvBurger– This vegan restaurant has a stunning garden to enjoy your meal in with delicious vegan fare. We recommend the Philly Cheeseburger and coconut ice cream for dessert.
- Mahalo Bowls– There is an adorable food truck area in downtown Playa Guiones where we found Mahalo Bowls. These poke bowls were some of the best I’ve had with very fresh ingredients and lots of toppings.
- Al Chile– Craving Mexican food? This place is a must. They have addicting margaritas and amazing food. We recommend the carnitas nachos.
- El Manglar- Located right at the Olas Verdes with beautiful seating. For breakfast we recommend the fruit and yogurt bowls- we couldn’t get enough of them! For lunch and dinner we recommend the fish tacos, calamari and Pura Vida rice.
Nosara is a place you will want to come back to again and again- and many people do. It is a special place that allows you to let go of daily stress, live in the moment and be grateful for the environment around you. We didn’t realize how much we needed time in Nosara until we were there. You will feel relaxed and centered. Take it slow, enjoy each moment and soak in everything it has to offer.
*This post is sponsored by Olas Verdes and Experience Nosara but all opinions are our own*
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