Johnny's Beach Bungalow
The wide empty beach at Playa Avellanas, backed by mangrove and trees

Playa Avellanas, Guanacaste

Playa Avellanas is a quiet surf beach in Guanacaste, about 30 minutes south of Tamarindo. It is the beach a lot of Tamarindo visitors drive to for the day — and the one they wish they had stayed at.

What is Playa Avellanas like?

Quieter than Tamarindo, and noticeably less built up. There is no strip of bars, no vendors working the sand, and on most mornings you can walk a long way without passing more than a few people. What is here: a beach that runs roughly half a mile between a river mouth and a rocky point, mangrove behind it instead of condo towers, a handful of good restaurants, and surf that works nearly year round.

Couple walking the empty sand at Playa Avellanas, Guanacaste, at sunset
Late afternoon on Playa Avellanas. This is a normal amount of people on the sand — the beach runs about half a mile between the river mouth and the rocky point at the south end.

Most people describe it the same way — rustic, relaxed, and far less crowded than Tamarindo. That is accurate. If you want nightlife and shopping, drive to Tamarindo. If you want to slow down and have a more authentic Costa Rica experience then stay at Johnny's Beach Bungalow in Playa Avellanas.

Playa Avellanas or Tamarindo — which should you stay at?

It depends on the group.

  • Tamarindo has more restaurants, more nightlife, more shops, and more people. Good for a day trip and for anyone who wants a more busy nightlife.
  • Playa Avellanas has better surf for learning, far fewer people, and turtles nesting on the same sand. Better for families, surf groups, and anyone who came to Costa Rica to actually slow down.

You do not fully have to choose. Tamarindo is a 30-minute drive, so a group based here can spend an afternoon there and be back for dinner.

Beach chairs under the trees at Lola's, a seven-minute walk from Johnny's Beach Bungalow
Lola's, seven minutes up the sand from our gate. Beach chairs, good food, and the pig is real. It is most of the nightlife Avellanas has, and most guests decide that is the point.

Where large groups actually stay

This is the practical problem with the area. Tamarindo is mostly hotels and two-bedroom condos — fine for four people, awkward for fourteen, and especially difficult for groups twice that size. Groups end up split across separate bookings, eating out for every meal, and coordinating by text.

Johnny's is the other option: a whole property, six bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, sleeping up to 28, three minutes' walk from this beach, with a cook on site. One booking, one address, one long table.

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Aerial view of Johnny's Beach Bungalow and its pool set in jungle near Playa Avellanas

The surf

Avellanas works most of the year and suits a mixed-ability group, which is why surf schools bring their camps here. There is a forgiving beach break near the river mouth for anyone learning, a reef further south for people who know what they are doing, and Little Hawaii off the point when a big swell arrives. Lessons start from Lola's, a seven-minute walk from our gate.

Beginner surfers in the whitewater near the river mouth at Playa Avellanas
The inside break near the river mouth, where lessons happen. Whitewater, sand bottom, and enough room that a camp of fifteen is not in anyone's way.

More on surf camps and schools →

Turtles

Olive ridley turtles nest along this stretch, and hatchlings run for the water roughly July through December, usually at first light. It is not a ticketed attraction with a visitor center — you either come across it or Alberto tells you where to look that week.

Olive ridley turtle hatchlings crossing the sand to the sea at Playa Avellanas
Olive ridley hatchlings heading for the water, Playa Avellanas. Nesting season runs roughly July to December and the runs usually happen at first light.

What is within walking distance

  • The beach — 3 minutes from the gate
  • Lola's — 7 minutes. Beach chairs, good food, and the pig is real
  • Gregorio's and Cabinas Iguana Verde — next door
  • La Esquina de Avellanas — 13 minutes, for coffee and a bakery
  • The mangrove boardwalk — a few minutes north, best at sunset
Mangrove boardwalk north of Playa Avellanas at sunset
The mangrove boardwalk just north of the beach. A few minutes' walk, and the reason the sand here is backed by trees instead of buildings.

Getting oriented

Hacienda Pinilla sits just north and shares the same sand — an 18-hole championship golf course, tennis, and pickleball courts, about 10 minutes away. The JW Marriott is inside that development. Tamarindo is about 30 minutes by road, the big supermarket about 25, and Liberia airport roughly an hour and a half.

Directions and airport transport →

Sunset over the surf at Playa Avellanas, Costa Rica
Surfers walking the beach at sunset, Playa Avellanas, Costa Rica
Children bodyboarding in the shorebreak at Playa Avellanas

Come see it for yourself

Six bedrooms, breakfast cooked for your group, three minutes' walk to this beach.

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