If you are considering visiting Tamarindo, here is my complete 3-day experience as a solo traveler. I had a great time in Tamarindo, but little did I know I would leave with a broken rib.
I left La Fortuna on a shuttle bound for Tamarindo on December 30, 2022. I was heading to Tamarindo to surf, and I had heard it was one of the best places in Costa Rica to surf. Little did I know that I would leave with a broken rib and the experience of a lifetime.
The shuttle from La Fortuna is a few hours, so I was glad that I had booked my shuttle with bookaway.com and didn’t have to drive.
As we were finally approaching Tamarindo, traffic grew heavy and the shuttle suddenly came to a halt. Everyone on the shuttle perked up – something was clearly wrong. As we slowly snaked forward, I could see that there had been an accident, and the road was closed.
It was a very sobering moment. Costa Rica is known for being carefree – very few stop lights, jumping into creeks, hot springs, hiking volcanoes…but the carefree atmosphere evaporated when I saw a bloody leg on the ground. There had been an accident between a moped and something else, and at least one person had died. As far as I could tell, there were no medical services at the scene, although they were hopefully on their way.
Due to the accident, we had to take a backroad into town. It added extra time, but I was very glad to be safe.
The shuttle dropped me off at my hostel, which was Bonga House. Bonga House was pretty cool. It is super affordable and it’s in the perfect location. There are plenty of food options around, grocery stores, even a farmer’s market, and it was really close to the beach, but off the main strip.
I booked my hostel through Hostelworld, which is AMAZING! The Hostelworld app is great and super easy to use.
After checking in at my hostel and making small talk with the host (I always make small talk), I found my bed and took a nap. If you are traveling and staying in hostels, check out my post on everything you need when you stay in a hostel because you need to definitely bring a lock along.
An hour or so later, a guy in his 30s walks into the room. He introduces himself as ‘John’ from Brazil, but I know ‘John’ isn’t a Brazilian name. He admits his name is João. He’s a cool dude, and we immediately make a connection. I tell João that I want to go surfing, and he says he wants to go surfing, too.
Probably an hour or so after that, 2 women enter our room. I start talking to them and learn they are from Canada, and on top of that, they are surf instructors! What luck! They eagerly offer me and João a free surfing lesson the next day. I’m pumped! And this is why it is so much fun to stay in a hostel!
That evening, João and I decide to get dinner at a small soda, and then go to Crazy Monkey’s bar.
It was Friday night, so Crazy Monkey’s had a live band playing latin dance music (salsa, cumbia, bachata, merengue). The also had a large dance area with a DJ playing top 40 hits. Lots of Bad Bunny. In fact, in Tamarindo, I think I almost constantly heard Bad Bunny. I would hear Bad Bunny, and then walk down the street, and a store up ahead would be playing a different Bad Bunny song.
Anyways, I recommend Crazy Monkey’s. There was a cover charge, but they had open bar from 9-10 or something. No joke, free drinks. I don’t drink, but João loaded up.
We then spent the rest of the night dancing. It was great.
Top 7 Things to do in Tamarindo
The next day, December 31, João and I went to get our surfboards and meet the Canadian women for our lesson. I must say that Tamarindo does have a large, beautiful beach. It is an incredibly friendly, trendy city. I definitely saw some ‘fashionistas’ that were dressed to the 9s.
During my stay in Tamarindo, I was offered drugs a few times, about the same number of times I was offered surfing lessons. I didn’t see any confrontations. I didn’t see or hear any catcalling. And I think that says a lot being there for New Year’s Eve, because there were literally thousands of people in the city and on the beach. Everyone seemed content and happy.
João and I rented our surf boards from Surf Culture. Surf Culture was totally awesome. They had little lockers for me to lock my stuff. However, we then realized the best surfing beach is to the north, so we had to lug our large surf boards a ways (and back, which is hard when you’re tired after a day of surfing). I actually think I would recommend renting boards from Iguana Surf simply because it’s a lot closer to the preferred surfing beach.
Renting the board was super cheap – it’s the lessons that are expensive! Luckily, we were about to get a free lesson!
The lesson was amazing, and then the women let us go surf. There are dozens of people on the beach offering surfing lessons. The number 1 thing to ask a teacher about is safety. Every surf lesson needs to begin with safety.
We probably surfed for a couple of hours. We then went and got a poke bowl from Ohana Poke. It totally hit the spot. We then surfed again for a couple more hours.
The last hour or so, I didn’t feel very good. I was tired and my abs were really sore. I didn’t realize it, but I had broken one of my ribs from mounting the surf board dozens and dozens of times. We ended for the day, and I went to take a nap.
Places to get food in Tamarindo
That evening, João and I met up to party for NYE. People had been streaming into the city all day, and parking was a mess! I was super glad that I didn’t rent a car on my trip. If you aren’t sure about renting a car in Costa Rica, check out my post on when to rent a car; when not to rent a car in Costa Rica.
Basically, for New Year’s Eve, the streets along the beach were closed and completely flooded with people. People were hanging out in their small friend groups, listening to music, dancing, grilling, and drinking. I have heard some people call Tamarindo ‘Tamagringo’. But I would say the vast majority of people there that night were Costa Ricans from more inland parts of the country.
At midnight, was the big moment everyone was waiting for. Many of the people migrated towards the beach and there were tons of firecrackers going off. It was definitely a wild time!
Unfortunately for me, I had a freshly broken rib, so despite the wild jubilee going on around me, I felt like absolute trash. I went home shortly thereafter and went to bed. João stayed out and partied longer.
I woke up on January 1, 2023 to a terrible smell. One of the German women who had moved into our hostel room had stunk up the entire room…BIG TIME. I could hardly breathe. I opened windows and left, but when I came back an hour or so later, the smell was still there. It may have been permanent.
I packed up and went to Tamarindo Square to catch my shuttle back to San Jose and my flight home. Since so many people had traveled to Tamarindo for NYE, the shuttle was completely sold out, and there was a lot of traffic back to San Jose. So just make sure to book your travel and hostels early!
Overall, I had a great time in Tamarindo. I am still in touch with the people I met there, and I will text them on NYE to ask if they had a good year!
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