Tamarindo is the perfect vacation destination for health-minded travelers. Pretty much everything you need is within walking distance, it’s never too cold to be outside doing something fun and active, and fresh fruits, vegetables and fish abound. Healthy people are attracted to places like this so we have a surprising number of fitness centers and yoga studios for a town this size.
So how to be as healthy on your Tamarindo vacation as you are at home? Great options are everywhere! We’ll break it down into two categories for you: What To Eat and What To Do.
WHAT TO EAT
Healthy eating in Tamarindo is easy, especially for healthy people who are used to searching out healthy foods!
1.Pimienta Verde Organic Market
In the beginning of 2018, Tamarindo’s first organic grocery store opened its doors. Fresh produce arrives on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and there is a lot more on the shelves than fruits and vegetables. They offer organic grains, pastas, sauces, honey, snacks, Kombucha, health and beauty products, oils and more. The store is new and the market for organic products in Costa is only now emerging, so you might not be able to find everything on your list there, but Automercado and its boutique supermarket Vindi do have organic products offered alongside non-organic.
2.Juice Café Tamarindo
We also have a new juice company! Juice Café Tamarindo offers a line of cold-pressed organic juices and other healthy treats. Their grain-free granola blows every other granola you can ever imagine directly out of the water! Place your order on line or drop by to see what they’ve got ready. And lucky you—it’s right beside the organic market!
3.La Bodega
La Bodega is a small café/market focused on providing organic foods to Tamarindo. Stop by for breakfast, lunch or to check out the goodies in their small store.
4.Find menu items that fit into the diet that makes you feel like a rock star:
vegan, vegetarian, low/no carb, Mediterranean, raw foods…
We aren’t saying you can’t find killer cheeseburgers and fries around here (you can!) but if you have a preferred way of eating that you’ve worked into your lifestyle, we can help you find the right dining. It’s all here! Vegans will love our vegan spot called Pura Vegan in El Mercadito. Vegetarians will have lots of choices, and especially love the traditional no-meat Costa Rican breakfast of gallo pinto with eggs. Low and no carb diets are easy to stick to in Tamarindo restaurants with the many fresh salads that are served with seared beef, grilled chicken, shrimp or raw ahi tuna. Any one else getting hungry? Anyone following a raw foods diet will be happy here. Whole raw foods are easy to find in the form of salads, fruit plates, and amazing sashimi. Mediterranean diet your style? Check out the Falafel Bar with the menu that does not stop, and the carpaccio on the menu at Pangas.
WHAT TO DO
Staying active during your Tamarindo vacation is easy, in fact, don’t forget to relax! There are tons of healthy things to do in Tamarindo. Here’s what the locals like:
1.Gyms
Tamarindo has several gyms and fitness centers that offer work-out equipment, trainers, and classes of various kinds.
2.Yoga
Several yoga studios, centrally located, offer fabulous classes from morning to evening. Our concierge can also help you book your own private instructor so that your Tamarindo yoga experience can be completely tailored to your needs and preferences.
3.The Beach
Do we really need to say this? Probably not, but it’s on the list! Nothing will wear you out like surfing does, so get out there and catch some waves. If you’re not a surfer, this is your chance to become one. Tamarindo surf lessons are the perfect way to get started! Currents are gentle here, and below you is just sand, no rocks. If surfing isn’t your thing, check out a tide chart and plan a low-tide beach walk or run. That’s what the locals do! Won’t that be cool? Come on, let’s go running. Shoes? Why?!
4.Rent a Bike
Park that rental car in the shade and rent a bike. There are all kinds of bikes to rent here: beach cruisers, mountain bikes, fat-tire bikes to ride in the sand… If you visit during the busy season between the end of December and the end of March, you might be glad for a bike for more reasons than your health! The amount of traffic in the narrow Tamarindo streets can be an exercise in patience, but if you have a bike, you can just zoom on by. No lie. (That may be a tip from insiders who know…)
5.Massage
Top off all that heathy eating, surfing, biking, yoga, and beach runs with a massage to work the knots out of your muscles. Tamarindo is a great place for a relaxing massage or Tamarindo muscle therapy. Tables set up along the beach offer relaxing massages in the shade, and top-class spas offer relaxing or deep-tissue massages in an air-conditioned environment. We also know the best masseuses in town, so if you prefer that the massage table come to your Tamarindo vacation rental, let us know and we can arrange for you and your travel group to get massages right at home.
Any questions or have other ideas about how you’d like to leave Tamarindo healthier than you came? Contact us today and let us help you get it sorted.
