A Rainy Day In Tamarindo: What To Do?
The rainy season, also known as the Green Season, is beautiful. Almost everyone who lives in Costa Rica prefers the rainy season to the dry season. It’s cooler, shadier, the blasting winds disappear, and the clouds create the prettiest sunsets. It almost never rains all day, but, well…it’s not entirely impossible. If it does rain all day, it won’t be the first time in recorded history. So. What to do in Tamarindo on a rainy day?
There are boring options like refusing to leave your Tamarindo vacation rental or Tamarindo hotel all day, staying cooped up inside with the air conditioner running, watching tv. But really. You didn’t come all the way here to do that, did you? You can do that at home and save the plane ticket. Explore!
Rule #1: Do Not Stay Inside.
Ok, there is only one rule, and that’s it. Staying inside all day will make you grumpy, and we can’t have that on vacation. Your hotel has porches or terraces or a pool rancho or a restaurant–an outdoor area of some type for relaxing. If it doesn’t, you need a new hotel. You could do that today. Your vacation rental has a balcony or a patio with comfortable lounge furniture or hammock. Right? Sit outside and read a book. You do read books, don’t you? If you didn’t bring one, your hotel or vacation rental has got to have something you can read while you relax a little and listen to the rain.
You just need to get outside, sit down and soak in the zen of the sound of rain for a while. You don’t think the sound of the rain is “zen?” We can tell how much time you’ve spent sitting outside listening to it. Give it a try. You won’t get to experience the zen of tropical rain on rich foliage anywhere but in the tropics. Outside. In the rain. Yes, its humid. Your skin loves it. It makes your hair curly? You’re on vacation. Wear a hat.
You’re going to get hungry, so venture out. There are a few things to do in Tamarindo in the rain. For walking in the rain, don’t wear flip flops. Wear your shoes or other sandals. Yes, they are going to get wet, but flip flops in the rain are a terrible idea. They slosh mud and water all over the back of your legs with every step, and they are easy to slip in. If you have a choice of foot wear, wear something else. It will dry.
Is it thundering and lightening? Probably not, or it won’t for long. Truly rainy days are usually part of large storm system; they’re not interminable local thunderstorms. So if there’s no lightening, take a beach walk. The rain is warm. Put on your bathing suit and get wet! Who cares? The beach is beautiful in the rain. You won’t get a sunburn. If your hotel or vacation rental supplies umbrellas, you could take an umbrella—or don’t. You didn’t come to the beach to stay dry, did you? Come on. Live a little.
Hit the cafes. Tamarindo is full of awesome little cafes where you can sit and have a coffee or a natural fruit juice and munch of something yummy if you want. Go café hopping. Who’s counting?
How about the bars? There’s that too, depending on the time of day. Or, heck, if it’s early you can always go home and take a nap. Lots of unique bars exist in Tamarindo with chilly drinks and great snacks. Bar hopping in the rain? We can think of worse things.
Scope out the stores. At first glance, you may think they all have the exact same thing, but they don’t. Go in and have a look around. Buy some early holiday gifts. Get your mom a birthday present for next year. This could be fun to combine with bar or café hopping. You weren’t going to leave Tamarindo without a “Pura Vida” t-shirt, were you?
Practice your Spanish. Almost everyone who attends customers in Tamarindo speaks at least two languages. Try it out. Remember of any of that French from high school? Your server or the cashier at the t-shirt shop may surprise you.
Go to a Tamarindo spa for the day. Enjoy 1.5-hour massage, facials, scrubs, wraps, gourmet lunch and more surrounded by the tropics with the rain.
Go to a gym.
Attend a yoga class.
Chances are the rain will clear up before the day actually ends, or at least stop for a little while at some point. Whatever you do, make sure you’re at the beach at the end of the day. There may be an unexpected magnificent sunset. Or maybe not. There’s still no better place to end a day in Tamarindo than at the beach overlooking the water. Maybe a lot of water, if it’s been a rainy day. But in the end, every day in Tamarindo is a good day, isn’t it?
Enjoy Tamarindo Beach!
