You may still be trying to think up a last-minute Halloween costume or wondering how many pies to make for Thanksgiving, but the truth is we have another thing to add to your to-do list: Get your year-end holiday Costa Rica vacation on the books! It’s time! Christmas in Costa Rica and Costa Rica New Years are unforgettably fun and fill up fast, so don’t wait until you’ve finished your second helping of turkey to get busy making plans.
Whether your winter celebration revolves around Kwanza, Hanukkah, Christmas, another religious tradition, or simply the kids’ winter break from school, it can be a big deal to decide to spend it in Costa Rica instead of with Grandma and the cousins. It’s also, as you either know or will soon find out, not the cheapest time to visit Costa Rica. But it might be the most beautiful. It might be the most fun. It might be the only time you can actually pull off getting away for enough time to make it worth the ticket price. We’re here to let you know what to expect and to assure you that spending your holidays in Costa Rica is the right choice.
Holiday celebrations are about being together, so it’s logical that rather than a hotel, you’ll want to book a Tamarindo vacation rental, a Langosta vacation rental, a vacation rental in Hacienda Pinilla, or a Flamingo vacation rental. Luxury homes in all of these areas come in many shapes and sizes, but they go fast so don’t wait.
Tamarindo is a lively beach town that is the hub of activity in the area. The vast sandy beach is excellent for surfing and swimming, there are more amazing restaurants than you can possibly eat at, and the year-end Tamarindo nightlife will keep you dancing till the sun comes up. Langosta, located on the south end of Tamarindo, has a quieter, lazier vibe, but is literally 5 minutes down the road from Tamarindo. The surf is heavier, the beach is rockier, the nights are quieter, and the December sunsets are even more stunning in Langosta than in Tamarindo. If you choose a Hacienda Pinilla vacation rental, you’ll be 15 minutes outside of Tamarindo in a 5-star gated community. You’ll have access to the beach club, the fitness center, and the miles of pristine beach that offers spots for surfing and swimming. All the fun of Tamarindo is easily accessible from this more remote, peaceful location. If you choose a Flamingo vacation rental, you’ll be about 30 minutes north of Tamarindo where the coastal mountains drop down to the white sand. Flamingo beach known for its stunning scenery and is popular among fishermen for its deep-sea charters.
So what are the winter holidays like in Tamarindo? Well, it’s not winter here, that’s for sure! Depending on where you live, this year’s Christmas dinner may be the first one you eat wearing a pair of shorts. You’re going to leave behind cozy evenings by the fireplace, hot tea, snow boots, all boots, fleece jackets, and sleigh bells in exchange for a winter holiday celebration with sunscreen, flip flops, umbrella drinks over ice, monkeys in the trees and sand between your toes. What’s not to love?
Being a Catholic country, the majority of Costa Ricans celebrate Christmas at this time. Houses are decorated with the colorful lights and decorations you will recognize, and artificial Christmas trees are common in homes and businesses. You’ll probably even come across a valiant Santa Clause or two, wearing a very hot red suit and full white beard, who is willing to take gift requests from lines of children while sweltering an absurd amount of fabric.
Restaurants you’ll find in Tamarindo and the surrounding areas where our Tamarindo vacation rentals are located will offer traditional Christmas menus on that special day. Costa Rican holiday season foods are completely different than the ones you’re used to: tamales (very different from the Mexican version) are the most common tradition, with fire-roasted pork, stewed chicken with vegetables, and arroz con pollo being other favorites that often appear during celebrations.
Ironically, considering the fact that the first winter holiday has religious origins and the second one (New Year’s Eve) doesn’t, in Costa Rica Christmas Eve is the night for partying wildly with your friends, and New Year’s Eve is a night to stay home with your family and see in the new year together. How about that? But never fear, those traditions stop where the tourist industry begins, and do we have the New Year’s Eve party for you! On New Year’s Eve, Costa Rica’s coast explodes with midnight fireworks. Tamarindo, from one end to the other, is one giant fiesta during the entire week between December 24 and January 31. Buckle up. This is not for the faint of heart. If you’ve never danced in the streets or on the beach before, you will now.
It’s time right now to get busy planning your New Year’s vacation in Tamarindo! Here are the questions you need to get started:
- How many people are in your group?
- Do you want a vacation rental close to the action, in the center of the action, or distanced from the action?
- Do you want your trip to include nights in any locations other than Tamarindo?
- Which ones?
- Will you need a rental vehicle
These are the questions you need to answer in order to get started–to get lodging and transportation in the books before it’s too late. Questions about airport shuttles, tours, and which restaurants you want to be sure to try are things you can think about later after your primary reservations are made.
Contact us today with your ideas and questions. We can help you sort out anything you’re unsure of and help you design an unforgettable start to 2020 here in Tamarindo!
