Safety and security in Tamarindo?

[Therese]

I’m planning a trip to Costa Rica in January/February. I have heard a lot of great things about Tamarindo, but after I have spend a little time on this forum

I’m not so sure anymore. The discussions were mainly from 2007-ish, so much could have happened since then, or is it still really bad (or worse)?

I’ve been looking at the Tamarindo Diria Beach Resort..it felt just perfect, great weather, close to the beach, possible to book tours/activities etc. but is it “too good to be true”?

[Andrew]

My family and I have rented apartments at the Diria a few times…

It’s a terrific location where you can walk to practically everything you could possibly need except ski slopes..

Tamarindo is not a cheap destination and there is invariably a big percentage of foreign tourists – mostly Gringos – but the beach is awesome and IMHO, it’s a real fun and secure place to stay.

Hope that helps.

Scott

[Therese]

Thank you, it helped a lot!
The fact that you can walk everywhere is just perfect since I can’t drive, and I have gotten the impression that it’s quite difficult to get around without a car in most places in Costa Rica.

Are we talking pricey compared to Costa Rica/Central America or pricey compared to the US/Europe? I have understood that Tamarindo is very touristy but is it a city [i]only [/i]for tourists? Is it possible to find a decent grocery store and some level of “local stuff” or is it so bad that the locals just live somewhere else?

It was a little bit more difficult than I thought planning a solo trip as a girl without drivers license.. need to think safety first, but still want to explore Costa Rica 😕 🙂

Sorry about my english, it’s not my first language.

[redbeard52]

My wife and I have lived in Tamarindo for 3 years and have not had any problems with safety.

We love the beach and being able to walk to so many restaurants. “Crimes of opportunity”, i.e. theft of unattended items, are quite common, so one must use common sense and never leave valuables unattended on the beach, in a car, etc. (We are careful and have never had anything stolen.)

You can buy some groceries at the various “mini-supers” in town, although they tend to be a bit pricier; Super Compro is a small grocery store in town that has good prices and some local produce; and the 2001 Super in town has some harder to find items.

Auto Mercado is a modern gringo-style grocery store with the most variety – you could walk to it but a short taxi ride is easiest.

For the best local produce there are small farmer’s markets in nearby Villareal on Mondays and Fridays (taxi ride).

Tamarindo is expensive for Central America but is not unreasonable by USA standards. Many locals work in Tamarindo but live in nearby villages, as Tamarindo caters mostly to tourists and expats.

It is a very multicultural area with Europeans, Argentinians, Canadians, etc.

[Therese]

Thank you!
Sounds great that it i safe after all but maybe Tamarindo is a litte bit to touristy after all. I still would like to walk around and explore Costa Rica,not only a “fake” city build for tourists. =/ If I only would like to meet Europeans I could stay in Europe =/

ps. I just want to clarify,I’m not only asking about the saftey, I’m asking about Tamarindo as a destination if I want to explore Costa Rica:)

[redbeard52]

I agree that if you want to experience more local culture where you stay, Tamarindo may not be your best choice. But your first post mentioned staying at a beach front resort hotel with access to tours/activities – all typical of tourist type beach towns in Costa Rica! You may need to choose between more local culture vs a nice beach town with easy access to stores, restaurants, etc.

[Author]

Posts