Staying on Playa Espadilla: A Guide to the Beach Beside Manuel Antonio National Park

Most people choose a Playa Espadilla hotel by looking at a map, and the map is accurate: the beach runs along the edge of Manuel Antonio National Park, and the road to the park is the same road you are staying on. What the map does not show is the difference between a room near the beach and a room on it. That difference is most of what this guide is about.

What Playa Espadilla is

Playa Espadilla is a long curve of wide, light-grey sand, a little over a mile from end to end, about four miles (6 km) south of Quepos and just north of the entrance to Manuel Antonio National Park. It is a public beach, separate from the beaches inside the park, and it is the one most visitors see first.

It is an open Pacific beach with real surf, reached on foot from the main road, where public buses from Quepos stop. Hotels along it, Miamar included, tend to be where the beach is quietest.

Which part of the beach to stay on

The beach is long enough that where you stay matters. Some properties sit close to the main road and the bus stop. Others sit back along the sand, behind gardens, and the beach is the first thing you reach from the door.

Miamar Quiet Lux Beach Resort is in the second group, directly on the sand of Playa Espadilla. Beyond the gardens and a small mangrove, the beach is a short walk. It is a 14-suite, adults-only resort, which is part of why mornings on this stretch are quiet.

The walk to Manuel Antonio National Park

The park is minutes away. Miamar runs a complimentary shuttle to the park entrance, so you do not need a car or a taxi for the trip. The concierge can also arrange a guided tour inside the park, which is worth considering if you want help finding the wildlife. For the rest of the area, see our guide to things to do in Manuel Antonio.

Two practical points before you go:

• Tickets are online only. The park sells them through SINAC, the national conservation system, and not at the gate. In the dry season they can sell out a few days ahead, so buy yours before you arrive and keep the QR code on your phone.
• The park closes one day a week. Check the current schedule on the SINAC site when you book your dates, because the closing day has changed in the past.

Plan the park for the morning and the beach for the afternoon. You return to a pool and a shaded terrace instead of a drive.

What the beach is like, and what to know

Playa Espadilla is an open Pacific beach, and it behaves like one. Rip currents are a known hazard here, and lifeguards patrol only in high season. Swim where you can stand, stay close to shore, and ask the concierge about the day's conditions before you go in. If the surf looks heavy, the pools are a good plan B. A larger pool sits in the tropical gardens, and the Lux Water Channel Suites open onto a curved shared plunge pool.

A few other things are worth knowing:

• Bring a hat and sunscreen; the beach is open and exposed.
• Drinks are served in the pool and on the beach, so you do not need to carry anything down.
• Yoga on the terrace runs in the morning and at sunset, if you want something slower than the surf.

Why staying on the sand changes the trip

A hotel that is a ten-minute drive from the beach turns the beach into an outing. You pack a bag, pick a time, and come back when you are tired. A hotel on the beach turns it into a habit. You go down before breakfast, walk the water's edge, and are back at Yemaya for breakfast at Yemaya, which is included with every stay and served from 7:00 to 10:30 AM.

The days have a different pace too. The park, a sunset cruise or a morning of sportfishing from Marina Pez Vela take a few hours; the rest of the day has no plan. From the terraces you can watch scarlet macaws and monkeys move through the trees. Oshun Bar is on the oceanfront, and Obatala Terrace is the open-air spot for sunsets.

If you are comparing options, our look at Manuel Antonio hotels on the beach goes through what to ask before you book, and what a luxury beach resort in Costa Rica should and should not include.

Practical details for Miamar guests

• Check-in is from 3:00 PM and check-out is at 11:00 AM.
• Parking is complimentary, one vehicle per suite. Private transfers from Quepos (XQP) or San José (SJO) can be arranged through the concierge.
• The concierge is available 24 hours for park tours, snorkeling, sunset cruises and fishing charters.
• Miamar is not all-inclusive. A la carte breakfast is included; other meals are ordered as you like at Yemaya.
• Guests must be 18 or older, and pets are not permitted.

If the dates are open, you can check availability for Miamar here.