Photo: Emmanuel NM via Google
The Best Beach Clubs
in Guanacaste
Beach restaurants, surf town bars and Papagayo day passes, read honestly.
The verdict
- Best forTravellers deciding how to reach the best beaches and clubs in Guanacaste, and where a paid day is worth it over the free public sand
- Single best spotLola's and Las Catalinas Beach Club are the names to know first
- One thing to knowThese are Pacific beaches with real rip currents and a crocodile estuary at the Tamarindo river mouth, so swim where it is calm and never cross or swim near a river mouth
Club listings checked against our editorial standards by Morten Andersen
Published 8 March 2026. Last reviewed 24 April 2026
Read Guanacaste honestly and its beach club layer splits in two, the iconic beach restaurants that sit right on the sand, and the resort day passes on the exclusive Papagayo peninsula. The first kind, like Lola's at Avellanas, is open to anyone for the price of a long lunch and a lounger under the trees, the easy, characterful way to spend a beach day. The second kind, at the Four Seasons, Andaz and the peninsula clubs, buys pools, watersports and a calm private bay, but access for non guests is restricted and priced accordingly.
The venues below are real, established places, ordered by the kind of day they suit, and where a day pass figure is published we give it and where it is not we mark it to be confirmed. Public beach access in Costa Rica is the law, the sand is always open to all, so a beach club here buys you the loungers, the pool and the service rather than the beach itself. The value play is a beach restaurant for most days and one resort day pass for something special.
How much a day bed costs in Guanacaste
A day bed and umbrella are priced per day and rise in peak summer and for front row spots, so we list each figure as to be confirmed and suggest you ask when you book.
| Club | Day bed price | Minimum spend |
|---|---|---|
| Lola's | To be confirmed | To be confirmed |
| Las Catalinas Beach Club | To be confirmed | To be confirmed |
| Andaz Peninsula Papagayo, Casa de Playa | To be confirmed | To be confirmed |
| Four Seasons Papagayo | To be confirmed | To be confirmed |
| Prieta Beach Club | To be confirmed | To be confirmed |
| Margaritaville Beach Resort | To be confirmed | To be confirmed |
Every venue, by the setting it owns
Real, established places. Any fee or minimum spend is to be confirmed.
| Venue | Setting | Vibe | Minimum spend | Booking note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lola's | Playa Avellanas | Iconic beach restaurant, loungers under the trees | To be confirmed | The famous beachfront restaurant on Playa Avellanas, with handcrafted wooden tables and loungers on the sand under almond trees and a menu of cocktails, burgers and wood fired dishes. There is no formal day pass, you simply come to eat and drink and use the loungers, and it is the most characterful, easygoing beach club style day in Guanacaste. Pricing is restaurant pricing and to be confirmed. |
| Las Catalinas Beach Club | Playa Danta | Family beach club with pools and a bar | To be confirmed | The beach club at the car free village of Las Catalinas, with a lap pool, lounging and plunge pools, a kids pool, a cocktail bar, a restaurant and a gym, fronting calm Playa Danta. It is family oriented and primarily for Las Catalinas guests and owners, so public day access and any price are to be confirmed before you rely on it. The beach itself is free and open to all. |
| Andaz Peninsula Papagayo, Casa de Playa | Peninsula Papagayo | Resort beach club and pool day pass | To be confirmed | The Andaz resort on the Papagayo peninsula offers a day pass that has included access to its pools and non motorised watersports in the calm bay, with a revamped beach club, Casa de Playa, adding a pool and restaurant. Day passes are generally booked through the resort and intended for those staying within the peninsula, so confirm current availability and price, which move with the season. |
| Four Seasons Papagayo | Peninsula Papagayo | Luxury resort day pass, two calm beaches | To be confirmed | The Four Seasons on the Papagayo peninsula offers day passes that are typically bookable only a day ahead through the concierge and generally for those staying within the peninsula, giving access to its pools and two calm swimming beaches. It is the most exclusive option on the coast, and the current public day pass price is not openly published, so it is to be confirmed. |
| Prieta Beach Club | Peninsula Papagayo | The peninsula's signature beach club | To be confirmed | The most sought after beach club on the Papagayo peninsula, with pools and a beach setting, generally restricted to peninsula guests, owners and villa renters rather than the general public. Access has carried a per person fee that rises sharply over the festive season, so confirm the current rate and whether your booking qualifies, because policies change. This is a special occasion day rather than an everyday spend. |
| Margaritaville Beach Resort | Playa Flamingo | Beachfront resort on the Gold Coast | To be confirmed | A beachfront resort on Playa Flamingo, a minute across a narrow road from the calm white sand, with pools, dining and a lively, family friendly feel. A public day pass rate could not be confirmed, so any access and price are to be confirmed directly, but Flamingo itself is a free, swimmable blue flag beach open to everyone. It suits those who want resort comforts beside a calm bay. |
Where to spend and where to swim free
The most useful thing to know about beach clubs in Guanacaste is that the beach is never the thing you are paying for, because Costa Rican law keeps all beaches public. A beach club here sells you the loungers, the pool, the watersports and the service, not the sand, so the value question is simply whether you want those extras on a given day. For most days a beach restaurant like Lola's gives you the loungers and the atmosphere for the price of lunch, which is the easy, characterful choice.
Save a resort day pass for one special day, and go in with open eyes, because the Papagayo peninsula clubs are exclusive, often limited to those staying on the peninsula, and priced to match, with figures that climb over the festive season. Whatever you choose, respect the Pacific, the rip currents strengthen at high tide and on swell, and the Tamarindo river mouth is a genuine crocodile habitat, so swim where it is calm, heed the flags, and never wade across an estuary. Conditions are typical and never guaranteed.
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Before you go
Can you actually swim at Playa Conchal, or is it just for photos?
You can swim, Conchal is one of the better swimming and snorkelling beaches on the Gold Coast, with unusually clear, calm turquoise water and reef life close to shore. The catch is logistics rather than the water, there is no road to the beach and no facilities, so you park in Brasilito and walk fifteen to twenty minutes, bringing your own water and shade. Currents can pick up in the green season, so still check conditions before a long swim.
Are there really crocodiles at Tamarindo, and is it safe to swim?
Crocodiles live in the Tamarindo estuary at the north end of the beach, not in the main swimming areas, so the open beach is broadly safe for swimming. The rule is simple, never swim near the river mouth and never wade across the estuary to Playa Grande, pay a few dollars for the water taxi instead. Attacks are uncommon, but the estuary is a genuine habitat, so treat it with respect and keep children well away from the river mouth.
Which Guanacaste beaches are calm enough for young children?
Playa Hermosa on the Papagayo gulf, Playa Flamingo, Playa Conchal and Playa Danta are the calm, family friendly choices, with sheltered bays, gentle waves and minimal current. Avoid relying on the surf beaches, Guiones, Grande and Avellanas, for casual child swimming, because they have shifting beach breaks and rip current risk. At busy Tamarindo, stick to the calmer northern end and keep clear of the central surf zone and the river mouth.
When can I see the leatherback turtles at Playa Grande?
Leatherbacks nest at Playa Grande in the Las Baulas National Marine Park from roughly October to February, with the formal tour season running from about late October to mid February. You cannot wander the beach at night in this period, it is closed to visitors from early evening to early morning, and the only way to witness nesting is on a licensed guided night tour with red filtered light and no photos. Book through the ranger station or a local operator.
Do I need a four wheel drive to get around Guanacaste?
Not for the main developed beaches, Tamarindo, Flamingo, Hermosa and Papagayo are reached on paved roads where a standard car is fine in the dry season. You will want a four wheel drive for Playa Conchal, Playa Avellanas and especially the Nosara and Ostional area, where the roads are rough and can be tricky in the rainy season. From Liberia airport the Gold Coast beaches are about an hour away, and rentals book up in the dry season peak.