Playa Manzanillo
The verdict on Playa Manzanillo
- Who it suitsTravellers chasing solitude and the coast before the boom, who want a long quiet beach, snorkelling on a calm day and a simple fish lunch over a scene or a crowd.
- Best spotThe long empty sand under the almond trees for a walk and a swim on a calm morning, the tide pools and reefs for snorkelling, and a soda in the village for the catch.
- One thing to knowThe ocean here is rocky and open rather than a soft sandy swim, so it rewards low tide and calm conditions, and facilities are minimal, with no reliable lifeguard.
Published 5 April 2026. Last reviewed 14 May 2026
Keep driving north past Hermosa until the road thins, the houses run out and the dust settles, and you reach Manzanillo, the quiet fishing end of this coast. While Santa Teresa and Mal Pais boomed, this little village stayed in the slow lane, and that is exactly its appeal. The beach is a long ribbon of white sand lined with old almond trees on one side and the blue green Pacific on the other, and most days you can walk a good stretch of it without meeting another soul. This is the coast as it was before the surf crowd arrived, and you come for solitude rather than a scene.
For a traveller who reads a beach as part of a wider, slower day, Manzanillo is a small, honest pleasure. The village holds only a tiny handful of bars and sodas, but they serve the catch off the local boats simply and fresh, and the rhythm here is the most pared back on the coast, a long morning walk or snorkel, a quiet fish lunch in the shade of the almond trees, and an afternoon doing very little at all. North of the village the beach runs on into a protected stretch for sea turtles and other wildlife, and the empty sands beyond, with no road and no buildings, are one of the principal draws of this end.
The honest catch is that this is not an easy swimming beach. The ocean here is rocky, which is what makes the snorkelling good but the wading less straightforward, and the open water carries current with no reliable lifeguard and minimal facilities to lean on. The reward is the snorkelling on a calm, clear day, when the reefs and lagoons hold colour and life, so come with your own gear, go at low tide and in gentle conditions, and treat the sea as typical rather than guaranteed. Pack water, food and shade, because the village offers little.
Manzanillo is the seclusion end of the cluster and pairs naturally with its livelier neighbours. Drop back south to the wide mellow surf of Playa Hermosa, carry on to the busier scene and food of the main Santa Teresa beach, or cross the hill to the calm cove and waterfall of Montezuma when you want gentle, easy water. For a sunset drink and a proper table, the bars are back in town, and our Santa Teresa beach clubs directory lines them up by setting and vibe.
Manzanillo is clearest for snorkelling in the dry season, so plan the right week before you commit. Leave your email for Shore Notes, our occasional letter on when to go and quiet weeks, or read our guide to the calmest swimming beaches near Santa Teresa.
Clubs and sodas at Playa Manzanillo
Manzanillo is a tiny fishing village of a few sodas and bars rather than a club beach, and we never invent venues, prices or status. The sand here is for walking, snorkelling and solitude, with a simple catch of the day in the village and the bar scene back in Santa Teresa. Anything we cannot confirm we list as to be confirmed. For verified bars and a sunset table on the wider coast, use the Santa Teresa beach clubs directory.
Photo: Mat Bienczyk via GoogleFree public beach
The long Manzanillo sand is public and free, and its emptiness is the whole draw, so you can walk for a stretch nearly alone, snorkel the rocky reefs on a calm day and watch the light without paying for anything. A few village sodas behind the sand serve the catch, which is all the place needs.
Village fish sodas
The handful of sodas and bars in the fishing village serve simple, fresh fish off the local boats, a quiet lunch rather than a dining scene. It is the most local way to eat on the coast, with little choice and a lot of charm. We keep current names and any details to be confirmed, since they change with the season.
Playa Manzanillo, Nicoya Peninsula
Manzanillo sits at the far north end of the Santa Teresa coast, reached by following the coast road north past Hermosa until it thins out and arrives at the small fishing village. Most travellers reach the region by driving and taking the car ferry from Puntarenas to Paquera, or by flying to the small Tambor airstrip, then continuing through Cobano on roads that are dusty in the dry season and rough in the rains, so allow plenty of time for the final, roughest stretch and consider four wheel drive in the green months.
This is the most self sufficient beach day on the coast, so pack water, food, reef safe sunscreen, your own shade and snorkel gear, since the village holds little. Time your swim and snorkel for the calmer mornings and low tide, when the rocky reefs are clearest, and treat the sea as natural and unguarded, swimming within your depth and minding the current and the rocks. Keep a simple fish lunch in a village soda for the heat of the day, and leave the wildlife of the protected northern beach undisturbed.
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Playa Manzanillo FAQ
Is Playa Manzanillo good for snorkelling?
It is one of the better spots in the area for it. The ocean here is rocky rather than a long sandy swim, which makes the swimming less straightforward but creates reefs and lagoons that hold marine life, so the snorkelling can be good on a calm, clear day. Bring your own gear, go at low tide and in calmer conditions, and treat the water as typical rather than guaranteed, with no reliable lifeguard.
Is Playa Manzanillo quiet?
Yes, it is the quiet end of this coast. As the road north thins out the crowds fall away, and Manzanillo keeps a backwater, fishing village feel that the busier Santa Teresa and Mal Pais have largely lost. You come here for a long, near empty beach, a slow local pace and the sense of the coast before the boom, not for a scene.
What is there to eat at Playa Manzanillo?
Not much and that is the point, a tiny village with a small handful of bars and sodas serving simple, fresh fish off the local boats. It is a place for a quiet lunch rather than a dining scene, so come with low expectations on choice and high ones on the catch. We never invent venues, so check current names and opening days locally as they change.
How do you get to Playa Manzanillo?
Follow the coast road north from Santa Teresa and Carmen until it thins out and reaches the small village of Manzanillo, the far end of this stretch of coast. It is a short but rough drive from town, dusty in the dry season and tougher in the rains, so allow time and consider four wheel drive in the green months. Bring what you need, as facilities are minimal.
When is the best time to visit Playa Manzanillo?
For the clearest water and the best snorkelling, the dry season from December to April brings the calmest, clearest sea and the surest sun. The green season from May to November is quieter still and greener, with warm afternoon rain and rougher roads in return. Go in calm morning conditions and at low tide for the gentlest water and the best visibility.