The Peninsula Papagayo, a region undergoing development, harbors many coves of isolated beaches, good for swimming. The easiest to reach are those at the Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo, as well as the beach at the peninsula’s Prieta Beach Club. It was initially created for the use of the peninsula’s homeowners, but it’s now open to guests of the Four Seasons, too. All beaches in Costa Rica remain open to the public through access paths. However, the best way to enjoy these sands is as a guest of the Four Seasons Resort. Often in the morning and late afternoon, we were delighted to watch a troop of howler monkeys making their way through the branches of the tamarind trees that line the sand.

The Peninsula Discovery Program operates from the Prieta Beach Club and offers beach tours, snorkeling, outrigger canoeing and surfing, when the waves are big enough to surf. When the water is too calm for surfing (which is fairly often), the Discovery Program offers “stand-up paddling on surf boards” where you can learn how to stand up and balance on a surfboard, but to go anywhere you’ll need to paddle. My daughter and I really enjoyed learning to paddle the outrigger canoe about three-quarters of a mile or so to Monkey’s Head for some snorkeling (and then paddling back).