Slow Traveling Tamarindo, Costa Rica With Kids
After Playa del Coco, Tamarindo felt like a reset.
It’s undeniably more tourist-driven, but it’s also far more walkable — and for our family, that changed everything. There was simply more within easy reach. Fewer logistical calculations. More spontaneous yeses.
We found ourselves moving through town more. Lingering longer. Saying yes to experiences instead of constantly planning around distance and heat.
That shift mattered.
Surfing, Snorkeling, and Salty Days
The first surf lesson wasn’t graceful. Boards flipped. Saltwater burned eyes. Sand ended up everywhere. But by the third morning, she stood up. Not perfectly. Just long enough to look back at us with a grin that said she’d earned it.
Mornings started with sandy boards and patient instructors. Afternoons often ended with salty hair and tired arms.
We kayaked out to a lesser-known snorkeling spot and watched fish flash beneath us. Howler monkeys roared from the trees. The beach became both classroom and playground.
Meals became part of the rhythm too — arepas, crepes, sushi, and whatever sounded good after long days in the sun. Tamarindo made it easy to move between adventure and rest without overthinking it.
That flexibility is what slow travel with kids really depends on.
Quiet Nature Moments That Stayed With Us
One of our favorite days began in the estuary.
We watched raccoons move carefully through the mangroves. Halloween crabs scattered near the shoreline. Birds we couldn’t name flew overhead while the water stayed still around us.
Those quieter nature moments ended up being just as memorable as the bigger adventures.
Slow travel stretches space around experiences. It gives them time to settle.
A Birthday We’ll Always Remember
Tamarindo gave us one of our favorite family days of the entire trip.
For my daughter’s 12th birthday, we started the morning horseback riding across three different beaches. We swam with the horses in the ocean while manta rays moved beneath us — a moment that felt almost unreal.
Later, we cooled off with virgin piña coladas on Playa Conchal. We ended the evening with sushi, one of her favorites.
It was one of those days that feels stitched into your memory forever.
Not Every Experience Lands
Not everything in Tamarindo was perfect.
We signed up for a traditional pottery experience, excited to try something hands-on and cultural. After paying, we received very little instruction and ultimately left Costa Rica without any pottery at all.
It was disappointing.
But that’s part of travel too. Some experiences land beautifully. Some don’t. And learning to adjust expectations is part of slow travel with kids.
The Practical Reality
Prices in Tamarindo weren’t quite as high as Playa del Coco, but food costs were still noticeably higher than we were used to.
Even so, the walkability and variety made it easier to enjoy ourselves. We weren’t constantly calculating transportation or planning around distance. That alone reduced friction.
We found a rhythm that worked.
Tamarindo is undeniably more touristy than some other beach towns we’ve stayed in.
But it’s also walkable, full of food options, and easy to navigate with kids. We didn’t need a car every day. That mattered.
Our only real hiccup was unexpected but very real. The rainy season had swollen our rental’s front door so badly that it wouldn’t close. Not stick. Not squeak. Fully refuse to shut. We lost part of two days waiting for it to be repaired just so we could secure the house.
Would we stay again? Yes. But we’d aim for shoulder season and choose lodging slightly farther from the main strip for quieter nights.
The Bigger Lesson
Tamarindo wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t hidden or untouched. But it was easy in a way that mattered.
It gave us sandy feet, salt-dried hair, wiped-out surf attempts, and evenings where we didn’t rush.
And sometimes, in the middle of long-term travel, ease is the gift.
The Curious Compass Co.™ 