Playa Bejuco

Serious surfers wanting to escape the crowds at Jacó and Playa Hermosa, or anyone simply seeking to stray from the beaten path, need drive only 20 minutes south to Playa Bejuco's relatively deserted, palm-lined beach. One could stroll for an hour along the light-gray swath of sand and rarely encounter a soul. Several vacation homes and two small hotels sit behind the first part of the beach, and behind them is a large mangrove forest where you might see macaws or white-faced monkeys. Most locals survive on farming and fishing, meaning this area is relatively undeveloped, other than the occasional soda serving up rice and beans.