This week I’ve been telling you about a stunning beach town on Costa Rica’s Gold Coast.
It’s a place I’ve been scouting for at least 16 years…
This town is Tamarindo.
It’s known for its soft-sand beach, sweeping bay, and incredible surf breaks. And just inland, there are rolling hills and lush jungle, bright wildlife and sparkling rivers. Between the jungle and the beach sits a walkable, upmarket community with excellent dining, trendy cocktail bars, wellness retreats, and trendy boutiques.
All of which makes this one of the most iconic and desirable beach towns in Costa Rica.
Now, I’m about to bring Real Estate Trend Alert (RETA) members the first ever RETA-only deal here. Today at 1 p.m. ET, I’ll send RETA members all the details of this off-market opportunity to own ocean-view condos in a perfect location walking distance to the beach and the downtown core of Tamarindo.
First, I want to share some insights from one of my former scouts, Jason Holland, who has lived in Tamarindo.
Below, he explains how he discovered the Gold Coast…how it evolved over the years…and the truth about what it was like to live there…
Wishing you good real estate investing,
P.S. With the exclusive RETA-only pricing and the incredible moats on development in Tamarindo (thanks to Costa Rica’s tight permitting) I expect gigantic capital appreciation with the new RETA members-only deal. I figure on gains of $307,600 three years after delivery. Plus gross rental yields of 16.2% (that’s annual rental income of $63,920). RETA members, watch your alerts today at 1 p.m. ET. That’s when I’ll send the full briefing on this RETA-only deal.
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Costa Rica’s Best-Loved Upscale Boho Beach Retreat
By Jason Holland
Imagine a place where you can enjoy the peaceful rhythm of the seaside life while still tapping into the energy of a lively, close-knit town. A place where both laid-back retirees and high-energy digital nomads can flourish. A place with all the essential modern comforts and upscale amenities—yet still untouched enough to preserve its bohemian spirit and off-the-beaten-path allure.
That’s Tamarindo.
Stretching a little over two miles along an expansive bay, Tamarindo’s wide arc of sand runs from the mouth of an estuary to a volcanic rocky point. The golden grains, backed by a long row of swaying palms, set against clear turquoise waters create an Instagram-worthy shot.
Sunbathers, beachcombers, beach volleyball players, and surfers of every skill level flock here just about every day.
Just past the palms, the town’s main road has charms of its own. It’s lined with beachfront restaurants, bars, boutique hotels, high-end swimwear shops, yoga studios, surf shops, spas… Look up and you see jungle-covered hills dotted with luxury villas.
The best time of day on the beach here, at least in my opinion, is sunset. It’s a celebration.
Tourists, expats, and locals gather for picnics and cold drinks on the sand…or snag a spot at one of these beach bars…or catch one last wave…as the sun sinks. It’s picturesque on the vast bay with distant mountains on the other side of the bay and the boats offshore. I have about 100 photos of Tamarindo sunsets in my own archive.
It’s common to have a standing appointment with friends to watch sunset. It’s something I never got tired of…and is actually one of the reasons I moved here. Not just because of the people, but the colors that saturated the sky.
Set on Costa Rica’s northern Pacific Gold Coast, Tamarindo is home to one of the country’s most popular beaches. But it has grown into a high-end destination that retains its bohemian roots.
My first visit was back in 2012, when my wife and I and our almost five-year-old son moved to Costa Rica seeking a break from our hectic lives on the south Florida coast.
We first settled in the country’s Central Valley region, among the mountains, hills, and valleys of the interior. This is Costa Rica’s heartland of coffee and sugar cane plantations, cattle ranches, farms, and small villages…but also its biggest cities, including the capital, San José, and the majority of its population.
A Move to the Beach
After a few months, missing the beach, we decided to book a trip to the coast. It ended up being an impromptu scouting trip, with a good amount of time spent exploring the region for a possible relocation.
With all the fun in the surf and sun we had on the trip—even while doing all that “hard work” of scouting—it’s no surprise that we ended up moving to this stretch of northern Pacific coast.
We had secured a three-bed condo walking distance to the beach for $1,200—furnished. (This same place goes for almost triple that now…rental prices have exploded on the Gold Coast.)
Tamarindo’s beach runs two miles along an expansive bay. I often took early morning beach walks here.
We picked up Tamarindo because we had met some people there and liked that it had a walkable small-town feel. Plus, while it was still a funky surf town…it also had a gourmet supermarket, nice places to eat and shop in, a medical clinic, banks, a car rental place…basically, we weren’t “roughing it.” This was important to us as our backpacker days were behind us.
The expat community here is thriving, mostly Americans and Canadians, but also French, Italian, Argentinian…many of whom have opened restaurants showcasing their native cuisine. You eat well in Tamarindo.
A can’t-miss is the Thursday night market or Saturday farmers’ market, where local and expat vendors sell natural beauty products, handicrafts, organic foods, and more.
It was surfing that put Tamarindo on the map. But that’s not the only reason to go. Sportfishing is big here. You can go out on a sunset cruise too. There’s no marina here (though the upscale marina in Playa Flamingo is not far). Boats are anchored just offshore, bobbing the ocean swell.
This is Tamarindo’s tropical open-air food hall, right next to the Argentinian steakhouse and just off the beach.
As I’ve said, along its graceful long curve of beach there is no shortage of bars and restaurants with tables right on the sand. And many have live music or some sort of entertainment—fire dancing was always my favorite. That doesn’t count all the eateries and watering holes further inland.
One of the most popular is the open-air food court offering up an array of international cuisine and craft cocktails. Think of it like one of those food halls so trendy in the U.S. and Europe right now…tropical style.
Although I’m always up for fresh-caught seafood in a local fishing village, it’s nice to know you can get sushi and a craft cocktail on the Gold Coast these days.
From Unknown Outpost to Global Destination
Tamarindo began as a small isolated fishing village until surfers and sports fishermen discovered it in the 1970s. Tourism development accelerated after the first hotel was built in 1973 and electricity arrived in 1974. The 1994 film The Endless Summer II, which featured the town’s surf breaks, really put it on the map. In fact, it was only officially incorporated as a town in 1995. Phone service arrived in 1996, with people taking turns using the landline.
More mainstream travelers started arriving in numbers in the region too, in the mid-1990s to early 2000s. Soon it became the site of some of the country’s largest and most exclusive residential communities like Hacienda Pinilla, which feature golf courses, five-star resorts and amenities to match.
Luxury ocean-view condos and gated communities also became popular. These lux developments, as well as the large all-inclusive resorts from the likes of the Four Seasons that dot other parts of this stretch of Pacific, gave the area its nickname: the Gold Coast.
With vistas like these, it’s no wonder the Gold Coast has become a favorite destination.
It helps that the region boasts its own international airport in Liberia, which opened in 1995 with a flight to Miami. Flights are constantly being added from North America, even seasonally from Europe. And the airport regularly expanded over the years with new terminals and gates. From here it’s an easy shuttle ride to Tamarindo.
Liberia, the inland capital of the Guanacaste province, also features big box shopping, major supermarkets, government offices, medical clinics and hospitals and other services. It’s about an hour drive from Tamarindo and we made periodic trips.
A web of direct international flights feeds the Gold Coast year-round—an expanding network with new routes, more flights, and record passenger numbers—making Tamarindo one of the most accessible, highest-demand beach towns in Central America.
Still Funky After All These Years
Yes, Tamarindo is popular. But I tell people that all the talk about increased development in this area is all relative. This being tiny Costa Rica, this is no Cancún. To be sure, it’s a more established destination than many in the country, with plenty of services and a large expat community. But it’s still a tropical paradise.
Sure, you have your fancy steakhouses, spas for beauty treatments and massages, and the like. You have your high-speed internet and 5G cell service.
Nothing better than an ice-cold pipa fria (fresh coconut water) on the beach.
But it’s still the place where you can take long walks on uncrowded beaches. Buy a fresh coconut and have the vendor chop off the top with a machete so you can enjoy the refreshing juice inside. Check out your friend’s band at your favorite beach bar. Take a horseback ride down the coast and up into the jungle hillsides. Spend the day cruising the coast looking for hidden coves and secluded beaches. Spot troops of howler monkeys and brilliantly plumed birds in the trees all around you—no need to go into a national park to spot exotic wildlife here.
Tamarindo has come a long way. But even in this thoroughly modern place, that laid-back vibe and Pura Vida attitude Costa Rica is known for permeates everything.
A panga comes in just as the sun sets on Tamarindo beach.
RONAN SAYS: The lifestyle Jason describes here is pure tropical bliss. And it explains why so many people flock to the stunning beaches of Costa Rica’s Gold Coast.
As I say, I’ve been scouting this region for at least 16 years. But deals here are not easy to find. Best-in-class real estate is in huge demand. Supply is scarce.
The deal I’m about to share with RETA members is only the third ever RETA deal on this extraordinary stretch of coast. Demand for our two previous Gold Coast deals was ferocious. And this upcoming deal looks set to continue that trend.
With this deal, RETA members can own in the perfect location in Tamarindo, with stunning ocean views and within the true golden circle of walkability. We’ll own a stroll to the beach…a stroll to the town…and with outstanding amenities.
And yet, thanks to RETA’s group-buying power, and longstanding connections in the region, the exclusive RETA-only pricing is incredible—starting from just $392,400 ranging to just $612,800 for the penthouse.
Thanks to the exclusive pricing and the incredible moats on development here, I expect gigantic capital appreciation—gains of $307,600 three years after delivery. Plus gross rental yields of 16.2%
I’m sending RETA members my full deal briefing today at 1 p.m. ET. Stay tuned. And remember, there are only 31 condos available…
