Welcome toAvellanas | Negra | Junquillal
Avellanas
Playa Avellanas is a surfing beach south of Tamarindo that is somewhat famous for beach-going pigs.
Visitors to the popular beachfront restaurant Lola’s long delighted in watching a giant pet pig named Lola, who loved to splash in the ocean waves. We understand Lola has since gone to pig heaven, but has been replaced by two porkers named Ave and Ana.
Less than 40 minutes from Tamarindo, Avellanas is a secluded beach with excellent surfing waves. Its remoteness and dirt roads appeal to those who like to be far from the crowds, yet electricity, internet and water services have recently been much improved.
Real estate offerings in Avellanas include The Point, a growing gated community with 28 units a 300-meter walk from the beach. The Enclave is another luxury gated community with 51 villas and five swimming pools.
The beach is sometimes spelled without the “S,” “Playa Avellana,” which means “hazelnut.”
Playa Negra
South of Avellanas is Playa Negra, another great surfing beach. Its hollow, right-breaking barrels are popular with experienced surfers, though because of its rocky, shallow bottom, it’s best avoided at low tide. You can also explore tide pools here or swim in its calmer waters to the south.
Playa Negra (“black beach”) is 45 minutes south of Tamarindo, and the next large community to the south is Nosara, an hour and a half away on a fairly rough coastal road. Its remoteness makes Playa Negra an isolated spot far from crowds or traffic.
The beachfront Hotel Playa Negra offers 17 bungalows and suites and a restaurant/bar. The Cafe Playa Negra Hotel is another lodging option, offering eight hotels and suites, the Leche de Tigre Peruvian restaurant, and the pool, cabana, and cocktails at Club Solare.
Restaurants here include Kon Tiki (pizza) and La Ventana (breakfast, bowls, wraps and smoothies).
Negra also offers a limited but enticing selection of homes for sale and vacation rentals, including those at residential communities called Rancho Playa Negra and Finca Los Pargos.
Junquillal
Even further south on this unspoiled coast is Playa Junquillal, yet another great surfing beach. The waves here are large and consistent, recommended for experienced surfers.
The area is largely undeveloped and uncrowded, making it a natural haven for monkeys, sea turtles and exotic birds. Horseback riding and mountain biking are great ways to explore.
Junquillal offers lodging at hotels, ecolodges, villas, and vacation rentals in a wide range of prices.
The Hotel Iguanazul, 1 kilometer from downtown Junquillal, features a gorgeous oceanfront pool surrounded by palm trees. The Hotel Tatanka also offers a shady pool, restaurant and comfortable accommodations.
The road south of Junquillal ends at an estuary of the Nandamojo River, where you can see monkeys and crocodiles on a kayak tour.
