Playas del Coco and Vicinity
BahÃa Culebra
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Nicoya’s most northerly beaches ring the horseshoe-shaped BahÃa Culebra (Snake Bay), enclosed to the north by the Nacascolo Peninsula, and to the south by the headland of Punta Ballena. The huge bay is a natural amphitheater rimmed by cliffs with coves sheltering gray- and white-sand beaches and small mangrove swamps. There are remains of a pre-Columbian native settlement on the western shore of the bay at Nacascolo.
The north and south sides are approached separately by a pincer movement. The south side is reached via the road from Comunidad to Playa del Coco (the road divides two kilometers east of Playas del Coco: a turnoff leads three kilometers north to Playa Hermosa and, beyond Punta Ballena, to Playa Panamá).
The north shore is reached from two kilometers north of Comunidad via a road immediately west of the RÃo Tempisque at Guardia. This road is a fast, sweeping, well-paved, lonesome beauty of a drive that dead-ends after 15 kilometers or so at the spectacular Four Seasons resort (no entry except to guests).
En route you pass Witch’s Rock Canopy Tour (tel. 506/667-0661, fax 506/667-0345, witchsrockcanopytour [at] hotmail [dot] com, 8 a.m.–3:30 p.m. daily), 18 kilometers from Guardia. It has 23 platforms over a 2.5-kilometer course with four hanging bridges and even a tunnel ($55).
A marina is to be built near Playa Manzanillo. And in 2006, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts announced plans to build a 225-hectare resort with a 214-room hotel, 1,000 private residences, and a Greg Norman–designed golf course.
Playa Carbonal, immediately east of the bay, hosts the super-exclusive, members-only Ellerstina Costa Rica Polo & Equestrian Beach Club (tel. 506/258-9219, http://ellerstinacr.com).
Accommodations
The Hotel Occidental Allegro Papagayo (tel. 506/690-9900 or U.S. tel. 800/858-2258, fax 506/690-9910, www.occidental-hoteles.com) overlooks Playa Manzanillo from a superb breeze-swept hillside perch. This four-star, all-inclusive resort has 308 graciously appointed air-conditioned rooms in three-story edifices stair-stepping the hillside. Action centers on the huge pool with swim-up bar. A theater hosts shows, and there’s a disco and sports bar, plus water sports and scuba. Alas, the paltry gray-sand beach holds little attraction. Call for rates.
The super-deluxe 
Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo (tel. 506/696-0000, fax 506/696-0010, www.fourseasons.com/costarica, $695–8,000 s/d high season), at the tip of Punta Mala, brought a whole new panache to the region when it opened in 2004, with 153 spacious guest rooms, including 25 suites, exuding luxury, fine taste, and every amenity you could hope for. Facilities include a gorgeous spa and Arnold Palmer–designed 18-hole golf course (open to resort guests only). The setting is sublime, with two distinct beaches to each side (one bayside, the other shelving into the Pacific ocean).
A super-deluxe Fairmont and a Raffles are planned at Playa Monte Alba, where a marina and new golf course will be built.
© Christopher P. Baker from Moon Costa Rica, 6th Edition
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