A Week in Tamarindo, Costa Rica

Beautiful, comfortable and extremely clean rooms and small apartments in a garden oasis right in Tamarindo. The price is right, and the staff makes you feel at home.Make breakfast in a spic-and-span communal kitchen, commune (or not) with your neighbors in the evenings as you lounge in the hammocks that grace each front porch.We checked out a bunch of the other options while we were there and Macondo is the only place we will ever stay in Tamarindo.

Pedro's is a fantastic little local joint right on the beach. It's about 100m from Nogui Bar, which is where you'll have to buy your beer/wine/cocktails if you're havin' em—Pedro doesn't sell liquor. If Noqui is closed, just stop by the supermarket on your way there.When you arrive, check out the menu written in Spanish and English on whiteboards out front. Then grab a spot at the communal picnic tables beneath a simple white tent. The host/waiter is a really sweet Tico with a penchant for surfing and a love of roots reggae.Don't show up starving—there will be a wait, but the food is absolutely delicious and very fresh. Entrees will run you about $5 - $8, and they are definitely generous. Try the Dorado al Ajillo and the Tuna a la Plancha (cooked to order - if you like rare tuna, ask for "rojo" or "crudo").