What You Need To Know About Costa Rica That Nobody Tells You

I have lived in Playa del Coco for four weeks and Playa Flamingo for five weeks now. I also stayed in Tamarindo and San Jose. I have met a ton of people from Potrero as I live near the border of Coco and Potrero and have frequented businesses in Potrero. This is my overall observations of Playa del Coco. I have decided to include this post because I seem to meet a lot of people who are debating between Coco, Potrero, Flamingo, and Tamarindo. I thought I would keep this simple and make a list.

• I met many lovely expats in the Las Palmas community. Where I lived, there were townhomes surrounding a pool, so I automatically had a support system built in. I walked over to the neighbors to ask questions or to borrow sugar. They were all so helpful.

• There is a decent nightlife in downtown. There are several good dining options and variety of food. There is more of a "party vibe" in Coco but not as much as Tamarindo.

• Food and drinks at supermarkets are cheaper in Coco than in Flamingo, Huacas, or Brasilito.

• Coco is closer to Liberia than any other towns mentioned in this post. Liberia is where people go for big box stores such as Walmart, Pricesmart, and Pequeno Mundo (think Home Depot combined with Target).

• Coco is closer to the Nicaragua border than any other major towns. If you need to do frequent border run, this is helpful.

• I didn’t and still don’t have a car, but I was able to walk everywhere in Coco to get to the grocery stores (there are four major stores in downtown which is very convenient, restaurants, computer store, dentist, doctor, a vet, etc.)

• I did not meet as many locals as I would have liked. Las Palmas seems to be occupied mostly by expats. Other areas could be different.

• I experienced frequent blackouts in Coco, one lasting from 4 am until 2 pm. This was a special case thanks to a storm the day before, but there were almost daily blackouts of short durations (i.e. a few minutes at a time). In Flamingo, I experience blackouts lasting a few seconds on average once a week. After a major storm, the blackout lasted 3 hours in Flamingo.

• Coco is on septic system so you cannot throw toilet paper into the toilet, or you'll eventually have a clogged toilet.

• The internet connection was interrupted often due to the blackouts. I have not experienced the same degree of interruption in Flamingo. The quality of connection also was not as good as it is in Flamingo.

• Parts of downtown are always flooded when it rains which can be annoying during a long rainy season. It causes some traffic congestions and prepare to have your feet soaked and other areas splashed by passing vehicles.

• It is cumbersome to drive south from Coco due to poor road conditions. There are two rivers that cross the most direct routes (some unpaved, numerous potholes) so you have to drive through it .You can bypass this area by going up to the Congo Trail (private tour company, at the fork where you can go down to the river or up, go up and it is around the corner on the hill) who will charge private cars $10 USD (return) for using their property. You need to get back before they close at 4:30 or 5 or something like that as they lock the gate. You can also take the highway (paved and minimal potholes), but it will add 15-60 minutes to your trip depending on traffic.

In a nutshell, Coco is great for someone who enjoys nightlife, hanging out with expats, and does not have a time sensitive job that relies heavily on internet. The cost of living is slightly lower in Coco. I had a great time and met so many wonderful people in Coco.