M
ontezuma will run away with your heart. This quiet beach town in Costa Rica is a must-add to your travel bucket list. With so many great beach towns in Costa Rica it can feel hard to know where to start – but we recommend Montezuma wholeheartedly. This is one of the best beach towns in Costa Rica precisely because it’s a bit more off the beaten path, and far less touristy than some of its neighbors (like popular Santa Teresa).
Our Montezuma Travel Guide answers all your questions about this little slice of paradise! We’ll help you figure out if Montezuma is right for YOU.
TL;DR WARNING: This is a long post for travelers who want to know everything that Montezuma has to offer. We’re breaking it down step by step so that by the time you finish reading, you’ll have everything you need for an amazing trip to Montezuma, Costa Rica!
At Baggage, we think of trip planning like a brand new relationship – it should be easy and exciting!
What To Expect
Montezuma is every bit the authentic and vibrant beach town in Costa Rica that you’re probably looking for if you’ve come across this post. As stated above, this is a smaller town in comparison to nearby hotspots like Santa Teresa, with a more laid-back vibe. If you are looking for busy bars and packed parties every night, Montezuma isn’t the one for you.
However, if you want to meet genuine locals; eat authentic Costa Rican food; explore natural tide pools; venture out to flowing waterfalls; and find the less visited surf spots; Montezuma is your perfect match.
The Best Part: Montezuma’s size and quieter atmosphere make it more affordable than some of the bigger beach towns in Costa Rica. The prices of accommodation and food are lower here. While there aren’t a ton of different restaurants and hotels to choose from, those that do exist offer great quality and hospitality. Keep reading for all the best hotel and food recommendations below.
Casa De Luna, Amor De Mar
Hammock Views at Amor De Mar
Outdoor Shower at Amor De Mar
Know Before You Go
Language
In general, we found that many people in Montezuma spoke English, but a basic understanding of the Spanish language is ideal for visitors. Brush up on your Spanish using apps like Mondly before you go.
Time Zone
Montezuma is on Central Time, which is part of what makes Costa Rica such an ideal destination for American travelers and digital nomads.
WiFi
We worked remotely from Montezuma during part of our stay, and had little trouble with our WiFi. It worked well, except for one day when a power line went down and the entire town lost power. We learned that this happens somewhat often across the various beach towns in Costa Rica, but it doesn’t usually last long. The issue was fixed in 2 hours time and we were able to resume working.
Remote work views of Montezuma
How To Get To Montezuma
Airports In Costa Rica
There are two major airports in Costa Rica, one in San Jose (SJO) and one in Liberia (LIR). If you’re traveling to the Nicoya Peninsula where Montezuma is located, we recommend flying into Liberia, then taking a shuttle from there to Montezuma. The shuttle costs $50 per person.
Alternatively, if flights to San Jose are much cheaper, or you just find yourself coming from that region – you can fly into San Jose and begin your trek to Montezuma from there. This route requires you to take a ferry out of Puntarenas. This is what we did – choosing to take a bus through a company called Transportes Cobano.
One final option is to fly into the smaller Tambor Airport. If you choose this option, make sure you’re comfortable with flying on a small plane. You’ll arrive just a short 30 minute ride from Montezuma, but the cost of the additional plane ride and the taxi to your accommodation will be significantly more than the other options listed above.
By Bus
Now back to our bus experience. We booked our bus ride from San Jose to Montezuma through Bookaway.com for just $19 per person. This included the trip from San Jose to Puntarenas, the ferry ride (where you can get off the bus and sit on the boat), and the remaining 2 hours to Montezuma after the ferry ride. We left San Jose at 9am and didn’t reach our hotel in Montezuma until 4 pm in the afternoon. Our bus was not air conditioned, and it wasn’t the cleanest transportation we’ve ever taken. But it was VERY affordable, and sometimes it is nice to save money where you can.
Unfortunately, this bus doesn’t pick up right at San Jose’s airport, so we had to find our way to a random stop along the side of a major road just to catch it. This was quite tricky, and we almost missed the bus.
The Best Method: Shuttle
For these reasons, we realized that taking a shuttle service directly from the airport to Montezuma is the best method of transportation. If you DO choose to save money and take the bus, make sure you send a message to the company beforehand so that you can get directions to the pickup destination. Be aware that they won’t pick you up from the airport.
Tropical Tours Shuttles offers shuttles from San Jose airport to Montezuma beach for $50 per person. This price is for a shared shuttle service and the ride takes 5 hours in total. If you want a private transfer, it’s $240.
Where To Stay In Montezuma
Montezuma is a quiet beach town in Costa Rica, meaning that it doesn’t have nearly as many options for accommodation as some of the others like Santa Teresa. The focus, in this entire town, is on quality over quantity, and the hotels are no exception.
Keep in mind that, less accommodation options equates to less tourists. This beach town in Costa Rica is off the beaten path, meaning less travelers and more untouched, natural beauty.
Hotel Amor De Mar
If you want untouched, natural beauty look no further than Hotel Amor De Mar. This hotel offers just 9 rooms and 2 villas – Casa Sol and Casa Luna. Amor De Mar is a shining example of an eco hotel – supporting the local community, using 100% biodegradable cleaning materials, installing water saving appliances, the list goes on. All fruits and veggies served at the hotel’s restaurant are organic and sourced from local growers. Unique art decorates the walls and locally made furniture pieces contribute to the nature-inspired style.
We spent 9 nights in Casa Luna at Amor De Mar, while traveling with a group of 6. This house can fit up to 7 people – and it was one of the most unique stays we’ve ever had. In this eco villa, you can embrace nature while maintaining modern luxuries, like a stunning rain shower and fully equipped kitchen.
Dreamy Bathroom in Casa Luna
Casa Luna Loft
Amor De Mar
Why We Loved Amor De Mar
It’s important to note that this house is open air in certain areas, including the bathrooms and entryway. This meant that we encountered a few bugs during our stay, and even a few animal friends (namely one bat and one cat). Despite this, we fell in love with this beautiful home. Picture walls of colorful wood, green plants spilling into the shower, and a rainforest’s worth of foliage outside your front door.
The grounds of Amor De Mar are unlike any other hotel we’ve ever seen. Hammocks hang between palm trees, and rock formations dot the expansive ocean view just steps from your door. There is also a natural tide pool that we visited every single day, during our stay.
This hotel is located directly across the street from Montezuma’s largest tourist attraction, the Montezuma WaterFalls. Many tourists day trip to Montezuma to visit the falls and hike out during the busiest times of day – missing the beauty of the surrounding area entirely. If you stay at Amor De Mar, you’ll be able to visit the waterfall whenever you’d like and avoid large crowds.
Finally, Amor De Mar is less than a 10 minute walk from Montezuma’s town center, where the restaurants, shops, and grocery store are located. This hotel is perfect because you feel a world away from everyone else, but you’re within walking distance of the very best that Montezuma has to offer.
Ylang Ylang Beach Resort
While Amor De Mar was our perfect match, we do understand that this type of accommodation isn’t for everyone. Amor De Mar is authentic and beautiful, but we won’t go so far as to say it is luxury. Ylang Ylang beach resort is a more luxurious option for those really looking to splurge in Montezuma. This hotel is a Boutique Beach Resort in Costa Rica known as a honeymoon destination. There are a variety of bungalows and different rooms to choose from.
This hotel is located right on Montezuma’s beach and it includes a stunning pool and beach side yoga studio. Ylang Ylang’s owners also happen to own the best health food restaurant, El Sano Banano, in the center of Montezuma. Not all eco-friendly accommodation has to compromise on luxury, and Ylang Ylang is a perfect example of the way that travel can be both sustainable and stylish, environmentally conscious and grand.
Things To Do In Montezuma
For a quiet beach town, Montezuma is overflowing with things to do. Below, we’ve highlighted a few of our favorite activities to get you started.
- Montezuma Waterfalls
- Day Trip to Isla Tortuga
- Rent a Surfboard ($10 a day)
- Eat at the Butterfly Brewery
How Walkable Is Montezuma?
One of the best parts of a small town is that you don’t need a car to get around. Montezuma is easily walkable, as long as you book accommodation relatively close to the town center. We walked to town daily for groceries and to try various restaurants. Additionally, we were steps from the waterfall and a short 5 minute walk to the different tour operators. You can walk to the beach, to yoga studios, to the best surf spots, wherever you’d like!
Walking is one of the easiest ways to minimize your carbon footprint while you travel, and save money at the same time! Car and ATV rentals are pricey in Costa Rica. One of our best travel tips is to stay in a central location, so that you can easily access everything you need to enjoy your trip, without a vehicle.
What’s To Love About Montezuma
Montezuma combines some of our favorite elements of travel. It has natural beauty and enough modern amenity to make it suitable for tourism without drastically harming the planet. This beach town in Costa Rica can suit a variety of travelers. It’s great for those who want to be active, with a variety of day trips, a nearby national park, and the stunning waterfalls. But of course, it’s just as great for those who want to surf, stretch, and sit in the sun.
After 9 days in Montezuma, we felt like we had gotten a taste of real Costa Rican life. Many beach towns on the Nicoya Peninsula are becoming modernized, but Montezuma holds all its original charm. If you’re looking to find the perfect blend of travel and vacation, relaxation and exploration, you’re going to be infatuated with Montezuma.
Montezuma Coast Views
Tide Pools in Montezuma
Rocky Coast of Montezuma
Montezuma vs. Santa Teresa
Which is the best beach town in Costa Rica?
If you’re trying to decide which beach town in Costa Rica is your ideal travel destination, our full post on Montezuma vs. Santa Teresa will help you! We highly recommend looking into both towns before you choose one as your home base, because they are quite different.
Santa Teresa
Santa Teresa is busier, with MANY more options for accommodation and eating out. It’s less walkable than Montezuma, but still very easy to navigate without a car. This beach town is brimming with young people, surfers, and travelers from all over the world.
Picture boutique hostels, AirBnB villas, and cute breakfast cafes. If you’re looking for nightlife you’ll want to stay in Santa Teresa, and choose to visit Montezuma instead.
Montezuma
Montezuma is more secluded and it feels like you’ve escaped to the rainforest when you stay here. We found more natural beauty in Montezuma, as well as many more animals. This is also the spot where we were able to interact with the locals, as most people who work in town are from there.
How Much Money We Spent In Montezuma
You’ve probably heard that Costa Rica is not the cheapest country in Central America for travelers. Tourism is Costa Rica’s main source of income – which means that this country has poured effort and love into creating unique experiences for travelers. According to WorldData.Info, the average tourist in Costa Rica spent $1,091 USD in 2020.
There are many ways to make a trip more affordable, including booking your flights well in advance, traveling with a group to offset the cost of accommodation, and eating in (all things we do when we travel!). If you want a full breakdown of exactly what we spent in Montezuma, check out the video below and our post: Is Costa Rica Expensive?
A True Beach Town In Costa Rica
There is no better way to describe Montezuma than a true beach town. It’s best to embrace the laid back pura vida lifestyle when you travel here. Here are a few final tips to be aware of:
Food Service
Restaurant service is slower in Montezuma. Expect to wait longer for your food than you would in the U.S.
Nightlife
Nightlife in Montezuma consists of a small street party with locals playing the drums or strumming on a guitar and 20 or so people milling about. We enjoyed walking around town at night and meeting the Costa Rican people who call Montezuma home.
Safety
In terms of safety, we felt very safe in Montezuma. We would walk between town and our hotel every night after dark in our group of 6. Hotel Amor De Mar has a security guard on duty all hours after dark, which was a great added bonus! As young women, no one ever made us feel uncomfortable, even when we were walking without the guys we traveled with.
Solo Travelers
For solo travelers, it’s a bit of a remote destination, and we would instead recommend making Santa Teresa or Samara your home base. It could be more difficult to meet fellow travelers in Montezuma as many people don’t stay for very long.
Whether you choose to stay for one day or ten, you need to add Montezuma to your travel bucket list. If you feel like you’ve stumbled upon a little piece of heaven, it’s because you have. We caught all the feelings for Montezuma, and have no doubt that we’ll be back one day.
Montezuma Tide Pools
Amor De Mar
Day Trip to Tortuga Island
Wrap It Up Already
Hopefully we’ve helped you determine if this quiet beach town in Costa Rica is a good fit for you. If you want to reconnect with nature, or yourself, Montezuma is the place to do it. The natural beauty here is unmatched.
You can start your trip in Montezuma and then continue on, well rested for more adventures. Or, choose to end your travels here and you’re sure to return home feeling refreshed and inspired.
If you have any questions about Montezuma, drop them in the comments below and we’ll get back to you ASAP. At Baggage, we’re here to help you travel the world and fall in love with new places!
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All our love,
Baggage girls
