Costa Rica 2019 Day 2: Playa Hermosa, Ocotal

Beach day!  Morning started off a little later than I would've liked, but I got the well needed rest I was lacking.  Banana + mango juice + pizza bread (yes kind of random but looked good) + view of Playa Hermosa and the ocean = relaxing and great way to begin the day.

I knew I wanted to do some beach hopping today, and had read about Playa Ocotal being perfect for relaxing because it is quieter than Hermosa and Coco. So, I decided to start here.

A ton of bicyclists and cars on a really narrow and dusty road led to a slow drive for me, and it seemed like I was always being tailgated.  I passed tourists walking and biking around, and wondered how long it would take them to reach the beach, especially in the heat. I was very thankful that I splurged for the car rental.

I arrived at Playa Ocotal around 9:20pm, to a small lot that was 1/2 full. A man there said he would watch my car for me if I paid him 2000 colones, but I didn't have any belongings in the car, and said I didn't need him to watch it...was I supposed to pay him?  Not sure what the protocol is, but he just walked off when I declined.

The first thing I noticed about the beach: black sand! Soft, black sand. There were only a handful of people here, most of them being locals. I really liked the vibe. Not much commercialism, very much just a beautiful, relaxing, quiet beach.

Soft black sand at Playa Ocotal

I found a large tree with shade towards the end of the beach and just laid here. It was really peaceful to just hear the waves crashing, feel the wind, and see the people walking by. There were a number of dogs running around the beach too.

Dog + me

After 2.5 hours or so, it was lunch time. Instead of going to Coco beach, I went to Hermosa. Wanted to check out a restaurant called Roberto's.  After parking in the wrong parking lot and going to the wrong restaurant (oops), I got to Robertos and immediately noticed all the tourists.  Yikes. So many. I was there and hungry though, so I stayed put and sat at a shaded table outside facing the beach. It was great for people watching.

I might have ordered too much food...a beef plate (yummy) and a ceviche (too dry).  Packed up the ceviche to finish with my dinner later.  It was a bit of a splurge, $35. 

Overpriced lunch at Roberto's

Playa Hermosa is much larger than Ocotal, definitely more commercial. Restaurants, water sport rentals, hotels, tourists, and people trying to sell you knick knacks. The waves were larger here. While I can't complain about any beach, I'm very happy with my decision to relax at Ocotal instead.

I noticed massage tables by the beach..perfect, I love massages. Walking north of Robertos, there was another set of women giving massages in a more quiet area, further from the restaurants and construction noise. $20 per hr for a relaxation massage, or $40 for deep tissue. I opted for the relaxation.  Nothing beats my massage therapist I regularly see, but a light relaxing one by the beach is great too.

I stupidly forgot I had put my cevice leftovers that did not had a secure top in my purse, and had put my purse on its side during the massage. D'oh. Half of my things were drenched in a fishy mess.  Luckily my wallet, bills and tablet were fine, but it ended up rendering my portable phone charger useless. Which was worrying to me because my phone battery is horrible and lasts maybe three hours. I was really planning on relying on the charger during my trip.

O was a little scatter brained as I thought about 'uh oh what do I do about my phone battery', so I went back to the Airbnb and just rested and showered. Google told me that there was a cell phone shop back in Coco, so I made one final trip out to just get a charger and not worry about it anymore. Yes it was backtracking but I just wanted to not worry about it.

$30 (ouch) later, I checked out the supermarket Auto Mercado that is right next to the store. What a happenin store, packed! With tourists galore. It was definitely cleaner and newer looking than yesterday's, so I see why some flock here. Also, what's up with the rotisserie chicken...there was a line of at least 10 people waiting for it to be ready. I noticed so many people had them in the checkout line, and it was 40% off..so maybe a less than $4 chicken is just a hot item?

The drive back to the Airbnb is just 10 min, and I thought I would take a different, scenic route where I could see a little more of Playa Coco. I didn't see the actual beach, but saw the ocean from the residential route I took. Made it back safely by dark.

Dinner was leftover burrito and ceviche at the Airbnb. Laid back. I could definitely see the appeal of spending more time here, and if I did, I would like to actually do some water activity. It was a nice preview of the towns here, small and very accessible to Liberia.

Time to rest up for tomorrow's drive to Monteverde.