Jacó, Herradura, Esterillos, Punta Leona & the South Pacific

Costa Rica's other coast, anchored by San José (SJO) rather than Liberia, and drawing a different kind of buyer than Guanacaste.

The Central Pacific end is the closest coastline to the capital. Jacó is the busy one — surf, nightlife, and the deepest rental market on this coast. Herradura sits a few kilometres north around a calm swimming bay and is the region's sportfishing base. Punta Leona is a gated resort community set inside a private nature reserve of roughly 300 hectares, and one of the more reliable places on the coast to see scarlet macaws. Esterillos, twenty minutes or so south of Jacó, is the quiet alternative: long beaches and consistent surf at a fraction of the density.

Keep going south and the terrain gets steeper, greener, and wilder — Manuel Antonio and Quepos, then Dominical and Uvita.

What Attracts Expats

Manuel Antonio National Park's beach-meets-jungle setting, a strong wellness and yoga-retreat culture around Dominical and Uvita, whale-watching and biodiversity that Guanacaste can't match, and generally lower land and construction costs the further south you go.

Tico Authenticity

Quepos retains a working fishing-port identity despite the tourism built up around Manuel Antonio next door. Dominical and Uvita keep a raw, off-the-beaten-path surf-and-jungle character — waterfalls, indigenous Térraba territory nearby, and a much smaller-scale development footprint than the north Pacific.

Distance from Nearest International Airport

Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) is the primary gateway: roughly 2.5–3 hours to Quepos/Manuel Antonio, and 3.5–4+ hours to Dominical/Uvita by road. A short domestic flight (SJO–XQP, about 35–40 minutes) into Quepos is a common workaround for the drive. Liberia (LIR) is a poor option for this region — 4.5+ hours to Manuel Antonio.

Popular Tourist Destinations

Manuel Antonio National Park (one of Costa Rica's most-visited parks), Jacó's surf and nightlife scene, whale-watching out of Uvita (Marino Ballena National Park's whale-tail sandbar), and the waterfall and jungle circuit around Dominical.

What That Means for Short-Term Rentals & Seasonality

Manuel Antonio and Quepos have strong, near-year-round rental demand thanks to the national park draw and easy domestic flight access — arguably less seasonal than Guanacaste beach towns. Jacó, being the closest beach to San José, pulls heavy weekend and holiday traffic from Costa Rican nationals as well as international tourists, adding a domestic-demand layer most other regions don't have. Dominical and Uvita are more seasonal and lower-volume rental markets — longer average stays, a wellness and retreat guest profile, and softer green-season demand given the longer drive from either airport.