Resort and Casino in Costa Rica Surfing Village

Set across from the Gulf of Nicoya on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, Jaco is one of the country’s most popular vacation destinations. Sport fishing, hiking, and ziplining keep ecotourists busy, while consistently small and large swells draw surfers from all over the world. Morgan’s Cove Resort & Casino provides front-row access to these opportunities and more.

Located right on Jaco Beach, the resort offers introductory surfing lessons and organizes sport-fishing tours that depart from a marina less than 15 minutes away. Guests also get discounted prices on activities ranging from whitewater rafting trips to yacht charters to Tortuga Island.

The property occupies a beautiful swath of beachfront sandwiched between the Pacific Ocean and forested mountains. The waves make for easy swimming and surfing, but you can also stick to the resort’s outdoor pools, one of which has a swim-up bar. Surrounded by lush, tropical gardens, the pool area is a good place for spotting an array of exotic birds.

At the Morgan’s Cove Casino, gamers can press their luck at poker tables and slot machines until 3 a.m. or enjoy a relaxing sunset dinner at the onsite restaurant. This getaway covers three meals a day as well as domestic alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks. The resort’s standard guest rooms feature tropical décor and garden-facing balconies or patios.

Puntarenas, Costa Rica: Surfing Beaches and Tropical Rainforests near San José

In Puntarenas, you’re never far from a beach. Costa Rica’s biggest province occupies a long, thin section of the country alongside nearly 500 miles of Pacific coastline. Overlooking the Gulf of Nicoya, the town of Jacó attracts surfers from all over the globe thanks to its consistently big waves and good breaks. The best wave chasers make a beeline for Playa Hermosa, a 6-mile stretch of black sand that’s considered one of the top surfing destinations in Central America.

Though beaches are a big draw, Puntarenas also has a wide variety of national parks and nature reserves—part of the reason Costa Rica has become such a popular destination for ecotourism. Just a few miles inland from Jacó, Carara National Park is the country’s northernmost tropical rainforest. The park provides shelter for poison-dart frogs, two-toed sloths, and hundreds of scarlet macaws (a rare sight in most parts of the country).

The Costa Rican capital of San José is located about 60 miles northeast of Jacó. By day, the big city bustles with open-air artisan markets and street vendors selling tamales and pupusas (corn tortillas stuffed with cheese and meat). By night, flashy discos can be found in all flavors, from ultrasophisticated to full-on rowdy. Wandering the streets of San José, you'll encounter a confluence of architecture styles—part Spanish, part Moorish—and some of the older neighborhoods still have homes made of wood and adobe.

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