by: costaricanews.com
While Playa Tamarindo offers world-class shopping, dining, and coastal amusements, budget travelers might find themselves priced out (when I traveled there in college, I grocery shopped and cooked in a communal kitchen). But Tamarindo’s natural perks make the splurge worth it — on the beautiful beaches adjacent to Tamarindo, giant leatherback turtles (and other types) annually clamber ashore to lay their eggs.