Playa Copal
Playa Copal
4.5
7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Playa Copal and nearby attractions
The area
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
1 within 5 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
41 reviews
Excellent
29
Very good
6
Average
2
Poor
1
Terrible
3
Duderino85
Bern, Switzerland1 contribution
Jan 2011
Last January i started my trip to Costa Rica with the intention of learning how to Kite surf.
I got to Costa Rica and was told that the best spot for kite surfing was Playa Copal next to La Cruz in the north of the west coast.
There are three Kite surfing schools in this Bay.
The Blue dream Hotel:
It’s the first hotel on the road coming from La Cruz. It’s about a 15 minute drive from the Beach away. I didn’t stay there, but everyone I talked to, who had stayed there, told me about overpriced, small rooms and bad moods. I met some of the owners on the beach, and I have to say, that it’s not thanks to them that playa copal has such a great vibe.
Cometa Copal Kite Surfing:
This is the second school on the way to the beach, ran by Bob Selfridge. I knocked on the door and had app. 7 little puppies coming running at me. Bobs house is about 10 minutes from the Beach. He has a dorm room at his house and he rents out cabinas that are like 3-5 minutes walking distance from the beach with a great view over the beautiful bay (Baja Salinas).
This is where I decided to Stay. The Cabina had a little kitchen, a fan and a (hot) shower.
It also had a terrace with hammocks and tables, and a very nice swimming pool. The perfect place to relax after kite surfing. The restaurant right above the cabinas had an Asian cook
and served very delicious food.
The Kite house:
This is the 3rd school located right under Bobs cabinas (about 3 minutes from the beach)
I did not stay there or take any lessons from them, but the people running this school ( some French guys) hung out at the same spot on the beach as the people from Bobs school and they were all very nice and friendly guys. These two schools were helping each other out and I couldn’t feel any competition at all, which made a great atmosphere.
After arriving, Bob set me up with the cabina and took me grocery shopping (I was travelling without a car).
The next day he gave me kite surfing lessons. Within 3 days I was up on the board and surfing up and down wind all by myself. I would never have imagined picking this sport up so fast.
This was only possible because of the two teachers Bob and Rick, (Cometa Copal) and of course because of all the tips from all the other kite surfers on the beach.
The Wind tends to get a bit gusty from time to time, but its steady, and not a day goes by without enough wind to kite surf. The beach is not the most beautiful one I have seen in Costa Rica, but that doesn’t Mather, because you can go out surfing, and if you get in trouble, you can safely float back to the beach.
I stayed for over a week and had an amazing time there. The prices for the cabina, the lessons and the rental of the kite gear were very decent, I have to say, compared to everything else in Costa Rica they were almost to cheap. These people do this for the fun and not for the Money.
I can recommend a trip to Copal to everyone wanting to kite surf. It doesn’t Mather if you’re a beginner or a pro, you are going to have a great time.
I got to Costa Rica and was told that the best spot for kite surfing was Playa Copal next to La Cruz in the north of the west coast.
There are three Kite surfing schools in this Bay.
The Blue dream Hotel:
It’s the first hotel on the road coming from La Cruz. It’s about a 15 minute drive from the Beach away. I didn’t stay there, but everyone I talked to, who had stayed there, told me about overpriced, small rooms and bad moods. I met some of the owners on the beach, and I have to say, that it’s not thanks to them that playa copal has such a great vibe.
Cometa Copal Kite Surfing:
This is the second school on the way to the beach, ran by Bob Selfridge. I knocked on the door and had app. 7 little puppies coming running at me. Bobs house is about 10 minutes from the Beach. He has a dorm room at his house and he rents out cabinas that are like 3-5 minutes walking distance from the beach with a great view over the beautiful bay (Baja Salinas).
This is where I decided to Stay. The Cabina had a little kitchen, a fan and a (hot) shower.
It also had a terrace with hammocks and tables, and a very nice swimming pool. The perfect place to relax after kite surfing. The restaurant right above the cabinas had an Asian cook
and served very delicious food.
The Kite house:
This is the 3rd school located right under Bobs cabinas (about 3 minutes from the beach)
I did not stay there or take any lessons from them, but the people running this school ( some French guys) hung out at the same spot on the beach as the people from Bobs school and they were all very nice and friendly guys. These two schools were helping each other out and I couldn’t feel any competition at all, which made a great atmosphere.
After arriving, Bob set me up with the cabina and took me grocery shopping (I was travelling without a car).
The next day he gave me kite surfing lessons. Within 3 days I was up on the board and surfing up and down wind all by myself. I would never have imagined picking this sport up so fast.
This was only possible because of the two teachers Bob and Rick, (Cometa Copal) and of course because of all the tips from all the other kite surfers on the beach.
The Wind tends to get a bit gusty from time to time, but its steady, and not a day goes by without enough wind to kite surf. The beach is not the most beautiful one I have seen in Costa Rica, but that doesn’t Mather, because you can go out surfing, and if you get in trouble, you can safely float back to the beach.
I stayed for over a week and had an amazing time there. The prices for the cabina, the lessons and the rental of the kite gear were very decent, I have to say, compared to everything else in Costa Rica they were almost to cheap. These people do this for the fun and not for the Money.
I can recommend a trip to Copal to everyone wanting to kite surf. It doesn’t Mather if you’re a beginner or a pro, you are going to have a great time.
Written 18 March 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TJG1113
Macungie, PA18 contributions
Mar 2014 • Friends
If you are looking to Kite then go to Playa Copal. I visited in spring 2013 and there was over 117 kiteable days that season. You ahve a private beach with room for everyone. The Beauty of Bahia Salinas is amazing and Bob and his team are awesome. If you are looking for a place to go kite until your arms fall off or learn from great instructors then Playa Copal is your place.
Make sure to check out the trip to Nicaragua with Ulf as well as his pineapple coconut chicken it's not to be missed.
Make sure to check out the trip to Nicaragua with Ulf as well as his pineapple coconut chicken it's not to be missed.
Written 8 February 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Arnevas
Bergen, Norway19 contributions
Dec 2011 • Friends
As a newly born Kite Surfer I can really recommend Kitehose Costa Rica to any one who wants to learn this amazing sport. All the staff at the house tries to make your stay as comfortable as possible and they succeed!
I ended up staying here by coincidence and was well taken care off. Staying in the dorm gives you good value for money and the place is clean have a nice bathroom with hot water shower (not the electric one, but the real deal). The kitchen is small but does what it is supposed to. There is not a lot of options when it comes to restaurants so you will be using the kitchen :)
The Kite House is located less then a minute from the Kite beach and have a nice pool in the big relaxing garden. The place has a really good vibe and you will feel at home both at the beach Kiting or around the garden table drinking beers with your fellow kiters.
If you are taking lessons you will absolutely find this the perfect spot. I was in the water after 1,5 hour and on the board the second day. The teachers are great and really make you feel confident and comfortable. You will absolutely get your moneys worth!
I would recommend this to any body with out a doubt.
I ended up staying here by coincidence and was well taken care off. Staying in the dorm gives you good value for money and the place is clean have a nice bathroom with hot water shower (not the electric one, but the real deal). The kitchen is small but does what it is supposed to. There is not a lot of options when it comes to restaurants so you will be using the kitchen :)
The Kite House is located less then a minute from the Kite beach and have a nice pool in the big relaxing garden. The place has a really good vibe and you will feel at home both at the beach Kiting or around the garden table drinking beers with your fellow kiters.
If you are taking lessons you will absolutely find this the perfect spot. I was in the water after 1,5 hour and on the board the second day. The teachers are great and really make you feel confident and comfortable. You will absolutely get your moneys worth!
I would recommend this to any body with out a doubt.
Written 29 December 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dan R
Ann Arbor, MI16 contributions
Dec 2010 • Solo
I went to Playa Copal with the intention of learning to Kiteboard. After looking at the options, I settled on the Kitehouse. Kent is really in to Kiteboarding and was patient with my repeated attempts to do everything backwards. They have a great house almost on the beach with a private room for a very reasonable rate. Great family run set-up with Kent & Lucy son Colin, as well as Lucy's brother Damien, and a whole host of new friends hanging out and having a great time together, In one week I learned the sport of kiteboarding and met people from 6 or 7 countries. I am going back every year!
www.kiteboardingcostarica.com
www.kiteboardingcostarica.com
Written 14 October 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Allen C
7 contributions
May 2017 • Family
In late May 2017 our family of 15 (Ages 7 to 77) celebrated our 55th wedding anniversary at the Dreams Las Mareas. We had done a lot of homework on local tours and concluded that Ulf Halbgebaur, a nearby owner of Plaza Copal Tours, was well respected and for our size group a real bargain. He provided two, all day, private tours for us: Nicaragua - All 15 went, and The Mega Combo - for 11 of us. We were very pleased with Ulf's demeanor and knowledge of every topic that came up;
Crops, Brahma Bull raising, PanAm Hwy. Truckers buying and selling things while waiting days to cross the border to Nicaragua (Must be seen to understand.) Local politics, road building techniques.
This of course was in addition to seeing the Red Hot Boiling Lava at Masaya Volcano, and the Monkey's of Monkey Island in Lake Nicaragua, jumping onto the prow of our boat to grab a light snack, courtesy of the crew.
Shopping in Nicaragua is much cheaper than Costa Rica. We made 80% of our purchases there. Ulf bought the 15 of us, the driver and himself lunch. It was one of the best meals we'd had, and it cost less than $100 for all of us. He collected the leftovers and filled four, Large, take-out boxes. He proceeded to give them to people along the road that appeared to be in need. We even caught an beautiful folkdance performance of 8 young women next to the market we stopped at.
Our adventurous 11 (7 to 77) enjoyed the Zip Line, 1/4 Mile long Water Slide (Don't lay down or you'll be praying to slowdown.) Mud Application and Thermal Pool. And lots more information about the countryside and local culture. Only the 7,10 & 12 kids thought the horse ride was great. A very good meal was included here too.
Ulf speaks Perfect English.(506-8994-5292
Crops, Brahma Bull raising, PanAm Hwy. Truckers buying and selling things while waiting days to cross the border to Nicaragua (Must be seen to understand.) Local politics, road building techniques.
This of course was in addition to seeing the Red Hot Boiling Lava at Masaya Volcano, and the Monkey's of Monkey Island in Lake Nicaragua, jumping onto the prow of our boat to grab a light snack, courtesy of the crew.
Shopping in Nicaragua is much cheaper than Costa Rica. We made 80% of our purchases there. Ulf bought the 15 of us, the driver and himself lunch. It was one of the best meals we'd had, and it cost less than $100 for all of us. He collected the leftovers and filled four, Large, take-out boxes. He proceeded to give them to people along the road that appeared to be in need. We even caught an beautiful folkdance performance of 8 young women next to the market we stopped at.
Our adventurous 11 (7 to 77) enjoyed the Zip Line, 1/4 Mile long Water Slide (Don't lay down or you'll be praying to slowdown.) Mud Application and Thermal Pool. And lots more information about the countryside and local culture. Only the 7,10 & 12 kids thought the horse ride was great. A very good meal was included here too.
Ulf speaks Perfect English.(506-8994-5292
Written 12 June 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
timhogue
Grand Rapids, MI2 contributions
June 2016 • Family
By far, the best part of our trip! We stayed at the Dreams resort and booked all of our tours through Plaza Copal Tours with Ulf and had the most amazing excursion experiences that we have ever had. Ulf was amazing. We did 1 large excursion with him on the 3rd day and had such a great experience, that we booked 3 additional smaller excursions with him later in the week! Unlike a lot of the other companies on the beach, Ulf was our tour guide, giving us useful information on all of the trips. He also charted a private van for us so that it was just our group and no one else. The tours that we completed were: Mega Combo, Jet-skies on the beach, ATVs, and a sailing trip with Captain Jack (a must do).
My favorite excursion was the sailing trip with Captain Jack. It was a 5 hours sailing, snorkeling, fishing, and sightseeing tour. We saw many types of fish and even saw dolphins swimming in the water next to the boat. Both Ulf and Jack have a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the Costa Rica culture.
My favorite excursion was the sailing trip with Captain Jack. It was a 5 hours sailing, snorkeling, fishing, and sightseeing tour. We saw many types of fish and even saw dolphins swimming in the water next to the boat. Both Ulf and Jack have a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the Costa Rica culture.
Written 26 June 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
franci2212
Monte-Carlo, Monaco145 contributions
as I said many times I don't like to give bad reviews also because "bad" is normally very personal... However this is worth a review mainly because I hope it can increase awareness and people can be a bit more clean when they come visit this beach. The beach is manly for kite surfing because of its stable wind, it is very rocky and therefore not good for a day on the beach. Whatever stroke me the most was the dirt and the trash that was left everywhere. We did a bit of cleaning but this is something everyone that cares for nature should do... If we all gave a hand, the planet would be a better place! Or at least please collect your trash when you go to the beach!
Written 1 May 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ken W
Portreath365 contributions
Jan 2017 • Couples
The beach is safe with good access and cross onshore wind. The wind however is extremely strong (30 knots + day and night) and extremely gusty. I am 200 lbs and used a 7m kite, one minute I had to work it like crazy to keep going and the next I was hanging on for dear life. I would estimate the range to be 18-32 knots despite kiting in an area that the local instructor advised would be less gusty. There are many better places to kite than here and I do not feel, as an intermediate kitesurfing that the area is really that suitable for beginners.
Written 13 February 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TinaRahner
State of Bremen, Germany37 contributions
Sept 2016 • Friends
It's a little bit the end of the world but as such very very beautiful and unspoiled by tourism. Still you find everything you need to have and active and at the same time relaxing holiday. People of the area are very welcoming to tourists and the beaches and sourroundings including many national parks are just amazing. Just 1 hour from Liberia Int. Airport!
Written 7 September 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CrystalYengich
Salt Lake City, UT190 contributions
July 2015 • Couples
This beach has gusty winds perfect for kite surfing but not a great beach for anything else:( try Playa Rajada if you want a beautiful beach walk:)
Written 2 August 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CarolineVictoria1
Brantford, Canada
Hello down there in lovely Costa Rico!!
My family of 5 ages 17, 20, 26,55 & 57. the first time in years since we have had a holiday together woohoo!
We love your comemnts and your clients sound so happy. Do you have a website we can view? We would love to have a trip to nicaragua, the volcano and small village. Pls let me know more the price too. Cheers, Caroline
Written 29 November 2017
Hi! What's the best time to visit Costa Rica for kitesurfing? And where?
Written 13 June 2016
Hi! The most consistent wind is from November to May! July August and September do have wind but because it is the rainy season we can get only 3 or 4 days aOut of the week, some weeks less. Unlike November to May there is wind pretty much every day. A great place to stay and kite right on the beach is with Kiteboarding Costa Rica! Check them out!
Written 14 June 2016
Quiero aprender kite surf y me gustaria saber cual es el mejor alojamiento/hotel para ir con mi familia y yo poder dedicarme a mis clases de kite
Written 1 February 2015
Showing results 1-3 of 3
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing