dominical, CR
Dominical was probably my favorite beach town in Costa Rica outside of the hard to reach and relatively sleepy Pavones in the far south. Dominical is a nice little place, and as compared to a lot of the beach towns in Costa Rica it has maintained charm and hasn't gotten invaded by the masses of rich digital nomads and bohemian billionaires. So I liked Dominical. If I had to choose a place to spend a few weeks in in Costa Rica, in this part of the country, it would be there. Dominical is a small town. The road was only recently paved. There is a clear influence of the West in the town, which would be impossible not to find in a town in Costa Rica, but it's not as overbearing as the rest. It's small enough to really feel digestible. There's a few really good restaurants, there's only one road through town. — A really nice beach that is full of people for the beautiful sunsets. Some hostels that still feel like backpacker hostels and not hubs for people to work on their computers. Also some pretty decent waves out front. When people ask me what towns they should hit when visiting Costa Rica, I always say Dominical. It's a great kind of middle ground. You will have the comforts and the familiarity that most people visiting Costa Rica are intentionally or unintentionally looking for while traveling, but it's more authentic as well. Dominical is also in a pretty good location. There's great hikes, waterfalls, and a number of other really cool beaches and surf breaks within spitting distance. Uvita, a hippy and spirituality based traveler town, is only about a half-hour down the road as well.
Dominical is located pretty much in the central of the country on the West Coast. It's below the Puntarenas Peninsula, which is a good thing to know about because it's a good landmark. Santa Teresa, Tamarindo, and other popular places are up there on this peninusula. So Dominical is below that. Once you get down here, you enter a little bit of a different Costa Rica. It's more authentic.
To get to Dominical is pretty simple. I recommend just taking a bus. It's located right off of the main coastal highway 34. To get there it's going to be a ride. The nearest real airport is San Jose. From San Jose to get to Dominical is going to be about a 3-hour drive. Probably more like 3-and-a-half. So when you compare it to other things it's actually pretty easy to get to. I am going to assume that you will be coming from San Jose. If you are busing up or down from the neighboring countries, they are going to drop you off in San Jose.
To get from San Jose to Dominical you have a few options.
DRIVE - Easy enough, plug it in your maps. Get onto coastal 34 eventually, and Dominical is located literally directly along the highway. — 3-and-a-half hours.
BUS - I would recommend this way. It's super-easy. Just hop on a bus in San Jose, and it will take you directly to Dominical. The bus company is Tracopa. You pick it up here. It will take you straight to Dominical, and take 4 hours or so. The bus is going to cost only about $11. This is the way to go. The buses are clean, usually air-conditioned, and comfortable. They are like the big Greyhound buses.
HOSTELS, CAMPING, AND HOTELS (IF ANY)
Lots of housing options here in Dominical. A lot of nicer places that are going to cater to the American tourists, but this place has a few nice hostels as well that aren't going to break the bank.
Additionally, the surrounding area of Dominical is really nice, and there's lots of housing and hotel options not directly located in the town that you can look into if you are on more of a vacation than backpacking.
I will only get into a few hostel options and beach parking, and free camping options.
I was a little apprehensive at the name of this hostel, but it was actually a super, super nice place. I stayed for the few days that I was here, and met some really great people. It is a few minutes walk from the beach, they have options of dorms or privates, there's an amazing kitchen and a nice hang-out area to meet people.
— Cool backpacker types here as well.
If you are down here with a rig, there is amazing and free camping right on the beach here in Dominical. I have linked the iOverlander link to the free camping post. — Wifi and toilets available at a nearby restaurant.
This is your budget option in town. I knew a few people who were staying here and their response was, "well it's super basic, but it's also super cheap". It's only a few doors down from 'Cool Vibes', so you can just walk over there for the, — as they say, 'vibes'.
EATS
Just like most of Costa Rica, lots of expats have invaded and opened up — to be totally honest — really nice and tasty restaurants. Dominical is no exception.
There's a lot of options here, not all of them are owned by expats, but the influence is very much international.
Restaurants
Absolutely my favorite place to eat here in In Dominical. I frankly loved it. I thought their breakfast was delicious, and their space is awesome too. Right on the river with a great view. A popular spot.
Little kind of parking lot food truck spot that had some pretty good Asian food. Nice vibe as well.
For some reason I had a lot of good Indian food in Costa Rica. Good spot for it here in town.
Good tacos right by the beach.
Another cute little cafe spot with sandwiches, tacos and such, right on the river.
Cute little cafe serving up really good sandwiches and other cafe-like food.
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Local spot on the beach were you can get local type food like casados and such.
Excellent pizza location in a mellow and cool little space.
An expensive but great little natural market near the entrance of town. They also have a little area inside where you can order food and drinks. It's a great little place.
NIGHTLIFE
Nightlife wasn't a huge aspect of my time here in Dominical. I talked to people who said they had been getting drunk on the beach with the local surf instructors a lot during their time here. But I never really partied or anything. There's a bar or two, and a brewery that I did go to, but other than that, it's for the most part a pretty sleepy place. People come and chill, surf, and relax. The most social event that I had there was when everyone would go down to the beach for the sunset with their beers.
Bars and Clubs
This is a massive brewery in the heart of town. It kind of felt like walking into Disneyland's Rainforest Cafe when you go in. But it's a fine place to come and get some beers — albeit expensive beers, but they are from the tap, and you may not have had that in a while.
A bar near the entrance of the town which is one of the only places you can go to get a bit rowdy later into the night. It is very much a gringo bar, with flags from the US all over the place.
The beach is sprawling and huge. People especially at sunset head down with beers, and it's not uncommon for beach parties to get thrown as well.
SIGHTS
Costa Rica in general is a place where there is loads to do from a tourism perspective. Lots of sights to see, waterfalls to explore, beaches to go to.
You can do all sorts of tourism activities like ATV's and ziplining. All the things that kind of come along with being in a place that is extremely established when it comes to tourism.
One thing to mention about hiking in Costa Rica, is that park entrance fees are very expensive. So even to go walk around nature costs a lot of money.
Dominical is no exception.
SUNSET AT THE BEACH
Most everyone goes down to the beach for sunset. Go check it out. Also a great place to socialize and just take in the community.
SURF
There's a good beach break right out in front here. There's surf schools if you want to learn, and plenty of places to rent a board.
Costa Rica, — if it's famous for anything outside of waves, should be famous for waterfalls. They are literally everywhere. If you love waterfalls, you could probably spend a year just exploring them here. But just outside of Dominical you have a lot of them. One of the most impressive being these Nauyaca Cascadas. You can take a horse, or car, or just walk there. The price will vary, obviously — drastically as you switch between those options.
There's a bunch of local vendors set up on one of the streets right by the beach. They sell little souvenirs, shawls, and random other stuff. It's not going to be the coolest thing you ever do, but you are supporting the local people.
WHALE WATCHING
Depending on the season, you can whale watch here. It's going to be like $100, but if you have the money and want to see some whales, you can.
The second most popular waterfall in the area is this one. It's a hell of a hike to get up, and you need to go with a guide. That means the price is going to be at least $70USD. So it's really pricey. But it's supposed to be cool. You can even sleep up there in the cave for a night if you want. But that, — obviously, comes with an additional cost.
You're not that far from the national park that is 'Manuel Antonio'. It's an excellent day trip to come up here early in the morning and spend the day in the park. There's lots of cool animals to see, and the beaches are beautiful as well.
SURFING
Costa Rica has great waves. Dominical itself is a really respectable beach break. It can be at least when the size it right, bars are working, etc. But at the end of the day it is a beach break. I did a good amount of surfing in Dominical and if you ask me, it was just alright. One of the better beach breaks in the country, but it's not the kind of place that I would go out of my way to go to, simply for the surfing. But if you are here, or are in the country, then Dominical is absolutely a worthwhile place to stop and come surf at.
There isn't much more to say about the wave other than it's a nice beach break. On good days with good size and good shape you can find yourself getting barreled, and things opening up really well.
The season here is going to be the wet season. At least that's when the bigger waves are going to be happening. February to October, give or take a month on each side for climate change.
A number of other spots in close proximity to here as well. If you are learning, it's a nice place to learn. Lots of surf schools. But if you already know what you are doing as well, the beach break will provide enough punch on bigger days to keep you interested.
