Come and see where ecotourism is done at its best; come and see where man, nature and animals coexist not compete. Come and see the beautiful, clean Tamarindo beaches.

Beaches such as Playa Grande, Playa Langosta, Playa Negra and Playa Avellanas near Tamarindo Beach are popular among tourists and locals alike. They are frequented by all kinds of jetsetters: family vacationers, adventure seekers and honeymooners and filled with such breath taking views, turquoise blues waters, wonder and mystique, no one could blame them for going there year after year. These beaches are some of the best beaches on Costa Rica's Gold Coast and deservedly so.

Playa Tamarindo

This is one of the most popular beaches on the Gold Coast and so it is usually crowded in the high season. But if you are looking for a little tranquility without a far travel, then you need to take a trip to Playa Avellanas.

Playa Avellanas

Translated to mean Hazelnut Beach, this spot is 15 km south of Playa Tamarindo traveling by road, and 10 km if you choose to walk. But don't let the 10 km walk fool you. You will barely know where all the kilometers have gone when you take this scenic route along the beach, taking in the warm ocean breeze and getting washed in the sounds of Costa Rica.

Playa Avellanas is a popular surfing beach lined with white sand and striking natural surroundings that offer everything we have come to love about the tropics. Surfing spots along Playa Avellanas include: El Plato, Little Hawaii, El Estro de Avellanas and La Purruja. All these spots on Playa Avellanas offer not only great surf but also a great place to chill, enjoy a family moment or snuggle with your special someone.

At the end of the day when you have finished surfing, swimming, sunbathing or simply just relaxing, you can enjoy the sights of a beautiful sunset on the Costa Rican horizon on Playa Avellanas.

The beaches near Tamarindo are simply divine and they are the closest you'll ever get to a tropical paradise, so visit one on your next vacation.

Slightly less that a hundred years ago, Zihuatanejo, was a sheltered harbour for ocean vessels and an export port for lumber. Also at this time it was being discovered by tourists who were making the arduous fifteen hour trek North from the then Mexican Resort city of Acapulco.

In the mid sixties plans were afoot to turn Zihuatanejo, as it is known by locals, and tourist who love it, into another Acapulco. The local residents protested and the developers, in the early seventies, moved North, over the hill, to a long stretch of beach, and built a town called Ixtapa.

Though Zihuatanejo prevented the invasion of tall, all-inclusive, resorts it was unable to halt progress.

With the cruise ships on the Love Boat TV series, `77 - `86, making it a port of call and the hero from the movie Shawshank Redemption making it his idyllic target of forever land, `94, Zihuatanejo has come to the attention of world travelers.

Today Zihuatanejo is no longer beside the beaten path. The path, Camino 200, a paved highway, that is gradually becoming a freeway, cuts through the outskirts of the bustling community. Only a twenty minute drive North of a busy, international, airport it welcomes thousands of visitors a week, year round.

Though slightly South of the trek of the RVers it is not uncommon to see out-of-state, and out-of-country, license plates on the traffic jammed, once quite, streets.

There really is no need for all the cars. Everything in the downtown core is within walking distance. The whole area is about four or five blocks square. I could tell you exactly if I had my trusty little map. The map that drives me crazy, each and every time I go to Zihuatanejo I picked up the map from a local travel agent during my first visit and promptly proceeded to get lost.

I pride myself on not getting lost. As a professional driver I will take you, or your cargo, anywhere you want to go, using the shortest possible route and arriving at destination on-time. Yet I have lost count of how many times I have gotten lost, walking around, the tourist core of Zihuatanejo.

There are two busy streets downtown. One, Jose M. Morelos, borders the core to the North and the other, Marina Nacional, to the East. On the West is the mountain. There is a street that goes up into the mountain and another that takes you over the mountain, for a fantastic view of the Pacific Ocean.

If you cross the busy street, to the North of the core, and continue North, into the residential district there are some streets and some stairs. The stairs go up, and up, and up, and do not come to a cross street. You have to go back down. But before you do, stop and enjoy the view. The entire town and bahia (bay) are laid out before your eyes.

What amazed me, as well as the view, is the idea, that all of the furniture, in all of the houses, along the sides of the stairs, was carried up by hand. No truck, or donkey, could make that hill.

To the South side of the core is the beach. Only a few minutes walk from any of the downtown hotels, or furnished apartments, available by the month.

From Playa Principal one can walk across a little bridge and then along a short mericon to Playa Madera, the wood beach, so named because this is where they used to load ships with wood.

Walking South along the beach will take you to Playa Ropa. Ropa, clothes, because a shipment of clothing was washed ashore, here, after a storm sank a ship. This is the main beach in

Zihuatanejo At the far end of the beach, actually, behind the beach, is a laguna, the home of a Cayman. This large crocodile likes to climb out of the lagoon, onto the beach, and sun himself. Do not get too close. He may be sleeping but he can wake, and move, faster than you can. And he is a wild reptile. Many years older than you will ever live to be.

You could continue further along the beach, and I could continue to expose you to the wonders of this once quaint village, but it is overpopulated now and each time I tell someone about this Pacific pearl I kick myself.

Please disregard all I have said, find another town on another beach and leave Zihu for me.