Some mornings, you wake up wanting to do everything. You’re thinking coffee, trail shoes, the Pacific, maybe a surf lesson, maybe a mountain bike ride, maybe something you’ve never even tried before. You want to be outside until your shoulders are warm from the sun and your legs remind you that yes, you were definitely active today.
And then there are mornings when the plan looks a little more like a lingering morning coffee, nowhere in particular, perhaps a massage later.
That’s the beauty of a couple's getaway in Las Catalinas, a walkable beach town in Costa Rica. Here, you don’t have to decide what kind of trip you’re taking before you arrive. You don’t even have to decide on one kind of trip. You can have it all.
And March is a great time to have it. Our province of Guanacaste is deep into dry season, with long sunny days, warm evenings, blue skies, and weather that’s up for anything you are. Adventure, wellness, beach time, great food, beautiful homes, and entire afternoons of relaxation are all on the docket.
Here on Costa Rica’s north Pacific coast, March in Las Catalinas means plenty of sunshine, warm days, dry trails, and ocean water that’s inviting enough to make an impromptu ocean swim an easy addition to your day.
More importantly, the weather gives you options. You can plan an early mountain bike ride and still have the afternoon for the beach. You can spend the morning on the water and walk into town for lunch. You can schedule something ambitious, change your mind, or decide over coffee that today is going to be much slower.
If today is the day you want to move, Las Catalinas gives you a lot to work with.
You can head down to Pura Vida Ride, rent mountain bikes, and take off into the tropical dry forest, where Las Catalinas’ trail network climbs into the hills above town and opens onto Pacific views along the way. If the ocean is calling instead, you can rent a kayak or stand-up paddleboard, book a surf lesson, grab snorkel gear and explore right off the beach, or turn snorkeling into a bigger day on the water with a guided excursion or a snorkel-and-sunset sail.
Tennis and pickleball keep the action closer to town. Two hours of court time per day are included with your stay, and you can also add clinics or classes if you want to sharpen your game while you’re here.
Horseback riding gives you another way to experience Guanacaste, and it’s also included as part of your stay. Ride through the landscape around La Estancia and down to the beach, experiencing a little of our region’s sabanero cowboy traditions along the way.
The point isn’t to squeeze all of this into one trip. It’s knowing that when you wake up ready for an adventure, there’s no shortage of ways to find one.
Then again, maybe today you want the exact opposite. Las Catalinas takes a broad view of wellness, so that can mean movement when movement feels good and restoration when what you really need is to slow everything down. Maybe today is about the latter.
Yoga is part of our weekly experience program, and the rotating calendar can also include movement-focused classes such as Power Sculpt or Vital Bounce. And if what sounds best is a little pampering, Center of Joy gives you plenty of room to lean all the way into it.
There are massages, facials, manicures, pedicures, body treatments and wraps, red light therapy, sound therapy, and a range of treatments that can be enjoyed as a couple. You can make an afternoon of it, pair it with lunch at Nature’s Table, and leave the rest of the day gloriously unambitious.
Maybe that means a swim afterward. Maybe it means going back to your flat, opening a book, and deciding you’re done making decisions for the day. We say that counts too.
Not everything in Las Catalinas needs to be planned ahead, and that’s part of the fun.
As a guest, you can check the Play by Point app to see what’s happening during the week of your stay, sign up for something that catches your eye, or leave your days completely open and decide as you go.
You might head out for coffee and end up browsing the boutiques. You might wander into the art gallery. Maybe you decide on a wine-and-chocolate experience, look for something colorful to wear to the beach, or pick up a souvenir that actually feels worth bringing home.
Or you might simply keep walking. Hit the trails because the morning looks too good not to. Climb up to one of the Platforms for the view. Swim at Playa Danta. Stroll the beach. Wander through town until lunch sounds like a good idea, then keep the afternoon just as open.
Because Las Catalinas is so walkable, you can make these decisions last minute. You’re not constantly organizing transportation, shuffling logistics, or committing the whole day to one outing. So much is right here, at your doorstep, that spontaneity becomes part of the plan.
Pictured: 14 Plaza Mercado
And sometimes, what sounds good next is going home.
For a couples stay, we have one- and two-bedroom flats and villas throughout Las Catalinas, with very different personalities depending on how you want to spend your time here. You might want to be beachfront and right in the heart of town, where the beach, restaurants, cafés, and everything happening around you are only a short walk away.
Or you might prefer to stay higher in the hills, where the setting is breezy and Pacific views can stretch out in front of you from morning until sunset. Everything is still connected by walking paths, so choosing a quieter location doesn’t mean giving up access to town.
And if private amenities are part of your version of a great couples getaway, we can help with that too. Depending on the home, you might have a private pool or plunge pool, a generous porch or terrace, a courtyard, rooftop space, sweeping ocean views, or Beach Club access. The right home will give you somewhere you genuinely want to spend time.
Come back from the beach and get in the pool. Bring lunch home and eat outside. Have a glass of wine on the terrace before dinner. Stay there longer than planned because the view is doing a pretty good job of making a case.
The point is, we know our homes well, and we’ll help you find the one that fits the way the two of you actually want to vacation.
And every evening, you still don’t have to decide very far in advance. Because one of the pleasures of staying in a walkable beach town is being able to leave your flat or villa and simply follow your feet toward whatever sounds good.
Maybe you’re in the mood for coastal cuisine, exquisite sushi, an elevated grill that draws from Costa Rican and Guanacaste culinary traditions, tapas, bowls, or something fresh and wellness-focused. Maybe dinner turns into something sweeter afterward, with Belgian waffles, ice cream, pastries, or coffee.
And maybe going out doesn’t sound nearly as appealing as staying in.
You can stop for sandwiches or lighter fare at The Deli at Copper & Stone, take something home, open a bottle of wine, and have dinner on your own terrace. No reservation, no dress code, no reason to go anywhere else if that’s where you’d rather be.
That’s the advantage of having so many good options within walking distance. Dinner can be an occasion, an impulse, or simply whatever feels right that night.
Some couples arrive with a list. Others would rather wake up and see how they feel. Most of us are somewhere in between.
Las Catalinas gives you room for all of that.
And because your home, the beach, the trails, town, wellness, dining, and so many experiences are all connected, you can change the pace without changing the destination. That’s a pretty wonderful way to spend March in Costa Rica together.
If your March plans have you picturing sunny days, ocean time, adventure, wellness, and a place where the two of you can decide how each day feels, email our team. We can help with the right flat or villa, experiences, dining, and the details that bring your stay together.
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