Isla Holbox
Our website uses cookies to improve your experience. To find out more, please read our Cookie Notice. Close
from £ 854 pp
View All DealsHolidays to Playa Matapalo tend to revolve around the long sandy beach that gives this area its name. This secluded spot is backed by mountains and hills cloaked in tropical greenery.
If you’re looking for a fly-and-flop escape, this is the place to come, because other than a beach and a couple of hotels, there’s not a whole lot more to this pretty corner of Costa Rica. But what a beach it is. Serving up soft, pale sands and surrounded by gently rolling hills and jungle-covered mountains, this half-moon bay is one of Mother Nature’s starlets.
While most beaches in Costa Rica are open to the public, Playa de Matapalo is pretty much the preserve of guests staying at the Riu Guanacaste and the Riu Palace Costa Rica. Reason being, these two big resort-style hotels are all there is in the immediate vicinity and so more or less have the sands to themselves. That is unless you count the odd iguana sauntering across the sand and the monkeys swinging through the trees.
If you do want to get out and about, Coco Beach is the nearest proper town. It’s about a 10-minute cab ride from Playa de Matapalo and is a lovely little tourist hub set along a single main strip lined with bars, shops and restaurants – you can tuck into everything from sushi through to pizza by way of traditional fish restaurants serving up the catch of the day. Follow the road all the way down to the sea and you’ll find a little beach that’s home to a cluster of hip, laidback beach bars with an almost Thai-esque feel.
Our top deals tailored to you, straight to your inbox Sign up for offers
Holiday Types
Popular Destinations
Mid/Long haul
Short Haul
Flights To
Cruise
Hotels
More from TUI
About TUI MyTUI app Cookies Notice Manage Cookie Preferences Privacy Notice Terms & conditions Ways to Pay Media Centre Travel Jobs Affiliates Discover Google Play Store App Store for Ios Travel Money Holiday Budget Calculator TUI Group First Choice Holiday Brochures Travel After Brexit Holiday Weather
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and National Travel Health Network and Centre have up-to-date advice on staying safe and healthy abroad.
See gov.uk/travelaware and follow @FCDOtravelGovUK on Twitter and Facebook.com/FCDOtravel - for the latest general FCDO travel advice, including coronavirus travel guidance, security and local laws, and passport and visa information.
See gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice - for FCDO travel advice about individual destinations.
See Travel Aware page - for travel advice from TUI.
See travelhealthpro.org.uk - for current travel health news.
The advice can change so check regularly for updates.
All the flight-inclusive holidays on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. When you pay you will be supplied with an ATOL Certificate. Please ask for it and check to ensure that everything you booked (flights, hotels and other services) is listed on it. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected. Some of the flights on this website are also financially protected by the ATOL scheme, but ATOL protection does not apply to all flights. This website will provide you with information on the protection that applies in the case of each flight before you make your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. Please see our booking conditions for information, or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.caa.co.uk. ATOL protection does not apply to the other holiday and travel services listed on this website.