As you can see from the video, Herradura itself is a rather unassuming (and frankly boring-looking) little town. It is lacking a town center, or at least what we would think of as a town center in North America, and once you get away from the beach itself, it has very little to attract tourists.

As with most Tico towns, there is an unusual percentage of autoparts, repair shops and car washes for the size of the town itself. This is due to an interesting quirk in the local customs. Ticos in general are EXTREMELY car-proud. They might not have enough money to buy a newer model…and quite often the vehicles on the road are pre 1990s, have several dents or missing parts and/or several different colour body parts BUT, they are extremely well kept and scrupulously clean.

When you consider that there are no cars made IN Costa Rica and that every vehicle imported to the country brings with it a 73% duty on top of the value of the vehicle, it is easy to understand that a car could very well be the largest purchase a Tico makes and they have very good reason to ensure that it stays in good repair.

I’m explaining this because many areas along the Costanera highway are almost completely made up of wrecking yards and repuestros (used car part) stores. It doesn’t make for a very scenic drive.

To see the prettier part of Herradura, you have to head west, away from the highway and towards the Pacific.

Here you will find the Condo developments that we normally associate with touristy beach towns.

Here is an excerpt that I borrowed from the Herradura Wikipedia page…

“Playa Herradura (Herradura Beach) is a coastal town on the Central Pacific Region of Costa Rica. It is located about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) north of Jacó in the province of Puntarenas. The name Herradura (horseshoe) refers to the bay's horseshoe shape. The town has developed into an important tourist destination in Costa Rica. This has been, in part, thanks to Los Suenos Resort and Marina. The resort and related amenities, including a full service, five star Marina, have positioned the town as the Fishing Capital of Costa Rica. The Marina is home to the largest fleet of Sports fishing boats in the country.”

They are certainly right about one thing, the largest draw to this area is the sport fishing and Herradura, as the most sheltered bay in the immediate area holds a huge number of fishing boats both in and out of the marina.

Los Suenos also boasts a large and beautifully kept Golf Course which they are in the process of expanding, a small (and rather pricey) shopping plaza, and some truly wonderful restaurants.

For those of you who might want to step away from these ‘North American style’ restaurants and enjoy something a little more '“authentic” there are several lovely locally owned restaurants along the beach which provide a selection of local foods, seafoods and pastas.

It is interesting to note that any and all of these restaurants will also happily cook any fresh fish, caught by enterprising fishermen and so quite often you see a group of sunburnt, slightly inebriated fishermen wandering down the beach with a bag of freshly filleted fish in their hands. The restaurants offer a variety of sauces/spices for their catch and provide several sides so that in the end you get several large platters of food to be shared around the table.

I enjoy the restaurants on the beach mostly for the view of the sunset through the palms and the fact that many of them have wooden swings dangling in front of thin wooden tables facing that view. It allows to you to enjoy a certain amount of child-like fun while sipping your fancy alcoholic beverage.

This is not to say of course, that there is nothing worthwhile to the East of the Costanera…… there is alot of land to explore along dirt trails that will take you up into the mountain overlooking the ocean, but it is best to do so with either an ATV or a 4X4 since the roads are seldom smooth and often cross shallow streams or rivers…not to mention that there are always potential landslides to contend with.

The bottom line here is that Herradura isn’t the prettiest little town that you will find, but it does offer a variety of landscapes, tours and excursions and cultures (high end North American condos or small Tica homes) to enjoy. It has the added benefit of close proximity to Jaco (which is just 5 km up to the south) and Carara National Park. (which is 20 km North).

Within a half hour drive you can sail, fish, snorkel, scuba, paddleboard, surf, kayak, swim, hike, ATV, mountain bike, horseback ride and zipline.

Not bad for a tiny little coastal town, right?

I think next time I will head up the road and take some video of Jaco from the top of the hill.

In the meantime, I will leave you with a collection of photos I have taken of Herradura and Los Suenos…

Toodles for now and Pura Vida!