Tank Tops Flip Flops Newsletter edition no. 90

The History of Playas del Coco – The reason why we did this newsletter in the first place is that our good friend Freddy Barahona just opened a new store called Solo Bueno in Playas del Coco.  Freddy was born and raised in Playas del Coco and his family settled here in 1956 as one of the founding families of what is now a modern, thriving quintessential Costa Rica beach town.

The concept of the Solo Bueno store is to only offer hand made, locally crafted goods.  He and his partner started originally producing hand-rolled cigars with local tobacco leaf and opened Artesanos Cigars that many have enjoyed over the years.  Just recently they created Cata Chocolate and decided to move to a larger facility next door that could handle the Solo Bueno store, Artesanos Cigars and now their brand new bean to bar chocolate production facility right here in Playas del Coco.

While Freddy was explaining the concept of the new Solo Bueno Store, walking us through the Chocolate making process and giving us the tour of Artesanos Cigars rolling process we realized that he was a veritable treasure trove of stories about Playas del Coco – How it was formed, what life was like in the old days and how it has changed from then to now.

What is Playas del Coco?

Playas del Coco is part of a group of beaches known as the Papagayo; Playas del Coco, Playa Hermosa, Playa Panama and Ocotal. Located just 20 minutes from the Liberia International Airport (LIR) it is considered by many to be the best town on the Pacific Coast for living and investing in real estate. Originally, this little haven was the largest fishing village in Costa Rica, and still to this day, most of the fresh catch caught every day is pulled from these waters. Not only is the bay loaded with local favorites, like Dorado (Mahi Mahi), Wahoo, Red Snapper, Yellow Fin Tuna, Grouper and Sea Bass, but as you go deeper out to see, these waters are known by Sport Fisherman to host some of the largest big game trophy fish; Blue and Black Marlin and Sailfish.

The waters of Playas del Coco are very calm, so the majority of the local boat owners moor their crafts here. Hundreds of hulls are seen on any given day, anchored just a few hundred meters off shore. Some of the best Party Barges, Diving Rigs, Snorkel Tours, Sail Boats and Catamarans call Coco home, so booking a half day adventure is a piece of cake. This is also the Northern most Port of Entry located on the Pacific side of Costa Rica, with Harbor Master and Immigration offices for those arriving overseas by boat.

Check out our blog post about The History of Playas del Coco