Awe-Inspiring Places in Costa Rica to Watch the Sunset

At any time of the day, the location of this beachfront boutique hotel at the far end of Playa Tamarindo is simply unbeatable. You can see the sky blush pink and orange over the Pacific Ocean from the open-air restaurant. Although, watching the sun setting over the shimmering horizon after a day of boogie boarding, swimming and bronzing on the beach is the icing on the cake. Add in breezy thatched bungalows and two-story rooms among the jungle-clad surroundings home to howler monkeys, and it’s a dreamy prospect.

Although Costa Rica is laidback, this tiny tropical retreat facing Playa Potrero, one of the best beaches for swimming along the Pacific Coast, excels in helping you relax. Unwind in rooms and suites with added hammocks and nurtured tropical gardens home to a swim-up bar for toasting your success. You’ve found a peaceful fishing village vibe for your vacation, meaning crowd-free contemplation as you watch the sun slip down over the horizon.

This hacienda-style resort has all the elements you’ve come to Costa Rica for – an oceanfront setting on pretty Playa Mansita, a bio-diverse halo of tropical forest hugging the perimeters, refined rooms with earthy elements and a show-stopping infinity pool – the largest in Central America, don’t you know. You’ve worked hard for this glamorous vacation, so relax, dip into the spa, hit some balls on the nearby 18-hole golf course and tuck into some gallo pinto – local rice and beans. Something that money can’t buy, is the sight of the romantic sunset each night, which may explain why there’s a chapel on site.

If you favor hotels with out-of-the-way locations for a more authentic experience, this spot on the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula is perfect for you. The rugged roads put off less intrepid guests, which means less noise to interrupt the tropical splendor of a swimming pool that appears to merge with the bluest of seas, and sun terraces surrounded by thick forest. Playa Malpais is a ten-minute walk if you need a dusting of sand with your sunset sighting, or else grab a rum cocktail and enjoy it from the pool.

What could be more romantic than staying at the top of a mountain overlooking the southern Pacific coast? In what is possibly the sexiest hotel in Costa Rica, high in the Uvita rainforest, six open-plan suites clad in stone and glass also come with sweeping views over the jungle to the Pacific Ocean. The minimal style allows you to focus on the shimmering sunset as day turns to night. In-room binoculars are for spotting the monkeys and toucans that inhabit the lushness. Top marks for solar power and a locally-sourced menu including carpaccio marinated in lemongrass, basil and lime you can graze on at the 360-degree-view SkyLounge restaurant.

This modern timber and glass-clad lodge honors the history of the verdant coffee plantations that surround it in Naranjo, part of Costa Rica’s mountainous Central Valley. Excellent coffee, naturally, means you’ll be as perky for the guided walks as for the excellent sunset-admiring opportunities. The valley and volcano views from each rustic bungalow’s wooden terrace are particularly spectacular as the misty Monteverde Cloud Forest clears to reveal the richly-colored sunset.