Being one of the oldest expat villages in the country — home to about 4,000 locals and foreign transplants, in addition to tourists — Nosara is Americanized but largely undeveloped and natural. It is an ideal destination for travelers looking to truly get away to a remote location for a week or longer.

The isolated town, about 60 miles southwest of the Liberia International Airport, is a gem, but don’t expect a limo ride to a five-star resort. Roads into and throughout Nosara make streets in Texas — even the back roads — seem paved to perfection.

Nosara, Costa Rica, an expat village, is a breathtaking and remote getaway
On ocean-front paradise, life is easy, and longer

By Kolten Parker Updated 10:44 am CDT, Thursday, April 14, 2016

The Pacific coastline on from La Luna restaurant in Nosara, Costa Rica in March 2016. Photo: Yuri Bolivar/For The Express-News, Express-News

Photo: Yuri Bolivar/For The Express-News, Express-News
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The Pacific coastline on from La Luna restaurant in Nosara, Costa Rica in March 2016.

Being one of the oldest expat villages in the country — home to about 4,000 locals and foreign transplants, in addition to tourists — Nosara is Americanized but largely undeveloped and natural. It is an ideal destination for travelers looking to truly get away to a remote location for a week or longer.

The isolated town, about 60 miles southwest of the Liberia International Airport, is a gem, but don’t expect a limo ride to a five-star resort. Roads into and throughout Nosara make streets in Texas — even the back roads — seem paved to perfection.

The flight, about three hours, cost $311 roundtrip (non-stop United Airlines out of Houston). Most travelers hire a private driver or wait for a bus to take them to their destination in Guanacaste, the Costa Rican state home to Nosara and other cities in the Nicoya Peninsula.

Our host arranged a driver to pick us up and take us to Nosara. The cost was a little high (about $120 one-way), but it’s doable for a group of at least three. The 60-mile drive took close to four hours because of the gravel roads that are poorly maintained and the every-man-for-himself driving etiquette followed by most.

The majority of people in Nosara navigate the roads with ATVs rather than cars. It’s much easier and way more fun. Almost everything is within an eight-minute ride on a four-wheeler once you’re into Nosara, which comprises about five main roads lined with stores, surf and ATV rentals, restaurants and hostels, which range in price from about $80 a night up to about $250.

The cheapest rate we found per day was $40 for an ATV, but rental cars are available, too.

American dollars are accepted virtually everywhere, but local Colones are typically given for change. English is very prevalent, as well. The two ATMs in Nosara have a maximum daily withdrawal of $100, so arriving with cash is necessary.

We stayed at a two-story, three-bedroom pool house perched on a hill overlooking Playa Guiones that was found on AirBnB for $240 a night. A local who came to the house during our stay said the balcony, rising about 25 feet out of the jungle, has the “best view in Nosara.”

The completely unobstructed perspective, showcasing miles of Central American jungle and coastline, offers one of the most beautiful natural sights I’ve ever seen.

The natural beauty, clean ocean air and seemingly elevated oxygen levels have a strong effect on residents and visitors. Our host, a former Austinite, looked about five years younger than the last time I saw him.

“It’s the Blue Zone, man,” he said when confronted about his reverse aging.

He was serious.

There are five regions in the world, identified by a group of scientists and called “Blue Zones,” that house residents who live measurably longer, healthier lives based on shared characteristics. They include Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; Loma Linda, California; Icaria, Greece; and the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica, according to New York Times best-selling author Dan Buettner.

Some of those shared characteristics include a diet high in plant-derived foods and fish, less smoking, constant moderate physical activity and social engagement.

Staying active is no problem in Nosara, where the beaches are prime for surfing and snorkeling and the jungle is ripe for zip-lining or hiking. Relaxation, though, is never far away with spas and yoga studios throughout the community.

The Nosara Yoga Institute, a world-renowned training venue for yoga teachers, is a major attraction for tourists in the town.

The surfing on Playa Guiones is perfect for beginners and pros, with soft-sand bottoms, no rocks and big-but-not-deadly waves.

We took lessons ($60 a person for 90 minutes) from a great instructor at P.G.S.S. (Playa Guiones Surf School), and were riding waves in no time. The P.G.S.S. also offers several hotel rooms and a restaurant and pool on site.

Some of the hostels offer minimum space and amenities for a low price, but a few hotels offer more comfort for a bit more. The P.G.S.S. rooms seemed like a nice balance.

While in Nosara, we found a handful of restaurants worth visiting, including El Chivo, a restaurant serving both American and Costa Rican food with terrific margaritas and great atmosphere, and La Luna, which is on the beach and has amazing fish tacos and daiquiris to complement the view. If the sunset wasn’t perfect from the house where we stayed, La Luna’s vantage point would’ve been a terrific nightly spot.

Most of the city, which revolves around surfing, yoga, tourism and fishing, shuts down around 8 p.m., except a few bars.

The high season for tourism is during the dry season of Costa Rica, which runs from late November until early April. The Nicoya Peninsula has slightly longer dry season than other areas of the country.

My stay in Costa Rica was the best vacation I’ve taken. The few slight inconveniences, from potholes to water being shut off at 8 p.m., were largely outweighed by the natural beauty, relatively low prices and beautiful weather and people of Nosara.