Playa Mantas
Beach · Jacó & Herradura
A sheltered cove beside Punta Leona with clear, gentle water: one of the best swimming beaches near Jacó and a weekend favorite of families from San José.
- Cost
- about $20
- Time there
- 3 h
- Best time
- morning
- Kids
- 9 / 10
- View
- 7 / 10
- Crowds
- 7 / 10
- Swimming
- 9 / 10
- Effort
- 2 / 10
- Location
- 9.70694, -84.66352 — Google Maps
Before you go
- Payment
- cash, card
- Parking
- Paid — Main lot by Club Punta Leona, 8:00 am–4:30 pm: ₡10,000 weekdays, ₡20,000 weekends; the free dirt access is now blocked.
- Swimming
- Only when the water is calm
- Facilities
- restrooms, showers
- Checked
- 2026-10
Tip
The north end is the quietest. The main lot is run by Club Punta Leona (8:00–4:30, about US$20 per car on weekdays and US$40 on weekends and holidays) and has bathrooms and showers.
Be careful
White-faced monkeys raid unattended bags: keep food zipped up.
Getting there
From Route 34 take Calle Vieja, a narrow, partly dirt road just past Los Guarumos restaurant (no 4x4 needed). Weekend lots fill up early.
Places nearby
- Kayak JacoSurf, Boats & Diving · takes 3 h–4 hA paddling outfitter based at Playa Agujas, north of Jacó near Punta Leona, offering half-day sea kayak trips with a beach snorkel when the sea allows.
- Hotel Villa Caletas — Anfiteatro sunset bar & El Mirador restaurantFood & CoffeeClifftop hotel 350 m above the Gulf of Nicoya, north of Herradura, famous for its Greek-style amphitheater where people gather for sunset with a cocktail from the martini bar.
- Serenity Spa at Hotel Villa CaletasDay Passes & Hot Springs · takes 2 h–2.5 h · from $90A cliff-top spa at Hotel Villa Caletas, about 300 m above the Pacific near Herradura, where treatment rooms look out over rainforest and ocean.
- Restaurante La OstraSodas & Local FoodWell-known seafood house in Quebrada Ganado on the highway north of Jacó, a little pricier than a soda, for fresh fish done carefully.
- Punta Leona Beach ClubDay Passes & Hot Springs · takes 9 h · from $47.50A big beach-club resort on a private forest reserve just north of Jacó, where a day pass gets you buffet breakfast and lunch, pools and the beach.
- Los GuarumosFood & CoffeeOpen-air restaurant set in leafy forest on the Costanera.
Sources: OpenStreetMap way/250255619 · https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/250255619 · https://twoweeksincostarica.com/playa-mantas