Las Catalinas is a walkable beach town on the coast of Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Surrounded on one side by trails immersed in the tropical dry forest and on the other by two sandy beaches, Las Catalinas is a place at the intersection of nature and thoughtful urban development.

We believe that there’s something powerful about stepping out of your front door onto pedestrian streets where beauty both natural and manmade surrounds you. People are friendlier here, healthier and more active too, and both children and parents can experience freedom. Town has a way of life built for wellbeing, and it’s no wonder that more and more people want to call this place home.

Las Catalinas has beachside restaurants and casually elegant dining, a spa, shops for everything from outdoor gear to fashion and art, stylish hotel, plazas for many occasions, and single family homes and flats all connected by pedestrian streets. 

When you build for the human scale, everything changes. The homes and buildings of town are built in a timeless tropical traditional style, where each detail of the home adds something unique to the street and to passersby. 

Nature is always just a short walk away, making outdoor activities on trail and the water an easy and integrated part of the day, rather than an event that has to be planned. Chance encounters, for a conversation or a simple exchange of kind words, become commonplace, and popping over to say hello is welcomed and encouraged, making it natural to connect with others in town. 

In Las Catalinas there are over 42km of single track hiking and mountain biking trails through a rejuvenated tropical dry forest reserve. Covering the entire reserve from coastal cliffs to the deep tropical lowlands and up to the top of McHenry Peak, these trails provide visitors the chance for stunning views over land, town, the ocean, and the beaches as well as sightings of native Costa Rican animals. 

Carefully built using influences from some favorite mountain biking trails around the world, these single track trails offer riding any time of day and night for riders of all skill levels. Town also host several events throughout the year, including the TRI Las Catalinas, the Las Catalinas Reto, the Intrepid Challenge, and retreats like RaceQuest and XPT’s Waterman Experience. 

Just as these trails can play host to the lively action of adventure sports, they can also be a place for peaceful walks and mindful practice. Designated hiking trails connect platforms across the hillside that look out across the forests and the ocean, which is just one of the many ways to cultivate personal wellbeing in town.

Las Catalinas has two sandy beaches, Playa Danta and Playa Dantita, which form a bay in the Pacific ocean sheltered by the Pitahayas Islands. The water is clear and warm, the waves are perfectly formed for boogie boarding and volcanic rock reefs throughout the bay have dozens and dozens of species of tropical fish. 

All homes are within a few minutes, even seconds, walk of the beaches and the bay beyond, which is also ideal for paddleboarding, snorkeling and freediving, open water swim, or simply relaxing in the waves. Beyond town, there are dive spots with sharks and manta rays like the Catalinas Islands just a twenty minute ride from Playa Danta, and surf spots for both those learning to surf and more experienced riders at Playa Grande, Ollie’s Point, and Witch’s Rock. 

It’s for this reason that many people in town love the ocean. With local partners ConnectOcean and Pura Vida Ride, who provide lessons, certifications, experiences and rentals, all are welcome and encouraged to come share the water.