Balcón del Mar Hotel Costa Rica

Playa Jacó, and the Hotel Balcon del Mar is located about 90 minutes from San José, making it one of the closest and most convenient beach towns to the international airport of Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) outside San José.

On your drive to Jacó, you will enjoy the views of coffee plantations (coffetals), small local villages and mountain ranges before descending to our beach town on the Pacific coast.

The drive takes between 1-1/2 to 2 hours depending on traffic. From San José take the main highway (Carretera Interamericana) going North towards Puntarenas. The highway will pass the Juan Santamaría airport. (If coming from the airport, get onto the highway and follow same directions.) Stay on the Interamericana for 10-15 minutes, until you see an exit for a town called Atenas. Take this exit and continue to follow the signs for Jacó and Quepos, as you go through the towns of Atenas, San Mateo, Orotina, and Tarcoles. (Always keep in mind the next town you are heading for, and watch for signs to that town.) Once you hit the Costanera, keep driving and look for signs to Jacó.

Address:
Jacó has several exits (turning right), which will take you toward the Pacific Ocean. Hit the main street which parallels the beach and turn left. Go into the center of town and turn right on Calle del Bohio. Once on Calle del Bohio keep straigh and at the end of the street make your right, the Hotel Balcon del Mar will be just ahead on your right.

Or, from the Colonial Restaurant located on the main avenue called Pastor Diaz, go 100 meters toward the sea on the Bohio Street, make a right and continue 50 meters to the Police Station. We are on the right just beyond the police.

Facilities:
Restaurant that specializes in peruvian food, Rancho Lobby Bar on the Boulevard, pool, parking with security, laundry and room service, telephone service for international calls, tour office, internet and transfer services.

JACO BEACH:
Located on Costa Rica's gorgeous Central Pacific Coast, Jaco Beach is the closest beach resort to San Jose. Its natural beauty, tropical climate, and close proximity to the Central Valley have made Jaco Beach the country's most developed and visited beach area. Jaco is a surfer's town with a laid back atmosphere during the day and an extremely active nightlife. It is where Ticos go to play in the sun, sand and at night under the stars.

The beach is 6 kms long and surrounded by magnificent green mountains and tropical palm trees. The beach gets fairly crowded, particularly on weekends, though one can escape from the crowds by walking further down the beach.

The sand on Jaco Beach is silty and a grayish-brownish colour. Primarily a surfing beach, Costa Rica has many more attractive beaches for non-surfers. For swimmers the surf can be quite rough and riptides strong. During low tide the waves tend die-down and swimming is safer.

Beach activities include boogie boarding, body surfing and of-course sun-tanning.

From the airport, Jaco is the closest surf town - a drive of less than two hours through the mountains.

Jaco offers many attractions aside from the beach including good restaurants, casinos, discos, and stores. Some visitors criticize Jaco for its over-development and at times complain that it is dirty. Despite this criticism, Jaco is a wonderful beach town. It is also a great location to set-up base as most tourist spots are close by or within a few hours drive.

Playa Jaco, located just 2 short hours from the international airport, has become one of Costa Rica's most visited beach towns, especially amongst the traveling surf community. Jaco is a small, yet extremely active town geared towards surfers, parties & nightlife. As you walk down the "strip," you will find countless surf shops, restaurants, bars, discos and a variety of accommodations. This is the ideal destination for surfers or young travelers looking to be in the middle of the action. As mentioned above, Hermosa is geared more towards the hard-core surfer while Jaco is designed for the active type looking for plenty of hotels, surf shops, bars, discos and an overwhelming nightlife

COSTA RICA SURF OPTIONS
With 755 miles of coastline on two oceans, Costa Rica has more breaks than you can shake a stick at. The country's selection of surf spots range from idyllic beach breaks to coral platforms where the water leaps up and tubes like a miniature Pipeline.

Having coastline on two oceans is quite an advantage, since when one ocean is flat, there is usually something breaking on the other side of the country. Often enough, there is good surf pumping on both coasts.

And the country's surf is complemented by its comfortable water temperatures -- you can leave that wet suit at home -- beautiful scenery, and the convenience of a variety of accommodations and restaurants near most breaks.

Since it is five times longer than the Caribbean coast, the Pacific has considerably more surfing spots. Many of the country's best breaks are found in the northwest province of Guanacaste, but there are also some excellent spots in the Central Pacific and Southern Zones. And the few breaks that are available in the Caribbean province of Limon are certainly nothing to complain about.