Santa Teresa · Where to stay

Where the road down from Cóbano meets the beach: supermarkets, ATMs, surf shops and the gentlest sand, all within walking distance. The most convenient base and the least atmospheric one.

North of the crossroads, where most of the hostels, beach clubs and restaurants sit. You can walk to everything, but the road is dirt: dust in the dry months, mud in the wet ones, and quad traffic all day.

Three to four kilometres north of the centre: a wider beach, a softer wave and far fewer places to eat. You will want a bike, a quad or a taxi for every dinner.

The old fishing-village end, ten minutes south, smaller and quieter, with a rockier shoreline and the Cabo Blanco reserve close by. Suits people who want the peninsula without the strip.