The Area

Dominical is a small, laid-back beach town on Costa Rica’s southern Pacific Coast. Here, you will find thick jungle, uncluttered beaches, and just enough amenities to feel comfortable. Attracting a mix of hippies, surfers, digital nomads, local Ticos, and long-time expats, Dominical has a truly unique vibe. In this post, we’ll share some of our favorite activities, restaurants, and hotels from our many years of visiting this area.

Dominical is located on Costa Rica’s southern Pacific Coast. It is about one hour south of Manuel Antonio and 3.5 hours from Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) near San Jose.  You will likely want a rental car to to, and around the Dominical area.    Roads in Costa Rica are generally well maintained, especially between San Jose and Dominical.  Some houses are on dirt roads, and 4x4 is suggested if not staying in town.  We have used Adobe car rental with great success, and discount codes are available

The drive between San Jose and Dominical is beautiful, and you will pass several oceanfront towns including Jaco, and Quepos. Dominical is approximately an hour south of Jaco and 30 min south of Quepos, down the coastal highway, the Dominical town center is right off the highway, tucked next to the Baru River. Here, you will find one fairly short road leading through town. Restaurants, shops, and other businesses are clustered in a few spots along the paved street.

Another road splits off and brings you to the main beach area. The local school, soccer field, and church are centrally located. While most of the shops and restaurants are in the main area of town, many accommodations and activities are a short drive away in the surrounding hills.

There are a few businesses in Dominical that make it a unique place.

Right at the entrance to town is a plaza with several great businesses including an organic food store, and the BEST breakfast in Costa Rica, and perhaps the Americas as Café Mono Congo.   

On the opposite side of the highway is a plaza with several shops, and behind this plaza you will find Phat Noodle, another one of our favorites, and the location of the pre-wedding dinner on Saturday night.  Towards the middle of town is Fuego, a brewery and restaurant with a treehouse feel, and further down the main street is Tribe Boutique Hotel, and several other small stores. 

Finally, we would be missing something if we didn’t mention the many souvenir vendors and shops. Street vendors set up under the palm trees near the beach, displaying their colorful sarongs, handmade jewelry, wood carvings, and other handicrafts. There are also souvenir shops throughout town. 

Also, we utilized these sites a lot https://www.twoweeksincostarica.com/  and https://mytanfeet.com/. Both of these also have discount rental car links for Adobe with more information on what to expect at some of our favorite sights.