It was low tide. So we could easily tread on the rocks which otherwise remain submerged under water at the north end of the beach. I stood on one of the rocks for a while and took in the 360 degree views. The lush green jungle on the right with its dry season special yellow capped canopy was wearing the golden hour glow. On the left, the soft waves combed the dark sand beach. In that moment of quiet, I perceived the beauty of Playa Ventanas, a quirky beach near Ojochal de Osa on the south Pacific coast on Costa Rica.
Read our Costa Ballena travel guide, listing the best things to in Ojochal, Uvita and Dominical and all the other details that you need to know for planning your own trip.
Plan your Costa Rica trip:
- Costa Rica Packing List
- Best Time to Visit Costa Rica
- Costa Rica Activities: Things to Do
- Costa Rica Itinerary (from San Jose airport)
How to Reach Playa Ventanas
Playa Ventanas is located about a few hundred meters off the Costanera Sur Highway (Ruta 34). When driving from the direction of Dominical and Uvita towards Ojochal, you will see a board with Playa Ventanas at the junction where you need to take the right to head towards the beach.
Once you are off the highway, you will soon be on a dirt path with a flowing river intercepting the road at one point. However, you do not need a 4X4 to reach Playa Ventanas.
From Dominical, Ventanas beach is about 30 km (18.6 miles), whereas it is about 12 km (7.5 miles) from Uvita. Since this is a smooth and sweet drive on a well maintained highway, you can put this beach on your list of things to do when in Uvita or Dominical.
You can find Playa Ventanas on Google Maps.
The Special Feature of Playa Ventanas
Cliffs protrude from the beach on Playa Ventanas. Many of these cliffs are characterized by hollow formations at their base. As you arrive at the beach, at the north end, you will notice two such large cliff hollows through which the waves make their way to finally crash on to the beach. These hollows act like windows, and that is how Playa Ventanas beach gets its name, because ‘ventana‘ in Spanish means window.
There are many such small and big cliff windows on the south end of the beach as well. Some of them remain submerged in water during high tides, while others are high enough to be rise beyond the ocean surface even when the tides are high.
Activities on the Ventanas Beach
The first time we saw the Ventanas was from the middle of the ocean. We were in a boat out on a whale watching tour. I remember our tour guide explained to us those interesting cave windows seen in the ocean. Since then we have been to Playa Ventanas beach many times, but I still find the ocean perspective very interesting. It gives you the urge to explore the caves from the beach side.
On the beach, the best way to enjoy is to take a walk from one end to the other, if you prefer the quiet way like us. But if you like party vibes, you fill find that too at Playa Ventanas. This beach is very popular among the locals, and many locals’ preferred way to enjoy a beach is to set up a mini camp on the beach, like setting up tents and carrying snacks, drinks, picnic food, music and other equipment needed to spend a day at the beach. So, if you want to party or picnic at Playa Ventanas, take cues from the Ticos.
Another fun way of exploring the ‘ventanas’ near Playa Ventanas is navigating through the cave hollows while kayaking on the ocean waters.
Among all our visits to Playa Ventanas, our favorite one was when we spent the golden hour there, taking in a gorgeous sunset that made the beach shine and the waves glitter. Some locals tout Playa Ventanas sunset to be the best among the beach sunsets on the South Pacific. We find it difficult to rank sunsets, but we agree that Ventanas beach sunset is no less than stunning.
Facilities at the Ventanas Beach
Here are all the logistics details to help you plan your visit to Playa Ventanas. All these basic facilities are set up in the same area, right next to the beach.
Parking
Parking is right next to the beach, under the shades of palm trees, allowed until 5:30 pm, usually extended till after sunset. This open parking facility has been organized by the Association of Integral Development of Ojochal. Although guards will be looking after your vehicle, it is still recommended not to leave anything valuable inside the car.
For collecting the parking fees, someone will approach you when you cross past this board listing the fee structure (see table and photo below). The fees differ for parking before and after 2:00 pm.
| Type of Vehicle | Until 2:00 pm | After 2:00 pm |
|---|---|---|
| Car | 2,000 CRC | 1,500 CRC |
| Quad Bike/ ATV | 1,500 CRC | 1,000 CRC |
| Van | 3,000 CRC | 2,000 CRC |
| Bus | 10,000 CRC | 5,000 CRC |
| Motorcycle | 500 CRC | 500 CRC |
Restrooms and Showers
There are makeshift restrooms and open air showers next to the beach. You can use these facilities by paying a few hundred colones. Example, a shower will set you off by 300 colones (~0.5 USD).
Food/Snacks
There are a few tent like shops selling chips and beverages. However, we recommend not to stuff yourself with all those snacks, as the areas of Ojochal, Uvita and Dominical have lot of cool restaurants that you can try for lunch or dinner.
Tips to Enjoy Playa Ventanas
Playa Ventanas has grown to become highly popular among the locals in Costa Rica. Due to the daylong beach picnic and party kind of setup, the beach is filled with throngs of people, especially during weekends. But if you prefer to spend quiet time on the beach, these are couple of our top tips for Playa Ventanas.
- Visit Playa Ventanas on a weekday instead of weekend
- Visit Playa Ventanas during sunset instead of in the day
Following the above, you can beat the weekend crowd and the day trippers, and thus can have a shot at getting a little piece of this beautiful beach all to yourself.
Final Thoughts
Playa Ventanas remains a locals’ secret hideout. That is why you will not find it in the list of top places to visit in Costa Rica. But the hollow caves on the beach make it Ventanas beach an interesting place to hangout at. So, if you are in the area exploring Ojochal, Uvita or Dominical, make the pleasant drive to earn yourself some relaxing beach time.
Plan your Costa Ballena trip:
- Cascada El Pvon: An interesting waterfall in Ojochal
- Things to do in Uvita: A curated list of the best things to do in Uvita
- Marino Ballena National Park: The complete guide to Marino Ballena National Park
- Whale watching in Uvita: Everything you need to know about whale watching activity in Uvita
- Uvita Waterfall: A fun natural waterfall slide in Uvita
- Nauyaca Waterfalls: Stunning waterfalls in Dominical
- Dominicalito Beach: A lesser known surfing beach near Dominical
- Best Restaurants in Uvita and Dominical: Our guide to the best places to eat in Uvita and Dominical
- Oxygen Jungle Villas: Our review of a luxury boutique hotel in Uvita
Like the post? Pin it!
