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Playitas, Costa Rica

Stay in Quepos: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Quepos

Watch this spot We email you when Playitas is worth the trip.

Atardecer en Playa Espadilla, Manuel Antonio. - panoramio
Near Playitas, 1 km away. Photo: Peloy (Allan H.M.), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Playitas

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces SW (208°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (28°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 600 m out (1 in 61). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 28°C in October, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually April, with about 7 good days in 7; in January, about 4. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Quepos, 3.9 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.

Water about 28°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 11 h 20 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to SJO, direct.

    See flights ORD → SJO · Skyscanner from about £255 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 2 h 20 from the airport to Playitas.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in QueposAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Quepos · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Quepos · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Playitas on Google Maps · Directions

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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

Playitas does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreInter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct555 ft14 ssoft867kJ29°C
Mon 19Oct505 ft11 ssoft566kJ29°C
Tue 20Oct654 ft9 ssoft197kJ28°C
Wed 21Oct664 ft10 ssoft325kJ28°C
Thu 22Oct605 ft11 ssoft500kJ29°C
Fri 23Oct555 ft12 ssoft571kJ29°C
Sat 24Oct644 ft10 ssoft257kJ28°C
Sun 25Oct483 ft9 ssoft145kJ27°C
Mon 26Oct553 ft9 ssoft168kJ29°C
Tue 27Oct483 ft8 ssoft115kJ28°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight ORD to SJO, then 2h 20 by road. About 11h 20 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Boca quepos

    Best 15:00 to 18:00 local time: 4 ft at 11 s, wind 3 kn (6 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Playitas

    Best 09:00 to 12:00 local time: 4 ft at 10 s, offshore wind.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Boca quepos

    Best 06:00 to 09:00 local time: 5 ft at 11 s, offshore wind.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Playitas

    Best 09:00 to 12:00 local time: 5 ft at 12 s, wind 1 kn (3 km/h).

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Playitas

    Best 06:00 to 09:00 local time: 4 ft at 10 s, offshore wind.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight ORD to SJO, then 2h 20 by road. About 11h 20 door to door

The plan picks the best of 4 spots near Quepos each day: Boca quepos, Cutters Right, North Playitas, Playitas.

The trip from Quepos, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £760–£1,415 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to SJO, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag£255–£530
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£70–£120
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£170–£280
Food7 days eating out£160–£300
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£70–£120
Total£760–£1,415

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Quepos

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.