Costa Rica is famous among other things for for its Caribbean and especially Pacific beaches. And the place that started the beach-tourism boom back in the 1980s - because it was closest to capital San José, about an hour and a half drive away on the central Pacific coast  - is still one of the most popular. A town of around 10,000, bustling Jacó is centred around a 2½-mile volcanic-black-sand beach popular with bathers and surfers alike, and as the country's most developed beach resort town offers a wide range of facilities and amenities - great dining and water sports; amazing nightlife; and a wide variety of lodging for every budget, including hostels, small hotels, larger resorts, and condo/villa rentals. (And by the way, that development also means good roads/streets, sidewalks, and parking spots - not always a given in many Tico beach towns.)

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