09/08/2026
Playas del Coco Prepares for a New Era as Marina Development Moves Forward
Playas del Coco, Guanacaste.
After years of conversation and planning, momentum is building around the long-envisioned marina on the southern end of Playas del Coco Bay. The project, based on a real concession initiative, is expected to become a major piece of local infrastructure and tourism. Alongside the marina itself, discussions include a newly paved access boulevard to ease traffic into the southern part of town, as well as a new bridge across the estuary, designed to better connect the community and improve flow for drivers and pedestrians. For nearby Las Palmas residents, plans also describe a landscaped waterfront promenade running all the way to the marina, with benches, lighting, shade trees, and bicycle parking. A complimentary shuttle is also expected to run throughout the day, connecting Las Palmas directly with the waterfront. Organizers say the marina will emphasize Costa Rica’s long-standing relationship with Canadian travelers. Transactions at the marina are expected to be processed in Costa Rican colones and Canadian dollars, and seasonal partnerships with Canadian travel providers are also being explored.
Rather than focus solely on boats, the marina is also expected to establish itself as a new social center for Playas del Coco, with an ambitious calendar of free community events.
Residents and visitors aged 60 and over will be particularly well served. Proposed activities include waterfront bingo nights, sunset karaoke, shuffleboard socials, morning stretching classes, afternoon card tournaments, movie nights, trivia competitions and other programming inspired by the very best traditions of North American retirement communities and RV parks.
A special “Welcome Canada” program is also expected to recognize the importance of Canadian tourism to Guanacaste. During the high season, Canadian visitors can expect special activities and marina programming designed to make longer-term winter residents feel particularly at home. The decision to conduct marina transactions in both Costa Rican colones and Canadian dollars further reflects the project’s commitment to this important tourism market.
The improvements will extend well beyond the marina itself. New roads will be paved to provide improved access to the southern portion of the bay, while a new bridge at the estuary will create another important connection within the community.
Las Palmas stands to benefit considerably. A new paved pedestrian walkway connecting Las Palmas with the marina will provide residents with a comfortable route to the waterfront development. For those who consider walking several kilometers in the Guanacaste heat an unnecessarily aggressive form of retirement, a free daily shuttle between Las Palmas and the marina will provide an alternative.
The shuttle is expected to help ensure that the marina benefits from the considerable contribution of the high-quality residential population already established in Las Palmas, while giving those residents convenient access to restaurants, events, boating activities and the marina’s growing social calendar.
Together, the marina, new roads, estuary bridge, pedestrian connection and community programming represent a remarkably comprehensive vision for the future of Playas del Coco. If everything proceeds according to plan, residents may soon find themselves living in a community with improved infrastructure, world-class boating facilities and enough complimentary bingo to make leaving Coco altogether seem unnecessary.
For a town that has spent decades evolving from a small Guanacaste fishing community into one of the country’s best-known beach destinations, the marina could mark another significant chapter.
And for Canadians arriving next winter, the message could hardly be clearer:
Welcome to Coco. Bring your loonies. Bingo starts at seven.
While the Playas del Coco marina project itself is real, various infrastructure projects, transportation services, currency policies, events and other details described above have been invented for humorous purposes and should not be interpreted as official announcements, because nobody ever in their right mind would do such a ridiculous thing as this.
