Hi Janice!

Bird-watching is fantastic in Costa Rica! Finca Luna Nueva in the La Fortuna area is lovely, too.

With respect to which beach is closest to La Fortuna, that would be either Playa Puntarenas (to the south) or the Playas del Coco/Playa Hermosa area (to the west). I wouldn’t recommend you visit either of these areas though; Puntarenas doesn’t offer much, and you’ll likely find the Playas del Coco area too busy/loud. May I ask, what draws you to Esterillos? I wouldn’t necessarily recommend Esterillos to you for bird-watching, or even for the beach. It is nicely positioned about an hour’s drive down the coast from the Carara National Park, and an hour’s drive up the coast from Hacienda Baru (two great bird-watching sites), but without a rental car, I don’t know if you’ll visit either/both of these places. When you say you want to spend a couple of days at the beach, do you mean you want to stay someplace by the coast, or actually on the beach to enjoy for swimming, sunbathing, etc.? I ask only because Hacienda Baru has accommodations; it’s not directly on the beach, but it isn’t far from Playa Dominical and other beaches.

If you haven’t already done so, do check out our Costa Rica Destination Tool (free for DIY Costa Rica members). We created the tool specifically to help travelers narrow down where to go during their trip, and it’s designed to filter 66 Costa Rica destination recommendations according to nearly 150 different criteria that span the categories of geographical region, popularity, atmosphere/vibe/style, ecosystems, climate/temperature, cultural interests, must-have sites and attractions, must-experience tours and activities, accommodation types, and other preferences. More specifically, it can help you narrow down the second Costa Rica destination you should visit by the exact criteria you mention: a place that’s not very popular or off the beaten path, a place that’s laidback and casual, a place that’s by the beach, and more.

Pura vida! 🙂