Explore Dominical and the Coast
LOCAL FARMERS’ MARKET
Every Friday morning from 8:00 to 1:30, there’s a farmers’ market in Dominical at Patron’s Restaurant and Event Center. Called “Eco Feria”, not only are there local fruits and veggies but local artists come from all over the area to sell their unique jewelry, furniture, art and clothing. It’s really a one of a kind delight not to be missed. Click here for more information.
Dominical showing the main street through town. Almost all of the restaurants and surf shops are on this street.
Spa
Sore from your surf lesson and zip line adventure? Algeria Soul Spa is a must visit. While we highly recommend the rice massage and banana leaf wrap there are all sorts of treatments provided at Algeria. They’ll even come to the villa and set up for a massage on your veranda while you relax all your senses to the sound of the rolling waves. alegria soul spa
GROCERIES
The local small grocery stores have been overshadowed by the very large BM chain, but between Mama Toucan’s and and Super Mercado, you can generally find 90% of what you need. One challenge is that the new BM Supermercado is actually quite good, especially if you want to have one shop for all your needs. However, we hope that the independent grocers can continue to compete.
Mama Toucan's
A large organic and natural food store featuring a wide range of products, including vegan and gluten-free items, fresh bread, prepared foods, and local chocolate. It’s downtown near Mono Congo. For those who value shopping at an organic food store, you’ll love Mama Toucan’s.
Super Dominical
They often have fresh tortillas and always a broad wine and liquor selection as well as a very helpful staff. These are the local guys and we like to support locals! As you drive south on the highway past the entrance to Dominical, you’ll see an ascending driveway to the left that has about half a dozen businesses. “Plaza Pacifico”. Turn left and the driveway and park at the top. This is a terrible picture, unfortunately, but it’s the positive vibe inside that’s important.
BM Supermercado
This is a large chain of very good supermarkets. We’ve generally driven to Uvita to shop there for produce and fresh meats, as well as cleaning items, personal care items, office supplies, etc. Wide selection. Sort of like a Safeway or Raley's or Target from the U.S. Now they are in Dominical, and while we worry about the small retailers, it’s sort of inevitable.
Ceviche Stands
Be on the lookout for fresh ceviche sold at little stands on the highway south of the entrance to Dominical (and elsewhere). We’re in the habit of buying one (or more) containers of fish ceviche as an afternoon snack. Tostitos “scoops” are an excellent ceviche delivery device, while others prefer saltine crackers or flavored tortilla chips. To each his own, we say.
I am reminded by one of the owners that, after trying each of these stands repeatedly over the last 20 years or so, we like the yellow stand in the upper left the best. It’s not dramatically different, but we’d start there.
Fuego Kid’s Store
As we’ve mentioned, Fuego in Dominical is one of our favorite watering holes, but who would have thought that the owners also have terrific taste in a kid’s store? Saddled between the two entrances to the restaurant is Fuego Kid’s Store, and it’s adorable, with quality educational toys, most of which have a Costa Rican flair.
The store is truly “retail theater” with a hollow tree for kids to climb on and in, two spiral staircases that are a tribute to Costa Rican carpentry, and several rooms to explore. Once our grandkids discovered Fuego Kid’s Store, we had to promise them ice cream to get them to leave. Oh, and you can get healthy frozen fruit bars right onsite.
Surfing and water safety
Many, perhaps most, people visit Dominical for the surf. Depending on the tide and swell, you can have surf that is great for anyone from beginners to experts, and it is extremely accessible by just paddling out from the beach. It can also be a little overwhelming, so know the conditions and consider taking lessons from one of the many excellent surf schools and surf camps in town. We like Costa Rica Surf Camp, but others are very good as well.
It is possible to surf immediately in front of the villas. However, and this is true for most of Costa Rica, you have to be careful of the rip currents. These localized currents will take you away from shore, and they have been responsible for many drownings. The recommendation is: don’t fight the current by swimming against it, swim parallel to the beach, and realize that the current dissipates with distance from the shore.
See the Surfing section of this site here.
Eco-Tourism and adventures
In Costa Rica, the word "tourism" is inevitably preceded by "eco-" The Costa Ricans are justifiable proud of their gorgeous country, and offer hundreds of excursions and activities that allow visitors to see the jungle, rain forest, waterfalls, and biodiversity.
Dominical is ideally suited as an eco-tourism mini-hub of sorts because of the gorgeous ocean and beach, the coastal mountains that rise immediately behind it, and the generous rainfall. The area gets about 100" (250 cm) of rain per year, so it is lush and gorgeous.
This is one of the reasons that so many young adults come to Dominical. Sure, there’s surfing, but there’s also a healthy lifestyle with yoga, good food, good exercise, and the sounds and oxygen of the rainforest.
The Villas
There are lots of lovely places to stay in Costa Rica, yet very few are on the beach, and have direct access to the ocean. When we found a piece of property nestled in the forest but very close to the beach, we bought it despite the many complications of owning property in the “Maritime Zone.” Regardless, we’re delighted we did because the proximity to the beach is vital to making full use of the beauty of Costa Rica
