My boyfriend and I were staying in nearby Punta Islita, but found the beach there to be very volcanic and rugged with silt-filled water. We took about a 30 minute drive north (due to bad roads, not the distance) and found Puerto Carillo! The beach is beautiful! Long crescent beach - easy to walk the whole thing. Lighter sand (but still hot!), and clearer water. There are some good waves here if you like to boogie board. It wasn't too hard to get in past the break, but you need to be careful or you could get pummeled. I'd classify the water as warm. Due to the lack of amenities, it was not overly crowded. Personally, I find that to be a good thing. No bathrooms. No restaurants. No shower/rinse facilities. There are a couple of vendors set up along the street selling coconut water, shaved ice, and a guy renting beach chairs/umbrellas. We paid $10 for two beach loungers and an umbrella and it was (necessary) heaven. There are some palms along the road that you can escape to if you don't feel like springing for man-made shade. Just be sure to bring everything else you need for a day at the beach along with you (towels, books, sunscreen, food, water, etc.) because you won't find it there!

The beach is beautiful and there were wild Scarlet Macaws eating almonds in the trees along the boulevard. Wonderful.