Although most people would characterize the Southern Nicoya Peninsula as being very tranquil and slow…there is an abundance of nightlife in nearly every little town around the peninsula. Montezuma is the only town that boasts a full fledged Movie Theater” on the peninsula and there is no such thing as a Mall (although the hardware store in Cobano does sell just about everything). So, what do most people do at night? Well ... they dance!

Depending which town you’re visiting, it won’t take long to find out what’s going on every night of the week. And, with the exception of Sunday, there is usually something going on every night. You may drive 20 minutes to discover la fiesta, but I think you’ll like it. What defines a Fiesta in Costa Rica? Well, most of the time you’ll find a large open-aired environment sporting music, often live on the weekends, drinking and lots of dancing. It seems that nearly everybody here knows how to do hot and sexy Latin dancing. You’ll see couples dance non-stop ALL NIGHT LONG. You’ll see twirls, spins, jumps and shimmies. You’ll find that most of the dancing is Partner dancing and it can prove to be a very good time. Don’t be afraid to get out there and do your thing. Remember there is a bar present…booze helps with Limbering and Courage. I’ve seen some tourists from the north sporting entire protective “Dancing Kevlar” which is everything from a back and knee brace to non-skid shoes and a hat with a built in metronome.

I’m centrally located in Tambor. From Tambor, I know where everyone is going to be, every night of the week on the southern peninsula. Tambor is one of the smaller metropolises and we’re centrally located, so we, citizens of Tambor, are forced to journey a bit to find the nightlife. From Tambor, the basic Nightlife Breakdown is as follows:

On Mondays it would be best to head all the way down to Santa Teresa and check out Tabu bar and nightclub. This is an open-air bar situated smack dab on the beach. You’ll find a strong mix of locals as well as tourists from around the globe. Monday Tabu is famous for their Reggae night! Things usually don’t get started until around 10 pm but the party is sure to be there and it will continue until the early morning. Be prepared for a great sound system, cheap drinks and a bonfire to sit, dance and gather around.

On Tuesday we’re back in Mal Pais for the Movie Night at The Place. The Place is a beautiful bar within a 5 minute walk to the magical beaches of Mal Pais. They have wonderful food and a comfortable seating area for movie time. They don’t serve popcorn but the bar is definitely open for business. Relax after a nice meal and a few cocktails and watch as the movie screen stretches itself across the pool and the lights dim for the movie. They typically play front running movies and it is a pleasure to have the opportunity to see a Relatively new movie here on the peninsula. Cost is 2,000 Colones or about $4.

On Wednesdays you have a couple of options. The most popular spot to catch tourists will definitely be at The Surf Camp in Mal Pais. This, too, is an open-aired venue with a large bar and plenty of seats. Wednesday night is “Open-Mic” night for anyone who knows how to play any sort of instrument. The bar provides the guitars, basses, drums and sound equipment while the audience provides the musicians, vocalists, cheers and hand claps. There are a few regulars on Wednesday nights that usually hold a jam session until audience participation picks up. It’s really cool to see the local talent come out of the wood work and jam a bit. Again, it’s probably no coincidence that audience participation usually occurs towards the middle and end of the evening after a half dozen Imperials have been consumed. This party is sure to go until all hours of the morning. For those who don’t enjoy the loud assembly of a make-shift band, The Surf Camp is a very large bar offering seating and roaming space away from the musical action of the main bar. There is an “Annex” bar situated towards the back which offers cold beers and incredible, grilled chicken, which tends to be a fantastic, cheap and delicious snack for the semi-inebriated. Did I mention the Mechanical Bull? Well, as far as I know, The Surf Camp has the only Mechanical Bull on the southern peninsula. It comes complete with a padded arena and plenty of spectators. Don’t be afraid to step on up to the challenge! When you have your friends or loved ones on the Bull, those are the pictures that last forever!

If you’re not into traveling to Mal Pais and want to check out some local action, head to Paquera for the Karaoke Night! Paquera is a small Pueblo of hard-working Costa Ricans who enjoy putting on their best garb and heading out for a night of dancing and singing. You’ll find that the price of drinks in Paquera will be less expensive than other, more touristy, locations and the atmosphere is very friendly. You’ll also hear some local talent give singing a shot. You’ll find that the local crowds are much less reserved in their participation! Get ready for the dancing, the whooping and the hollering!

On Thursday, you need to head to Tambor for their biggest night of dancing. Situated on the beach of Bahia Ballena is the large Warehouse structure called, Bailar (to dance). This, too, is a local event but it should be experienced by everyone. Several folks from Cobano will stop on by, too. The Bailar has enough speakers that you’ll have no problems finding the place. In fact, the first time I ventured to the Bailar, I simply drove towards the beat. There are few table in the Bailar but it’s one of the largest forums for dancing that you’re going to find in Nicoya. You’ll hear all of the latest Latin music and probably some of the older stuff as well. If you enjoy watching couples dance, you’re going to love the Bailar. It will appear as if most locals consider Thursday nights to be a dance competition. The best of the best will show but don’t be afraid to try a few of the local moves…there is plenty of room and plenty of help, if you ask for it.

Also, in Montezuma they have an Electronic Music expose at the Luz de Mono. Here they feature electronic dance music creating a Groove lounge type feel. Luz de Mono is another open-aired venue with a lot of foliage. It is shaped like a huge gazebo! The D.J. is always within arms reach for any requests!

Now begins the weekend. For Friday and Saturday nights, every little town or province will have its hot spots but some are more popular than others. In Mal Pais, you can visit Mar Azul. This is an incredible location for a party and they do it better than anyone in Mal Pais. Mar Azul is right on the beach and is huge! They have the tarp-covered sandy dance floor. They usually sport at least two bonfires on opposite ends of the beach. They have a pool table in the adjacent bar. There are plenty of table and chairs for large groups or singles. They have plenty of bathroom facilities to accommodate the masses, too. There is, also, a second bar on the beach so you don’t have to fight the crowd at the main bar. The thing that I think is really cool about Mar Azul is that they have a Northern European Circus in town every Friday night! You will see fire juggling, hula hoop dancing, trapeze artists swinging from the trees, costumes, paint, exotic dancing and acrobats. With the waves crashing nearby and the fire dancers in the distance and the music oozing with the rhythm of the tropics, it’s no question that the ambience they’ve created is damn-near perfect. Check out Mar Azul on Friday nights. You’ll be talking about it for quite some time.

For Saturday night, you have an interesting series of parties that occurs in Cobano at Las Piscinas and the Disco at Los Delfines. Los Delfines is a private community just 5 minutes East of Tambor. However, the restaurant, bar and Disco are open to the public. The routine here seems to be to hit the Disco in Cobano around 10 pm and then drive to the Disco at Los Delfines at about 12:30 in the morning. The Disco at Los Delfines has its 24 Hr. liquor license and they aren’t afraid to use it! Their parties have been known to go until 5 and 6 in the morning! If you can follow suit and keep up, you’ll probably have a lot of stories to tell your friends and possibly some stories you’d rather keep a secret! Good luck at Los Delfines…Hopefully you’ll catch one of their Themed parties like, Lingerie and Intimate Apparel night. Those have been known to get a little out of hand!

If you’re on the other side of the peninsula and don’t want to make the drive to Tambor, head down to Santa Teresa. This is probably the most consistent night club in the Santa Teresa / Mal Pais area. They have been hosting Salsa night on Saturdays since they put Santa Teresa on the map. They are the kings of Saturday night and, if you go there, you will see why. You’ll see the hottest dances performed by the hottest locals. The whole place erupts into a Spanish MTV video. It’s hot, it’s sweaty and it easily fulfills any stereotype of what a hot, Latin nightclub should be! If you’ve got a few moves, this is the place to show them off! Or, if you just like to be apart of it all, there is plenty of room for you and the Margarita’s are great!

And now it’s finally Sunday! Pheeew! Most Sundays are made to just relax. Head to the beach and recharge the batteries. If you’re just getting home from Delfines at 6 in the morning, you probably won’t even see much of Sunday. No matter, just get plenty of rest because tomorrow is Reggae night at Tabu in Santa Teresa! You’ve got to be ready for that!