Perched on the lush hillsides above Dominical, Escaleras is an upscale enclave prized for sweeping ocean views and a tranquil, private setting just minutes from the coast. Escaleras Village offers a gourmet market, spa, café, and Scala, an open-air restaurant celebrated for inventive fusion dishes and cocktails infused with local fruits and herbs. Below, Dominical draws surfers with consistent breaks, while the sheltered bay of Playa Dominicalito offers gentler waves. Fuego Brew Co., the town’s first craft brewery and coffee roastery, pours local ales in a treehouse-style setting. Nearby, the two-tiered Nauyaca Waterfalls cascade into a natural swimming pool, and the 815-acre Hacienda Barú Wildlife Refuge offers rainforest trails, ziplining, and scarlet macaw sightings. To the south, Uvita’s Marino Ballena National Park reveals its famous whale-tail sandbar at low tide and hosts migrating humpback whales, while Ojochal’s acclaimed dining scene, led by Exotica, rounds out the region’s culinary appeal.