Tamarindo, Costa Rica - aka Tamagringo, Costa Rica

Here's a quick look at the center of town.  Tamarindo is pretty touristy, LOTS of gringos, most shops take US dollars, and people from counties other than the US that come to Tamarindo to learn Spanish say that their English actually improves during their visit.  

The center of town is small, only a couple city blocks long, but it has most everything you need: restaurants, shops, a couple small grocery stores, a small pharmacy, one bank, AND a Subway!  I need to stop in and see if they do a 5 dollar footlong (because of all the Americans here), or if they have their own catchy song for a 2500 colones footlong.   Not important.  Moving on....

The roads are mostly dirt, but the main road is pavement- cappy pavement, but pavement nonetheless.  The big snazzy resorts and hotels are a several minute drive down the road (or a 20 minute walk).   Conveniently, my school is a 2 minute walk from the center of town, which is great.  From the school to the far end of the town center is only about a 10 minute walk too, so everything is nearby.