The beach town of Jaco in Costa Rica has grown up since we passed through on our honeymoon 13 years ago. (My husband, Dan, and I were married in San Jose in 1997.) In its infancy as a laid back surfer town back then, Jaco seems more like an unruly teenager these days.

Its main street, once lined with funky little shops selling surfboards and related surfer gear is now wall-to-wall with touristy bars, hipster restaurants serving international fare, and boutiques selling swanky clothes and designer sunglasses. And real estate, of course.

On either end of Playa Jaco, and on beach roads in between, you’ll find a myriad of high-rise condos. They start at about $199,000, although for an oceanview you’ll pay, on average, at least twice that. A new strip mall on the north end of town features an upscale supermarket, where you can buy any type of fast-food snack, gourmet cheeses, $100 bottles of wine, and yes, shop for real estate at a corner kiosk.

Jaco is a place to see and be seen. It’s the closest beach resort town to San Jose. The super-luxurious Los Suenos Marriott Resort and Marina with its million-dollar homes is just a hop and skip north up the highway. Another large golf and residential development is just a 20-minute drive to the south.

If you’re looking for a happening beach town with go-all-nightlife, Jaco fits the bill. (One of Costa Rica’s most famous red-light district pickup bars is here, to the consternation of locals.) So I was surprised to find the beach completely deserted when we stopped there just two days ago. Granted, it is low season and it was the middle of the week and mid morning at that…perhaps everyone was still nursing hangovers?

I’m sure that had we stayed into the evening the bar scene would have been quite lively. But this isn’t the lifestyle we’re after these days. And that’s okay. As my husband says, there’s a butt for every seat. If a barstool in Jaco sounds like the place for you, it’s now easier than ever to get there. The new toll road from San Jose will have you there in less than an hour (see the video below I took from our road trip).

(And to be fair, if you’re a boater or fisherman, I can’t think of a better place to live than Los Suenos, with its first-class marina.)

So what fits the bill better for us? The funky laid back vibe found farther south along the coast near the towns of Dominical, Uvita, and Ojochal.

You’ll find great restaurants there, too, and the occasional tourist-style boutique, but not on the beach—they’re tucked away into the jungle, mostly beside a babbling stream or two. And you won’t see high-rises. (You’ll pay about the same for a private home with an ocean view as you will for a small condo in Jaco.) See the second video below from Ojochal.

And when I say private, I really mean it. Like the restaurants, (still affordable) homes are tucked into the ridges and camouflaged by jungle. If you didn’t know they were there, you could almost forget they were…

Editor’s note: Suzan and Dan are in Costa Rica trying out the new roads…exploring the beaches…searching for the town with a perfect climate…and more. They’ll present their findings (and answer all questions) at IL’s Live and Invest in Costa Rica Seminar—August 11-13.