The Gulf of Papagayo is a large body of water off Guanacaste province

Guanacaste Province

Guanacaste is a province of Costa Rica located in the northwestern part of the country, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. To the north it borders Nicaragua. To the east is the Alajuela Province, and to the southeast is the Puntarenas Province. It is the most sparsely populated of all the...

 and the northwestern coast of Costa Rica

Costa Rica

Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....

. It lies at 10.7°N 85.8°W.

The Gulf and its coastline are part of a major tourism project by Costa Rica's government. Several expensive hotel chains and real estate developers plan to turn this region into a model tourism center where the natural environment and commercial development can coexist. One of the major resorts in the area is the Allegro Papagayo

Allegro Papagayo

Allegro Papagayo is an all-inclusive resort that is located in Costa Rica's Gulf of Papagayo.The Four Seasons and the Fiesta Resorts are in the same neighborhood. The resort has 300 rooms with rates of up to $150 per night...

.

Among the most popular destinations on the Gulf of Papagayo are Ocotal Beach, Playas del Coco, Playa Hermosa, and Playa Panama. The Papagayo peninsula is the most developed area in the gulf region.