There are roughly 15,000 residents spread out in the Coveñas township, but the more amiable and interesting area of town that will interest visitors is the short stretch of three beachfront hotels: resort-like yellow and blue Hotel La Fragata, apartment-style Villa Melissa, and modest white and blue Hotel Los Corales. The sea in front of the first two is really a horseshoe of beach protected by a jetty on both sides, with La Fragata’s bar on stilts in the middle of the ocean. A nice, long, white sand beach begins from Hotel Los Corales and extends half a mile down at Punta de Piedra. There are homes for rent along this part of the beach.

Mornings by the sea are calm. By noon, fierce sea breezes are at full gust. The ocean the warmest you will find in all of South America. Combined with the hot tropical sun, it will feel more like a Jacuzzi. Several pleasant days can be spent without notice here, as time somehow slips its way through your fingers. Weekenders mob the beach on the weekends, while the weekdays often see empty sand and sea.

The actual town of Coveñas is a few more miles down the road, but its general services and hotel prospects are grim. If you plan to spend a few days at the beach, check your email, go to the bank, and stock up on food in Tolú. Then, leave your worries behind, kick back and relax your very own coastal paradise.