The weather. We all experience it, so it’s great for small talk. But should you find your conversation veering off into weather talk, it’s typically the last sputter of conversation before people realize they ran out of things to talk about. Or they never really had much to talk about in the first place. Yet, when you’re here Playa Grande, weather talk isn’t an indication the conversation has fizzled. It’s quite the contrary.

It’s a common thread for why we come to Costa Rica. Cloudless days are standard forecasting beginning sometime in November, and they last until May. Many people return to Grande during this time, year after year for guaranteed sunshine. Tourists from the Northern Hemisphere descend upon the pristine shores of Costa Rica for a concentrated dose of vitamin D. Visitors are discovering Playa Grande is a great place to shed winter clothes—and have an excuse to sip tropical drinks garnished with exotic fruit. But the wildlife and locals have been doing their rain in secret dances since March.

Finally one day in May, at the discretion of Mother Nature, the skies gray and the much-anticipated rains arrive along the Guanacaste shoreline. This time of year has been dubbed “rainy season”, but it’s a bit of a misnomer. True rainy season here is September and October. May through August is more accurately described as green season. These few months transform the semi-arid Playa Grande into a lush tropical forest. The land bursts with fresh growth, and critters like the brazen purple land crab make their seasonal debut. More and more travelers are beginning to discover green season is a favorable time to come to Playa Grande. Rental rates are typically lower, and the temperatures are more favorable.

When summer vacation rolls around, heading to the tropics is rarely considered. The question of “why go some place hotter than where I am now?” is, understandably, a valid one. Anyone who’s been to Disneyworld in July understands how brutal and unforgiving high temperatures are. If Florida is an inferno during summer months, flying closer to the equator seems counterintuitive.

However, with rain comes leaves. And with leaves comes shade. 85 degrees isn’t so bad when you’re covered by a broad leaf canopy. Scorching heat and asphalt—now that’s a different story. With the exception of the entrance of Playa Ventanas, Playa Grande isn’t particularly shady, but other close by beaches such as Playa Danta, Playa Conchal, and Bahia de los Piratas have trees for beach goers to park it under. Green season provides a unique opportunity to bring a picnic and cooler to the beach and last all day thanks to the shade. In other words, green season in Playa Grande is one of our best kept secrets.