Playa Flamingo

I returned from Playa Flamingo a week ago today. Though, late, I still prefer to describe my first time on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Playa Flamingo is located in the providence of Guanacaste, which is well-known for its beautiful beaches. The closest city is Tamarindo, probably about a twenty minute car ride to the south. It is pretty isolated, except for equally distant small beach towns a drive away.

We stayed at Playa Flamingo Beach Resort which is a four star resort. No, I usually don’t travel in such high class but, a friend from Philadelphia sent me a Groupon.com link for 50% off the usual price. So, Emily and I were fortunate enough to stay at this luxurious resort for $45.50 per night combined. From San Jose, it took us about 4 hours to get to Santa Cruz. From Santa Cruz we took a local bus that circled around every town from there to Playa Flamingo which took an additional 2 hours, though the bus cost us about $3. 

Our rooms we’re ready because we had arrived before 2:00 PM so we stopped at an adjacent restaurant to our resort ironically called, “Marie’s” (ironic because I am now missing my mom, Marie). We had some drinks and split some bocas- yucca fries, ceviche, quesadilla con jalapenos. Then we headed back to the hotel and checked into our rooms. It was typical of a resort that catered to Americans- picturesque huts to get drinks and food beneath and a large pool with white lounge chairs strategically and neatly laid besides the pool. We immediately got changed into our bathing suits and went down to concierge to ask about the all-inclusive. For $60 per day for a minimum of two day we decided that the all-inclusive would probably be a bargain. Jose, at the concierge, was even kind enough to allow us to start the all-inclusive that day- Thursday. So, we swam up to the bar and had some typical overpriced vacation drinks- Miami Vices and (drinks subsequently named) Pura Vidas. It was amazing how Americans were so common to this resort. And after hearing Spanish so much the loud demanding voices of Americans stuck out severely. We met some Brasilians and I chatted with the little Portuguese and broken English that they knew. We even hung out with them after the pool, but we all became lost in translation so Emily and I had dinner in the resort not long after. After a busy day of traveling and treating our bellies to as much food as we could see, an early night was prevalent.

The next day we took advantage of our all-inclusive breakfast. It included pinto de gallo (literally translated this means spotted rooster, but it is rice and beans with cilantro, fruits, yogurt, juices infused with lots of sugar, sweet breads (not brains, literally breads that are sugarified), toast, sachlicon, eggs, etc. Pinto de gallo is part of a very sustainable breakfast and plus eating rice for breakfast is something I particularly enjoy.  I placed a huge mound of pinto on my plate with fried cheese. The fried cheese almost looked like deep-fried tofu and can taste like mozzarella sticks. I also helped myself to a large bowl of fruit and yogurt. To wash it all down I usually require at least two cups of café con leche (hot milk). With Emily and the view of the ocean not too far away it was a nice breakfast. After stuffing ourselves we decided it was a good idea to change into our bathing suite and take advantage of the pool. We got some drinks and swam in the pool while chatting with many Americans on vacation at this resort. We found a woman from North Carolina who knew Dr. Paul Farmer from “Mountains beyond Mountains”. The story traces the life of physician and anthropologist Paul Farmer who has ties with Haiti. She treated us to dinner with her family at a restaurant on the beach. Most of the dinners in Playa Flamingo were unfortunately not that good. Although we all ordered different kinds of fish they all looked the same and tasted similar. After dinner we had some drinks at our resort.

At 12:00 midnight on my birthday, per my request, we headed to the beach and swam in the ocean. The ocean was dark, but very warm. No mysterious objects or seaweed was rampant throughout the ocean which made it more comfortable for me. The sky was completely clear- very few and far between during the rainy season. We swam past the breaker under a blanket of stars and unknown constellations. It was one of my best birthday’s ever. I find so much happiness in nature, specifically stars.

The next two days we alternated between being beach bums and ocean bums- taking cover when it rained in the late afternoons. We also made sure to sit on the beach for every sunset since the Pacific is obviously known for its gorgeous sunsets. However, the mosquitoes were quite a hindrance. They found any and all ways to attack my Italian blood even through cloth. 

It was nice to feel lavish at a resort, but it takes away from experiencing the culture. We learned that it is better for us at least to be accommodated in smaller hotels where we can obtain more about the culture. But, it’s also nice to pamper yourself every once in a while. After the last two beach vacations I am wanting to experience more natural areas of Costa Rica like mountains, rainforests, cloud forests, and volcanoes. So, to fulfill my nature side those are goals of mine while I am a tourist in this beautiful place consequently called Costa Rica.