My boyfriend is still best friends with his core group of high school buddies and they all decided to go to Costa Rica! Thankfully, they let me join and we had the absolute best time. We had 10 people altogether, so it made planning a bit more difficult than if it were just 2-4 people, but we made it work and had a great time overall.

We visited Playa Flamingo, within the Guanacaste region of northern Costa Rica - near the Nicaragua border. We arrived Thursday around 1pm and left Tuesday around 1pm.

Here’s the breakdown for yall:

How We Got There

We flew into Liberia (LIR) airport in Costa Rica. We booked pretty last minute and during a super busy time, so our flights were way more expensive that what we’d ever typically spend. We used points, and made the justification that this trip was going to be special so we made it work.

Since returning, I’ve received travel deals to Liberia for $290 - so give yourself some time to book and you’ll have no problem finding a cheap flight.

You will need to rent a car. They don’t have Uber or any ride-sharing/taxis. Neal and I booked our SUV prior to the trip, another guy booked his at the airport. Booking at the airport was a bit cheaper, but he may not have gotten as high of insurance as we opted for.

If your accommodations offer an airport transfer, that may be worth looking into and also getting a golf cart to get around once in Playa Flamingo, but we had 2 SUVs, 1 golf cart, and 2 motorcycles lol. We used to golf cart for short trips within 10 minutes of the house, and SUV for longer trips. We used both quite often.
Use Waze or Google Maps - Apple Maps did not work for anyone on our trip.
The roads are incredibly treacherous. Giant potholes, huge puddles (the size of ponds), driving up and down mountains with very lax with road rules. We ran into traffic jams caused by cows herding, “maintenance” (this caused a stern discussion in my broken spanish to the road workers lol), and many other things you’ll likely run into. So keep this in mind when driving. Take your time, stay calm, and be safe :)

Where We Stayed

We had 10 people so we needed a larger place to stay. We stayed at Casa Miramar and it was amazing. We had a housekeeper, Martha, who was amazing. She only speaks Spanish, but she is super helpful and an incredible cook.

My only complaint, and it is a minor complaint, is there is the steepest hill to get to the house. It was definitely scary driving cars up to the house, especially after it rained as it gets very slick.

For 5 days, it was $482/pp for 10 people. The host, Jennifer, was incredibly helpful in answering all of our millions of questions and organizing excursions for us.

Where We Ate

Sentido Norte - this was my favorite restaurant. The sun sets EARLY in Costa Rica - like 6pm in June early. I didn’t check ahead of time the time of sunset, so I booked a dinner reservation for 7:45pm thinking we’d get a beautiful view. We missed sunset completely, but it was still an incredible dinner and restaurant.

It’s located about 20 minutes away from Playa Flamingo, but it is absolutely worth the drive and visit. Neal got the braised short ribs and I got the wagyu rigatoni.

Coco Loco - this restaurant is super chill and casual on the beach. They have covered open-air seating and also beach seating. If you’re looking for a no-frills beach dinner, this is your place. I got the chicken risotto and Neal got the Caesar salad.

Margaritaville - I just got a plain quesadilla and margarita here, because why mess with perfection? It’s right on the beach with public beach access, so I recommend spending a part of your day here!

Surf Box - Neal and I came here for breakfast one morning and it was so good! We kept meaning to go back, but never had the time. We split the acai bowl and a bagel, with 2 espressos. We loved this.

Patagonia del Mar - this was our last dinner out in Playa Flamingo and I think this was the majority of the group’s favorite. The food was amazing, but it is kinda bizarre placement of the restaurant. It’s right off the beach, with really nothing near it. They have a wine shop and an aged beef menu - so it’s a bit expensive, but everyone loved their meal and cocktails here. I got the garlic butter Mahi and Neal got these bolognese pasta roll-ups that were so so good.

I made a list of other restaurants that we didn’t get a chance to eat at, but would’ve liked to:

Amigos Tacos y Beer - casual tacos and burritos with local beer options.
A’lo Nico - French, laid-back breakfast or lunch cafe.
Angelina’s - upscale, homemade pasta.
Camparino - pizza, highly recommended.
The Beach House - cute shack on the beach with cheap eats.

Excursions

We took a catamaran boat ride to a private little lagoon with Lazy Lizard. They have alcohol and soda on-board and lunch included in your price, along with transfer to and from your accommodation. It was $93/per person for us, which I feel is a great deal. They have a giant lily pad float, pool noodles, and snorkeling gear. I went to the lily pad, but Neal went snorkeling and said he saw quite a lot of fish and sea urchins.

It isn’t a private boat option, so if that is what you want, I’d book with another company. However, we still had a fun time with 2 other groups.

On our last full day, we hiked La Leona. It’s about an hour and a half from Playa Flamingo. Keep in mind that this was a pretty treacherous hike… We had to climb and crawl over rocks, swim across quite a few creeks and ponds, and it is just generally tough terrain. However, the hike itself is beautiful.

I did end up getting my foot caught on some rocks and slipped in a creek and twisted my ankle, but I was the only clumsy one and there were no major injuries :)

On our first full day, Neal and I got a massage at margaritaville. If you’ve been reading my posts for a while, you know I love to get massages while traveling. This was by far the best massage I’ve ever had. I mentioned I’ve been getting sinus migraines, and could feel one coming, so they massaged my sinuses with a diluted peppermint oil and I think I entered another dimension in relaxation LOL.

The prices of the treatments are comparable to US prices, but it was an incredible massage so I was more than happy to pay that price. I would check on their daily special, because they do offer some specials. You do also need to pay ahead of time through their payment portal in order to book your treatment.

Others on our trip did horseback riding in Brasilito on the beach and saw monkeys, and ziplines through the jungle. Neal and I took the golf cart around that morning and drove all around Playa Flamingo and shopped.

Other Towns We Visited

We went to Tamarindo one night to get dinner and dance and it was a blast. We ate on the beach at a restaurant I personally wouldn’t recommend. There’s a food hall, called El Mercadito, that I would’ve preferred eating at, especially with a group. We ended up going there for drinks after dinner and had a blast.

Tamarindo has a bunch of clubs and bars. The city itself isn’t very big, but you can’t throw a rock without hitting a club playing loud music.

We also visited a neighborhood/town called Las Catalinas. This area is HIGH END. This is where Sentido Norte is located, and it really is a beautiful town. They have a town square with shops (I bought some sunglasses here that I didn’t take off the rest of the trip), restaurants, a gym, a grocery store, nail and hair salon and realty office. We spent maybe 2-3 hours walking around here, and despite it being the hottest I have ever been in my life, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Brasilito is the next closest beach to Playa Flamingo (going south), and it was beautiful. I wish we had explored this beach a bit more, but it looked so pretty and nice.

Tips and Tricks

Bring USD - everywhere we went preferred cash, and preferred US Dollars over their local currency.
Bring or buy bug spray and sunscreen. It is in a jungle and the hottest I have ever been. We were all eaten alive by no-see-ums and mosquitoes on the beach. You are also super close to the equator - no matter what time of year you visit - so you need sunscreen and coverage.
Pack light clothing with high coverage - like linen pants and long sleeve button downs to wear over your bathing suits or tank tops. Again, this was the hottest and most humid I have ever been in my life and I was thankful for loose and flowy clothing.
Bring walk-friendly terrain shoes (like chacos, sandals, tennis shoes). The ground is usually uneven, and tough to walk on. My tennis shoes and Chacos were well-used.

5 Days in Playa Flamingo