After visiting the Hanging Bridges at Arenal Místico Park, Riley and I made the drive to Playa Flamingo. This beach area is located in Guanacaste Province, 10 minutes north of Brasilito, 15 minutes north of its more famous cousin, Playa Conchal and thirty minutes north of the popular tourist stop, Tamarindo.
The drive is just over three hours. One-third of that time is spent traveling along the northern and western edges of the beautiful Lake Arenal. If you click on the active links in these first two paragraphs you can get a quick sense through Google Maps of the area and the drive.
Along the way, just past the little village of Nuevo Arenal, we stopped at a small restaurant and lodge called Hotel La Rana de Arenal. The unassuming place had great food, a beautiful view of the lake from the outside deck and a small fruit feeder for birds which was very active. This place makes a great stop if you are traveling between Arenal and Monteverde or the northern Pacific coast.
A few photos from Hotel La Rana de Arenal are below. I had never seen a Montezuma Oropendola visiting a fruit feeder, much less from a meter away!
At Playa Flamingo, Riley and I stayed at Margaritaville Resort. I researched and checked out many places along the beach in this area that looked like they would be interesting for a 20 year old and affordable. I was never terribly excited about this choice, but it seemed the best of the alternatives. While the place was nice and the restaurant and bar staff were attentive, it had much less activity than I expected. Additionally, the waves on the beach are too strong for swimming and the hotel had virtually no beach equipment, chairs or umbrellas. While the beach was beautiful and the hotel was nice, I would not pick it again if I return to the area.
Video of Playa Flamingo
A couple more pics (Riley finds and tames the only pit bull on the beach) and sunset video from Playa Flamingo:
The absolute best restaurant in the area with a view was Mar Vista. It is a private residential community, but anyone can visit the restaurant and enjoy the infinity pool and incredible view.
The highlight of the trip for both of us was the three hour horseback ride with Pacific Horses through the trails near the beach and galloping on the beach. We rode through Playas Brasilito, Conchal and Minas among others. Riley had grown up with horses and was thrilled to get to ride them on the beaches. Both of us could barely move the next day.
Riley on Linda and Grappa on Primavera
Riley and our guide Laeticia. Our guide spoke French, Spanish and only a few words of English, yet she and Riley communicated very well.
Before heading back to Grecia and then to the airport dark and early the next morning, we visited the little beach town of Tamarindo. While it is a tourist hotspot, it is crammed with nice little shops and restaurants.
Definitely a great trip with my granddaughter!
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