Sometimes we get questions from clients asking to indicate the difference between Tamarindo and Flamingo.  So, for all of you I will try to do so in this blog.

Basically they are two totally different towns.

Tamarindo has its origin as a vacation town for rich people from Santa Cruz. They built their vacation houses along the beach in the thirties. There are still a few of these wooden houses in colonial style left.  Besides that Tamarindo was just a little fishing “harbor”. The fishers themselves were living in Villarreal. About 8 years ago the last fisher sold his boat and started his tour fishing company.

Up till the last booming development in the beginning of this century, most of the buildings had only one store. Thanks to the crisis the development stopped so the small scale image was not totally ruined.

Flamingo is founded at the end of the fifties by an American family that built the Flamingo Resort, so called after the pink color that they gave their prestige hotel. From there the village was developed, mostly by American and mostly on big scale with buildings of 3 to 7 stores. On the outsides, up in the hill prestige big villas were built, mostly by American.

The waves in front of Tamarindo are very good for surfing. That attracts young sportive tourist from all over the world. The small scale image attracts both European and people from South America. This mixture makes that the Tamarindo tourists are very diverse.  This diversity you find back in the stores, bars, restaurants. All together Tamarindo is a very living town where you will find everything that makes your vacation a special one.

The ocean at the Flamingo beaches is calmer, not suitable for surfing. The style of the village and buildings attracts older American people who feel “like home” in a village like this, while younger, more adventure seeking people pass by. Shops, bars and restaurants are there for mostly tuned to the American taste.

I hope this information will make it easier for you to choose the right vacation destination for your taste and wishes.

The number one thing people ask me when they are planning their trip to Tamarindo and the surrounding areas is “What is there to do?”

Guanacaste is world famous for it’s surfing and while there are more than enough waves to keep a surfer entertained for weeks ( if not years…) for some people that just isn’t enough.

The Catalina Islands are a quick 2 hour boat ride from Tamarindo and offers some of the most diverse marine biology in the world. Scuba trips depart daily form Playa Tamarindo. You can also snorkel in the bay of Playa Conchal only 20 minutes from Tamarindo or Playa Grande and 30 minutes from Hacienda Pinilla.  Playa Conchal is famous for it’s white sand ( literally made up of thousands of crushed shells) and turquise water. visibilty is great here and snorkels and fins can be rented on the beach for $10. For an exceptional day try a Sunset sail which includes lunch, open bar, and five hours of bay hopping where you can snorkel with the sea turtles and see dolphins or whales. All tours leave Tamarindo around 1pm and sail back in at 6pm as the sun is setting.

If you prefer to stay on land you can choose from horseback riding, mountain biking, ATV tour, guided river boat tour or a Canopy tour. All of these activities can be booked from here in the office and usually last 2 hours.

As you can see there are many options for those that want to stay active on their vacation and of course you can always choose to get a massage at one of the many spas in town or lay by the pool with a good book and a cold beverage. Whatever you choose to do Guanacaste is sure to provide and unforgettable vacation.