The Sportsmen's Suite has an outer room with a seascape bar where sea breezes will be a companion to festivities.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

After dark the Monkey Bar takes on a festive, informal atmosphere.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Gerado Brenes, left, mans boats for Jorge Sequeira, right, who also runs a seafood restaurant, Camaron Dorado, in addition to his sports fishing enterprise.
 
 

It´s always great to stay at this superior hotel consisting of rooms and condos overlooking the lively marina. General Manager Steen Oldenburg is one of those "people" persons who loves to chat with his guests, taking a personal interest in their comfort and pleasure during their stay. 

Along with the ocean view, the delights of the resort are multiple: tennis courts, five swimming pools, kiddy pools, hot tubs, a dive shop, and a well-stocked gift and clothing shop. An outdoor snack and pizza bar have been added to one of the pools, available for private parties. And of course, at the central pool, the legendary Monkey Bar continues to do a brisk business in drinks and nibblies. 

RISING STARS

The big news is that Flamingo Marina Resort recently graduated from 3 stars to a 4-star facility, following the updating of rooms and the completion of its 60-capacity conference center. Interestingly, when the furnishings were replaced, the older pieces were all given away to the hotel employees. 

Accommodations vary from (a) Standard at $105 for a double; (b) the Sportsman Suite at $135, featuring a semi-open patio with whirlpool tub, a bar and sitting area; Condos with balconies at $280. Tax is extra. Air conditioning units are noiseless, and in the condos have remote-controlled climate zones for each room. E-mail: tickledpink@flamingomarina.com, or telephone (506) 654-4141 for reservations.

Anyone interested in purchasing one of the few remaining condos at $225,000 should know that pets are permitted. Dra. Claudia Mantilla is in residence on the premises for the care of two-legged guests. The dive shop on-site, providing training and adventures in scuba and snorkeling, is operated by Eduardo Muños and his instructors, all U.S. certified. Underwater cameras preserve the thrill forever. 

TASTY TREATS OF FOOD AND MUSIC

Happily, Chef "Men" Luis Angel Murillo is still manning the kitchen, specializing in the day´s catch from the ocean and tender steaks or poultry recipes, all prepared to your liking. Interesting new desserts keep popping up, but old favorites include the cheesecake in a drizzle of sauce. Breakfasts are part of the room package. Portions tend to be large here, keeping up the strength of vacationers with active agendas.

Thursday through Saturday, the tables are moved out of the open-fronted dining room, and placed around the pool where musicians entertain with marimba and guitar. Any day or evening, the Monkey Bar brings together hotel guests and local residents for drinks in a cheerful ambiance. 

Take your choice of barstools under the canopy, or splash up to the swimming pool seats. Sports events are featured on the large screen above the bar. Below the waterfront condominiums is a quiet stretch of sandy beach with safe swimming in the cove. 

SO MUCH TO SEE AND DO

Tours are readily available to volcanoes and national parks, or to the Guaitil hamlet near Santa Cruz for handmade Chortega pottery. Excursions to Playa Grande between the months of October and May present the exciting spectacle of giant leatherback turtles coming ashore to lay their eggs. All your adventure wishes are fulfilled at the front desk by efficient and friendly staff. Don´t leave Flamingo without taking a mini-cruise perhaps two of them, including the sunset sail. 

THE FISH ARE JUMPIN´

Not to miss out on the excellent fishing from the northerly Gulf of Papagayo down to southerly Golfito, contact Jim McKee at the Flamingo Marina, whose 52-foot boat, the Shannon, once took him around the world. He can be reached at (506) 654-4537, cellular 395-8512, or at marflam@marflam.com. Offshore, the pursuit is for sailfish, marlin, wahoo, mahi mahi, shark and tuna. Inshore, the catch is red snapper, roosterfish, grouper and jack crevalle, among others. 

Captain Gerardo Brenes is another sportfishing expert and licensed guide who operates the boats of Jorge Sequeira. Log onto www.dorado1V.com, tel/fax 654-4028 for Jorge, or contact Captain Gerardo at 654-5187 and 654-4350, e-mail crtropitur@hotmail.com. Gerardo, who also happens to be a airplane pilot, has a boat of his own as well, and conducts seven- or eight-day cruises to the Coco Isles.

THE BEST BITES ARE ON YOUR PLATE

Jorge Segueira, owner of the above sportfishing enterprise, is also known for his superb seafood restaurant Camaron Dorado, located about a mile from Flamingo in Brasilito. The seafood practically leaps from the ocean to your table, as you sit along the sand watching the waves roll in. At night, the surf can still be seen as well as heard, thanks to floodlights on the beach. The restaurant will provide free van service to and from any of the hotels for guests who call 654-5187 for dinner reservations at Camaron Dorado. 

Because locals and tourists alike tend to travel between beaches to sample different restaurants, we´ll give honorable mention here to a few other tried & true ones: Again at Playa Brasilito, there´s L´Ancora (654-4571) for good Italian and Seafood, run by Chef Gaetano and wife Yami. Spanish cooking at its best can be found at Restaurante Rancho Grande, which is part of Guanacaste Lodge in neighboring Potrero Beach. Call 654-4494.

TO-ING AND FRO-ING

Sansa (221-9414) flies to both Tamarindo and the International airport at Liberia for $66, with ground service to Flamingo. Fantasy/Grayline vans (220-2126) cover the San José/Flamingo trip for $25, and 
the Tralapa bus (654-4203) costs about $7. Fares quoted are one way. Driving takes between five and six hours.