Playa Flamingo

Flamingo is the polished counterpart to Tamarindo's surf-town energy: calmer, more residential, built around a genuinely beautiful crescent of white sand and the modern marina behind it. If your trip centers on boats — serious fishing, diving the Catalinas, private charters — Flamingo is where much of that fleet actually ties up.

From Tamarindo it works as either a beach day-trip or the departure point for a boat trip; many cruises pick up in both towns. Plenty of visitors split the difference — base in one, spend a day in the other — and if you need a ride between them, a private driver is simpler than it sounds.