Restaurants
Every body's talking about Bongo's Beach Bar in Surfside across from the Bahia Flamingo Hotel--which will soon be open (we hope).
The best restaurant is Villas Pacifica between Brasillito on the way to Flamingo for continental cuisine. Expensive but very good. Tio's in Flamingo is a festive for great US style Tex/Mex and hanging out at the bar; The Rancho in Brasilito by Hotel Brasilito is good and inexpensive-- a lot better than the hotel which is just cheap. Hal's on the way to Potreo, has good chicken and pizza. Marie's near the Marina in Flamingo serves great breakfasts & don't forget LaPerle's, also a hot spot in the happenings of Surfside. Tamarindo is a great for a day/evening trip for swimming and dinning. The dining hotspots are Stella's for Italian, The Fish Shack for whole grilled fish; Zully Mar on the beach for hanging out with the surfers and Euro's; and Passatiempo for a US insipred menu. Sunset drinks are fun at the Hotel Flamingo Marina, overlooking the harbour.
North of Flamingo take a delightful/romantic lunch at Sugar Beach hotel 7km north. The beach is very pretty. If you are really inspired and want to explore, go the hour drive to the Iguana Azul resort further south of Tamarindo, and dine by the pool.
Forget the big hotels, unless you like overpriced standard fare, served by indifferent waiters.
And many local places have hearty Ticoš food at afforable prices, with lots of Gallo Pinto (black beans and rice) on the side. A "casado" plate might run $3 and fill you quite up.
šTico-natives of Costa Rica
