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HOTEL STYLE
Harbour View
Mid-range
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish
Location
Santa Cruz, Playa Flamingo 1100 Costa Rica
Flamingo Marina Resort
3.4 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Great location. Good to sleep. Nice ocean views. There is no staff. No restaurant. Everything is very basic and outdated but functional if what you need is to sleep well. Restaurants, marina and beach close by. Good parking place.
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Date of stay: December 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Â Make sure to look for the guy to open the room. Do not expect much.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This place is a great place for families, but is rather not that accomodating for young couples, college students, or anyone looking for more excitement. The resort itself is great for anyone looking to relax. There are 4 nice pools, and its own private beach. The beach leaves something to be desired, since there are large rock formations in the water and a small stretch of sandy area, you can pretty much rule out anything except wading and launching a kayak. The sand is dark, and hard most the time due to the high tide. I had the fortune of seeing a couple rooms here. One was really nice a modern, and very very clean, the other was less modern with older furnishings, but still really clean. Because there are several types of rooms here, its hard to know what your getting. Personally, I stayed in a 2 bedroom condo on the upper part of the hill and loved it. It had its own private pool. There are several families that actually live in the complex, so depending on where you stay, the rooms could vary. There is one bar/cantina/night club besides the hotel bar within walking distance, it's fun but mostly tourists with the exception of some local hookers (seriously, they hang out there most nights). There are also some small convience stores nearby. Tamarindo has much more as far as a town goes, but I would stay here despite the short drive just for the serenity.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Using Foders 2004 Guide, we embarked on Costa Rica with adventure around every turn! We (my two teens 15 and 17, and I) rented 4 wheel drive SUV and "did it all". Our last stop prior to heading back to San Jose was the Flamingo Marina Resort.
The hotel is not too close to any of the quaint towns we had grown to love. The hotel is atop a cliff looking out over the Pacific. There are mountains surrounding the bay and the sunsets are breath-taking~The colors all seem to blend.
The room itself was VERY dated. Foders described "taracotta lamps"...That should be reworded "plastic lamps with a neo-KMartian flair". The room did have a nice view of the bay, but it lacked any type of charm. Brown, chipped sink, brown toilet and bidet...dark room. few lights. Small window...
The pools were stratigaclly situated where there would be the best views and the grounds were beautiful.
If handicapped, travelling with young children or experience any difficulty getting around, this is not the best spot. EVERYTHING is up and/or down flights of stairs. The beach is quite a hike up many stairs.
The staff did not go out of its way to be friendly. In every other area in Costa Rica, we found the Ticos amazingly warm. Here, there seemed to be total lack of warmth and joy. Any request (towels for the pool, "where is the dining area"... seemed to be asking too much.
On a personal note, we are divers and were quite excited to dive in this part of the world....UNTIL...we went to a beach (down the hill and around the corner from the hotel) and it was infested with very poisonous (but not too aggressive) yellow-bellied sea-snakes. In a matter of 20 minutes, we counted 14 very alive snakes writhing in the sand. Some speculated that they came ashore to have their (live) young. Regardless, my 15 year old got that "there is no way in &*$&# that I'm going in that water!"...Needless to say, we opted for the jacuzzi and pool for the remainder of our stay. Again, a very cool adventure, but a little too "Wild Kingdom" to join them!
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This is not a resort in any shape or form but a broken down hotel . From the pictures it looks cute and great views but when you pull up it’s nothing like the pictures . Old , dilapidated, run down . Be careful if you have luggage bc you will slip down a series of ramps designed to elevate no elevator. Once you finally get the broken down door open you will see something out of 1980 w cracked walls , falling down ceilings , beds that look like they belong in a homeless shelter , a bathroom that is more like a hole in the wall . We left immediately, owner has no refund policy bc once you see it you will not want to stay there . Too late . No exceptions. Rude . We booked through Expedia and as much as they tried we failed to get our money back or even a partial refund even though we didn’t stay for 5 mins . Pool area was scary . I wouldn’t let my dog swim in that pool . No restaurant no bar nothing at all like pictures . Even if you were looking for a rustic style Costa Rican stay it’s far from that . There was one guy working the whole place . Room 103 was advertised for 300 a night . More like a 3 dollar a night stay . Be very aware of this scam .
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Date of stay: January 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Avoid at all cost
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This is not a resort. It is a very dirty old hotel that is nothing like descriptions on websites. Jacuzzi, not useable because no water in it, only drywall pieces. Our front door was broken. Pool was dirty and 1/3 tiles missing. No bar or restaurant at all!! No staff except for one security guy who did not know what was going on. We booked 4 nights, stayed one because it is so bad, and mis advertised in all aspects. Owner said no refund, we will now go to Hotels.com for help.
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Date of stay: May 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Don't go there!!!!!!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Would definitely not recommend! Had a reservation for 4 nights and checked out after 1st night. The only reason we stayed the first night was because it was so late. The pool was absolutely hideous. The pictures showed a pool bar and a hot tub, it's beyond words to describe how in such disrepair everything was. Small lock on the door could be opened with a credit card due to the number of times it had been jimmied.
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Date of stay: April 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I can only say what I percieve to be true about this place. This is a rinkydink operation that should not be allowed to call itself a resort. There is a tiny lobby with nobody on the reception desk and a generally rundown look everywhere. The pool is tiny and the bar around the pool has been closed for years. There is no gift shop, no restaurant, and wifi olny in the lobby. The walk up to the property from the main road is almost a 45 degree slope and would challange all but the fittest person. Some of the photos used to advertise this property are not the Flamingo Marina Resort. They are photos of the privately owned condominiums at the beach level below this resort. They also advertise access to a private beach which is also used by the condominium clients and, the locals have every right to use that beach too and they do. So, not so private. Most of that beach is dangerously rocky and often very rough anyway. Oddly, the flamingo Marina Resort has no Marina. There is a marina being built down the road but it has nothing to do with this resort. The noise and dust from that marina construction was horrible. Trucks were dumping rocks all day every day. The construction is supposed to take years. Some of the reviews that I have read about Flamingo Marina Resort are actually written about the private comdominiums, which are very nice but they are a completely different business. Read carefully! Really folks, there is nothing resort-like about this place. It is in decline. Don't be tempted by their lower prices, there is a good reson why they are lowering prices. It is way over priced for what you get.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed at this "resort" for 2 months. This is not a resort! I would classify this place as a motel with 2 pools, There are no resort activities. The rooms are all in need of updating and repair. No one does inventory between guests, so many items are missing or ancient. Refrigerators leak and air conditioners leak. Expect huge puddles in your room for days. The amenities listed that are supposed to come with the unit are not correct. We had no beach blanket, umbrella, hangers, salt and pepper or oil, and they provided a half roll of toilet paper on the first day and a tiny bar of soap. Those are never replenished. Before arriving, we were told that there was consistent wifi in the lobby area. I was working there, so needed reliable internet access. The internet was unreliable work was nearly impossible. We had an issue with a leaking air conditioner for six days. The bed is directly under the unit, so was soaked through. The manager's solution was to put a garbage can under the dripping air conditioner. The manager was extremely unprofessional in his interactions with us, never offering to move us to a different room until we told him we wanted a new air conditioner after six days of being inconvenienced. There is no information in the room or in the lobby about how to contact management while staying at the resort. There is no list of emergency phone numbers or what to do in case of emergency.
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Date of stay: January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We booked this stay through, Special Places of Costa Rica. This is any but “special”. If I could give unit 103 a negative number rating I would. We were not able to check in at 3, the unit wasn’t ready until after 4pm. This unit is in a dated old decrepit building in need of maintenance. The switch back of stairs are cracking and I’m need of repair, my wife almost slid down the near vertical ramp that takes place of an elevator. The beds are out of a homeless shelter. The ceiling was falling down and the lathe has delaminated. Smells like mildew. The bathroom is a small box I barely fit in at 6’1” 230lbs. We literally walked in and walked out. The owner has a “strict” policy for cancelations we found out why. We were not give even a partial refund although we were in the room for less than 5 minutes. Look elsewhere and be wary of this company.
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Date of stay: January 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip: Avoid this owner and Special Places of Costa Rica. This unit 103 is not worth $50 a day. I’d...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
At check in the reception was a guy by himself who said that there were no expected check in’s. I said I booked 6 hours ago with priceline. He said sorry I don’t know what that is. I asked him to check the computer to see my reservation. His response was I don’t do that. My boss calls me when there is a reservation. No computer. No system. No workers. No bar. No restaurant. No toilet paper. Dirty walls. Severely in need of repairs and maintenance. This was possibly a nice place many years ago. Now it’s a don’t even bother kind of place. If Priceline policy on change or cancel was different, I would have left after the reception refused to look for for my reservation. Complete waste of my money and more importantly my time.
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Date of stay: October 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Playa Flamingo area.
PRICE RANGE
S$119 - S$179 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
flamingo marina hotel province of guanacaste
LOCATION
Costa RicaProvince of GuanacastePlaya Flamingo
NUMBER OF ROOMS
87
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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