Our Villa In Playa Flamingo, Costa Rica

Playa Flamingo is one of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica. Situated in the Gold Coast, it is located in Punta Salinas, northwest of Bahia Brasilito and 75 kilometers southwest of Liberia. My husband and myself, including the kids and their friends, stayed in a luxury penthouse villa, called Casa Mimosa, for seven glorious days last New Years. Our villa is the brown one with the red tile roof that is on the left side, about the middle in the picture below.

Built on the side of the hill, Casa Mimosa was three stories high with a spectacular view of the surrounding countryside. Each floor was rented as a two or three bedroom villa.

The spacious veranda was where we ate most of our meals or enjoyed the wonderful outdoors. This was where I had my coffee every morning while enjoying the view.

The living room had plenty of space for visiting or watching TV. We found that by renting a villa for our group of seven, it was much cheaper than staying in a hotel.

We cooked most of our meals in the large kitchen of the villa. Marco, our young Costa Rican friend, loves to cook so he served gourmet-style meals and all of us took turns helping and cleaning up afterwards. Going out for a meal was often a let down as the food was not always as good as Marco cooked.

All seven of us enjoyed the space on the veranda. The best time to visit Playa Flamingo is from December to April during the dry season. The sun shines 11 to 12 hours a day at that time and the average annual temperature hovers around 28 degrees C or 82 degrees F.

This was the view of Playa Flamingo from our villa. The original name of the beach was Playa Blancha but it changed its name in the 1950s to coincide with the construction of the area's first major hotel, the Flamingo Beach Resort. Playa Flamingo has no village center. It does have a few excellent restaurants and hosts some of the most beautiful hotels, villas and condominiums that Costa Rica has to offer.

Looking in the other direction, you can see for miles. There are houses and condos down below but you can not see them because of the dense foliage on the trees. The hills are lined with private homes, villas and expensive condos.

Four of our five young people at the pool on the beautifully landscaped grounds of Casa Mimosa.

Playa Flamingo is an ideal vacation getaway with its stunning white sand, unspoiled beaches and pristine clear blue water.

This fabulous beach has near perfect weather all year round.

The beach is a small corridor of white sand flanked by low altitude hills lined with private villas and expensive condos.

The Palms, a new luxury condo, is built right on the beach where a unit sells for 1.2 million US dollars.

A view from the beach looking up the hill towards our villa.

A lovely late afternoon view of the tranquil ocean with a sailboat lazily sailing around the playa.

Playa Flamingo has the nation's largest marina and has some of the best deep sea fising in the world. We took a memorable sunset cruise from here on New Year's Day.

A view from some of the expensive real estate on the top of the hill.

This area is know for its spectacular sunsets and we were not disappointed. We enjoyed this time in paradise while the weather back home had temperatures about 30 degrees below C. I can certainly understand why so many Americans and Canadians are buying vacation property in this area. Playa Flamingo is costly but absolutely beautiful!

------------------------------------------------------

Muriel MacRae, owner of Del Sol Travel and Del Sol Destination Weddings, is a travel consultant who specilizes in destination weddings and romantic getaways to tropical areas. Located in Calgary, Alberta, she plans destination weddings for couples in and around the Calgary area and throughout North America. For more information about planning your destination wedding or romantic getaway, please contact her at travelinfo@delsoltravel.ca

Diego & Johssuina: Destination Wedding in Costa Rica

On August 8th, 2009, Diego and Johssuina had an lovely late afternoon wedding at Playa Bonita in a natural reserve called Hacienda Pinilla, a beach resort and residential community in the province of Guanacaste. I really have not seen a more beautiful, tranquil backdrop.

The ceremony was held on a grassy spot beside the beach with the waves washing ahore in the background. Two large tents were put up for the ceremony to protect the guests from the sun or possible rain as the wedding took place during Costa Rica’s rainy season. A wedding canopy was set up at the end of the aisle for the couple to say their vows under with the spectacular view of the ocean in the background. Billowy sheer white fabric was used to drape the canopy. A large bouquet of orange flowers, including vivid orange tiger lilies was hung overhead while ivy vines was used to tie back the fabric. Chairs with tan sashes added some color to the white covers flanked the long aisle. Orange and white daisies were tied together to line the aisle. Rattan fans were wrapped in orange ribbon and placed on each seat for the guests to keep themselves cool throughout the ceremony and the reception. Female guests were given small yellow and orange artificial daisies to wear in their hair. Guests were encouraged to wear white which blended with the chosen color, orange.

Approximately 180 guests attended the wedding coming from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and Cost Rica. The ceremony itself incorporated many Costa Rican customs and traditions with involvement with special family members to make it personal and special. In Costa Rican fashion, the groom and his mother walked down the aisle first, followed by the groom's "Canadian" parents.

Afterwards, the rest of the wedding party came down the aisle, followed at the end by the bride and her father. Nieces of the bride and groom were flower girls at the wedding. Including young children as part of your wedding party is often viewed by the guests as adorable, and can be extremely amusing. Guest at this wedding got a laugh as the youngest flower girl decided to retrace her steps and pick up the flowers she had dropped, not wanting to leave a mess behind.

At a destination wedding in the tropics, officiants are often judges or lawyers. A microphone was used so that all of the guest would be able to hear the ceremony in the outdoor setting.

The bride and groom wrote special vows to each other which made their wedding unique to them.

The mother of the bride toasting the new couple.

Miraculously, the rain held off and as soon as the ceremony was over, the sun came out providing a spectacular ocean sunset. Immediate family members of the groom collected on the beach for a family photo.

The ceremony ended with the sun setting causing this absolutely spectacular sunset!

The reception followed immediately after the ceremony and the dancing began! Two large palapas and a tent protected the guests for the evening reception . The bride was partial to the color orange and made that her main color used in the decor

Musicians plaued while the guests gathered at the reception area.

Paper bag lanterns were placed around the palapas and pathways to provide ambiant lighting which created a very romantic atmosphere.


Colourful bouquets were hung on the tent poles for the reception, featuring the orange tiger lilies and other complementary bright colored blossoms.

The tables were covered with orange table clothes with sheer white overlays. This happy couple love the beach which prompted them to choose a beach theme for their wedding. Huge circular vases filled with ocean water, orange tiger lilies, orange floating candles and sand-coloured pebbles decorated the tables.

A handmade book featuring a photo of the couple and filled with blank pages also decorated each table, allowing the guests to write personal wishes and messages to the happy couple.

Tiny seashells and star fish were randomly scattered on the table around the centerpiece.



A live salsa band was hired to provide entertainment thoughout the evening. The couple's first dance was a song special to the two of them that allowed them to showcase their salsa dancing talents.

This beaming couple loves to dance and danced the entire evening!

As Canadians, we expected dinner to be served but were surprised as the dancing continued and the party began. Special waiters were available to serve drinks. Appetizers were placed on all of the tables. Everyone had a great time visiting and dancing. Even the youngest guests got caught up in the moment and enjoyed dancing the salsa. Conga lines were formed and everyone got involved in the fun. Both my husband and I were given instructions on how to dance the Costa Rican way. Now I know why Costa Rican are said to be one of the happiest people in the world – they know how to have fun.! At times, guests helped the lead singer sing the songs – sometimes a good idea and often a bad! The buffet-style dinner was served about ten-thirty and then back to the dancing.

For the third set of the evening, the couple wanted to ensure that the party kept going. A tequila shooter table was set up in the middle the dance floor. Props were also handed out, including Hawaiian leis, straw hats, and maracas with the couples' names engraved on them. The band also kicked the music into high gear, playing music that definitely kept the party going! The new couple even got into the spirit of things by joining the band and playing the congas!

The newlyweds with Diego's mother and older sister.

All in all, Diego and Johssuina’s wedding was an amazing affair that gave the couple and the guests a unique experience with memories that will last a lifetime. My husband and I were so fortunate to be able to be a part of it. Thank you to Diego and Johssuina , you are a very special

couple, and to your families and friends who made us feel so welcome while visiting Costa Rica.

----------------------------------------------

Muriel MacRae, owner of Del Sol Travel, is a travel consultant who specilizes in destination weddings and romantic getaways to tropical areas. Located in Calgary, Alberta, she plans destination weddings for couples in and around the Calgary area and throughout North America. For more information about planning your destination wedding or romantic getaway, please contact her at travelinfo@delsoltravel.ca