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Reviewed October 18, 2011

It's that age old question. How do you keep a family (or group) comprising a wide variety of ages happy? For us, the answer lay at the Flying Crocodile. To start with there is a range of accomodations on offer to suit everyone's tastes and budget: from 4 bedroom houses to simple rooms all individually designed, finished to a high quality and cleaned throughly everyday.

The resort is set out over a wide spacious area and connected by thoughtfully designed and well-tended, landscaped tropical gardens which bring nature to your very doorstep so you can see (and hear) Howler monkeys, iguanas, parakeets and the occasional bat or two. Talking of wild animals, the kids were kept occupied from dawn to dusk, thanks to the swimming pool complete with water slide, trampoline with safety net, table football, billiards/pool, table tennis and hammocks - with plenty of available shade to relax under.

The delicious, inclusive breakfast was enough to fuel us until midday and the evening meals offered a menu to satisfy everyone. Overall the service was good without being intrusive, even the gardeners greeted us with a smile and were happy to stop and chat to the children. For the green tourist, the Flying Crocodile has been built using natural materials, they recycle all their waste and use solar panels to heat the water (the only downside being that you have to wait a few minutes for the water to heat up and on cloudy days it hardly heats up at all.)

Samara beach is only a couple of miles away and the slightly larger more commercial Nosara beach also just a short car journey away, but for us the jewel in the crown was Playa Buena Vista, just a few minutes walk away not only was it completely devoid of hotels, bars, restaurants, houses and tourists, but is also a nesting beach for endangered turtles. (Incidentally the beach/cove behind Buena Vista is owned by none other than Mel Gibson!)

While we were happy to spend most of out time at the resort, there is plenty to do for the more adventurous. Aside from the usual offerings of fishing, horseback riding, yoga and surfing, the Flying Crocodile offers its very own microlight flying tours and flying school.

If you are looking to get far from the madding crowd, yet like your creature comforts close by, then the Flying Crocodile is the place for you.

Date of stay: October 2011
  • Trip type: Traveled with family
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2  Thank NickStClair
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.
Reviewed October 15, 2011

We couldn’t have been luckier with choosing the flying crocodile. I went there with my 8 year old daughter and we had a blast. The hotel is very quiet and in the middle of a beautiful park. The nature seems to be so close. We saw all kind of wild animals and the beautiful and lush vegetation was an eye-candy. My daughter loved to play in the little pond and catch fishes and frogs – or chasing possums around the garden. The close beach is nice and not crowded at all. There is a little bar between the hotel and the beach which serves fresh coconut milk – and of course a beer for the thirsty dad once in a while.

Although very quiet the hotel has its own runway for ultra-light sports planes. Of course I couldn’t resist making a tour and seeing the crocodiles and sharks from a high up. It is for sure one of the best ways to experience Costa Rica in one of the hotel owner’s light-weight planes. My daughter enjoyed the flying session a lot as well. The attention and service my daughter and I got was phenomenal. We felt like part of the family and after a few days we forgot this is our vacation and not our daily life. We will be back! :-)

Room tip: all the rooms are unique and very tastefull. We were in the blue arabic room which was very nice.
Date of stay: October 2011
  • Trip type: Traveled with family
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1  Thank Andreas S
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.
Reviewed February 7, 2011

This hotel is one of the 89 Adventure Hotels in Costa Rica. The prices were good, the continential breakfast was delicious with fruit, coffee, juice, cereal, toast, jam and we also had eggs. The rooms were clean, the pool area lovely with shaded areas that offered hammocks and lounges. They also offer lessons to obtain your gyro-coptor license as well as for a fee will take you for a ride. I took advantage of the ride and Frank was a wonderful pilot. I was somewhat hesitant but he explained how the gryo-coptor worked, we wore headsets and were able to chat and provided a wonderful tour of the coast. Yes this location is guiet, beautiful and a hidden gem....but....since my husband and I are both work in a customer service based industry we got the distinct impression that this location was either in the process of being prepared to be sold, waiting for a buyer or was having staffing issues. Mike, the manager at the time was somewhat curt and we didn't feel overly welcomed. Upon arrival he said "Well it's 1 p.m., I'll show you your room, my lunch is ready, I must eat now and we'll check you in later". We later inquired as to whether the restaruant was open for dinner and he replied no. What we found interesting was that there was no signage indicating this, nor did he mention it upon check in. Fortunately for us we were going into Samara so it didn't inconvenience us. As much as we loved the location, the rooms, the pool, the flora and fauna...we're not sure if in good faith we would recommend this to our friends.

Date of stay: January 2011
  • Trip type: Traveled with friends
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Thank Cibm6423
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.
Reviewed October 15, 2010

The Flying Crocodiule is at the end of a long Costa Rican road and so part of the fun is getting there. When you arrive, you'll find that the Crocodile is a one-up kind of place. Each cottage is unique and handmade. The grounds are magnificent and beautifully kept. It's walking distance to the ocean and a beach you will have to yourself. You will be well taken care of by manager Freddie Barrios and his beautiful family. There's a great pool, and hammocks all around. It's quiet except for the howler monkeys (who just might parade through the breakfast area in the morning...), and other assorted fauna. There is no "nightlife" (disco, etc) which is one of the best things about the place. It's not like you can't get a drink; you can! As many as you want. If you want an adrenaline rush, do not miss taking a ride in one of the Crocodile's gyrocopters. You will be in GREAT hands (former airline pilots), and you'll see CR from the air. It is a thrill, NOT to be missed!

Date of stay: August 2010
  • Trip type: Traveled as a couple
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Thank bevfeldman
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.
Reviewed September 11, 2010

We were there for the 3rd time in a year, as the owner also runs an ultralight flight school and I took my flight lessons and flew some hours for practise there. The hotel consists of several clean and comfortable rooms, distributed in a spacious tropical garden, each one designed in a unique style. Besides lying at the pool and relaxing, you can rent a bike or book a tour to watch dolphins, nesting turtles many other things that nature in this part of Guanacaste has to offer. Or (best of all for me!) take a tour on an ultralight plane and enjoy some great views from above.
What we liked most is that the place is very family-friendly, our children (7+10) made friends with the administrator's kids and loved to play in the pool with the water slide or at the playground.
As most guests are out during the day, they offer some tasty sandwiches or snacks for lunch, while for dinner you can opt for an entree, made in a very interesting and delicious German/Tico style.
Each time we were there it was for us a great experience: wake up with the sound of the howler monkeys, relax at the pool or go out and enjoy a tropical adventure.

Date of stay: July 2010
  • Trip type: Traveled with family
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Thank jungle_flyer_cr
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.
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