Centro Panamericano de Idiomas (CPI): Flamingo Beach - CPI Language Center

Located along the renowned Guanacaste “Golden Coast”, CPI Flamingo was established in 2000.  Guanacaste is home to beautiful beaches and scattered mangroves.  With its famed white sand beaches and crystal blue water, Flamingo is perfect for swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, fishing, sailing, or just relaxing on the beach.  There is a considerable North American community in the town of Flamingo itself; however, the nearby rural towns of Brasilito and Potrero are primarily Costa Rican, and this is where our homestay families are located.  Flamingo is a 5-hour bus ride from San José, with public buses leaving the capital daily at 8:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 3:00 p.m.  The private shuttle service that CPI uses, leaves San José for Flamingo every Sunday around 10:00 a.m.  The average daily temperature is 32° C (90° F).  The climate is hot with fairly high humidity; we recommend shorts and summer clothing.  In Flamingo, students have the opportunity for serious Spanish study in a vacation environment.  Flamingo Beach is one of the top beach destinations on Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula.  The CPI Spanish immersion school is nestled in the center of this quaint oceanside community, which, in addition to its beautiful beaches, is known its peaceful small-town environment and friendly local people.  Despite its small size, Flamingo offers visitors a vast array of activities, including parasailing, canoeing, out rigging, surfing, swimming, horseback riding, kayaking, scuba diving, snorkeling, and checking out the animals at nearby wildlife refuges!

For those students who would like even more cultural experience, the towns of Potrero and Brasilito, just north and south of Flamingo, have an authentic Costa Rican feel.  Flamingo is often compared to the neighboring town of Tamarindo, a beach town slightly more populated than Flamingo with its own attractive beach front.  Tamarindo has a wealth of bars, restaurants, and fast food chains to satisfy any taste along with various souvenir shops, clothing stores, coffee shops, and internet cafes.  However, as pleasant as it is to visit, Tamarindo is not the ideal place for learning Spanish; in fact, even hearing Spanish spoken in the streets is becoming increasingly rare due to the constant influx of tourists.  Based on our experience, in order to learn as much Spanish as possible during their time in Costa Rica, we suggest that our students enjoy the attractions of Tamarindo for fun day trips (CPI arranges weekly transportation), but take advantage to fully immerse themselves in Spanish by living in the Flamingo area.  While Tamarindo is undoubtedly a popular and recommended destination for daytime visits, it does not offer the comparable safety or cleanliness found in Flamingo.  CPI Flamingo offers the unique opportunity to combine Spanish immersion with an Open Water Diver Certification course through the most recognized scuba center in the Flamingo area.  Click here for more details.

In Guanacaste students may visit the local reserves of Santa Rosa and Palo Verde, classified as tropical dry forests, as well as participate in other activities, including: horseback riding along the beach and surrounding mountains, visiting the local artisan community of Guaitil, enjoying dozens of beautiful beaches in neighboring areas of Guanacaste, and participating in a variety of aquatic sports.  Founded in 1991, el Centro Panamericano de Idiomas (CPI) offers premier conversational language instruction to students of all ages and skill levels.  Tailor-made Spanish classes offer students an interactive learning experience that cannot be duplicated.  Accredited by the Costa Rica Ministry of Education, CPI boasts an experienced, university-educated language staff.  CPI currently partners with a number of Universities from the United States as well as el Instituto Cervantes de España. Class sizes are small, ranging from one student to a maximum of six, allowing one-on-one interaction between student and instructor.  No matter the skill level, students begin conversing from day one.  Classes are communication-based, supplemented with a strong foundation in fundamental language mechanics.  Students learn through direct interaction with the instructor, engaging in active language exercises that make the learning process exciting and new each day!

The CPI experience is truly immersive, surrounding students in an environment that enriches the learning process with culture and unforgettable experiences.