Sámara

Why stay in Sámara?

Sámara is the Guanacaste beach town where you can actually swim: a nearly 2 km crescent of palm-backed sand inside a cove that Isla Chora and an offshore reef keep calm, about 2 hours from Liberia airport on paved road. The town is a few streets you walk end to end, with restaurants on the sand, two banks and a bus stop, and none of the surf-camp scene of Nosara or Tamarindo. Our one house here, Casa Almendros, is on the beach itself.

Couples who want sunsets from a porch come here, and so do small families who want water without waves. Surfers and people who want nightlife will be happier 30 minutes north.

How do you get to Sámara?

From Liberia (LIR), drive Route 21 south to Nicoya and then Route 150 to the coast, about 110 km and 2 to 2.5 hours per Costa Rica Vibes. The whole route is paved, and Two Weeks in Costa Rica rates the Nicoya to Sámara stretch as smooth two-lane road, so you do not need a 4x4 to get here. From San José it is about 4 hours (Mytanfeet says 4, Two Weeks in Costa Rica 4.5): west on Route 27, across the Tempisque bridge (Puente La Amistad) on Route 18, then Nicoya.

Without a car, Tropical Tours runs a shared shuttle from Liberia airport at 9:00 and 15:00 for $50 per person in about 2.5 hours. The public bus from Liberia via Nicoya costs $5 to $10 and takes 2.5 to 3 hours with a change. Empresa Alfaro runs direct buses from San José in 5 to 6 hours per Pura Vida Traveling; confirm the departure terminal and times before you plan around it, because San José’s bus terminals have been reorganized.

How many nights do you need?

Three, and Costa Rica Vibes says the same. The drive in is short, but the reason to come is a slow rhythm: a bay morning, a low-tide paddle, a Carrillo afternoon and a sunset from the porch each day. Casa Almendros has a two-night minimum; with two nights you get the bay and one excursion.

What is there to do?

Swim the bay. Costa Rica Vibes calls Playa Sámara one of the most swimmable beaches in the country, with a gentle incline and almost no drop-off, and Two Weeks in Costa Rica lists it among Guanacaste’s safer swimming beaches. The sand starts at the house.

Paddle to Isla Chora. About 20 minutes each way by kayak or paddleboard from the south end of the beach, timed to low tide, with snorkeling at the island. Two Weeks in Costa Rica’s tour is $52 per adult plus tax and about 3 hours door to door; rentals in town run about $10 to $12 an hour on Pato’s rate card.

Playa Carrillo. 4 km south, a five-minute drive: a long curve of light sand behind a thick row of palms, waves calm enough for small children, and no facilities, so bring water.

Playa Barrigona. About 40 minutes north on dirt roads, bright white sand and nothing built on it. Mytanfeet warns the current is strong and does not recommend swimming, and the road needs a 4x4 in the rainy season.

Turtles at Ostional. About an hour and a half north. The refuge is open 5:00 to 21:00 with a $13.56 entrance for non-residents, and during arribadas you must enter with a certified local guide, per SINAC. The mass nestings come once or twice a month around the last quarter moon, largest from September to November, when more than 100,000 olive ridleys can come ashore in a night (Tico Times, September 2026).

Hike or fly through the forest. Samara Trails runs 2.5-hour guided hikes in the 140-hectare Werner Sauter reserve at 6:30 and 14:30 for $52 per adult. Wingnuts runs its canopy tour from 7:00 to 14:30 for $80 per adult on its December 2025 to November 2026 rates.

Learn to surf on small waves. Two Weeks in Costa Rica calls Sámara’s waves right for beginners, including kids. Pato’s charges $80 for a private 1.5-hour lesson and $55 per person for three or more, with boards at $25 a day.

When should you go?

December to March is the dry season on the northern Pacific, with only 4 percent of the year’s rain per the IMN. April is the transition and May brings the rain, with a short dry spell in July and August and the wettest weeks in September and October. Costa Rica Vibes puts highs around 34 °C in March and April, 28 °C in September and October, and nights at 21 to 24 °C year round. The green season is the quieter, greener and cheaper Sámara, with sunny mornings and afternoon showers.

Where do you eat, and what about cash and groceries?

The beachfront restaurants along the main strip are where everyone ends up at sunset; we send our own current list on WhatsApp rather than print one that goes stale. Sámara has two banks with ATMs, Banco Nacional and Banco de Costa Rica, and the machines close from 22:00 to 5:00 per the Sámara Info Center. For groceries there are Super Sámara, Rinde Más, Palí and Super China, plus pharmacies, laundromats and a clinic in town, all in town, a short drive from the house. Bring colones for the sodas.

Beachfront, with the town a short drive away: how we host here

Casa Almendros is the only house we have in Sámara and the only one of our twelve homes that is on the sand: three bedrooms and two bathrooms for up to six, air conditioning, Wi-Fi, a full kitchen, a crib, a TV and free parking, from $303 a night with a two-night minimum. The open-ceiling design pulls the sea breeze through the house, and the porch faces the sunset. A small separate house on the property belongs to Doña Gregoria; it is private and does not touch your stay. Check-in is with the local manager between 15:00 and 20:00, and our local tips arrive on WhatsApp before you land. Read Is Sámara worth visiting? A couples’ guide for the three-day version, or continue to Monteverde before San José.