Globetrottergirls Travel Guide to Samara Beach, Costa Rica

Last Updated on January 20, 2026

Costa Rica may be a well established destination on the tourist trail, but the Nicoya Peninsula is still very much the country’s own Wild Wild West. Lucky for us, what started off as a transportation nightmare led us to discover our favorite beach on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast: Samara Beach.

Why Visit Samara Beach?

We had no plans to visit Samara Beach. Sure, it was suggested in the guidebooks like countless other Costa Rican beaches. However, despite naysayers’ warnings that efforts to traverse the entire peninsula by bus would prove futile, our plan was to get from Playa del Coco in the north down to the popular, once-isolated beach town of Montezuma on the very southern tip of the Nicoya. We pushed along all the way to the sleepy, scorchingly hot inland city of Nicoya, the peninsula’s namesake, before realizing, weary and dusty from an already long afternoon of bus travel, that there was indeed no way to get down to Montezuma without paying a private taxi $120 to make the remaining five-hour, tire-busting trip. After chatting to several very helpful taxi drivers and a group of American language students on their way back to Samara Beach after a trekking adventure, we spontaneously decided to join our fellow ‘gringos’. The next bus to Samara Beach left just thirty minutes later and arrived within an hour.

As soon as we arrived, we were enchanted by the beauty of the beach from the start. We basked in the late afternoon sun, admiring the tropical palm trees which line the miles of wide, white sand beach. The town itself is really only a collection of hotels and restaurants along one road perpendicular to the coast and a smattering of hotels and beach lounges on the beach.

Despite the well-developed tourism here, this beautiful beach location is noticeably absent of all-inclusive resorts, and the tourists here are different than the older retirees of Playa del Coco or aging hippies at Montezuma, populated instead by younger couples and smart travelers looking to escape all of that.The area is certainly almost exclusively populated by tourists, ex-pats and locals working in tourism, but Samara Beach does not feel contrived the way that many Costa Rican destinations have now begun to feel. There are no chain hotels, no fast food restaurants, and no multi-story buildings. When you look back at the land from the water, the buildings peek out from amongst lush jungle and striking cliffs. The best thing about Samara is that the endless amount of sandy beaches always feels  fairly empty, no matter how full the hotels actually are.

The ocean here is shallow, and the waves are present enough to learn to surf but unforgiving enough to enjoy a day splashing around in them, not the case in many locations up and down the Pacific coast from Mexico through Nicaragua (exception: San Juan del Sur). After a day in the waves, there are sunset beach lounges with mellow music, creative cocktails and international cuisine. The magical sunsets during our stay turned the sky various shades of purple and pink, causing a wall of bikini-clad amateur paparazzi to form, trying to capture the stunning scenery.

Even though there are quite a lot of international (mostly American) tourists, Samara Beach still manages to feel like an off-the-beaten-path location – which, of course, the town is not. Visitors here can surf, kayak, take a boat ride, book a sport-fishing trip, go diving, head inland to the jungle nearby for canopy tours, or rent a bicycle or hop on a horse and ride up and down the miles of deserted coastline. Samara Beach even advertises itself as a key spot for destination weddings.

There is a range of restaurants and bars, and activities range from snorkeling and fishing tours to horseback riding along the beach and ATV tours. The town itself is tiny with only 400 residents, and is only three blocks wide and two blocks deep, and you can walk from one end of the beach to the other in an hour. Most hotels are only a short walk from the little town center with some shops, supermarkets, banks, galleries and restaurants. The hotels remain reasonably priced, although budget accommodation in Samara Beach, as in Costa Rica in general, is harder to come by. We stayed at Casa Valeria, which Frommers called the best budget option on the beach back then. The hotel has 9 stand alone beach bungalows for $50 and a pair of cheaper rooms for $30. (Note: Casa Valaeria is still around, I found a standard room including breakfast for $38 on Booking.com in 2019, but I do think that there are now newer, better options in town.)

There is now also a hostel in town, Argdivan Hostel, which costs around $15 per person per night in a dorm or $30 in a private room – the advantage to the bungalows and other hotels is that the hostel has two shared kitchens.

Samara Beach is the Costa Rican vacation we really wanted, fulfilling perfectly the image still being sold in the travel brochures. The level of tourism here makes for the perfect peaceful escape – all of the organization you need and none of the banana-boat and disco clubs you don’t. The problem with Samara Beach is that it is at its tipping point, and while the balance is now is perfect, more tourists arriving each year might convert the place into another overly Americanized beach like Montezuma, Playa del Coco or Jaco Beach (lined with Quiznos and Pizza Huts).

This is why we beg you…please don’t go to Samara Beach. But if you do go, which you really should, please don’t tell anyone else about this perfect Costa Rican beach location.

Practical information for visiting Samara Beach

How to get to Samara Beach

The closest airport is Liberia (about 2 hours by car from Samara), but you can also fly into San Jose and get to Samara by car (4 hours) or bus (about 5 hours). A taxi from Liberia airport is between US$50 and US$60. 

Important: Negotiate the fare before you get in the cab!

To Samara Beach by bus: You can take a bus from San Jose or Liberia to Nicoya, and then change onto a bus to Samara. The bus company that runs from Nicoya to Samara is called Empresa Rojas. It takes about 90 minutes to get from Nicoya to Samara.

Alfaro express buses go directly from San José daily at noon from Avenida 5 between calles 14 and 16. The trip takes 5 hours; check for current timetables and fares (2017 fare: ₡4,395/ US$7.95). 2019 fare: ₡4.470 / US$7.97) 

There are also shuttle vans between San Jose and Samara.

To Samara Beach by car: You can rent a car right at the airport in both San Jose and Liberia. The roads are simple country roads but okay to drive on. If you don’t want to drive all the way to Samara from San Jose but would like to have a car to explore more of the Nicoya Peninsula – you can also rent a car in Samara.

Samara Beach Travel Guide

When to visit Samara Beach

Rainy season usually lasts from July to November, which makes December to June the perfect time to visit. It doesn’t always rain in the ‘green season’, either. During this time, mornings are nice with some showers in the afternoons.

Sámara is located in a wide, picturesque bay. A coral reef protects it from the strong waves that you have in nearby Santa Teresa or Nosara, making Sámara a perfect place to enjoy the ocean, but still attract surfers, especially beginners. 

What to do in Samara Beach

Go horseback riding on the beach

Horseback riding on the beach is one of the most popular activities in Samara. You can book a horseback riding tour directly with a number of local operators:

• Samara Adventures
• Horse Jungle
• Samara Sea Tours

Alternatively, book a tour right on the beach in Samara, where you’ll see horse guides waiting for customers.

Relax on the beach

The gorgeous stretch of fine sand beach is the perfect place to kick back for a few days and do nothing. Swing in a hammock or lie out and just work on your tan with occasional dips in the ocean. In Sámara you will not feel guilty if you don’t do anything but relax for a while.

Snorkel and kayak trip

You can book a kayak trip to Isla Chora, a deserted island on the south end of the bay, where you can snorkel on a pristine beach with crystal clear water. The tour takes around three hours and is $40 per person.

 

Learn to surf, stand up paddle or scuba dive

There are a couple of surf schools in Sámara that offer hourly, daily and weekly surf courses. Try Choco’s Surf School, Tico’s Surf School or C&C, where you have the board for 7 days for free if you book surf lessons.

The shallow water is also perfect for stand up paddling and there are some great spots for scuba diving along the reef.

Visit Carrillo Beach

Carrillo Beach is a picture-perfect beach 6km south of Sámara. If you are looking for solitude and a paradise-like setting, you will love Carrillo Beach. There are only a couple of hotels and the beach is nearly deserted at all times.

Daily Yoga

There are several yoga studios in Samara, and different kinds of yoga classes you can take. For example:

• Vinyasa Yoga right on the beach
• Sunset yoga (also right on the beach)
• Surf-inspired yoga at Tico’s Surf School

Learn Spanish

The Intercultura Sámara Language School offers Spanish lessons in their class rooms overlooking the ocean. Could there be a better setting to learn Spanish in?! Spanish is taught in small, interactive groups and students can also take part in cultural activities such as Latin dance or tours around the area, and the school provides (optional) family home stays.

So much more to do…

There are plenty of other activities in Sámara – you can take a day trip to Ostional to see a turtle arribada, go on a fishing trip, take an ATV tour, go ziplining, or go on a whitewater rafting trip. There are guided nature walks, coffee tours, waterfalls tours… check out a full list of activities in Samara here.

Where to eat in Samara Beach

There are several inexpensive sodas, local restaurants in Samara. These simple restaurants serve up Costa Rica’s main dish: casado. A casado usually includes your choice of beef, chicken, pork or fish, rice and beans, salad, a vegetable side dish, and fried plantains. Vegetarians can ask for fresh cheese or eggs instead of meat. A casado is between US$4 and US$6.
Samara restaurants worth checking out:

• Samara Organics MercadoCafe (Natural Center, in front of Gusto Beach Restaurant, Sámara, 50205, Costa Rica)
• Ahora Si! (Samara’s first vegetarian restaurant)
• Roots Bakery & Cafe (Fantastic bakery /coffee shop / breakfast place in town. Near Hotel Giada)
• El Lagarto (Best place in Samara for steaks, barbecue and seafood)
• La Casita de Mr Warner offers a wide variety of dishes, including pastas, salads, rice dishes, tacos, fish, fajitas, and a vegan wrap. They also have breakfasts ranging from pancakes to huevos rancheros
• Gusto Beach Pizzeria – creative Italian cuisine with a focus on pizza and focaccia. They are also open for breakfast and have dishes like avocado toast, yogurt parfait, omelettes, a classic American breakfast or a gallo pinto, the typical Costa Rican breakfast with rice, beans, plantains and eggs.
• Casa Esmeralda serves Tico cuisine, comparable to an upscale Soda where you can get Costa Rican casados and other meals, with excellent steaks, chicken, seafood and rice

Where to drink in Samara

There are several bars lined up along the beach and the main road, where the surfer crowd likes to gather at after the sun sets. Among the popular bars are

• Limey’s Bar
• Las Olas beach bar
• the wine bar Vino Sin Vergüenza (“Shameless Wine”)

Where to stay in Samara

Budget:

• Las Mariposas – hostel right on the beach, private single rooms from US$35, doubles from US$40, dorm bed US$15 – review score 8.5
• Woodstock Hostel – close to the beach, but further away from the center. Double room US$31, dorm bed US$15. Review Score 8.9
• Oasis – 2-bedroom house right on the beach from US$35. Review score 8.9
  
• Hostel El Dorado – double room for US$40, review score 8.6

Value:

• Sunset Chillout Bed & Breakfast – triple room from US$60 (incl breakfast) – review score 9.6
• Hotel Entre Dos Aguas – hotel with pool. standard double room from US$60. Review score 8.9
• Hotel Belvedere – hotel with pool. spacious rooms from US$65. Review score 9.4
• Hotel Paraiso del Cocodrilo – a bit away from the beach in a jungle setting. rooms from US$65, apartments from US$75. Review score 9.0
• Villas Tangerine – Bed & Breakfast right on the beach, doubles start at US$70 incl breakfast. Review score 9.0
• Samara Palm Lodge – hotel with pool, 6 min walk to the beach. Doubles from US$75. Review score 9.6
• Hotel Samara Inn – $76 including breakfast. Review score 8.7
• Good Life Lodge – $85 for a double room. Review score 9.8

 

Splurge:

• Samara Chillout Lodge – New adults-only boutique hotel in a quiet area away from the beach. Rooms from US$95. Review score 9.5
• Las Perlitas – Beautifully decorated hotel with pool in the center of Samara, doubles from US$99 incl breakfast. Review score 9.5
• Hotel Leyenda – Small hotel with beautiful swimming pools and gardens. Doubles from US$99 including breakfast. Review score 9.1
• Hotel Samara Paraiso – small hotel with swimming pool near Izquierda Beach. Apartments and bungalows from around US$120. Review score 9.4
• Colina Del Mar – Intimate hotel away from the beach on a hillside, stunning nature setting. Small swimming pool. Rooms from around US$149 including breakfast. Review score 9.3
• Nammbu Beach Front Bungalows – Playa Carillo. My favorite beach just south of Samara – if you want complete serenity, this small boutique hotel is for you. Rooms from US$150
• la isla que no hay – Two bedroom house in the center of Samara from US$199 per night (sleeps 4 people), swimming pool. Review score 8.9
• The Hideaway Hotel – on the far southern end of the beach, between Samara and Playa Carillo. Swimming pool and on-site restaurant. Double rooms start at US$278 – review score 9.1

Compare all available accommodations in one place

If you’re not sure if you want to stay in a hotel or in a vacation rental, I recommend using Cozycozy to compare all available accommodation options for your dates. Cozycozy searches all the major accommodation booking sites, including Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb and VRBO, saving you a lot of time when planning a trip to Samara.