Up until this point our Costa Rican adventure had been packed full – the rainforest, volcano hikes, and one adrenaline hit after another. Playa Sámara, on Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast, is where we chose to slow the pace. We stayed here for four nights in total. We did still have a couple of activities planned here – we wanted to get out onto the Ocean as the sea life here is abundant – but equally, we wanted some beach time and a pool day to relax, read, surf… it was bliss. And, exactly what we needed in the run up to the end of our Costa Rican adventure.
Getting there
From Monteverde, the drive is roughly 3-4 hours to the coast, with a worthwhile stop at Mi Finca for red macaw spotting and a cool drink along the way. If you’ve read my Monteverde or driving in Costa Rica posts, you’ll know the roads in and out of the Cloud Forests need a little more care and attention, so do plan for a slower start on the drive to Sámara.
Top tip: the winding roads out of Monteverde gave our youngest a bit of motion sickness – just something worth bearing in mind if any of your family suffer too.
As you approach Playa Sámara you can feel the change in scenery; and the vibe as you hit the main road is definitely laid back – exactly what I wanted from our beach stop. Plus, you can spot the Ocean as you approach, we were very excited to explore.
Where we stayed
We opted for Hotel Belvedere as our base for four nights – I’d been told lovely things about this property and its tropical gardens. It’s a small, boutique style hotel and the descriptions I’d been given, didn’t do it justice. Located off one of Playa Sámara’s main roads, this stunning hotel is full of tropical flora and fauna. As you leave reception you’re greeted with greenery on all sides of the paved walkways. Large green plants with stunningly coloured flowers line the way. The pool is enclosed by trees and bushes, giving it a very private feel. It’s small but perfectly formed and we spent a lovely day on the loungers, dipping in and out of the pool, with no one else around. Just us.
This property is very nicely decorated, clean lines with beige and cream accents make the rooms feel restful. We were allocated two rooms, one with a terrace on the ground floor and the second above, on the first floor. Both looked out onto the pool and each terrace had chairs and a table, clothes airer, and again, lots of stunning plant life. The flora and fauna has been really well used here, it acts as the boundary rather than using fencing or similar. It gives privacy but not complete segregation, and it’s beautiful to look at. It also attracts plenty of wildlife. I loved it.
Breakfast here was peaceful. A simple buffet in the first-floor dining room catered to everything – a small hot food selection, fruit selection, pancakes and pastries, cereals and bread for toasting, plus a Mediterranean style cold food selection. The dining room looks out towards the Ocean too, so I’d often sit with my first coffee of the day and take it all in.
Finally, a couple of quiet days
Whilst I did sneak two pre-organised activities in here (of course!), Playa Sámara was always supposed to be where the trip slowed down. I was uncomfortable with this at first. We’d been on the move for nine days now, seeing as much as we could and I almost felt like sitting by the pool was wasting time that could be used for more adventure – what if we were missing an amazing experience we might never get the chance to do?? This thought process did only apply to me though, everyone else instantly embraced the rest; my son was delighted with the pool time and my daughter took the opportunity to sit, read and snooze.
And, although peaceful around the pool, we were still never far from Costa Rica’s biodiversity. During our pool day we were joined by two of the biggest iguanas. The were huge! So big the initial rustling sounded like it could have been a monkey swinging in. They appeared above us and scrambled along the adjacent summer house roof. We watched on as they sunbathed and occasionally ate the greenery. One even jumped from the roof to a nearby tree – not a small gap but he made it with little trouble. Both iguanas spent the day moving around the hotel site, we’d regularly hear the rustling of bushes and one would pop up, and waddle past. A little disconcerting because of their size – these must have been giant iguanas – but an amazing site to see.
We also spent a couple of afternoons at the beach whilst here. My son hired a body board for an afternoon of surfing. The waves were just right for his ability and for learning, but I would say the hire of the board on the beach was on the expensive side. We paid $10 USD an hour to hire the board for the final couple of hours of the day (three hours in total as they closed at 4pm). However, as we headed back to the hotel, we noticed the shops along the main street sell similar board for roughly the same amount we’d paid – a little less infact. My son would have definitely used the board lots across our time in Playa Sámara, so it would have been worth the purchase. And, we could have passed it on when we left. Lesson learned.
Sámara Beach is lovely, it fitted the image I’d had in my head of exactly what the coast would look like. It is a wide stretch of sand lined with a few beach bars, one of which hires loungers, and the ocean was perfectly warm. You can hire loungers and a table with gazebo style shade daily, but Hotel Belvedere had seat and umbrellas for use at the beach on site. The short walk meant it was a no brainer to grab these and head down to the beach to set up ourselves.
We ate a lunch a couple of times along the beach, the food was good and very reasonable priced. The cocktails were definitely worth trying too – who doesn’t want to sip a pina colada with views out over the Pacific?!
Whale and dolphin watching
The first of our pre-organised trips was an early morning whale and dolphin spotting tour with Corrillo Tours. I’d set this trip up with my children in mind, just to have fun on the ocean and show them a different perspective on Costa Rica. We were of course going to look out for sea life but it was also a chance to travel along the coast and snorkel. Our boat also had a slide from the top deck, so I’d made peace with the fact that, if the sea life was elusive that morning, we had lots of other stuff to look forward to.
It was not elusive! Our first spot of the day was a rare Bryde’s Whale – spotting a whale was something I’d hoped we’d see as I’ve never managed it on any of the other trips I’d taken previously. This lone male was on the look out for a female, August is mating season on the Costa Rican coast for whales, dolphins and turtles. We kept our distance but followed for a little while watching him breach the water every so often. It was an exhilarating moment, definitely a wow for the kids.
Next up was a larger Humpback Whale. They are mesmerising to watch and move so quickly. We spent less time with this guy as he managed to speed off under the water and resurfaced quite some way away. It really didn’t matter though, as our next tip off was in – a small dolphin pod. As we approached, we could see three fins, two adults and a smaller calf. Dolphins can be quite playful with boats and are often spotted in larger groups. This pod was nervous because of their little one so we didn’t stay long.
As we headed back towards the coast for our snorkel stop, a flying fish surfaced next to the boat. I enjoyed this spot as it’s quite unusual – and they are funny looking little things. We also managed to float by several mating turtle couples.
Sea kayaking to Isla Chora
The second trip took us out in the late afternoon sun on a sea kayak trip to Isla Chora, a small island approximately 25 minutes from Sámara Beach. The paddle isn’t difficult, we jumped into double kayaks and followed our guide to land on a genuinely stunning stretch of soft white sand. This is different to the sand on the beach, it’s powder like, much more tropical island than the main land. We spent an hour or so snorkelling offshore – the kids and their dad more so than me. I spent some time wondering the sand. Curiously, it looked like it was moving and on closer inspection, I realised it was crawling with hermit crabs. Literally hundreds of them. Everywhere I looked, more and more of them, all different sizes. And, if you stood still for long enough, you were surrounded. Dodging them as I stepped, wasn’t the easiest and when I did stand still they nibbled my toes.
Isla Chora feels idyllic, like a remote tropical island. Our group we’re the only ones to be there that afternoon, which made it special. The trip is timed perfectly for sunset too, so as you paddle back the sun is slowly disappearing.
Was four nights enough?
Four nights was a great amount of time here. Long enough for us to fully unwind and explore. We managed two beach afternoons, the two excursions and a full, and very lazy day, by the pool.
Would we all have like a few more days here? Yes! Though, I think that had more to do with the fact that we were heading home. A few more days anywhere in Costa Rica would have been the dream. As our final stop, Playa Sámara was the icing on the cake, a really great way to finish things off, but there was definitely some sadness that the next car journey meant home time.
No one was looking forward to heading back to the UK. There was so much more to explore in Costa Rica so we’re not finished – Costa Rica, we’ll be back again very soon.
Keep planning your trip:
- The Costa Rica Itinerary That Actually Works: Caribbean to Pacific
- Self-Driving Costa Rica: What You Need to Know
- Monteverde: Zip Lines, Chocolate, and a Cloud Forest at 4,500 Feet
- Costa Rica: What We’d Do Differently with our 12 Night itinerary
- Tortuguero National Park: Sloths, Turtles, and a Rainforest That Never Goes Quiet
- White-Water Rafting the Río Balsa in La Fortuna: My Son’s Number One Activity
- La Fortuna, Costa Rica: Frogs After Dark, ATVs Through the Jungle, a Volcano Hike and Hot Springs to Finish
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