Name: Hotel Samara Beach
Address: Main Street, San Juanillo, San Juanillo, San Juanillo, 50235, Costa Rica
Rating: 7

24-hour reception

Smoke-free property

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Samara Beach

Nosara Airport

Tamarindo Airport

Tambor Airport

Hotel Samara Beach

San Juanillo

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courtyard-view

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inland-view

lake-view

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mountain-view

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wired-internet-access

smoking

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pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

We ended our two week stay in Costa Rica at the Hotel Locanda. Sadly it was our most disappointing hotel and town, after enjoying La Fortuna and Monteverde. 

Upon check-in we were begrudgingly led to our room via a shortcut, clambering over logs and ropes all while lugging our baggage. Clearly the short cut was not for our benefit but for the young lady at the front desk who was not enamoured with her job. Our room was as photographed, however what we didn’t realize was how dark the stone walls make the room. I tried to turn on one of the side lamps but it had been rewired (poorly); the on/off switch was gone and it could only be plugged in or unplugged at the risk of getting shocked. There is no wifi in the room, other than standing by the door, and (fyi) no tv. We proceeded to discover how many items in the room were glued down. Including the toothbrush holder. How is that cleaned I wonder? The bathroom lacked essentials such as anywhere to hang wet towels (no hooks or towel rods), no soap dish, no where to put soap or shampoo in the shower other than the floor. Complimentary toiletries are stated on the hotel site, but other than a bar of soap, there’s nothing offered. Not even a hand towel or face cloth (apparently guests steal them… is that why the lamps, vases and toothbrush holder are glued down?) The beds had only one sheet each, no blanket or coverlet. The air con worked very well and was definitely needed. We missed having a safe in the room, also as stated in the hotel specs, and no mini fridge. We purchased a small cooler from Super China and daily bags of ice from a local market as the hotel won’t provide any more than a few cubes of ice in a glass to their guests. We were in one of the two beachfront rooms, however the hotel is very compact so no room is more than a few steps from the beach. We were shocked that the beach loungers had no sun umbrellas; there were only two palapas for shade. This is a necessity in the strong 30+ degree sun.

Breakfast is included but service doesn’t begin until 7:30am. Not even a cup of coffee is available before then. Five options for breakfast and shockingly, only one, the yogurt and cereal option, comes with fruit. When asked for fruit with the other choices, the answer is no. This blew my mind as Costa Rica is a country of fresh fruit choices! 

We enjoyed the wood fired pizza for lunch. 

Bottom line is that this hotel has a ton of potential as the location is perfect. The beach is long and smooth. There are plenty of restaurants close by. But there are far too many things that are just basic expectations in a hotel room, especially at this price point, but they just don’t seem to care. The town is grungy and dirty and the restaurants we chose were very expensive. We wished Hotel Locanda (and Samara) wasn’t our final destination as it was the most disappointing of our time in Costa Rica.

It could be so much more

We spent couple of nights there, the hotel was clean, the room was OK for the price. The check in was not that good to be honest, they charged our credit card wrongly, reason why we had to wait 6 days to get our money released for this error. Not much information provided, as a turist we want to hear recommendations, advices, things going on in town, this as part of the good service you expect when u do a check in in any hotel.
Along our stay, we mentioned that there was a weird smell in the bathroom area but they quickly send people to check and clean it and the smell was gone. Quick solution, very appreciated. We liked thet fact there was security at night. We love the fact that we had a mini fridge, nice amenity. We met the italian owner next morning, very kind man open to heard feedback, which is really important when u manage a hotel.  As part of the feedback for this hotel, breakfast was Ok, open from 7am to 9am, but 2 things: we normally like to sleep until 8am, so we went down for breakfast around 08:30am the 2 days we were there, unfortunaty the food was cold and the area itself kind of messy. The orange juice is NOT orange juice, it is just water with a bunch of sugar, you gotta improve that or get it out of the menù to not create fake expectations. Cleanness and Hygiene are very important nowadays, the spoon, knife and folks shouldn't be on the table without protection, cloth napking or paper cover might be a better idea.  Hope you work and take in consideration this opportunity areas to improve. Its a beautiful hotel, well located with lots of potencial.

Hotel well located in Samara

We booked this hotel very last minute while waiting for another place to become available. Customer service was great, the girls at reception were very helpful, the hotel pool is nice and clean and the hotel is centrally located, close to the beach. However, rooms need quite a bit of maintenance. Tiny fridge was not working, some light bulbs were burnt/ not working and it was full of mosquitos from the moment we walked in the room. We also did not find the bedsheet very clean. Breakfast was very simple, no fruits and not lots of choices.

Good location close to the beach

Spent 2 nights there. Each room has a patio in front with 2 chairs, the pool was really nice, short walk to the beach  (2-3 blocks), small fridge in the room. Breakfast buffet was included. Located right in the middle of town. Easy walking to many restaurants.

Nice Place

Stayed here one night while waiting for our AirBnB to become available.  The rooms were basic but comfortable.  Centrally located, but just about everything in Samara is centrally located.  5m to the beach.  Showers were large and the AC worked well.  The breakfast was a bit limited.  The staff was very nice and helpful.

Nice one night stay in Samara, Costa Rica

Haven't stayed at the hotel BUT - Steffany and the staff went above and beyond and I couldn't be happier with the service at this hotel. 
My mom was staying in the hotel for her 65th birthday and when I reached out to them to see about having a cake delivered to her, they did one better and showed up to her room with a special breakfast, flowers, a cupcake with a candle AND they sang happy birthday to her.  I was so excited to be able to surprise her for her big day, and couldn't have pulled it off without Steffany's help. Thank you thank you thank you!!

Amazing Customer Service

A very nice hotel, straight on the beach. Lovely rooms and appartments, swimming pool and restaurant for dining with your feet in the sand. All comfort is present and it's in the center of Samara. Would highly recommend.

Just perfect

Preface:
We are avid tropical travelors and have stayed in rustic B&B's to all-inclusive resorts.  I am a marketing professional who also has previous hands on experience in hospitality/restaurant.

Here's what we were lookint for:
A less touristic quiet beautiful beach access stay with comfortable accomodations on the beach for a 5 day stay.

Here's what we got:
A less touristic quiet beautiful beach access stay with semi-comfortable accomodations on the beach for a 5 day stay.

DETAILS:
The establishment cannot be denied for its super dope low-key vibes and beach beach beach with a comfy restaurant to loung in, great shaded beach lounger options (day beds with talapas and super cushioned loungers with sun umbrellas). 

The restaurant prepares nice fresh plates. The wait staff is sweet and patient.
The pool is quaint with loungers.
The establishment is easily within walking distance to a sprinkle of neighboring restaurants and hotels on the beach (non resort style wohooo!) and streets are paved for easy drive or walk to second and thrid row shops and well priced restaurants with both local and American style plates...we are NEVER looking for American style plates, but cool to see that they have them - courtesy of expats.

Getting to the rooms/hotel guest experience:
Alejandra is THE BEST!  She was our point of communication prior to arrival and when we arrived it was like being greeted by a friend.  She's super sweet, helpful and just an authentic person who really loves the areas offerings.

The grounds are aboslutely beautiful in a rustic kitchy way.  Clever use of existing trees and unbelievably heavy/sturdy seating and tables in the reataruant, oversized vases, stone statues and unique overhead accents.

Our room was really nice in appearance, but SUPER awkward.  

STORAGE!!!! 
We did travel heavier than usual (we were in Costa Rica for 3 weeks & had 30 lbs of fishing & beach equipment).  But after no traveling for nearly 2 years we forgot how important it is to us to make sure that any place we stay for 3+ days should have proper storage space.  There was a long bar for hanging with 6 hangers. No drawers.  We were living out of a very tigthly packed suitcase which was disappointing and awkward. The bathroom was a nice size & so was the shower, but there was no place to hang towels in the bathroom or any place to even put a soap bar in the shower.  No shelves, no hooks, no over the shower head hanging thingy...I don't think they put any concern for user logic into the design of the space at all.  The two towel hooks are outside of the bathroom on the side of the clothes hanging thingy which does nothing for usability in the bathroom.  

The side tables by the bed is a piece of wood shelving on top of a beautiful stone...but no drawers.  The lamps are built into the shelve top and cannot be moved...I'm not sure why that is...but it's tough to plug large computer plugs into the outlet there because the lamp is close to the wall and can't be moved....

There is good enough walk around space but I'd prefer if the shelf for the hanging space had drawers beneath it...or some cute wicker baskets...for storage.  

VENTILATION
The AC works great. There is also a fan.  Staying cool is simply a matter of preference.  HOWEVER, the room definitely had a bit of a moldy smell.  The stone in the shower seemed to have mildew/mold growing.  I'd like to believe that could be taken care of with a good hard brush and chlorine...

The window was frosted so that folks can't see in (first floor unit by the pool) so there is no light to come in.  Felt like a basement. Window does not open.  The door does not have a traditional knob with lock that can close behind you.  So if you want to close the door and have it stay closed you must use the key to turn the lock and secure the door won't swing open.  There's no hinge or rubber to keep the door from slamming.

GENERAL COMFORT
There were always a sprnkling of tiny ants on the walls daily.  In bed I had a big ant land on my arm and someother creature crawling on the side table.  Not horrific, we are in a rustic space, but enough to have me semi-paranoid about what might make it in bed with me...or in my bags...or ears or nose while I slept lol.

The included breakfast is included but DRYYYYYY regarding the eggs with rice and beans.  If they simply added a salsa to the plate (something saucy), served the rice hot and prepared toast to order (so that it is freshly toasted) it would better match the paid menu that comes out of the kitchen and entice hotel guests to come back for dinner/lunch. 

Now hey...it is a room on the beach in a hotel with the lovely amenities of friendly staff, a pool and restaurant for under $100 per night.  Although I saw it listed as a 2 star hotel, I would say 3 star.  What I've noted above are some super simple things that could be done to make it a repeat visit location.  For us, we would not stay again, unless it was a 1 or 2 night stay, but would certainly enjoy the day at the restaurant with an open tab.

Lastly, I've read reviews with commentary on the caged birds.  From conversations with staff, it is not that the owner is a self serving human wanting to show off trophies, they are rescues that were injured or determined to have a poor chance of survival due to some shortcoming.  Although the cage could probably be taller, it really is an act of kindness to take them in on the property where they can be looked after, kept safe and brought to the vet if they seem to be needing further attention.

Overall, I believe this establishment will continue to improve and I hope that my review is helpful in that progress as it really is a jewel in this rustic fisherman beach town. I'd come back for a hotel stay in a heartbeat if these improvements were addressed, and believe it would be worthy even with a 10% rate increase.

Location is Gold. Establishment Silver, Hotel Room Bronze.

The location was absolutely great. Rooms are mere steps from the sand. The restaurant is right on the sand, with unobstructed views of gorgeous Samara beach.
We had 2 rooms: Standard Bungalow and Family Beach Room and stayed for 4 nights. 
The Bungalow was exactly as advertised, open, rustic, very exotic; however, the shower knob was completely missing. I don't understand how can they offer a room with non-functional shower at the beach. So we had to shower in the other room. I  kindly asked 4 times to get it fixed, but absolutely nothing.  They were currently remodeling the bungalow across from ours, and I asked them to take that shower knob and install in our room, but still nothing.  it could have been a very simple fix. 
Our other room, the Family Beach Room was very spacious, nicely decorated, but toilet seat was completely off. Whenever I sat down, it would slide off. 
Right in front of our door was a hose that discharged a whitish water that would flood the entrance. Although it had no smell, but just gave the perception of being sewage water.
Restaurant Menu was simple- for being an Italian place I honestly expected better.  
The staff was very attentive and super nice. 
Breakfast was included with our rate-  pretty much standard throughout Costa Rica, but Locanda offered just one option: plain gallopinto with eggs and coffee.  We had to go buy our own sour cream because they did not have any. This is a staple in Costarrican breakfast. 
Coffee was also substandard. We're in Costa Rica...land of the best coffee in the world... so c'mon..they could definitely improve this very basic item. (I'm not asking for expensive gourmet coffee from Dota or Naranjo, but don't give me cheap crappy coffee, they should know better) 
Our first 2 mornings we had breakfast at Locanda's restaurant..the view is awesome, feet in sand, cool breeze, you can hear the waves crashing down, but decided to go to Gusto Beach restaurant about 75 meters down the beach which also offers on beach tables, but offers a much better menu and food is much tastier,  plus their coffee was better. ..it actually tasted like coffee.
In general, Locanda's location was superb, but they definitely need to invest a bit more in simple basic details, that can make this place excellent.

Great location, but definitely needs fixing

The hotel was neat and clean the staff was very friendly and helpful. This place is really off the grid. they have no TV or in room phone sketchy internet no table or chairs in the room the bed was quasi comfortable however it sat on a solid rock base that was just waiting to stub a toe or bust a shin. It rained the entire time we were there, it was the green season so rain is to be expected, however, that left us with nothing to do but sit on the bed and read a book or my wife took sewing along. Breakfast was included, and tasty, the hamburgers were enormous, the cesar salad was awesome.  If not for the rain so we could have enjoyed the beach or the pool the stay would have been much better.

Hotel Samara Beach

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