Top 5: Why Samara is the best beach town in Costa Rica

 A week is a perfect amount of time to spend in Sámara. The community is small and friendly. We love how the beach is the “town square” where everyone comes out to stroll and swim in the evening. In a week’s stay at Villas Espavel you can spend time surfing, boogie boarding, do a little adventure play and see some of the beautiful beaches nearby too. Here are our top 5 reasons why we think Sámara is the best beach town in Costa Rica.

1. Best Family Friendly Beach -

Sámara has the most family friendly beach that we have found in Costa Rica. Low tide is perfect for swimming, snorkeling, tide-pooling or just tossing your kids in the air while the sun sets over the bay. If you’re adventurous low tide is also great for kayaking and stand up paddle boarding.

2. Abundant Nature -

No matter the season there is always something gorgeous, whether it is the beach, the animals or the jungle. Coming to Sámara is an amazing immersion in nature. 

3. Wonderful Tico People -

The community feels like a Costa Rican town, not “gringo-landia” like some other beach towns in Latin America. The town has intense Costa Rican pride and being there for one of the major holidays like the Annexation of Nicoya in late July or Costa Rican Independence Day on September 15 is a treat to see as all the school kids parade through the streets singing and playing music.

4. Amazing Food -

Costa Rica is not known for their food, unless you are a devotee of beans and rice. Luckily Sámara has some of the best restaurants of any town we’ve visited. There are amazing Costa Rican restaurants with batidos (fresh fruit smoothies) and great seafood. There are restaurants on the beach where you can nestle your toes into the sand while sipping a drink. Then there are the restaurants that are of international caliber like innovative sushi and knock your socks off modern Italian fare.

5. Bikes -

Another reason we fell in love with Sámara is that this town is all about walking and bicycling. If you’ve ever been to Costa Rica before you’ll remember that most towns are spread out along a highway or spread out around hill-country. In contrast Sámara is compact and easy to navigate on foot or on bike. Sámara’s compact size and Villas Espavel’s proximity to the beach and town means that you don’t need to rent a car when you come here. Rent a bike and you’re on your way!

- Mercy