Sol Samara

Costa Rica , Pacific North Coast / Guanacaste
PLAYA SAMARA, From El Torito community 800 m East
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100 reviews shown

8/10

Excellent

28 Apr 2026

Jairo

Comfortable place. Two beds in the room, that was unexpected. Nice.
Staff need to be more attentive when . Serving and at the bar. But free breakfast was very good. Great beach, one of the best I have been in Costa Rica. Affordable. I don’t know if they have any beach chairs, I didn’t asked. There are none available at the beach except for the next door resort which they don’t rent. There are different activities offered by other businesses.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Feb 2026

John

Outstanding staff and amenties.

8/10

Excellent

25 Dec 2025

John

Yes, The room was clean. There was a refrigerator, small one and a nice working air conditioning unit with a fan overhead. I read other reviews about roosters crowing near this hotel. And I thought well roosters get up and start crawling about 5:00 6:00 a.m. and I'm going to be out of the room by that time so I don't care. Wrong! The roosters started crowing at 11:00 p.m. and didn't stop all day and night. I don't know what they can do about it because as you may or may not know, Costa Ricans are kind of loose about approaching people about touchy subjects. So be prepared is all I'm saying. Maybe bring some earmuffs? It's a value and it's a good value. The breakfast was excellent. The food was very, very good and you can choose from a menu which means you, you have yours. Your choice of a vegan or going typical tico. Also, the fruits and vegetables are really nice and added feature.

Leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

23 Nov 2025

Lynn

Pretty basic place, no frills here. Good place for an overnight. Helpful staff for sure. Clean.

8/10

Excellent

20 Nov 2025

Matt

Clean room ,great staff

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

30 Oct 2025

Gerard

Very clean comfortable hotel. Comfortable room and beds. TV reception could have been better, but I do not go on vacation to atch TV, so no big deal. Excellent staff and very nice breakfast included in deal, as well as a complimentary bottle of wine.

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

21 Jul 2025

Randy

Best place to stay in Samara. Amazing staff and great breakfast (included) a real plus.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

29 May 2025

jeremy

It was a great stay. Staff was very friendly, breakfast was awesome. Nice clean pool. Monkeys woke us up at 5am but was a great experience

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

29 Mar 2025

Rita

Great getaway close to the beach. Clean rooms comfy beds !

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

26 Mar 2025

Thomas

Absolutamente fantástico!

Todo fue perfecto, Jessica fue muy simpática y ayudante! Muy cerca de la playa también

10/10

Exceptional

11 Feb 2025

Brette

Sol has our ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

We love Sol Samara! Cannot wait to return with all our girlfriends. Staff was so friendly and welcoming. Food was great and the small pool was perfect for a private morning dip. We love kitties and they had purrfect friends around the property.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

07 Feb 2025

Russell

Friendly staff, grounds and rooms maintained well. Easy access to beach and nearby restaurants

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

04 Feb 2025

wayne

out of the way
hard beds
bad roads

Partner

8/10

Excellent

20 Jan 2025

Anush

Great Staff

Staff were very friendly and the service was great! A few condition with the room and shower. Overall good.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

14 Dec 2024

Ian

The staff were very friendly and helpful. They let us charge our EV. Good location with quiet beach and 30 min walk to town.

6/10

Pleasant

19 Nov 2024

Valerie

Very friendly staff. Nice room.
The roosters from neighbouring properties were really noisy.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

14 Oct 2024

Steven

Keeping in mind this is rural Costa Rica the whole experience was very good. The senior property manager was exceptional and food was great. Only draw back it is a bit out of town. But their food is better.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

25 Mar 2024

Verified traveler

Nice place outside Samara

Great service very friendly staff, good location near the actiity pick up beach.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

25 Mar 2024

imraan

Staff were incredibly accommodating and friendly

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

13 Feb 2024

Robert

Very relaxing stay! We enjoyed the pool and the proximity to the Carrillo beach and village of Samara. Delicious complimentary breakfast, nice dinner, friendly and attentive staff.

6/10

Pleasant

12 Feb 2024

Stefan

Very small room with air conditioning and a rusty fridge. We paid $50 US for two virgin pina coladas and 6 little bottles of soda! We will never return to this hotel since the road that leads from the hotel to the beach is very uncomfortable and dirty in a run down neighbourhood, locals burning garbage on the street and urinating there. Staff were friendly and great. You couldn't enjoy the beach since you had to walk by that neighbourhood.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

29 Jan 2024

Gene

The staff were great, very friendly and helpful. Room and grounds very clean. The access road to the hotel is very rough, my only complaint but obviously not their doing nor responsibly.

8/10

Excellent

24 Jan 2024

Amy

Lots of nature

Wonderful place to stay. Just be aware there are neighborhood roosters that are very vocal all day and very early in the morning. Ear plugs are the way to stay at this place. Staff is very friendly and the room was very comfortable and large. A short walk down an alley to the beach. Enjoyed my stay and would go back.

Self

4/10

Poor

10 Jan 2024

Bruce

Hotel quiet relaxing .staff nice .Now for the bad ,beds are horrible no box spring mattress on slats of wood thought they were going to brake and land us on the floor, pillows we're from the 50's, lots of ants and spiders in the room all over the room .must of killed 20 to 40 a night lots of bites ! Brocken window . Needs bad , New beds and linens and pest conrol we travel lots worst beds ever .

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Dec 2023

Rob

We enjoyed the hotel, and that it’s family run. Attentive staff very friendly and helpful. A little sketchy getting in and out off the main road because of the low riding Toyota Yaris we rented and had to be careful driving up to the paved road to town. Beautiful grounds lots of flowers and landscapes room was pretty good size and breakfast was always tasty with great coffee. Nearby beach was quiet and sandy. Great location

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

06 Jul 2023

Daniella

El staff super atento y amable. El desayuno continental aconsejaría brindar más cantidad de fruta.

10/10

Exceptional

20 Jun 2023

David

Close to the beach, excellent service

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

21 May 2023

Jacqueline

This property was very clean ,staff super helpful and breakfast was excellent

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

20 May 2023

Viviana

Un lugar familiar y seguro, a 2 km del centro de Samara

Business_and_leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

20 Jan 2023

Robert

The location of the hotel was excellent. 100 m from the beach. The hotel itself is a small hotel. The staff was friendly. The breakfast that was served to us was delicious.

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

12 Apr 2022

matthew

Nice. But a little farther from town than I thought.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

15 Mar 2022

Gloria

We enjoyed our stay at Hotel Sol Samara. After a bit of difficulty finding the hotel, we were checked in quickly, the room was fine, very comfortable beds, good a/c. We enjoyed the little pool. Breakfast was delicious as were the other meals we ate at the hotel. The staff were all super polite & friendly. We met interesting guests from several countries at the hotel.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Mar 2022

Jack

The grounds/garden area are beautiful and well kept. It is a small hotel with maybe 20 rooms. Family owned and operated. The young lady (Natalia) at the front desk speaks fluent English and is very helpful in every way especially if you are not fluent in Spanish. The Internet in all of Costa Rica is not good (understatement). Very close to the beach but you have to walk past some old shanties to get there. The beach here is beautiful, water is warm and swimmable. A bit out of town so it is better if you have a car to get here and around the area.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

24 Feb 2022

Diego Jimenez

Bonito lugar y muy limpio. Cerca de la playa y con restaurante para no preocuparse.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

27 Jan 2022

Collette

Trip of a lifetime!

We really enjoyed the staff and cleanliness of the place. Would recommend it to others.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 Jan 2022

Vlad

Good hotel

Nice tranquil hotel close to beach. Helpful staff

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 Jan 2022

Vlad

Nice stay quiet relaxing close to beach

Great staff

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

07 Dec 2021

Malcolm

The property is old and run down! There are decaying boards in the walkway that are in need of replacement. The pool looks ok at first glance but when you look closer it’s just like the walkway. The room was clean but very old. The new tile floors and shower help distract from that fact at first. But the beds were mattresses only on 40 year old frames and are not very comfortable. The curtains would not close because they were torn at the top and needed replaced.
There were a couple things that are pleasant. It was quiet. Probably because we were the only ones there. The food was amazing! I don’t know where they found their cook but he belongs in a much better restaurant
The main thing that disappointed us the most is the misleading rating that was on Expedias sight. 4.3 for cleanliness was in the headlines instead of the hotels overall rating.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

01 Dec 2021

Salman

Excellent

Business_and_leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

19 Sep 2021

RICK

I was stunned because I expected less for the price. The rooms have enough space, perfectly design for a couple, they are clean, staffs are friendly and attentive. Also good food.

Hotel is 2 miles away from Carrillo Beach (one of the most beautiful in the region). I will definitely visit again.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

02 Aug 2021

Verified traveler

Muy bonito el lugar, todos muy amables, la habitación muy hermosa. El desayuno que incluyen definitivamente no es continental, son tostadas con tocineta y lo demás se cobra aparte. Fuera de eso todo bien.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

26 Jul 2021

Manuel

Has potential.

The hotel was pretty isolated from all the others. Only a short 10 min drive to get to the center of town. It’s a small hotel. It might need some renovations and a deep clean of the pool. The pool was pretty green from algae.. I would stay again if offered some sort of deal. This place has a lot of potential. A few changes and aesthetic adjustment.. and this place would be a really really nice place to spend time in.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

01 Mar 2021

Verified traveler

Clean room, quite, modern interior, perfect for a stop over

Business_and_leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

07 Feb 2021

Marcelo

Local atmosphere was perfect

Great place if you are looking for peace and quiet. Emanuel and the rest of he staff will make you feel at home. Very accommodating. Beach is just 50 yards away. Local atmosphere was what we were looking for and we got it. The North corner of the beach is spectacular.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 Dec 2020

Gerardo

Excelente atención, comida muy buena, instalaciones bonitas, lugar tranquilo

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

04 Dec 2020

Vik

Great place to stay, the room is clean and really comfortable.

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

02 Dec 2020

Vikas

Nice and clean hotel. The hotel staff is excellent the room is clean and comfortable. I definitely recommend this hotel for short or long stay.

Business Self

6/10

Pleasant

23 Mar 2020

Shane P.

Good Cheap Option

We stayed 2 nights in the middle of summer. The good: the AC is ice excellent even in the middle of summer, the staff was really friendly and helpful, the food was middle of the road as well as the room. The beach is very close but not anywhere close to the downtown.
The bad: the pool is the smallest I have ever seen and the it is in the poor part of town and away from everything other than the beach. Good choice for the budget conscious.

8/10

Excellent

15 Mar 2020

Michael

Off the beaten path in Samara Beach

Nice small hotel close to the beach. Generally OK condition. Reasonable prices on food and drinks. Great strawberry daiquiri.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

02 Mar 2020

scott

Nice boutique hotel close to the beach. On an improvement note they might want to replace their holey bedsheets.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

13 Feb 2020

David K.

No Hot Water

Property was okay. No hot water, hard to find, and in a bad neighborhood.

10/10

Exceptional

23 Jan 2020

Erin

Amazing Beach Stay

We were only at this hotel for one night but the location was perfect! We have a one year old and the beach was about a 2 minute walk. It has everything you need if you're looking for a relaxing beach stay. Plus there were 2 for 1 cocktails at happy hour!

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

06 Mar 2019

Verified traveler

The property is quiet and chilled out. If you want a somewhere to stay which is a safe and easy walking distance to restaurants and bars I wouldn’t stay here it’s a bit too far out but if that doesn’t worry you it’s a 5 min drive or 30 min walk along the beach to the main Sámara beach area (its pretty dark to walk at night I would probably suggest a taxi 2000-3000 colones)

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

05 Feb 2019

Verified traveler

Small hotel. Quiet garden setting, a few chickens roaming. Nice. Relaxing. Good breakfast included and nice dinner menu. 200 meters from a local beach..reef protected so quiet and warm sea. Very picturesque.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

04 Jan 2019

Thomas R.

Nice hotel but not directly by the beach.

Nice hotel with friendly staff. However, we didn't like the location as it was not directly by the beach and quite far from restaurants in Samara city. It was necessary to take a taxi every time we went to the city. For families with small children this location might be good, as it's quiet and no car traffic to endanger the children. The pool is small and placed so that the sun only covers it in the morning.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 Dec 2018

Verified traveler

Good place, nice property, the rooms are prety nice

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

20 Dec 2018

Verified traveler

Nice hotel close to the beautiful beach of Samara, helpful staff, food is good, overall a nice experience !

10/10

Exceptional

27 Nov 2018

Gerard

Beautiful, secluded little Hotel, two minute walk to the beach. Pleasant Staff. Clean room, comfortable bed. WiFi not so good within room but OK otherwise. Nice little swimming pool, quiet and relaxing. Beautiful tropical grounds.

8/10

Excellent

22 Apr 2018

Jane

Sweet quiet experience

Sweet quiet little place near a quiet beach. Only problem was the sink didn’t drain and the 2nd bed needed a thicker coverlet.

Family

2/10

Poor

11 Apr 2018

Verified traveler

Took one look and got back in the car

We drove 4hrs on dirt roads.... we took one look at this place and our hearts sank. It’s old run down and soulless. There was a big pile of junk in the ‘garden’ with a few rangy chickens pecking around.... and this was the view on offer. The room had windows on each side and resembled an unloved dorm. I know this was a cheap hotel, but honestly this was just awful. im pretty sure I got charged the $100 usd even though we didn’t stay but I don’t care. It was worth it so as not to spend a moment there. Harsh but with so so many options pick somewhere else.

10/10

Exceptional

27 Feb 2018

Izzy

Good location and quiet

We enjoyed staying there. We'd go back. It's slightly off the main road so it is quiet. The room had a decent size and it was clean. The price was also very decent. The breakfast was good. It might not be the most enjoyable place for kids though - no playground, etc.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

26 Feb 2018

Verified traveler

Cute, clean, super friendly staff. Breakfast was simple but fresh and satisfying. The surrounding neighborhood is a little rough but the grounds of the hotel are beautiful

10/10

Exceptional

20 Feb 2018

Tricia

Charming and rustic

We loved this sweet little inn. It’s a short walk to a beautiful beach. The staff is very friendly and accommodating. The breakfast with several cooked to order options and fresh, local fruit is delicious. The rooms are not fancy but they are perfect. If I had a complaint (which I don’t) is the mattress was VERY firm. Overall, this was a pleasant stay and a great value. We love Samara.

10/10

Exceptional

10 Jan 2018

kate

Relaxing break

The hotel is a 15 minute drive from Samara which does mean that you have to drive or get a taxi if you want to eat in one of the restaurants. There is a restaurant at the hotel which does pleasant meals. All meals carry a 13% and 10% surcharge which can make them prices.

As it is out of town it is wonderfully peaceful and an oasis of clam with lovely private gardens tha are full of birds. It is about 50 meters from the beach and is lovely with local fishermen and families. The main town beach can get very busy and there seem to be lots of people selling things

The staff were very helpful and friendly. There is a small pool. Each room has its own fridge and air con. There is a patio downstairs and terrace up stairs with seating outside every room. As there are only about 15 rooms it nev r gets very noisy or very busy

10/10

Exceptional

02 Jan 2018

Duncan

Jungle Based Adventure

If you are looking for a Ritz or Hilton, this hotel is not it. It is a small two story, palm thatched, family hotel in a wooded jungle. The breakfast area is open to the garden, and you may see roosters, iguana or even horses roaming in to enjoy the gardens. The roosters will act as a wake up call. Otherwise really relaxing.

Food was basic, but fresh. A small bar was available and restocked regularly, if you hit it too hard. The only thing missing was a coffee making facility in the room, but in the morning there was generally a pot on for you to get. If not, the staff would put one on.

The hotel can arrange activities. We even booked a horse ride at 7.30am for a 8.00am start on the same day.

The town center is a 20 minute walk from the hotel, along the beach. I would not advise the walking on the road, which is a narrow mountain winding road with no sidewalks.

10/10

Exceptional

15 Nov 2017

Verified traveler

1st class service, great location, friendly staff, good restaurant, immaculate room. Very pleased.

10/10

Exceptional

15 Nov 2017

Frank

Nice Samara Surprise

Great quiet location just 2 blocks 2 the beach. Very attentive staff. Very nice rooms..much better than I expected for the price. Good included breakfast. Delicious dinner at fair price.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

03 Jul 2017

Verified traveler

Nice hotel close to the beach

One of the better hotels with comfortable clean room and great breakfast. There is a small swimming pool at the back of the hotel, clean and cozy, in the shade, good relaxation.

Samara beach is a short walk from the hotel (one block). The beach is very nice, there is an island inside of the lagoon, the beach is sand and the ocean was quiet, unlike other beaches we visited. The beach near hotel was almost empty. Beach life community is in Samara downtown, which is 10 minute drive or 20 minute beach walk. There are horses that seem to wonder on their own down the beach. We ate at one of the recommended restaurants, it was very nice.

8/10

Excellent

11 Mar 2017

Verified traveler

Nice Hotel outside of Samara

It was a small, clean hotel that was outside of Samara.

8/10

Excellent

07 Mar 2017

Verified traveler

Clean, comfortable, nice hotel

Great location near the beach, with very comfortable and clean rooms. Nice and kind of private pool; also it has a great garden so you can enjoy even more your stay.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

14 Feb 2017

Rodolfo

Great stay just not fully satisfied.

We have stayed here before so we are repeat customers so we liked it very much. The problem was we took kids last minute and the vharge for them was as much as the room itself but yet they didnt give us another room just a room with a small twin bed and full bed which made it hard for me the wife and three kids. Other than that the hotel is great!

Family

8/10

Excellent

17 Jan 2017

Modest hotel near a less busy beach.

This hotel is about 5 minutes drive outside of Samara and the beach near it is quieter but has courser sand. The lobby is welcoming, but slightly dated. The hotel rooms are clean but the beds and pillows are hard. Outside seating is nice but the awning is in need of repair.

8/10

Excellent

06 Sep 2016

Verified traveler

Nice small hotel

Cute amenities, comfortable room, good breakfast, not so close to the center of the town you have to drive to get there

10/10

Exceptional

01 Jul 2016

Lexly

Loved it!

The staff was super nice! Clean hotel and was so close to everything!

6/10

Pleasant

21 Mar 2016

Verified traveler

Quiet hotel with helpful staff

Quiet hotel short drive from town. The pool was a nice way to beat the heat. Would stay there again

10/10

Exceptional

20 Feb 2016

Jo Ann

First A/C and hot water in 6 weeks - what's not to like? Plus I saw my first coati (pizote) in their garden.

6/10

Pleasant

19 Feb 2016

Terrence

Value hotel

It was hard to find poor or no directions wasted 40 minutes trying to find it Quiet neighbourhood Good value Beds were hard

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

08 Feb 2016

Mario

nice but needs improvement.

Beds make to much noise when you turn around, ants were present at the bathroom, good curtains, however in top of the closet there is a window with no curtains... so it was clear with the exterior lights to try to sleep.
Hotel outside and gardens looks old, no like the pictures... I just think it needs some improvement.
Breakfast was decent, however...why in Costa Rica gallopinto needs to be paid extra on a free meal??? I will understand about french toasts???? but gallopinto!!! come on... it Costa Rica finest meal!

Family

6/10

Pleasant

01 Feb 2016

Verified traveler

not for most

Hotel was nice but very far out of the way and nothing around to do. It is a very long drive from nosara because the roads are so bad. I would not recommend this hotel for people that want to be in Nosara.

10/10

Exceptional

26 Jan 2016

Bryan

Owner operated gem

This is a very nice little boutique hotel that's owned and operated by 3 people who put their heart and soul in this place. They go out of their way to be accommodating and friendly. An example is they let me use their computer to download a map of Costa Rica onto my GPS - and it took nearly 2 hours (it wasn't working), and they were ok with this! I don't know many places of business that would be. Nice little pool to cool off and a great restaurant upstairs. The food there is likely the best in the area. The beach is easily within walking distance as well. Highly recommended!

Partner

4/10

Poor

16 Jan 2016

AleGonCa

NO more than USD $50.00

Weird pool... with salty water, rooms have a decent size but with a very old TV and very basic beds.
The "included" breakfast is not a real breakfast... it is just fruits and coffee and then you hay to pay for the "pinto".
I would say that the front desk guys and the cleaning team are very nice but is not enough for the room price.

8/10

Excellent

16 Jan 2016

Verified traveler

No Hot Water But We Would Go back.

Its a short drive to Samara and Carillo but a short walk to the beach and overall great location if your looking get a little seperation from Samara.

Everything was great except the hot water. We got hot water one of the three days we were there. Also our shower head did not spray anywhere which made it difficult to shower.

We kind of expected the lack of hot water based on the reviews and in spite of the lack of hot water, we very much enjoyed our stay. We would go back.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

09 Oct 2015

Rodolfo

We enjoyed our stay!

Its through a little dirt road but the place was great enjoyed the quiet surrounding. The pool was a little small but ok.

Partner

2/10

Poor

22 Sep 2015

Verified traveler

Awful

The smell to rotten fish all the time and no hot water

8/10

Excellent

27 Jul 2015

Carlos

Nice Hotel

We stayed at Sol Sámara for a night becuase the hotel we usually stay at was full. Rooms are clean and comfortable. The beach is about a block away. The small fridge in the room was a little old: we needed to store a few things and we were not sure it was working well (didn't contact staff, though). Breakfast was nice. Overall, an ok stay for a couple nights.

8/10

Excellent

18 Aug 2014

Allison

Good hotel for the location

The room was clean and the staff were friendly. The surrounding neighborhood was run-down and the location was further from the main street of Samara then we realized when booking. But we had a pleasant stay and would recommend this hotel if you don't mind driving a few kilometers to the downtown.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

07 Aug 2014

Diana Rom

Good quality-price relation

My boyfriend and I loved this hotel, it is small but cute and cozy. The room was small but perfect for us, it was clean and people were nice. The breakfastincluded was very good. The hotel is close to the beach but you need a car to go to the town

Partner

8/10

Excellent

14 May 2014

Good for beach not for the action

Excellent hotel on the beach.
If the pool was in the front instead of hidden it would of been great. Walk on beach for 45 minutes or 5 dollar taxi before you reach town.
If you want a very quiet hotel near the beach it is perfect!

6/10

Pleasant

07 Apr 2014

Saurav

A nice enough hotel - but LOCATION is an issue

This hotel is nice enough but it's "gimmick" is that it is in Samara and close to the beach. It is neither. The town of Samara is close by but you have to drive there. The beach that is 50 meters away (and therefore walking distance) from Sol Samara is not the nice part of Samara beach that people enjoy; it is a fishing area. You are very close to Playa carrillo as well, which is beautiful, but again you have to drive there (5 min). I'd say this is a bit misleading since they sell themselves as beach-adjacent. Otherwise, a fine hotel for a beach stay, but I'd choose something actually IN the town of Samara.

6/10

Pleasant

21 Mar 2014

Ryan

Eclectic location in Tico neighborhood

Located in a Tico neighborhood (we liked it but most would consider it too poor/run down) on the south side of Playa Samara. A block away from the beach itself but a very long walk (a mile or more) to the main part of town. Nice little place with pleasant staff and a decent breakfast. The pool is very small but the garden makes up for it. The defining moment was when my wife was stung by a scorpion which made for some tense moments until we were reassured by the staff and google that none of their scorpions were poisonous to humans (although VERY painful). This most likely got in the room prior to us arriving as they seem to leave all of the rooms open during housecleaning. The staff were extremely helpful in dealing with the drama and calming us down. We would stay there again but strongly recommend doing a sweep of the room (including mattresses) on check in.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

10 Mar 2014

avanti43

No hot water unless you ask to have it turned on

This hotel is very nice. It would have had a better rating if the hotel turned on the hot water in the morning. We had to go down each morning and have one of the staff "flip a switch" and wait 15 minutes so the water got hot enough to shower. Food was excellent and a short walk to the beach and town made it enjoyable to get a taste of other places as well. Would recommend this place without a doubt keeping in mind of the hot water problem.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

08 Mar 2014

J Ho

Great spot

Great spot off the beaten path. Fantastic service

8/10

Excellent

18 Feb 2014

Cute for a beach vacation

Great little hotel close to the beach. Super nice staff. Cold showers in the morning, were warm at night. I think they ou have a small water heater. TV and AC in the rooms and comfy beds. Beautiful grounds on the hotel to just sit out and relax. The town of Samara is about an hour from the next closest town (Nicoya). Don't recommend staying here if you want to tour all of Costa Rica, but it's great if you want to stay and relax on the beach. 3 hrs from Montverde, 4 hrs from Arenal Volcano ziplining.

8/10

Excellent

17 Feb 2014

Tony 7 month tr

A little bit of luxury for us backpacker's!

First off, nice breakfast a little basic but ok. Close to the beach 5min or less. 25-30 minutes along the beach to town or restaurants. Please pick the room away from the pool we got bitten lots! Very friendly staff overall very good.

6/10

Pleasant

01 Feb 2014

Verified traveler

Five minutes from beach

Room is small . The staff is friendly but service is quite slow.

10/10

Exceptional

27 Jan 2014

Susan

Beach Vacation

The staff was wonderful, food excellent, room presentation delightful, pool-warm and cute, beds...just okay, TV...tiny

10/10

Exceptional

27 Jan 2014

Jess and Kris

Great time in Samara!

The hotel and staff were very couteous and friendly! would go again!

Family

8/10

Excellent

15 Jan 2014

Monica

Nice, laidback hotel

Located in Samara Sur, roughly 2 km away from downtown Samara. It's a fishing town, so you're bound to run into your odd hen or stray horse. I found it lovely, but others might not be amused. It's a short 50-m walk to the beach. A bit noisy at night, depending on how hard the locals party, but definitely less noisy than downtown Samara. Still reasonable and very charming.

The pool is small but really pleasant and clean, the staff were terribly kind and helpful. Much like a Disney animated movie, some of the housekeeping staff actually sing as they work.

8/10

Excellent

07 Jan 2014

Gary

away from town but close to beach

nice rooms, clean and safe. short walk down a dirt road to the beach.

Family

8/10

Excellent

07 Jan 2014

Saurin

Nice tourist class hotel

Sol Samara is very nice tourist class hotel with a few yards walk to Playa Samara. The hotel is located right in middle of locals and few km away from Main Street. The staff was very friendly and courteous. The food and drink (seasonal juices, milk shakes and cocktails) are very appealing at the hotel. There are also good restaurants in town not far from Sol Samara.

Portion of the beach near hotel is black sand and little dirty. But it is easy walk on the beach towards the Main Street and it is much nicer. Playa Carrillo is hardly 5 min. drive from hotel and it is way better that Playa Samara.

But be prepared.. this is no fancy hotel. Rooms are nice and full of amenities but its right in middle of locals living so you will find hens, chickens, dogs crossing your path :-). Personally I would select it again if I have to visit the place.