Frommer's Review
This is one of the most exclusive and romantic luxury resorts in Costa Rica. It's isolated on a high bluff between two mountain ridges that meet the sea. The rooms here are done in a Santa Fe style, with red Mexican floor tiles, neo-Navajo-print bedspreads, and adobe-colored walls offset with sky-blue doors and trim. Each room has a king-size bed and a private patio with a hammock; a few of these also have a Jacuzzi. The suites come with a separate sitting room and a private two-person plunge pool or Jacuzzi; the villas have two or three bedrooms, their own private swimming pools, and full kitchens.
The beach below the hotel is a small crescent of gray-white sand with a calm, protected section at the northern end. It's about a 10-minute hike, but the hotel will shuttle you up and back if you don't feel like walking. You can take the hotel's small "canopy tour," which leaves from just below the small exercise room and ends just steps from the beach. There's a rancho bar and grill down there for when you get hungry or thirsty, and a new lap pool for when the waves are too rough. A full range of spa treatments and services is offered, including yoga classes. This hotel is very involved with the local community, and has sponsored a wide ranging art program that brings in prominent Costa Rican artists to teach the local residents art and craft skills, while often creating large public works in the process. The hotel also has a top-notch little gallery, as well as a 9-hole executive course.
Although most guests opt to fly into the nearby airstrip, it's possible to drive here. Punta Islita is just two beaches south of Sámara. If you do drive, it's best to come over on the new Tempisque River bridge, follow the directions to Playa Sámara, and continue south.
Facilities: 3 restaurants; bar; small tile pool and lap pool; 9-hole golf course and driving range; 2 tennis courts; small exercise room and spa; Jacuzzi; watersports equipment, bike, horse, and 4WD rentals; game room; tour desk; in-room massage; laundry service.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
