Villas Playa Samara Beach Front-All Inclusive Resort
Reopening Date & Status
Villas Playa Samara Beach Front-All Inclusive Resort is temporarily closed — reopening Jan 1, 2027 (renovation).
Open alternatives nearby
Villas Playa Samara Beach Front-All Inclusive Resort is a family-friendly all-inclusive resort in Costa Rica with 122 rooms. Amenities include Beach. Travelers rate it 3.8/5 across 784 Google reviews.
What travelers said before it closed
Traveler Insights
Pros
- +Direct beachfront access on Samara Bay's crescent-shaped, protected beach - one of the calmest and safest swimming beaches on Costa Rica's Pacific coast
- +Spacious villa-style accommodations ranging from garden junior suites to multi-bedroom beachfront luxury villas with full kitchens
- +Wildlife abounds on the grounds - guests regularly spot iguanas, parrots, tricolored squirrels, and monkeys in the surrounding trees without leaving the resort
- +Playa Samara town is steps away, offering an authentic, unpretentious Costa Rican beach town with local restaurants, bars, and surf shops
- +Sunsets from the beach are spectacular and visible directly from beachfront rooms and the pool deck - wild horses occasionally walk the beach at dusk
- +Friendly, attentive staff who consistently receive high marks in reviews for personal service and local knowledge of the area
- +Calm, protected bay makes the beach ideal for families, non-swimmers, and those who want gentle ocean swimming rather than big surf
- +Good base for exploring Guanacaste: zip-lining, sportfishing, ATV tours, and the Ostional turtle nesting reserve are all within day-trip range
Cons
- −Room quality and maintenance have historically been inconsistent - some rooms well-kept, others with worn furnishings, uncomfortable mattresses, and deferred repairs - though the renovation the hotel closed for in 2026 may address exactly these complaints
- −The all-inclusive offering is modest - guests are expected to retrieve their own drinks from the pool bar rather than having service come to them on the beach or by the pool
- −Value-for-money feedback is mixed; some guests feel the pricing does not match the physical condition of rooms, especially compared to similar Costa Rica properties
- −The beach sand at Samara is gray rather than white, which surprises guests expecting the bright Caribbean-style sand they see in generic resort marketing
- −Limited evening entertainment - Samara town has more nightlife than the resort itself, and guests seeking on-property evening programming will find little
- −Surf is very gentle here, which is a pro for families but a disappointment for travelers who come to Costa Rica specifically for surf experiences
- −No structured kids club or dedicated children's program; families with young children are on their own for entertainment beyond the beach and pool
- −Getting to other Guanacaste highlights like Tamarindo or Nosara requires a car or organized tour, and Samara's remote location means Liberia airport transfers are 2+ hours
An important update before anything else: Hotel Villas Playa Samara is temporarily closed for construction and renovation, with tour operators listing an expected reopening of January 1, 2027 - so this is a property to shortlist for next year rather than book right now. Villas Playa Samara Beach Front captures the essence of what makes Samara special as a beach destination: calm, protected water, no pretension, and a genuinely Costa Rican beach town atmosphere right outside the gate. The resort's beachfront villa layout feels more like a boutique property than a typical all-inclusive block, with 59 rooms spread in low-rise buildings amid tropical gardens. Guests spot iguanas on morning walks, hear parrots overhead, and occasionally watch wild horses walk the shoreline at sunset. This is not a manufactured tropical experience - the wildlife and natural setting are the real thing, and for travelers who came to Costa Rica specifically for that, the resort delivers.
The practical experience reflects the property's mid-range positioning. Room quality is genuinely uneven - some villas are in good shape with nice views, others feel dated with maintenance issues that undercut the tropical charm. The all-inclusive format is relatively low-service; you retrieve your own drinks rather than having poolside attendants, and the dining is described as solid but not remarkable. Guests who are flexible and focused on the beach and surroundings tend to have a great time. Those who have specific expectations about room polish or attentive all-inclusive service sometimes feel the pricing does not justify the execution - though the current renovation closure targets exactly this weak spot, and the room-condition picture is worth re-checking once the property reopens.
This resort is the right choice for travelers who want Playa Samara's laid-back, authentic character and direct beach access without building a complicated itinerary. Families with older children and couples looking for a quiet, nature-forward beach week get the most from it. Compare it to the more polished Guanacaste resorts in Tamarindo - Villas Playa Samara trades their luxury infrastructure for a smaller-town, local feel that many guests prefer. For adventure travelers, the surrounding area offers zip-lining, turtle nesting tours at nearby Ostional, and sportfishing, all easily organized from Samara.
Common Questions
Is the beach at Playa Samara good for swimming?
How is the all-inclusive experience compared to Caribbean all-inclusives?
What is Playa Samara town like and how close is it?
What wildlife can guests expect to see?
How far is Liberia airport and is there shuttle service?
Is Hotel Villas Playa Samara currently open?
What's nearby
Playa Carrillo5 min drive · 1.3 mi
Playa Guiones40 min drive · 16 mi
More things to do (15)
- Playa Buenavista · beach20 min drive · 6.3 mi
- Playa Sámara · beach7 min drive · 1.7 mi
- Isla Chora kayak and snorkel trip · excursion7 min drive · 1.7 mi
- Dolphin-watching boat trip from Sámara · excursion7 min drive · 1.7 mi
- Carrillo lookout · viewpoint8 min drive · 2.3 mi
- Camaronal Wildlife Refuge · wildlife20 min drive · 7.6 mi
- Playa Camaronal · beach20 min drive · 7.8 mi
- Playa Barrigona · beach25 min drive · 7.3 mi
- Playa Islita · beach25 min drive · 11 mi
- Museo Islita open-air art · museum30 min drive · 11 mi
- Playa Garza · beach30 min drive · 12 mi
- Playa Pelada · beach45 min drive · 18 mi
- Sibu Wildlife Sanctuary · wildlife45 min drive · 19 mi
- Ostional Wildlife Refuge · wildlife60 min drive · 22 mi
- Olive ridley arribada night at Ostional (July to November) · excursion60 min drive · 22 mi
Amenities
Style & Rooms
Room upgrades
Seaweed & sargassum
Costa Rica gets sargassum, typically worst March through August on the Caribbean coast only; the Pacific coast is clear every month.See the month-by-month guide →Google Reviews★ 3.8 · 784 reviews
“After a long day of traveling We arrived at the resort to be told that there was an issue with the power to our garden villa ocean view room. We were asked to accept a different room for the night on the condition that we would switch to our designa...”