Mixed experience.

On the plus side, we enjoyed the hotel services in general. The highlight was the excellent prepared meals. The chef was very imaginative and creative. We particularly enjoyed the Italian themed Friday meals. As an example, the beef Ossobuco in tomato sauce was authentic Italian fare, with the meat balls as well as a very surprising eggplant parmesan. The grounds are kept very clean and tidy. The villas are spacious and very comfortable. Our unit had new kitchen and bathroom fixtures. Th [... read more]e pool is a very good size. The staff is very friendly, courteous and accommodating. They aim to please. On the minus side is the Air Canada experience. We booked in August 2017, and when we arrived at the ticket counter, my wife and I were informed that our seats were not next to each other. This is not acceptable for an all-inclusive vacation package, As experienced. vacationers for the past 10 years we had that never happen to us before. This was our first Air Canada vacation and frankly we do not anticipate taking another. The seating situation, the cramped quarters of the Airbus. A319 without a video screen for entertainment are too spartan for a comfortable vacation, All-inclusive vacations experiences should begin at the gate, and not only when you arrive at the hotel. We were on the plane for 6.5 hours approximately, gate to gate. Air Canada needs to drastically improve its guest treatment or get out of the vacation packages business altogether. We would recommend this hotel but suggest that they do not book with Air Canada.

If Not For the Staff.....

Location, location, location. People, people, people. the greatest strengths of this resort. The beach was clean, quiet and peaceful. Virtually everyone from dining to mtce. were warmly receptive. The food was remarkable and surprisingly never repeated in our 10 day stay. Simple evening entertainment during dinner was a perfect blend of variety. Indeed on Valentines Day there was a fabulous beach bonne fire, entertainment, blankets and drinks. This resort COULD BE SO VERY MUCH MORE however. I [... read more]t's infrastructure is weak. No loaner bikes or paddle boards as advertised. Bed linens and towels are old, grey and thin. Water and power supply are oddly sporadic with no backup generators. Guaranteed water will be off at night time a few evenings per week. important to know if you 'need' the toilet. We experienced a 5am-11am planned power outage by the local hydro, for which the resort make no apparent backup plans. Phones are non-existent on site. Our washroom a breeding ground for small black winged drain moths. It would seem this older side of the resort may be a cash-cow for the new development adjacent. The departure tax was a conundrum. The TripCentral agent did not know that the tax was pre-paid by Air Cananda, basic information that would have save waiting in a hot line at Liberia.

NOTHING BUT MAJOR COMPLAINTS!

This Hotel/Resort was grossly misrepresented by the Air Canada Vacations Sun Collection Brochure. It was not a 4 star, or even a 3 star hotel. They did not offer the promised extras like non-motorized water sports, bicycles, boogie boards, stand-up paddle boards, deluxe renovated rooms, or preferred room location. There is a brand new hotel being built right against it (50 feet away) and we had constant dust, and construction noise 7 days a week from 6:30 am until 9 pm daily. We did not get move [... read more]d to a renovated room with promised TV, ceiling fan and mini fridge until day 4 of our vacation. There was not an Air Canada employee as our destination representative. The Rep. worked for a company called Swiss Travel Costa Rica and only act as an Air Canada Rep., and we don't feel he could do anything to help us with our complaints and problems. We have forwarded a detailed complaint letter to the Trip Central customer service email (customerservice@tripcentral.ca)

Laid Back & Relaxing Resort

Hotel Villas Playa Samara is the smallest resort that I've been to, but the amenities (restaurant, pool, bars) were on par with the number of guests. The staff were welcoming and friendly, our renovated room was very nice and spacious and the food was great! The beach was by far the best thing about the resort-expansive, very clean and not overly crowded. I would suggest they invest in more lounge chairs for the beach area-it was nearly impossible to find a chair after 7am (this was also due to  [... read more]the fact that some guests saved chairs and then didn't use them).

Playa samara, costa rica

pleasant small hotel, so the place never few over crowded. people are friendly and delicious foods. Hotel 2hrs drive away from airport. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Nice quiet Resort

This is a small, quiet Resort. We had a one room Villa. The Beach is very child safe, clean and not too busy. The Resort has only one Buffet Dining and one A La Carte Restaurant. The Buffet has a good Fruit and Salad selection every day and good selection of International cuisine daily. The A La Carte had poor service, it overbooked and very limited menu. Room was very clean although the Maids sometimes forgot to leave towels. I would rate this Resort 3 Star. I would recommend it.

Villas Playa Samara-nice resort under construction from 6am-5pm every day

we went there for one week in the end of July 2017. we were never told neither by AIR CANADA Vacations nor TRIP CENTRAL about any construction taking place at this resort during our stay..we were told about some construction and possible small noises as we arrived by shuttle bus from the airport upon arrival to this resort. we stayed in the east corner of the resort with constant noises from nearby construction starting at 6am daily. it was not possible to relax and sleep in the early morni [... read more]ngs as we heard continous constuction noises coming from near by site which belongs to the same resort... the whole resort is very nice,staff is super friendly and professional. nature is amazing and rooms are clean. food is good,service superb. our room was always cleaned well and on time. night music and singing at 9pm was nice and we saw the staff really doing their best. pool was clean,beach was very nice..

Hotel Villas Playa Samara - CONSTRUCTION

Bonjour, J'ai passé 8 jours au l'hotel à Playa Samara pour le moment et oui il y a des travaux de construction Un superbe chantie, job commance a 6-00 AM et pendant tout la journée j'ai attend l'exavateur , drill ect. Il est bien situé à la sortie de la ville, et pas très loin de la plage, à environ 2 minutes de marche Les personnels souriant et respectueux, et la nature abondante , le service internet wi fi gratuit, la chambre était très bien le service de nettoyage était [... read more] assez bien.

Costa Rica Gem

Great week, no line ups, fantastic food, nightly entertainment, super service from the front desk people and the servers, who could ask for more. The room/townhouse complete with kitchen was clean well set up and everything worked all the time. It had a great view of the beach and was surrounded by nature, with many of the great birds, reptiles, and animals common to Costa Rica all around us. Many great walks on the long and amazing beach, c/w nightly sunsets and daily horse visits, an [... read more]d swimming in the warm ocean made for lots of fun. We explored town, rented quads for some back country exploring, walked to the neighbouring beach, bought fresh fruit from street venders, went on a fishing excursion, rented kayaks to explore the local island on our own, and of course spent some time at the pool bar. Check in and check was seamless and the 2 hr drive was a great opportunity to see more of the country side on a very comfortable bus. Thank you Playa Samara for a great week in your beautiful country.

Amazing resort!

The staff is great, villas are beautiful, food is very good but there's not a big variety of food. Quiet resort, offers one intertainer a night and a variety of excursions during the day. The beach is beautiful and the village of Samára is just a couple of kilometres down the beach for the people who want to explore the area.

Simply great!

This is a nice, very quiet hotel. The staff are really nice, the food is good and fresh, the villas, rooms and the pool are beautiful and clean. You get to see lots of different animals. Beach is wonderful. Not the place to go if you're looking for night life and entertainment though.

Loved this resort!

We stayed in a 1 bedroom recently renovated villa with a Garden view. Resort is small and everything is within easy walking distance. Buffet was great with 1 a la carte restaurant. Parts of the resort are under construction near the entrance. Beach was nice and not crowded. Not the white sand and clear waters of the Caribbean.

Great Time

This quiet resort was just what we were looking for. Close enough to a local town to walk and explore, small enough to not be busy all of the time and good food selections. We enjoyed our time, though some of the website information is very misleading (ie they have no hammocks, you're not able to rent water equipment from the resort). You are able to book excursions right on site. Aside from Javier, the staff was mediocre and it's mostly on you to get another drink at the bar if you'd li [... read more]ke it, instead of them bringing one too you. Overall we had a good time and it lives up the the three stars

👍

My husband and I enjoyed the resort's grounds. However, they are in the process of building more rooms and it's quite unpleasant to be in the middle of renovations. Also, even though the beach is long and beautiful, there are rocks right in front of the beach property and it is unpleasant to go into the water (which is merky and has lots of seaweed at the shore). Wouldn't visit the same resort, but I would definitely go back to Costa Rica!

Hidden gem in Samara Beach

Just came back from a fabulous stay at Hotel Villas Playa Samara. When we arrived at the airport there were 2 buses waiting for us to take us to the town of Samara. The bus ride is 2 hours but very comfortable air conditioned bus and you get to drive through valleys and little towns with pretty views. The hotel check-in was fast and efficient. Now the food, oh the food is fantastic!! they have all the basics covered and everyday there was a STAR of the show. Everything is fresh and local. Every  [... read more]day they had a different local fruit drink including mango, papaya, watermelon. All the staff work really hard to make everyone happy. The Pina Coladas and Strawberry Ds were the best I've had at a resort made with real fruit!! the beer was cold and refreshing. The desserts were mouth watering. We were extremely with happy food and service. The little casita we got was two bedroom with 2 beds for my kids and a full kitchen. It was always clean and relaxing with the rooms that you sleep had A/C for comfortable sleeping. It was facing the ocean and had a little porch where you could just sit and relax. At night we fell asleep with the sound of the waves. It is that close! The beach is very nice but you do need your water shoes. If you forget these you can walk towards the town. There is no coral at the beach near the town or you can always buy some shoes at the local town. We went on two tours. The snorkel and kayak which was very good and the dolphin tour that stole the week! we got to see a group of about 30 dolphins. They were beautiful and playful with the boat. The gardens are covered with mango and other fruit that you can pick. And you get to see all kinds of iguanas and once we had a monkey on one of the trees. Overall, we had a great time and would defenetly recommend it.

Great resort!

We stayed at the resort from march 11-19 : Great location on the beach and walking distance to Samara. We loved the food but it can get repetitive. The staff was friendly and very helpful - Thanks Marcos and Daniel for the exceptional service! We felt a little pushed aside when there was a wedding on the resort, but we ended up eating at a good restaurant called gusto beach in Samara (the food was excellent)! The kayak/snorkling excursion was fun and surfing was great for beginners! If you e [... read more]ver decide to go to this resort, bring water shoes!

Quaint resort off the beaten path

This little resort was nice. The food was really good, the rooms clean and the pool and beach were good - although the sand was too hot to walk on and the sand in the water was full of shells and rocks - we needed water shoes. It was also too cloudy to see any fish. The restaurant buffet area is tiny but it wasn't crowded most of the time. On our final day they ran out of food several times unfortunately. It is a very quiet place without any entertainment at night and zero kids activi [... read more]ties but decent wifi. There are no other hotels or resorts close by and it's almost 3 hrs from the airport - it feels very remote and one can really relax here.

Nice resort, great staff

The resort was lovely and fairly well kept. The staff was wonderful, accommodating and fun. It was a 2 hour drive from the Liberia airport but a pretty drive. The rooms could use an update and a note thorough cleaning each day. The beach was beautiful, quiet and had a great view of the sunset. The food was good, a variety of foods more often would have been nice. The pool was great and the swim up bar was fantastic. There was not much entertainment (live music 3-5 times when we were there) or ac [... read more]tivities to do/rent on the beach. There needs to be more beach chairs as well. There was construction beside the resort but it wasn't too bothersome. It was a beautiful 40 min walk down the beach to the town where there are cute bars, surfing, kayaking and restaurants. All in all it was a great experience.

Great Spot!

This was my second time in Costa Rica and I was pleasantly surprised by this resort. Villas are spacious and clean, grounds are beautiful, food was plentyful and delicious. Staff was friendly and efficient. The beach was breathtaking - but watershoes are a must because of the rocks/corals on it. The resort is located at a conveninent 30 min walk on the beach from the town of Samara where you can find great restaurants, and many small shops. I would go back in a heart beat.

Excellent resort

Highly recommend this resort. No complaints about anything. Resort is small, staff very accommodating, clean. Relaxing atmosphere, beautiful beach. Quiet, lots of day excursions available. Very hot, not a drop of rain. Keep hydrating. Food good, much better than Cuba or Dominican. Might be a little too quiet atmosphere for some.