We booked with Sol Samara through hostelworld.com last minute for dates over Christmas - we were in need of accommodations and scooped up this deal with guarded expectations. To our suprise, our expectations were exceeded by this hotel with the exception of it's location. It was a bit far out of town and if we didn't have a rental car, there would have been some serious commuting time on foot to and from the town of Samara via the beach.

However, if you have a car and can confidently navigate Costa Rican roads in the dark, then this place is a pretty good deal. The rooms were a nice size, clean and tastefully decorated. The a/c made a difference in the muggy air and we slept like babies each night. Breakfast was included and provided a few different options to choose from and included coffee and fresh juice. This helped save time and money hunting for food in town and allowed up to get a quick start on the day. The pool, while small and tucked away, was a great way to refresh yourself after a day at the beach.

All in all, we really enjoyed our time here - the staff were all really friendly and genuine and I felt like we ended up in the right place in the end.

My wife and I stayed here two nights and thoroughly enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of a cozy beach hotel that didn't feel like a tourist trap. It's located a short drive (or nice long walk on the beach) from the minor hubbub of Samara's center, as well as a short drive in the other direction to tranquil Playa Carillo (which is somewhere definitely worth spending a lazy day under palms sipping rum and pineapple juice,or your beverage of choice). It's certainly not the fanciest of the places we stayed on our trip, but it's clean, cozy, and the staff is very friendly and attentive and will help you to arrange whatever excursions you'd like while there. We liked that the location, nestled among a small fishing village where we encountered chickens and dogs along the short walk to the beach, allowed us a little local flavor but some travelers expecting a more resort-like experience hidden from such things could be disappointed. All in all, it was a fantastic time and great value and we'd stay there again.

We had a wonderful stay last month at Sol Samara. The staff was wonderful and the location is quite lovely. They also planned our wedding and we were married on the beach right down the road from the hotel. The wedding was perfect...a very magical sunset ceremony...complete with flowers and tikki torches! We even had dinner on the beach and the food was delicious. We highly recommend this hotel, good food, clean/comfortable rooms, charming little pool, steps from the beach and a great place to relax and get away from it all!!!!

My husband and I were booked the stay three nights here as part of a trip through Gate 1 Travel. When we arrived, the staff was kind and the hotel room itself was clean.

We wanted to walk down to the beach which was only a couple hundred feet away. During the walk, we passed by roosters, dogs, etc. Honestly, it was okay as we understood at that point we were in a more local area. We were told there were a few beach-side bars and even had a map to show where they were - there was absolutely nothing on the beach (except a bunch of closed down buildings).

We ended up leaving that night, mainly because we were told there was scuba diving in the area (we had even located a dive shop before we left), but once we got there, were told there was definitely no diving nearby.

If you're looking for a laid-back, rustic location, then I'm sure you'll enjoy the hotel and the area. We were just expecting something different and it didn't match up with the plans we had made for that part of our trip.