My wife and I stayed at Las Ranas for 7 nights the first week of February. From check-in Cody was attentive to our needs and happy to offer advice on anything from local restaurants to hidden beaches.

We rented a car and found it to be useful as we like to explore on our own. We traveled the coast from Islita to Ostinal all while returning back to Las Ranas each night. I would recommend renting a car for easy travel to town (and explore the other local beaches) but you can easily get to town by foot. If you do rent a car, take the quick trip to Playa Carillo, you won't be disappointed.

Breakfast options are included with the room or there are additional options for a small price. We chose the typical breakfast that came with juice and/or coffee as well as fresh fruit, toast and jam, eggs and gallo pinto. Lunch and dinners can be had in town for a reasonable rate. We found the food and drink to be afforable and the service to be at time slow but always very friendly.

The room was clean, comfortable and the deck was a place to relax. We saw monkeys in the trees just off the deck and even were able to watch the toucans in the trees at the pool.

In the end our flight home was canceled due to 3 feet of snow and Cody was extremely helpful in assuring we had a phone to haggle with the airline and even spoke with Budget to make sure we could return the car in San Jose instead of Liberia. Thank you Cody, we look forward to seeing you again in the near future!

Both my son and I liked Las Ranas the best of the 7 hotels we stayed in in Costa Rica. It is a very nice small hotel located on a hill outside town. The views are great and it is quiet at night.

The owner Cody is doing an excellent job. The rooms and beds are very nice, well equipped and comfortable. There is A/C but no TV.

From the main intersection in town – the main street and the road to Nosara - head toward Nosara. (A Pali supermarket will be on the right @ 70 yards from the intersection). The road is paved for 1km. Turn right at the T junction, the road now becomes dirt. Keep right when the road splits further on. The entrance to the hotel is on the right @ 1km from the T junction. You should see a small sigh for the hotel. Head up the driveway. From there it is 0.3 km with the last bit being steep and narrow.

My husband and I stayed here for three nights in August 2012 (sorry for the delay in reviewing!). The staff was wonderful (especially Esterling), and provided great recommendations for food and activities nearby. The owner, Cody, was also very inviting and accommodating. Esterling and Cody are both fluent in English and Spanish. Breakfast is included in the price and we chose the typical Costa Rican food each day - so yummy and made to order. It was the off-season, so there were only 2 or 3 other rooms occupied when we were there. The hotel is an easy, short drive from the town of Samara. The rooms were generally well-maintained and clean. The bathrooms are modern and also spotless. We stayed in the kitchenette, which had a hotplate, cookware, plates and utensils in addition to the mini-fridge and microwave. Next time, we would probably stay in a regular room, as they all have a mini-fridge, and this would be enough for us. The canopy bed was comfy and the grounds are well taken care of.

The two disappointments for us were the fact that the pool was not usable while we were there, due to an overgrowth of algae that the management was actively trying to combat/remedy. Also, there was a very strong wind and rain storm one night and the roof of the kitchenette leaked. Luckily it did not leak on the bed or in the bathroom (where we put all of our stuff to keep it dry). The power also flickered, but only off for a minute. Cody did come by to check on us and gave out small flashlights, but I was surprised (given the leaking roof and all the towels that we had to put on the floor) that he didn't offer to move us to a new room that night or to reduce our bill when we checked out the next morning. I have no doubt that the pool and leaky roof have now been remedied/fixed, and would gladly stay again if I am back in Playa Samara.

Overall, the stay was very pleasant and even with these two disappointments, I would recommend it to others.

Our experience at Lodge Las Ranas was perfect. It is situated in the hills overlooking Playa Samara, a short drive out of town. For us, this is the ideal - close enough to easily go into town for restaurants and the beach, and far enough away to feel like we are in our own little piece of heaven. Breakfast each day is included and was always yummy with the typical Costa Rican meal - gallo pinto (beans and rice), fresh fruit, eggs, toast, and jam. Cody, the owner, and his staff are all helpful and happy and gave us wonderful advice both before and during our stay. We loved our time on our balcony overlooking the beach and the jungle, lounging by the pool and chatting, and relaxing in our lovely room. We had room #4, which was on the lower level on the side looking across to Samara. I truly think that any of the rooms provide a lovely view. We had just the one bedroom room without the kitchenette, and it was perfect. It was clean and comfortable, the shower was nice, and of course the balcony can't be beat. We were lucky as during out stay, a family of Howler Monkeys were enjoying the Balsa tree outside our room, and came 4 evenings to munch the flowers and leaves - right outside our balcony! We also saw iguanas, and lots of birds - my favorite the Grey Kiskadee, and even some Toucans!

You truly can not go wrong with this small and lovely place. We were also lucky enough to meet Cody's mother Shelly and cousin Debbie who were both staying and helping out. Everyone was friendly and felt like a family. Can't wait to return!