Costa Rica: Surfing and Chilling in Samara Tropical Paradise

Costa Rica. This was my first destination when I decided to jump into the unknown.

I wasn’t sure where this whole thing was going to lead me. I didn’t have a plan, except for getting away from everything hoping that I’d eventually figure out what to do.

My first stop in my new life was Samara, a small beach village in the Nicoya Peninsula, on the north-west side of Costa Rica.

I arrived at midnight at Liberia airport. Five minutes to midnight, if we want to be precise. I arranged for a rental car online before leaving, and it was a smooth and well organized transaction. Honest price and the car was ready for me just as expected.

What I didn’t expected, was that the flights from London to San Jose, and from San Jose to Liberia, weren’t as much as a “long nap opportunity” as I had thought. In my mind, I thought I’d sleep like a log on the first flight, then I’d get out of the arrivals at San Jose airport to get a Costa Rican sim card, and finally, I’d have a dinner on the flight to Liberia, and arrive at destination feeling rested and ready to drive the 105 km to Samara.

But things didn’t quite work out that way.

For starters, I didn’t get more than a couple of hours of sleep on the long haul flight to San Jose.

Then, the flight arrived late in San Jose, so I didn’t have the chance to get out of the airport to get the local sim card. And finally, the only food available on the San Jose-Liberia flight were a bag of crisps and a coke.

Not quite the stellar start I hoped for, but I was so excited to be there that none of it mattered.

Also, things started to look up once I got to Liberia airport where I met this friendly taxi driver who gave me some tips for the shortest way to Samara – gracias, Miguel! – and then I was pleased to see that my UK phone’s roaming was good and strong enough to get me on to Google maps. Things were looking up!

That said, folks, if you’re planning to rent a car and drive it like I did, you might want to book a flight that arrives in the morning or early evening, as despite being just over 105km and on mostly paved roads, it is still quite a ride if you’re not familiar with it! In fact, except for the rare occasions when you’re passing through some inhabited area, you’ll be driving in rather dark conditions – not much street illumination – while traveling in and out of jungle areas with a few stretches of bumpy dirt roads here and there. Luckily I read about this before leaving, which is why I booked a 4×4, and you might want to do that too. It’s not super bad, as most of the way is on paved roads, like I mentioned, but for a peace of mind, a 4X4 would be a better choice.

If you don’t want to drive it, there are shared shuttles that you can book ahead. There are a few options depending which airport you’re landing at, but on my way back to Liberia I used a reliable company called Tropical Tours for around $50 per person, which also does rounds from the airport to the center of Samara.

Instead, if you booked via Booking.com or Trip.com you might have the option to get a private taxi that’ll take you straight to your hotel, which is ideal if you arrive late. But check you want to double this, as sometimes this service is not available.

Back to the story.

So, it took me more than two hours to arrive to Samara but it all went smoothly, and by the time I got there, the town was asleep and all I could think about, was to get to my bed. I parked the car on a side road, by the jungle – actually a little episode happened at this point, but I will tell you more about this some other time.

When I got into my Airbnb, I was so happy to finally get some sleep that I didn’t even unpack. I just took a fast cold shower, jumped into bed, put the lights out, and boom… I was asleep withing 20 minutes.

The following morning I woke up way more rested than I expected and headed out around 10 and immediately realized that I just got myself to some sort of paradise…

Samara is exactly what you expect when you think of a tropical beach heaven!

It’s a small village, nested between the jungle and the Pacific Ocean. It’s completely walkable, and like almost everywhere I’ve been in Costa Rica, the roads are unpaved but rather clean.

The center is very lively, with little shops where you can buy colorful bikinis, swim trunks, hippish clothes and hats, sunglasses and flip flops. There are also many chilled coffee places, bars and restaurants, almost all with outdoor terraces, that seems to be always busy in a laid back way, with locals, expats and tourists sipping an ice coffee or a beer.

One of my favorite spots for a morning coffee before heading to the beach is Marea Surf Shop Cafe in Via Arriba.

I love this place! Great coffee and smoothies, awesome bowls of yoghurt and granola with fresh fruits, as well as excellent toasted open sandwiches with avocado and other veggies. It has a cozy wooden interior, with the perfect laid back surfing vibe, where you can chill with a book and a tasty drink. It features also a few seats outside on the pavement, which are always in the shade – believe me, it’s a really good thing! – and, at the back of the coffee shop, they have a great little surf store with awesome merchandise. This place is a gem!

There are other cute coffee shops around the village, and the coffee is pretty much incredible in all of them – it’s Costa Rica after all! – but to avoid writing a whole blog about “where to drink coffee in Samara” – which would be a good blog btw! – I can just tell you that, besides Marea, all the other coffee places in the village – being in the center or on the beach – are great when it comes to caffeinated beverages!

It’s really all down to your mood of the moment, fancy, chilled, beachy, trendy… there’s something for every vibe. If you’re picturing to sit on a table in the sand looking at the blue ocean, on the north side of the beach there’s Las Olas, which is really more of a bar & restaurant, but their iced coffees are insanely good and the place itself is cute, breezy and beachy…. I love it!

Ahhh the beach!! This is where you’ll want to be all the time, let’s face it… And for good reasons too: this beach is stunning!

It’s the kind of beach you see on Instagram posts and travel websites…

Picture the most beautiful bay, stretching from south to north with jungle and hills all around it. White fine sand that stretches into the peaceful, calm waters, and palm trees waving in the sea breeze, next to the large colorful umbrellas of chilled beach bars and restaurants, and little surf school stands, with boards waiting for a ride.

It’s perfect!

And here we get to the fun stuff to do around Samara.

Samara beach is great for chilled out surfing, meaning that you won’t find big waves here.

It used to be a big surf mecca until 2012, but then a large tectonic plate known as Cocos Plate slid under the adjoining Caribbean plate causing a powerful earthquake that raised the barrier reef in the bay by almost 6 feet – you can literally see it from the beach –  stopping all waves even during high tide.

This means that the only kind of waves you’ll get here, come in one long line that goes straight to shore into whitewater without breaking, so by the time you get up, the ride is well and truly over. But, while this takes away some thrill for experienced surfers, it makes it really ideal for beginners.

I’m not a pro surfer, so I don’t need particularly great waves to have fun, I enjoy surfing no matter the type and size of waves, so for me it was great anyways! But if you’re looking for big waves, then you’ll have much better luck in Tamarindo beach, Nosara or Playa Coyote.

There are tons of other things you can do!

From crossing the waters on a kayak to taking a boat ride or booking a sport-fishing trip. Also, renting a mountain bike and exploring the country roads that lead in-and-out of the jungles all the way to playa Carillo and Izquierda beach, is a great way to get to know this beautiful coast.

The quad bike tours are also great fun! The agency I dealt with is called Outback ATV Tours and in my experience they’re great! They have different ATV tours, from the beach to the mountain, or through the jungle and waterfalls, they’re all great. I went for the jungle and waterfall tour and everything was perfect! Good price, great quad bikes, and the guide was super nice, informative and a real expert of the area. They’ll take you around the jungle where you’ll see different type of cheeky monkeys and the most stunning colorful birds while riding on dirt roads, water and everything in between! So much fun!!

I was on my own, so it was a great opportunity to meet new people while doing something fun together. The price is great even if you’re on your own, but I think there’s a 2×1 deal, so it’s a real bargain for couples or families.

So, when we think of Costa Rica’s cuisine we usually just think of gallo pinto, humble but delicious dish of rice, beans, salsa lizano and veggies… it’s great, but you don’t wanna eat the same thing every day when you’re at home, let alone when you’re in a different country, and in Samara, you’ll have more choices than you think…

Here are some of my favorite places:

The one for the BBQ LOVERS: Restaurante El Lagarto: a big but cozy restaurant right on the beach. They are BBQ heaven!! Want seafood? DONE! Fancy a steak? HELLAYEAH!!! Surf&turf? SURE!! Absolutely great atmosphere, and the cocktails are yummy too – I heard! There are also vegetarian options, not as many as the meat and fish ones, but yeah, these guys grill everything!

The one for a PIZZA CHIC night: Mamagui! This beautiful restaurant is a bit more expensive than the other options on this list, but so worthy! It’s the ideal place for that special occasion, a night when you want to dress-up and treat yourself to a high-end culinary experience. The menu has something for everyone, but if you like pizza and pasta, this is the place of your dreams! It’s a great option for everyone in the mood for a bit of Italian taste in tropical settings, and they have lots of veggie options too… and everything is delicious!

The one for when you want to EAT LIKE A LOCAL: Here come the unmissable SODAS ! These are everywhere! They’re not really restaurants, more like “family open houses” with a couple of tables in the front yard, where you can sit and enjoy the most genuine Tico cuisine in a genuine Tico home! These are by far the best places to try the famous “Casado”, the ultimate Costa Rican plate with rice, beans, plantains, and your choice of meat. Simple and flavorful And the best part is that you’ll get to hang out with the locals, as most people from Samara go to have their lunch, or after-work snack, at sodas. Absolutely unmissable experience! You’ll see!

The one for when you need SOME SUGAR: Sweeties by Celia. So this absolute gem of a place is literally a little colorful food truck with a couple of tables where lovely owner Celia and her Swiss chef husband will make you happy & chubby with their incredible cakes, brownies and pastries! They also have one or two hot food Caribbean/Indian/Tico fusion options every day. The Caribbean curry is unbelievable! Try everything, it’s all so good!! But make sure you leave some space for the brownies… Those babies are forever tattooed in my taste buds memory. Too good!

There are two ATMs in Samara and they’re both in the center.

The best one of the two, is inside BNCR (Banco Nacional de Costa Rica) which is near Pali supermarket. The reason why is the better option is that it offers higher withdrawal limits, so you can get more cash out which saves you ATM trips as well as extra transaction fees. Expect long queues!

The other one is on the side road that gets into Via Arriba, on the corner where Limey’s bar is. This is usually less busy, but the withdrawal limit is lower.

Both ATMs work well with American, Canadian and European cards.

I was in Samara for almost three months and I honestly considered relocating permanently to this tropical paradise.

It’s not just the beautiful place, and the fun activities and the great coffee – as appealing as they are!

It’s the whole vibe.

It’s the way locals and expats live in harmony. It’s the fact that, no matter what you’re in the mood for, when it comes to eating out, you have a variety of options from really fancy restaurants on the beach, to the little sodas where you sit and eat with locals and get to know the real Tico mentality, the real Pura Vida.

It’s all the different activities and fun stuff you can do outside in the sun and tropical air.

It’s the night time, when the beach restaurants and bars are filled with music, and laughter of happy folks enjoying the fire dancing shows while they chat, eat and drink with friends and families, but just 50 meters away, walking south on the white sand, you’ll find yourself in a peaceful silence, interrupted only by the sound of the gentle waves on the shore…

While above your head, shines the most incredible carpet of stars you’ve ever seen.

It’s like the whole Milky Way is looking at you.

It makes you feel infinitely small and infinitely precious at the same time.

In this universe where there’s only ONE OF YOU, no matter where you are, nor what’s happening in your life, there are always billions and billions of stars above you, looking at you, looking over you, like to say: look up, we’re here with you.

Weiss Cooper

...by myself, but not alone...

Early evening sky above Samara beach… serenity.