Samara, Costa Rica

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1 Overview
2 Tourism
3 Access
4 Links

[edit] Overview

Sámara, situated along the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica's Guanacaste Province, has long been a favorite vacation spot for both Costa Ricans and foreigners. The town itself is rather small (approximately 1500 full-time residents, including close-by towns such as Torito and Cantarrana) with its main street leading directly to the beach. Samara has a healthy mix of local and foreign residents and still maintains a somewhat authentically Costa Rican atmosphere. The largest expatriate groups living in Sámara are generally Italian, Canadian, German, and U.S.-American.

[edit] Tourism

Hotels and restaurants are plentiful and cater to all budgets. Other tourist services, such as tour operators, car rentals, and internet cafes also are available.

The predominant nationality of visitors varies depending on holiday season; certain times are dominated by European vacationers, while at other times U.S.-American visitors are the largest group of vacationers. Around Christmas, Easter, and other Costa Rican school holidays, the town is flooded with Costa Rican visitors and hotels and campgrounds are often booked months in advance.

Due to a reef located within crescent-shaped Sámara Bay, waves are generally small and surfing is less popular in Sámara than in other locations along the Pacific coast. Nonetheless, the relatively small waves provide a perfect environment for those wishing to learn surfing and for those simply looking for a safe swimming beach.

Public services in town include Cable TV, Broadband Internet (ADSL), banking (including an ATM), and limited medical services.

[edit] Access

Sámara is located approximately 36 km from Nicoya - the economic and administrative hub of the region.

Access to Samara is via paved roads - about 4 hours from San Jose's Juan Santamaria airport (SJO) and about 2 1/2 hours from Liberia's Daniel Oduber airport (LIR). Public buses operate between Sámara and Nicoya several times a day; Express buses operated by Empresa Alfaro connect Samara with San Jose usually twice a day (except weekends). Air service is provided by Sansa Airlines to the small Carrillo Airport, about 5 km east of Samara.