Fabulous Ocean View, Walking Distance to the Beach

• PURE BLISS!!!

  PURE BLISS!!!

  • Guest Kate
  • Date of stay 03/01/13
  • Review Submitted 04/05/13
  Wow, where do I start? My husband and I stayed for the month of March and we were trying to decide what the best part of staying at Villa Veranera was. We thought it might be the pool, but then we loved the view of the ocean from our balcony day and night. We loved the apartment we stayed in and how comfortable it was. We also discussed how wonderful the jungle sounds were that we heard each day… the howler monkies, the birds, geckos, etc., and then… there are the wonderful and gracious hosts… what can we say – they made us feel so comfortable and at home, and we really enjoyed our happy hours with them! They were also very helpful with any questions we had. We very much enjoyed our walks to the beach each day. It is a 15 minute walk down the hill to the beach and a 20 minute walk up because of the incline. My husband and I looked at this as a positive experience as it was great exercise for us each day! Besides once we got back to the villa, we were rewarded with amazing scenery from the balcony to the ocean and the town below – and of course the fabulous sunrises and sunsets!! As well a refreshing dip in the pool awaited us after our walks. The beaches are beautiful! We walked different times to Carrillo Beach from Samara – it is quite a walk – we figured about 16 km return, but we loved the exercise. Local buses are always available along the way if you wanted to take one. We swam, kayaked, walked the beaches, snorkeled and took a dolphin boat trip; all of which we very much enjoyed. We also took a local bus into Nicoya which was quite a fun adventure and drove to Sarchi one day to buy the leather Costa Rican chairs (like the ones on the balcony), then to Nosara to enjoy the Beach Dog Café and Playa Guiones. We enjoyed cooking meals in the lovely kitchen – Sherry and Larry have everything you need. Larry took care of the pool each day to make sure it was clean and ready for us to use. We also ate out some evenings at the various restaurants in Samara – nice little places on the beach and in town and everything from pizza, Thai and vegetarian. We felt we really did not need a car on a daily basis as the amenities we needed were in fairly close proximity to the villa (25 minute walk into town or a 5 minute or so cab ride). A taxi ride to the villa from town is a mere $4.00 U.S. We are very much looking forward to our next trip to Villa Veranera and would highly recommend to anyone!

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

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• Wonderful relaxing place to stay !!

  Wonderful relaxing place to stay !!

  • Guest KC
  • Date of stay 12/17/12
  • Review Submitted 12/24/12
  We had a great time at the house. We would go to the beach in the mornings and then head back to the house for lunch and spend the afternoon floating in the pool. Most evenings we cooked dinner in & just relaxed. The balcony over looking the pool, valley and ocean was very relaxing to just still and rock in the comfy Costa Rican rocking chairs. Late a night around 3am ~ I took a peek at the sky and it looked like the stars were LED light they were so bright. The owners were a pleasure and having use of a gas grill made making meals even better. We did our shopping at Pali in town. Our son took surfing lessons at Carrillo beach for $35 for an hour and a half and full use of the board the next day.

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, girls getaway, sightseeing.

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• Not Wallking Distance to Beach

  Not Wallking Distance to Beach

  • Guest Roger
  • Date of stay 07/23/12
  • Review Submitted 08/14/12
  The good and bad The good -the property has a stunning view of the ocean -the host (owners) Sherri and Larry were helpful when we need them -the property was clean -excellent swimming pool -secure property (gated) -quiet -good internet Bad -This property is really not a walk to the beach. I didn't measure it but I would guess it is probably a mile from the property down to the beach and most of that is on a pretty serious hill. We had a car so it didn't matter a lot but we were very surprised and disappointed when we arrived. Overall we were really torn on how to fairly rate the property. It is nice enough but we felt like the advertised title "Fabulous Ocean View, Walking Distance to the Beach" was only half accurate.

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children.

  Owner response: I’m happy to see the positive comments in this review and sorry to hear about the negative one. We do our best to ensure that guests have as enjoyable a vacation as possible. My response would be that different people have different perceptions and expectations about what is walking distance to the beach. It takes me about 10 minutes to walk down to the beach and 15 minutes back which to me is a reasonable timeframe to be able to say the property is within this category. Perhaps others may disagree. I would also say that we are among the closer properties to the beach whilst offering an expansive and clear ocean view at the same time. In the past, we have had a number of guests who stayed a month or two or more and didn’t have a vehicle the whole time. Others jogged down to the beach and beyond and back every day, well beyond my capabilities! Others have rented a vehicle for a day or two to visit some of the surrounding sights and others have a vehicle for their entire stay. Some walk down to town and take a taxi back, for which the cost is $4. Everyone has their own lifestyle and comfort level. 20 minutes has kind of been the unspoken norm in the area to be considered in the category of walking to the beach. I appreciate the comment of these guests and subsequently have made an update to the listing. In the initial description provided on the property, I have added estimated times to walk and drive to the beach, town, etc, as well as actual distance to the beach. I hope this will avoid any similar misunderstandings in the future.

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• Amazing stay in Samara, Costa Rica

  Amazing stay in Samara, Costa Rica

  • Guest Kim
  • Date of stay 07/12/12
  • Review Submitted 07/12/12
  Our family of 4 absolutely loved our stay here. The view is breathtaking. We loved to sit at the pool or on the balcony and just soak it all in. Our children loved the pool and spent hours and hours playing there. The howler monkeys were a real treat. We heard them everyday and on the last day they were in plain view in trees near the house. This place was definitely big enough for the 4 of us. The kitchen had all the supplies we needed. There was even a boogie board and flotation rafts available for us to use. We had a car and used it to drive into town. We really liked the beach and the town of Samara but were happy we decided to stay here to get out of town a bit and enjoy the views.

  Recommended for: Age 55+, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children.

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• Hands down, best trip ever! Amazing stay in Samara!

  Hands down, best trip ever! Amazing stay in Samara!

  • Guest arc222
  • Date of stay 06/24/12
  • Review Submitted 07/06/12
  My wife and I just got back a few days ago from our 1.5wk honeymoon in Costa Rica. We had a wonderful time overall, but our week in Samara at Larry and Sherry’s place was the highlight. The house is beautiful, well-kept and has an amazing view. We enjoyed having our own kitchen and were able to cook our own breakfasts and lunches and then went into town for dinner. It was nice having our own place (instead of a hotel) because we felt like we were locals just living the Costa Rican life for a week! Larry and Sherry were wonderful hosts. We enjoyed getting to know them throughout the week...they are wonderful people! We got in late Sunday night and had trouble finding their house in the dark, but with just a phone call Larry came, found us in town and escorted us up to their house. Their home is in a wonderful location about a 5 min drive from town. We had a rental car which is pretty much a must, but well worth it because we could drive to other beaches. In Samara we surfed, kayaked, snorkeled and enjoyed the sun. The food in town is great and there are restaurants of different prices and variety for your liking. In the end, I would recommend this place to ANYONE and definitely plan to stay with them again when we return to Samara.

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, girls getaway, sightseeing.

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• Amazing views

  Amazing views

  • Guest family traveler
  • Date of stay 04/15/12
  • Review Submitted 04/27/12
  Perfect location with amazing views. The property is very well kept and the owners are delightful. Samara beach is very close (about a 10-15 minute walk). We'll definitely be back again!

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, families with young children.

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• Amazing!!

  Amazing!!

  • Guest M&M
  • Date of stay 01/05/12
  • Review Submitted 01/21/12
  We so enjoyed our stay here. The view from the balcony is breath taking, as is watching the howler monkeys, hawks and birds that circle the area. The apartment is clean, spacious, beautifully furnished and very comfortable.The pool was wonderful after a day at the beach and again the views simply amazing! Samara is a laid back town with friendly people and lots to do. We spent many days at Carrillo ... the picnic beach and enjoyed snorkeling and boogie boarding. At Playa Samara we learned to surf and walked the expansive, safe beach. The restaurants in Samara are wonderful. Great seafood at Gusto's and El Lagato. Our hosts Sherry and Larry were so helpful and kind and we enjoyed spending time with them at happy hour. We will be back!

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

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• The perfect spot!

  The perfect spot!

  • Guest Hillary
  • Date of stay 12/08/11
  • Review Submitted 12/13/11
  Samara is a fantistic little beach town and staying at Sherry and Larry's Villa is the perfect compliment. The views are simply amazing (we loved opening up all the doors and windows to get a nice beach breeze through the apartment), Villa is extremely clean with everything you would need (we loved sitting on the rocking chairs on the balcony all hours of the day!) bed was extemely comfortable and the air conditioner in the bedroom was the best. We walked into town several times (about 15 mins) it is hilly in spots but we enjoyed seeing the sights, cabbing home was cheap and very easy but we walked it too. Breakfast at Sheriff Rustic's, good shrimp at Brasa, Locando and Ancla were both great beach bars/restaurants to hang out at. My advice would be talk to the locals, everyone is beyond friendly and eager to help you out and give you tips on the area (we wound up at a surf competition in Playa Caramonal - what an experience!). Cannot wait to come back and spend more time!

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, girls getaway, sightseeing.

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• Throughly Enjoyed Samara and Villa Veranera

  Throughly Enjoyed Samara and Villa Veranera

  • Guest Pancho & Joey
  • Date of stay 11/07/11
  • Review Submitted 11/13/11
  From the moment we walked into the apartment and saw the view, we knew we had made the right choice in both location and lodging. The charming owners, Sherry and Larry, made sure we were comfortable, told us about the town and surrounding areas. Oh yeah, the apartment was spacious, nicely designed and well appointed. Couldn't have enjoyed our stay more. Pura Vida a la Playa!

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

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• Couldn't Be Happier

  Couldn't Be Happier

  • Guest Cami/Seth
  • Date of stay 07/07/11
  • Review Submitted 08/28/11
  We decided to work remotely for several months in Costa Rica with our little dog. We had lots of questions for the owners Sherry and Larry leading up to our arrival. Internet speed, transport to their place, their area in general, dog friendly issues. And loads more questions once there. We arrived late one night and Sherry and Larry stayed up to welcome and greet us. We were so thrilled to walk into our beautiful new apartment with our lovely pool. The photos DID NOT do it justice. Gorgeous bathroom, fixtures and furniture, comfortable bed, and unbelievable view of Samara and Carillo Beaches. We never got tired of that. Over the two months we stayed, we became friends with Larry and Sherry who are (by day) super knowledgeable and always ready for questions about what to see and do and (by night) gracious happy hour hosts. They were invaluable resources during our time. For us, it was perfect to be a little above town. We were still working during the week and liked the peaceful separation. When we didn't feel like walking to the beach, we had the pool right there. It's 15 minutes to walk downhill to the beach and 25 minutes to town. There are several options for getting to town although we found the walk lovely as you typically see/hear Howler Monkey families along the way. They have bikes you can borrow for when you want to ride down. To get back up you can get a cab in town if you don't want to walk back. It's $4 one way. There are even a few cabs with bike racks. And at night, we found it easy to call a cab if we didn't want to walk. I can't say enough good things about this place. Gorgeous property, lovely owners. Fabulous experience that we will never forget. Would highly recommend this peaceful apartment.

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, tourists without a car, pet owners, romantic getaway.

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High Season .. Dec 16 to Apr 30 plus July................$695/week
Low Season ... May 1 to Dec 15(except July)..............$545/week
Christmas/Easter Weeks ..................................$795/week
Nightly rate ..$110/night - high, $85/night - low (3 night minimum)
3rd and 4th person - $10/night extra for each. Reasonable monthly/long term rates.
Lower room and neighboring accommodation also available for additional guests.
PAYMENTS ACCEPTED THROUGH PAY PAL.
25% deposit at time of booking, balance on arrival.PAYMENTS ACCEPTED THRU PAY PAL.

Note: Until confirmed, rates are subject to change without notice.