Amazing!!

Guest: M&M (bracebridge)
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:Romantic getaway, adventure seekers, age 55+, sightseeing.

The perfect spot!

Guest: Hillary (Raleigh, NC)
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:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, adventure seekers, age 55+, girls getaway, sightseeing.

Throughly Enjoyed Samara and Villa Veranera

Guest: Pancho & Joey (Alexandria, VA)
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:Romantic getaway, adventure seekers, age 55+, sightseeing.

Couldn't Be Happier

Guest: Cami/Seth (San Francisco)
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:Romantic getaway, pet owners, tourists without a car, adventure seekers, age 55+.

Guest: Liz and Kevin (-)
Date of Stay: 06/03/11 Review Submitted: 06/23/11

Larry and Sherry: Thank you very much for the use of your beautiful home!! You are such wonderful and friendly people. Staying in Samara for a week was an amazing experience. Lots of relaxation and playing in the ocean. Pato's Surf Shop was the most helpful. We got boogie boards, surf boards and did some ocean kayaking to the island. Overall, great experience. Thanks for everything! Hope to come back again soon.

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Guest: Mia and Ray (-)
Date of Stay: 05/04/11 Review Submitted: 05/13/11

A HUGE thank you to both Larry and Sherry for their wonderful accommodations, hospitality and friendship over the past month! We had such a wonderful stay in Samara and their apartment is indeed a gem. We loved sitting out on the deck overlooking both Carrillo and Samara Beaches, and the pool was an absolute delight, especially after a morning run or after the walk home from town. We didn't get to see the howler monkey family, but we did enjoy watching the hawks soar by. I attended classes at Intercultura which I highly recommend. The teachers are excellent and I loved meeting and studying with people from all over the world (my class had folks from Germany, Austria, Sweden, Holland and the U.S.). Ray really enjoyed his surf lessons from Pato who was also the cheapest - only $25 for 1 lesson and the surfboard rental for 7 days! We also liked the Thai restaurant, but agree with other visitors that the service and atmosphere isn't the best. Ray's favorite restaurant was El Manglar. They have wonderful pizza and are very friendly, but if you are gluten-free like me, you don't have many options there. There is a small German cafe called Cafe Carola that has music Wednesday nights and her dinner of the day was quite good. She is known for her desserts, though. La Vela Latina is a good place to hang out on the beach and their chicken machos were terrific! If you like to golf, we heard Punta Islita was the place to go - gorgeous views and only $40 a round, but take your own golf balls as they charge $12 each and we hear it's easy to lose them. Hotel Leyenda in Carrillo has good food - more upscale breakfasts that at most places. If you need a taxi, Fabio (red 4-door car) is great! Cost is $4 from town to here. Thanks again Larry and Sherry! I'm sure we'll meet again!!

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Fabulous!!

Guest: Jan (Weatherford, TX)
Date of Stay: 03/30/11 Review Submitted: 04/07/11

We just returned from our stay with Larry & Sherry in Samara. We enjoyed our stay so much that we made time each day just to sit on the veranda and take in the views! Each morning we would get up with the sun and watch the world wake up - from the never ending variety of tropical birds to the howler monkeys :} The hosts are wonderful and are there when you need them but not hovering. The apartment has everything you could ever want and the bed was like heaven (much better than Tabacon's). Throw in the blender and I was in PARADISE !! I highly recommend Villa Veranera !!

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, romantic getaway, tourists without a car, adventure seekers, age 55+, girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children.

WOW! What an amazing, beautiful, incredible spot to stay!

Guest: JOJO (Barrie, Ontario, Canada)
Date of Stay: 12/20/10 Review Submitted: 12/30/10

My husband, 2 small children and I LOVED our stay here. The views were incredible, the pool refreshing and gorgeous, and the villa was modern and clean. We would reccommend this rental to anyone travelling to Costa Rica and looking to stay near the most beautiful beaches in the country. A perfect location for a couple or family with children over the age of 4 (the stairs are a bit dangerous for a toddler but we were able to block the area off with chairs). Larry and Sherry (the owners) live next door but we rarely saw them and they were very courteous and friendly.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, romantic getaway, adventure seekers.

Charis and Jesse

Guest: Charis and Jesse (Denver, Colorado)
Date of Stay: 10/23/10 Review Submitted: 12/18/10

Thank you Larry and Sherry!! We have truly enjoyed our 2 month stay here. Samara is a hidden gem; you get a taste of a small Costa Rican town with comforts of home and very nice locals. The views are breath taking and were thankful for the great amenities!!!!! If you are at all interested in learning Spanish the Intercultura Language school which is right on the beach is truly a great investment of time. They have a great staff and a lot of extras outside of Spanish class which make it a great deal. Food is more or less U.S. prices, there is a great bakery in the Patio Colonial Shopping Center, definitely try the iced cappuccino and of course, the pastries are fabulous. Our favorite restaurant to eat dinner at was El Gusto, next to the soccer field. Try the Natural Center between the Elementary School and Hotel Casa del Mar They have a small modern gym with ellipticals, treadmills, and weights etc. They also have a spa and a small healthy food court, which serves, fresh salads, good quality meat and vegetables which were very reasonably priced. This is a great place to learn how to surf, the waves are small great for beginners and there are a lot of great surf schools to choose from (we went to Choco’s surf school). If you are a big dog lover you are in luck, because there are a lot of random dogs, especially on your walk to and from town, along with monkeys and birds. The exercise was great especially going up the hill. It was easy to catch a cab from town back to the house if it was dark or we were tired from surfing. I would suggest taking public transportation too, either to Carrillo or to Nicoya people will bend over backwards to make sure you get where you need to go. Larry and Sherry went above and beyond to make our trip fantastic and are thankful for their friendship; they are absolutely wonderful hosts that enriched our overall experience. We look forward to coming back!

Recommended for:Tourists without a car, adventure seekers, sightseeing.

Guest: Jill and Pierre (-)
Date of Stay: 08/03/10 Review Submitted: 12/10/10

Many thanks, Larry and Sherry, We feel blessed to have had the opportunity to stay in this fabulous place with the best view ever!! Larry and Sherry were amazing hosts who shared their knowledge and experience of Samara. We truly enjoyed every aspect of Samara - it is the perfect place to start a honeymoon. From Carrillo Beach, to seeing the turtles to eating at El Legarto, yum!

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