Questions guests ask

The homes on this site are houses, villas and apartments, from one bedroom up to eight. Use the filters for guests, bedrooms and amenities, or skip all that and write to us: tell us who is travelling and what matters to you, and we will come back with a short list that actually fits. We manage every one of these homes ourselves, so we can also tell you which one is wrong for you.

Most are in and around Playa Sámara, in the canton of Nicoya, Guanacaste. We also look after homes at Playa Carrillo, Playa Buena Vista and Playa Camaronal, a short drive along the coast. Each listing says where that house sits — in town, up the hill, or out at another beach — and if you want to know exactly how far it is from the sand, ask us.

They come furnished and ready to live in, with a kitchen, hot water and WiFi. Most also have air conditioning and a private pool, and many have a washer, dryer and barbecue. Every listing page lists that home's own amenities, because it genuinely varies from house to house.

Some are, and there is a pet-friendly filter on the rentals page that shows you only those. What is allowed differs from house to house, so tell us about your animal — how many, how big — before you book, and we will confirm what that particular home accepts.

You book with us, the company that manages the houses, so there is no marketplace in the middle adding its commission to the rate. The price you see is ours. And the person who answers your questions beforehand is the same person who prepares the house and meets you when you arrive.

The availability you see on each home comes from the calendar we work from, so it reflects what is open. Dates can still move while you are deciding, and we confirm every booking ourselves before it is final. If your dates are close or you are unsure, write to us and we will check by hand.

A person reads it — not an autoresponder. We confirm the house and the dates, answer anything still open, and send you what you need to complete the booking; you will hear from us within one business day. Closer to your trip we send directions and arrange how you will get the keys.

Phone or WhatsApp on +506 8387 9595, or email reservations@samararentals.com. Our office is in Sámara, next to the post office, open 9am to 5pm every day — you are welcome to walk in. However you write, we answer within one business day.

Most guests fly into Liberia (LIR) or San José (SJO) and drive from there, across the Nicoya Peninsula. If you would rather not drive, tell us and we will point you to the transfer options. Either way, send us your arrival details and we will give you directions to your house — more useful than a map pin, especially after dark.

Honestly, it depends on the house. Plenty of our homes are on paved streets where a normal car is fine; others sit up a hill or down a track where a 4x4 makes life much easier, particularly in the green season. Ask us about the house you are considering before you book the car, and we will tell you straight.

Every home is cleaned and prepared before you arrive, with the beds made and the bathroom ready. What is included during a longer stay varies from home to home, so ask us what applies to the one you are looking at. If you would like extra cleaning or fresh linens partway through, tell us and we will let you know what can be arranged.

Call or message us on +506 8387 9595 and we will deal with it. We are in Sámara, not in a call centre in another time zone, so somebody can usually come and look at it rather than talk you through it on the phone. Please do not spend your holiday wrestling with a water pump — that part is ours.

Sámara is a small town on the Pacific coast of the Nicoya Peninsula: a few streets, sodas and restaurants, fishing boats on the sand, and a bay sheltered by a reef, which is why the water is calm enough to swim in and forgiving enough to learn to surf on. You can walk most of it. Playa Carrillo and its curve of palms is just south, Playa Buena Vista is north, and Playa Camaronal is further down the coast — all short drives, all quieter than the bay.

Our team works in Spanish and English: write to us in either one and you will get a reply in that same language. The site itself is published in English, Spanish, French and German, so you can look at the homes in your own language.