Bar Arriba

Playa Sámara


The requisite sports bar in this surf town is located on a balcony overlooking the main drag. The place shows international sports on its flat screens, so they're bound to be showing your game. The food is surprisingly satisfying: try the yucca fries (pub grub with a Central American twist). Almost every night is a themed specialty night.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Playa Sámara attractions

1. Playa Barrigona

3.32 MILES

A dreamy, hidden, white-sand beach about 30 minutes north of Sámara, where no development is visible. Just inland, though, sits a sprawling hacienda…

3. Playa Garza

7.92 MILES

From the south, the first beach you'll hit is Playa Garza, still a sleepy Tico fishing village with an arc of pale brown sand, and headlands on either…

4. Macaw Recovery Network

8.57 MILES

A local NGO that is dedicated to the conservation of Costa Rica's two species of macaw: the great green macaw and the scarlet macaw. The group…

5. Museo Islita

9.07 MILES

Sponsored by the Hotel Punta Islita, this imaginative, open-air museum includes mosaics, carvings and paintings that adorn everything from houses to tree…

6. Playa Guiones

9.4 MILES

Nosara's most developed beach is also a stunner, with a wide, generous arc of marbled sand (and a few pebbles and shells mixed in), excellent beach breaks…

7. International Animal Rescue Costa Rica

10.09 MILES

Make an appointment to visit this animal rescue center. Brenda Bombard is an incurable animal lover who has devoted two decades to caring for injured and…

8. Playa Corozalito

10.49 MILES

About 4km south of Punta Islita, Playa Corozalito is an entirely undeveloped beach backed by mangrove swamps and offering plenty of opportunities to spot…