Bar Olas

Playa Sámara


If you'd like to settle in for an evening of beers with the locals, check out Bar Olas on the north end of the beach. This archetypal seafront dive makes almost no effort, but they're open early, serve late and drinks are cheap. And there are pool tables and even a foosball table.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Playa Sámara attractions

1. Playa Barrigona

3.14 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

7.78 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

8.73 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

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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

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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

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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

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