Top Things to Do in Sámara, Guanacaste Costa Rica with Kids — A Mom Explores | Family Travel Tips, Destination Guides with Kids, Family Vacation Ideas, and more!

Are you dreaming of an idyllic beach town in Costa Rica where you can spend your mornings on adventurous excursions and your afternoons relaxing on the beach?

Sámara, a small town in the Guanacaste Province of Costa Rica, just might be the perfect destination for your family.

Back in 2011, I took a group of my high school Spanish students to study at Intercultural Language School in Sámara.

We stayed with host families, walked to school every morning, and spent the afternoons kayaking, taking dancing or cooking lessons, horseback riding, and just hanging out on the beach.

I felt perfectly safe walking around with my students. The town was small and walkable, but still had everything we could need as tourists.

The beach was unspoiled and scenic with towering palm trees and rocky cliffs rising out of verdant forests. I spent long hours relaxing in a beachside hammock in the shade staring at the Pacific Ocean. Howler monkeys would swing alongside me as I walked to school, and though the town welcomed tourists, it felt like a secret place somehow, untouched by chain hotels and restaurants.

I knew I had to come back.

When we found cheap flights to Costa Rica this year (read: Costa Rica Family Vacation: How Much a 7-Day Trip Costs), I knew we had to add Sámara to our itinerary because my 4 kids would absolutely love it.

>> Check out my Costa Rica One Week Itinerary for Families!

I’m going to share exactly what to do in Sámara with kids, where to stay (especially if you have a big family like ours), and where our favorite spots to eat were!

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Getting There

On our trip to Costa Rica, we flew into San Jose (Juan Santamaría International Airport - SJO), and took a private transfer to La Fortuna.

When our time there was done, we took another private transfer to Sámara, which is situated along the Pacific Coast.

We chose private transfers because it’s expensive to rent a car that fits our family of 6, and we would rather pay a similar price to have someone drive us around so we can relax and take care of our kids. I knew Sámara was a walkable town, so I was ok with not having a rental car at our disposal.

We booked our private shuttle through Two Weeks in Costa Rica.

Another way to Samara would be to fly into Liberia Guanacaste Airport which is in the province of Guanacaste. You could rent a car, hire a private transfer, or take public transportation.

We arrived around midday, and our hotel was not ready for us yet, so we dropped off our bags and wandered the town a little bit.

Where We Stayed in Sámara

it’s always tough finding accommodations that fit our family of 6, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a very affordable and very spacious villa in Sámara.

I knew I wanted to be close to the beach and close to town so we could buy groceries, and Villas Kalimba fit the bill.

We stayed in the 2-bedroom villa, which also had 2 bathrooms, a full kitchen for cooking, and a private patio area with a dining table, chairs, and a hammock.

Each villa in the hotel is surrounded by lush vegetation, so they all feel very private and secluded even though they’re somewhat close together. There’s a small outdoor pool, and an al fresco poolside restaurant on-property with some of the best food I’ve ever tasted.

>> Need help planning your trip? Check out my tips on Planning a Trip to Costa Rica with Kids

For our family of 6 they had a king size bed in the master bedroom with an ensuite bathroom, and a second bedroom with 2 twin beds, and they brought in a cot so 3 of our kids could sleep in there. Our toddler slept in the king size bed with us.

The second bathroom was right next to the kids’ room, and it was really nice for us to be able to spread out as a family.

The hotel was 1 block away from a mini mercado, which is just a smaller grocery store, so we were able to pick up essentials for meals like yogurt, cereal, bread, butter, milk, pasta, fruit, crackers, etc.

We spent most of our free time lounging on our patio, drinking coffee, reading in the hammock, or eating at the table.

Check out Villas Kalimba here!

Amenities at Villas Kalimba in Sámara

Some of our favorite features at Villas Kalimba in Sámara include:

Villas Kalimba Restaurant

Though breakfast was not included, I would still highly recommend trying out the small poolside restaurant on property. The food was some of the best we’ve ever had. In fact, 6 months later we’re still talking about the caprese sandwich we had for lunch!

They also greeted us with free welcome drinks while we waited for our room to be ready, and it was the perfect way to cool off in the afternoon heat!

Pool

The pool at Villas Kalimba is not large, but it was perfect for an afternoon swim for the big kids while our toddler napped.

It was never crowded. In fact, I don’t think I ever saw any other guests by the pool when we were our there!

It’s right by the restaurant so you can order snacks or a drink to enjoy poolside while the kids splash around.

Activities to Do in Sámara with Kids

Horseback Riding

My oldest daughter absolutely loves horses, and her dream was to go horseback riding on the beach! Naturally, this was the first excursion I booked when we decided to visit Sámara.

We booked our tour with Explore Sámara Tours, and I’m so glad we did! The picked us up right in front of our hotel, and when we arrived at their property we were greeted by Martine. She was the most patient teacher and guide to all of us, and made our experience so memorable.

I took just our oldest 2 kids horseback riding while my husband stayed back with our toddler and 5-year-old. Our 5-year-old had the option to come with us, but he decided not to.

We booked the Mountain and Beach Tour, which was 2 hours long. I wasn’t sure how our 6-year-old would do, but with Martine’s help he learned so much and did so well. I think our 9-year-old (my daughter) was more comfortable on horseback than I was!

We went through the forest while ascending to a lookout point (the “mountains” portion of the tour) where we had an incredible view of the Pacific Coast below.

After that we descended back to the road, then took a break in a grove of palm trees where we snacked on fresh pineapple and drank some water. I enjoyed chatting with Martine while the kids fed extra pineapple to the horses.

Horseback riding with kids in Samara-1.jpg

Horseback riding with kids in Samara.jpg

We ended the tour by galloping along the beach, and I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. It was so freeing and fun to feel the salty breeze in my hair and we urged our lazy horses to go faster and faster.

I would highly recommend this tour for families, and you would be supporting a family-owned business. You can check out all the tour options here.

Wander Around Town

Samara is the cutest little beach town with all kinds of souvenir shops, restaurants, hotels, and rental shops. It’s very walkable, so you should have no problem getting around town without a car.

There are several supermarkets to choose from if you’re making your own meals. I stopped at Pali for our food when I wanted a few more options than the mini market near our hotel was able to offer.

While Sámara is very tourist-friendly, and not necessarily off the beaten path, I enjoyed walking around town because it didn’t feel commercialized by any means. Certainly a bit more popular than it was when I visited a decade ago, but still very chill.

Ocean Kayak

When I took my high school students to Sámara, one of our excursions was ocean kayaking with Samara Adventures.

Your guide leads you and your group on kayaks out to Chora Island where you can hang out and relax, have some fresh fruit and snacks, and snorkel to see the vibrant sea life around Sámara.

On the day we snorkeled it was overcast and windy, and it had rained earlier, so the ocean was cloudy and we weren’t able to see much. But depending on the time and the weather that day, you could see anything from starfish to octopi to tropical fish and sea turtles.

This is open for all ages and all skill levels, and children are welcome to come along!

Learn more about the tour here.

Ocean Safari Dolphin Tour

This dolphin and snorkeling trip was by far my favorite activity that I’ve done in Costa Rica. We were nervous about boarding a small catamaran for 4 hours with a toddler, but we decided to give it a shot anyway.

Our group was fairly small; there were maybe 10 other guests on our tour, plus our 3 or 4 tour guides. We sailed for what felt like a long time, not seeing any dolphins. My heart sank, knowing how much we paid for the tour and how much we hyped up the possibility of seeing dolphins to the kids.

Finally, I noticed our tour guides perking up, and sure enough, dolphin fins began appearing in the distance.

Before we knew it, our boat was surrounded by a pod of dolphins, and our tour guides estimated that there could be as many as 500 dolphins in the pod. We were allowed to sit on the bow of the catamaran with our feet dangling down near the water, and we were so close to the dolphins I thought they might touch our toes.

Our whole family was so excited to watch these beautiful creatures leaping out of the water in the wake of our boat, and it’s a memory we still talk about to this day.

At the end of the tour, the guides take you back to Chora Island where you can snorkel for a bit, as well as have some fresh fruit as a snack.

(Because of this, I would not schedule both the kayak tour and the ocean safari tour since they both include snorkeling - unless you really like snorkeling!)

We did the Samara Adventures 2 in 1 Ocean Safari, and it’s open to all age levels.

If you’re wondering how our toddler did, we were so pleasantly surprised. I’m not sure if she was nervous, or the motion of the ocean lulled her to sleep, but she just sat on our laps and even fell asleep for a little bit. She was excited to see the dolphins, and didn’t try to get up or walk around when the boat was moving. I’m so glad we decided to give this tour a try!

Beach Time

We made sure to set aside plenty of time for relaxing and playing on the beach with the kids.

Our hotel had some beach toys available for us to use, which really came in handy for our toddler and preschooler! We enjoyed spending the late afternoon hours after our toddler’s nap playing in the sand, running through the waves, and swimming in the ocean.

Sámara Beach is the main tourist beach, and you’ll see a nice entrance to the beach area with beachfront restaurants, surf schools, and a small boardwalk.

There’s also a quieter beach for locals on the other side of the river, which is where we stopped on our horseback riding tour. There’s a playground that my kids enjoyed playing on, but we did get stuck on that side of the river when high tide came in. We had to walk all the way back through town to get to our side of the beach!

Surf Lessons

If you’re there a little longer than we were, you might want to try taking some surf lessons! There are plenty of small shops along the beach where you can take lessons for very affordable prices, and plenty of them are kid-friendly!

You could also rent a surfboard if you’re already comfortable on one!

Where to Eat in Sámara with Kids

We mostly cooked our own meals in Sámara, but we went out for a few meals, and here’s what we enjoyed!

Kalimba Restaurant

As I mentioned above, our hotel, Villas Kalimba, has an excellent restaurant on property. The food is a bit expensive, but in my opinion well worth it. We ate here for lunch, and they brought our food to our patio so we could relax while we waited for the food and not worry about the kids being too crazy.

We also split a few items off the menu instead of each ordering our own entree to save some money. It was the perfect amount of food, and I had no regrets about splurging.

Gusto Beach Restaurant Pizzeria Bar

On our last night in Sámara we wanted a special dinner with views of the Pacific Ocean, and that’s exactly what we got at Gusto Beach Restaurant Pizzeria Bar.

We had discovered the restaurant while strolling down the beach, as it was just about a 5-minute walk from our hotel. The twinkle lights for the outdoor seating really caught our attention, and we loved the ambiance of the restaurant.

This is another more expensive option, but we all absolutely loved our meal. This restaurant has Italian and Costa Rican food, so we were easily able to find options for even our pickiest kids. The pizza was incredible, and the kids enjoyed some pasta.

If you come during the day, you can order something for lunch and use their lounge chairs to relax on the beach. I think if our kids had been a bit older and we had more time to spend in Sámara, this would have been a great option for us.

As it was, we didn’t often have lunch free as that was when we were getting back from our excursions and needed to put our toddler down for her nap.

Restaurante Sheriff Rustic

This was my personal favorite restaurant in Sámara. It was beachside, laid back, and somewhat cheaper than the other restaurants we visited.

I loved the casado I ordered, which is a traditional Costa Rican meal with rice, beans, a protein, and a vegetable.

I just felt amazing pure vida vibes at this place, and it was also within easy walking distance from our hotel. In fact, it’s right next to the boardwalk entrance to Sámara Beach.

They don’t have a kid’s menu, but they were perfectly willing to make some plain pasta for my pickier kids.

Marea Café

On our last morning in Sámara we took the kids souvenir shopping around town while we waited for our private shuttle to pick us up.

I was in need of a pick-me-up, so we grabbed ice coffee and smoothies from Marea Cafe. It’s a surf shop and cafe, so don’t expect to find full meals here, but it’s a nice place to stop for some healthier smoothie options and a variety of espresso based coffee drinks for adults.

The place was very cute and very relaxed, and I wish I had discovered it before our last morning!

Sámara, Costa Rica is a beautiful place to relax with your family away from the crowds.

There’s plenty of adventure to be had in Sámara with kids, but it’s also the perfect place to slow down and enjoy spending time together. Add the beautiful palm trees and idyllic sunsets, and you’ve got paradise!