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Reviews of Villas Playa Samara Beach Front Resort - All Inclusive

3.5 out of 5
Villas Playa Samara Beach Front Resort - All Inclusive
Samara-Guanacaste, Sámara, Guanacaste

Reviews

6.6
Rating 10 - Excellent. 43 out of 200 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 53 out of 200 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 47 out of 200 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 25 out of 200 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 32 out of 200 reviews" "

7.0/10

Cleanliness

6.6/10

Staff & service

5.8/10

Amenities

6.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

6.8/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

4/10 Poor

Michael

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 5 nights in Mar 2024

4/10 Poor

Debbie

Traveled with family
Disliked: Staff & service
The resort was fine and the people were nice but the food is the worst we've ever had at an all-inclusive. We all got so sick, not sure if it was the food or water. The food was never really hot. They made omelets in the morning and used so much Pam cooking spray. The rice and pasta was never fully cooked. Breakfast was supposed to be at 7am but they were never ready and it took forever to get coffee.
Stayed 14 nights in Feb 2024

8/10 Good

Linda, Providence

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Wonderful location with easy access to beautiful beach. Property is very nice and rooms are nice--although they could stand a few minor "extras". Pool is very nice. Food needed improvement--limited choices, not great quality although pineapple and watermelon was abundant and delicious.
Stayed 7 nights in Feb 2024

2/10 Terrible

Payton

Traveled with partner
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very misleading and incorrect information in the description on their website. They reuse dirty glass cups and plastic cups for drinks at both bars. Only one buffet style restaurant that was very unsatisfying. The property reeks of sewer. The staff were friendly, but slow with their service. The gift shop was incredibly overpriced. Overall, just not a place I would recommend to spend a vacation.
Stayed 6 nights in Jan 2024

6/10 Okay

Tinku

Traveled with partner
Disliked: Amenities
Resort is right by the beach yes - but so limited only 1 restaurant/buffet for every meal. Wet bar wasn’t open majority of the day. No in house entertainment as much. And our rooms had no telephone to call front desk or for support. And 1 pool
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023

2/10 Terrible

Stephane

Traveled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Bad experience, avoid if you can. Definitely not 4 star, the hotel is not maintained, rooms are smelly, light not working, clotted sink, dripping water as shower. The entrance picture is very nice but all for the new facility being developed next door, the villa playa Samara is let with poor maintenance, cheap foods and cocktails “all inclusive”, almost empty buffet, garden not maintained, feels like a let down facility. The beach and view is very nice which makes the experience even more disappointing. This might have been a nice spot some time ago but let to decline, I’m surprised it is offered by Air Canada, it must leave a feeling of being trapped in a location not worth $500 to $600 and feeling to be ripped-off. We could leverage our stay by going out to other places but it was not the plan for all inclusive villa.
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2023

8/10 Good

Dariel

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Clean property and nice beach access.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

8/10 Good

Dorin

Stayed 6 nights in Dec 2023

2/10 Terrible

Trina

Traveled with partner
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This is not a 4 star as they advertise The place is run down They have many of the rooms and villas assigned to full times residences for staff and construction workers Some rooms had been previously renovated but done poorly and it’s already breaking down and not cleaned well We got moved from our room and our new room was in a better location but the door lock was broken and bathroom was dirty They have rocks under the sink for earthy design but it had lots of hair from previous guest in it. We were so disappointed and would have preferred a refund and to stay somewhere else It took all day to get approval to move rooms and since are stay was short we wanted to just leave The buffet for the all inclusive had 6 options in total and a small salad bar, No other food areas It’s really the worst all inclusive I’ve ever seen Maybe a 2.5 star at best The staff were really nice Guest were unhappy and they were apologizing a lot but not their fault Bad management/ownership All I can say to anyone who has a reservation try to get a refund You will be so disappointed
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2023

8/10 Good

Rose

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful location on the beach. A long 5-hour drive from the San Jose Airport.
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2022
Response from Vilas playa Samara on Jan 6, 2023
Thank you for your comment, Grateful and happy that you enjoyed your stay with us

6/10 Okay

Pamela

Traveled with family
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
This property is very dated. A lot of the units had furniture stacked inside them as though it was being stored. And I think more employees lived there than guests were there. A coffee maker in the room, but no coffee to make a pot. Fridge in the room was an added bonus, but is in need of cleaning and deicing. Pool bar and gym were closed. No bar to hangout in, one restaurant with the same food every day, but inconsistent on how it was prepared, towels and sheets were very worn, holes in our sheets and some of our towels had strings hanging off of them. The staff were very nice and the location was great, but the resort is in desperate need of updating. The second property is an adults only one, but looked busier and seemed to have better amenities. I love the country of Costa Rica and will return, just not to this property. Not sure if this property was closed for a long time due to COVID, but it sure does need some updating. Over all it was a pleasant experience, but not a 5 star one!
Stayed 8 nights in Apr 2022

8/10 Good

Rolando

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Amenities
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2022

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Una bendición
Hola, la experiencia fue increíble, el trato, la comida, las villas, todo con excelencia. Disfrutamos mucho la estadía y regresamos muy satisfechos. Todo el personal súper especial muy amable, realmente fue una gran bendición haber optado por dicho lugar. Lo recomendamos al 100. Estamos muy agradecidos
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2022

2/10 Terrible

Rodrigo

Traveled with family
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
El aire acondicionado no funcionaba, la habitación es pequeña, no hay closet ni mueble donde poner la ropa, en el baño no hay mueble, la habitación no tiene ventanas, el personal del restaurante es amable pero no tiene capacitación ni experiencia. Muy mala experiencia, no se lo recomiendo a nadie.
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2022

6/10 Okay

Yuniel

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Nada recomendable!!!
Hay mucho que mejorar, servicio ineficiente. No conocen las más mínimas normas de servicio, puede llegarte la comida primero, las bebidas detrás y los cubiertos de último. La habitación que me asignaron no servía el aire acondicionado, no tenía refrigerador (a pesar de decirlo en la reserva) la luz de la habitación quemada. Nos cambiaron a otra y en la espera, pudimos hacer uso de las instalaciones a hasta las 6 de la tarde. Realmente una experiencia nada positiva. No creo que regrese a este lugar.
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2022

8/10 Good

Karina

Stayed 1 night in Apr 2022

10/10 Excellent

zena

Stayed 1 night in Mar 2022

4/10 Poor

Dinia

Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2022

10/10 Excellent

Paola

Traveled with partner, Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Excelente lugar, nos gustó mucho. Las instalaciones son muy bonitas y seguras.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2022

10/10 Excellent

tanya

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 7 nights in Dec 2021

2/10 Terrible

Adam

Traveled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Worst vacation experience in years, possibly ever.
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2021

2/10 Terrible

Fiorella

Stayed 1 night in Nov 2021

2/10 Terrible

elaine

Liked: Room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Terrible, service mauvais et hôtel en piètre état
Pire hôtel depuis plusieurs années. Plus de la moitié de l’hôtel nécessite d’énormes rénovations. Les serviettes sont bonnes à faire des guenillesLa nourriture laisse réellement à désirer et même plus… temps d’attente pour recevoir un burger de 50 minutes au diner…. Pas de buffet, seulement service aux tables dehors en tout temps et seulement 3 serveuses. Nous sommes arrivés tôt vers 11h am et ils voulaient nous facturer 30$ U.S./ personne pour early check-in…. Avons eu notre chambre vers 16h seulement…. Piscine sale, aucun service de bar à la piscine. Vraiment terrible, je ne le recommande à personne surtout pour le coût exorbitant vs la qualité et service…..
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2021

10/10 Excellent

Yeimily

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2021

10/10 Excellent

Dawn M

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This is our third trip to Villas Playa Samara. We were treated very well and we love it there. Having our own Villa allows for more privacy when traveling with others. It was a little frustrating that our actual restaurant wasn’t open for the first part of our trip so they had us dine at one of the restaurants at Azure, which appears to have 3 restaurants. Then the last 2 days our restaurant opened & we were no longer aloud at Azure, including the beach chairs in front which literally are on the same property. It is an adults only property but we were all adults. Our restaurant did offer the same menu & the food is amazing! The staff is very nice and accommodating. The property is also very secure so you feel safe! Can’t wait to book our next trip back!
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful views! We truly enjoyed our stay here. We had a bungalow close to the beach- like 25ft away! Rooms were clean and loved the patio facing the beach. The staff were so friendly especially at the restaurant. Because of Covid-19, we only had one option for restaurant but the food was good that was included in our all inclusive option- food and alcohol- for the price it was a steal! Loved that they extend their restaurant service while we sunbathed on the beach. Wish the pool bar was open but understood why it was closed because of the pandemic. The town of Samara is a 20-30min walk on the beach. We look forward to coming back with a group of friends!
Stayed 2 nights in May 2021

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
nice property. needs work in places though. food for all inclusive was not worth the money and was boring
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We were given 100 dollar credit..staff did not know what we could use credit towards. Unfortunately last day we found out it was $25 toward 4 excursions. Disappointed we could not use it elsewhere or at property store. Wish we knew ahead if time what credit is for to utilize it properly
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2019
Response from Alejandro Ruiz on Oct 18, 2019
Dear Guest, Greetings from Villas Playa Samara, We would like to thank you for taking the time to give us your feedback, our staff is committed to make every guest´s stay a memorable experience, we are sorry for the lack of information about the resort credit, we will take care of this, so we can asure this situation will not happen again. Thank you for choosing Villas to stay during your vacations.

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Bad services, dirty rooms and employees regardless of customer service
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2018

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with family and small children
Liked: Staff & service, amenities
For an all inclusive it was pricy and small. Food selection was very limited. There was always something that didn't work - door, safe, air conditioning, wifi etc etc. Staff was a mix of lovely friendly and helpful people and people who hated their jobs or us (but miserable with something). No surfing out front, beach just okay but Playa Samara was consistent and easy to get to everyday.
Stayed 14 nights in Mar 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Stayed 5 nights in Mar 2019

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Property is under construction so can be noisy. Food and facilities ok but nothing to write home about. If you like AI, I’m sure this is average.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2018

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveler

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
This is not a 4 stars resort, they are building half of the hotel and the other part is old. You want to park the car un the parking lot and must walk in a mud way. In the reception, they talk about the rules and punishments a lot. I arrived 1hour before the check in and they said me that If I want to Stay there,they Will charge $70 per person (this situation doesn’t happend at others All inclusive resorts in Costa Rica) I am Costarican and I don’t recomend this hotel to enjoy your vacations, the pictures are not related with the reality.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2018

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2018

8/10 Good

Cat, Charleston, SC

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice Beach Hotel
Stayed there 2 years ago when it was not all inclusive. The buffet only is not up to par with the price. You need to be careful selecting your room because I had to climb stairs which was not necessary before and this had no view at all. Other than that I would highly recommend because staff and location of beach and wonderful spa worthwhile.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Nice hotel, nice staff
It was a wonderful experience. The hotel staff wer just great.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2017

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Cleanliness
Real nice location and grounds/beach. Friendly staff. Very laid back, kind of quiet environment. Playa Samara is a nice, small town with some good restaurants. But hey, it's Costa Rica and we also dealt with the lax service...like forgetting the room cleaning some days and the room keys constantly not working..and having go to the desk 3-4 times per day. Liked it but didn't justify the $$. But me and my family had a lot of fun...just wouldn't go there again.
Stayed 10 nights in Jul 2017

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service
Not what they claim to be
No water in room No coffee in room No warm water Pool was disgusting filled with frogs. Gym has 4 machines of which 2 were broken Poor hotel staff customer service They claim to be a 3 1/2 star hotel they're not even 2 stars The list goes on.....

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Not worth the price
No water in room No coffee in room No warm water Pool was disgusting filled with frogs. Poor hotel staff customer service They claim to be a 3 1/2 star hotel they're not even 2 stars The list goes on.....

6/10 Okay

debi, ottawa, canada

Liked: Cleanliness
Value for money, close to beach, not too big
Construction was happening late in March but overall, for what we paid, it was a good experience. In the Hotel room, there was no storage. Nowhere to unpack your clothes for a week not one drawer, I found that unusual. There was a rack to put your clothes on with 3 or 4 hangers. Bathroom excellent beds very comfortable. Food good and always available.

6/10 Okay

Serge, Gaithersburg, MD

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Ordinary hotel in Costa Rica
This is a beachfront hotel with ordinary food and amenities. The staff is friendly, pool and restaurant bars' guys are very nice. However, the guy selling tours in the reception area is completely irresponsible. If you want to book something for fun just call Info Center in Samara and save your time and money.

6/10 Okay

Roy

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Has much potential.
Hotel resort under construction. Staff needs training in customer service and basic food service issues. Rooms are great, but after that, you are on your own.

6/10 Okay

matt, NY

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
There is no room service you can't get any food or drinks after 10pm everything is closed

8/10 Good

Edwin, Boston

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Highly Recommended
I was looking for a hotel where I could go and relax and rest. That's exactly what I got. Nothing out of this world fancy but exactly what I needed. Excellent staff with the most amazing people you can meet. I loved it. I stay for 9 days and I would go back. My only suggestion would be on the food. Great testing but very repetitive, perhaps not gear for someone staying for a week. Best virgin pina coladas in the world!

2/10 Terrible

Robert, London

Disliked: Staff & service, room comfort
Overpriced, poor service and contempt.
Hello, When we got there they said that breakfast would be $30 per person, per day extra ! Times that by 3 adults for 5 nights that equals US$ 450.00! I said 'thats a lot', so they said US$25 each. They wouldnt move from this so we went into the town each day instead, and got a nicer breakfast for about $8 each. We stayed in 5 hotels during our visit to Costa Rica and this was in fact the most expensive, but it was no where near as good as the others. All the others were not only cheaper, friendlier and much nicer but they also included a nice breakfast of fresh fruit and a choice of hot food. The breakfast at Villas Playa Samara Beach Front Resort didnt look very nice anyway, and nor did the dinner, as it was just 'mass catered' help yourself buffet. Our room was plain, dark and ordinary, almost cell like, with no outlook. The bin didnt have a lid on it - in a country where this is where you have to put ALL the used toilet tissue! We asked if we could move but, throughout the whole stay, the staff were unsmiling and unhelpful and wernt bothered. The hotel complex, itself, wasnt that special. Just because its behind a big gate, has a swim up bar and is by the beach dosnt make it good or justify their price and there is much nicer elsewhere for less. Several people around the town say that the owners dont care if you complain, so that is the contempt they have for their customers -once they have taken your money. Treat them as they deserve, dont give them your money and

8/10 Good

Bonnie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Salvatore, New Jersey

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
took friends to costa rica for 1st time
it was great time. pool , beach are great locations aswell as nearby beach carrillo

8/10 Good

Miguel, Colorado

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good value and experience
We arrived about 2:45 pm. Our Expedia confirmation said 2:00 pm check in, the desk agent said 3:00. They said they were waiting for housekeeping to finish, and by 3:45 we were in our room (a one-bedroom villa with oceanside view). Regarding the room quality, the reviews I read were accurate regarding air conditioning being installed only in the bedroom. This is true, but the bedroom was very cool and comfortable. The main room only has a ceiling fan but you can open the french doors or use the portable fan to blow cool air from the bedroom into the main room to mitigate the heat a bit. The room does not have a TV or phone, but I didn't come here to watch TV or talk on the phone. Yes, the water in the shower has a tendency to drain slowly, causing a bit of standing water, but the shower basin is wide so it never got deep for us. Wifi is accessible in most places, including our room, which is one of the furthest away from the front desk area. The Internet was slow, but in talking with friends of ours who live in Samara, slow internet is a way of life here. At check-in, they confirmed that full breakfast was included and put black plastic wristbands on us as confirmation. Other reviews complained of limited options, but we were very pleased with the variety and each day offered something different. Options included local fare like Gallo Pinto (beans and rice), plantains, mangoes, papaya, along with traditional foods like eggs, potatoes, cheeses, cold cuts, sausages,
Our 1-bedroom villa (2B)
Front gate entrance
Local resident
Swim up pool bar

8/10 Good

Jose

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice place, in my case it was perfect for a family vacation, we did not have any need to go outside of the place, we liked that the room has everything needed to cook and eat inside the village, so if you want to cook no need to pay for restaurant food, breakfast was included and beach is beautiful, ocean was quiet and easy