Opinions AZURA BEACH RESORT Playa Sámara

Great all-inclusive place very well suited for adults not expecting a club atmosphere. The food was great the service was friendly, and the excursions were a lot of fun. Very nice Beach and interesting environs. Be sure to check travel sites like travelzoo for best rates.

Antes de ir estaba un poco indeciso porque había leído algunos comentarios algo negativos, sin embargo me hubiera arrepentido de no ir.
El lugar esta dentro de Villas Sámara y nosotros no llevábamos GPS, nos tuvimos que regresar de Carrillo y preguntar.
El lugar se ve moderno, habitacion 323 impecable, fuimos de aniversario y tenían todo organizado para que la pasáramos bien, desde el recibimiento hasta un pastel sorpresa en la cena y decoración de habitación.
El 100% de las comidas nos gustó, es hasta el momento el mejor todo incluído que he visitado.
Gracias a Keyla que fue nuestra salonera estrella, muy atenta y servicial.

Boutique luxury resort with amazing food and attentive staff. Remote but an exquisite place to disconnect and enjoy nature and the ones you love.

Mannnn I enjoy every minute of my Stay!!!???????????????? They were very friendly and the food and drinks was ON POINT LOVE IT???????????????????????????? I would like to thank everyone that I came across with. From the Morning workers to the night crew. I would like to thank the chiefs that put together one of the best meals I ever had. I will be back in February. Again thank you Allen????????????

Disfrutamos parte de nuestra luna de miel.
Todos fueron super amables, las instalaciones muy bonitas y definitivamente la comida fue lo mejor de este lugar todo era absolutamente delicioso ????

Not a good value for your money. The "Ocean View Junior Suite" rooms have zero ocean view. All you see is pool and trees. Manager of the property is extremely unpolite. Can't recommend. There are definitely better choices in Costa Rica.

Die "Ocean View Junior Suite" Zimmer haben alle keinen Blick aufs Meer. Man sieht nur Pool und Bäume. Die Managerin der Anlage ist schrecklich. Hat sich geweigert mit mir zu sprechen. Nicht einmal die einfachste Anstandsregel befolgt. Ich kann dieses Hotel nicht empfehlen.

This place was amazing. The food, the environment, the ambiance and the staff's genuine courtesy make this place one of our favorite places we've ever stayed. We made lots of new friends and have experiences we will never forget

Las instalaciones son muy bonitas, sin embargo, el servicio al cliente deja mucho qué desear, duran muchísimo en atender y servir las comidas. El aire acondicionado tenía un olor extraño como si tuviera las filtros sucios. Es muy caro para la calidad del servicio que brindan. Parece más un hotel de 4 estrellas que de 5. No lo recomiendo.

Hotel Azura is a hidden gem! 2 hrs from Liberia airport next to the charming small beach town of Samara, guanacaste CR.
We stayed in the 2nd floor ocean view rm with a tub on the balcony. The staff went above and beyond. It is a smaller resort and quiet during the rainy season (which I loved) The architecture and design was devine, like in living in a tropical jungle. Food was fantastic with geat choices and service. ALL staff was courteous and helpful! a few names I remember -Alexis, rollo, ehietl, Marilyn (I hope I got names spelled right) and massage therapist was wonderful. ❤️❤️❤️ will definitely plan to come back???????? muchas gracias ????

My wife & I spent two weeks here for our honeymoon in December 2022, and it was genuinely a life-changing experience. Azura is an incredibly beautiful and well-kept resort, on an amazing beachfront that is a ~45 min walk to the bustling small town of Samara.

The staff are kind, hardworking, and attentive. Don't expect the immediacy of service that one might get in... downtown Toronto, for example. Things are a little slower and more relaxed here -- just take a deep breath of the refreshing sea air while you wait for your lunch to be made. The mixed drinks (e.g. Pina Coladas) also are incredible; lots of amazing fresh fruit and pineapple unlike anything you can get in North America. Craft Beer lovers won't find much at the resort, but there are places in Samara for that--more on that in a bit. The food at the resort is also first rate. In case you are feeling curious about the buffet on the other side of the resort with the cottages & kids pool, don't be. The 4 restaurants in Azura hotel are a step above, and there's plenty of variety.

Town of Samara: a 45-minute walk along the beachfront from Azura. I highly recommend checking out the town if you feel so inclined, but it requires some navigation: You can book a taxi from the front desk of the hotel, though we always walked. It is a beautiful walk, with only a few other beachgoers and vacation homes along the way. It is HOT during the day however--I recommend bringing a backpack with bottled water, parasols for the journey, and sunscreen to apply every hour or two. The sun here is unlike ANYTHING we ever get in Canada, ANY time of year. Another hurdle not often mentioned is the small creek to cross along the way (about 1/3 of the way from Azura, 2/3rds remaining to Samara) -- depending on the tide (high or low) this can be 1-2 inches of running water, to about 4-5 feet deep at high tide. You can safely wade through at high tide, but you will get wet. It's best to wear a sturdy pair of sandals (that you don't mind getting wet) for the journey into town.

The town of Samara is very charming, and has plenty of shops, cafes, and beachfront (it is much more busy than the other end of the beach near Azura). We felt very safe in the town at all times--there were no hecklers or pan-handlers trying to sell you stuff. There are a number of street vendors with some nice handmade jewelery, etc., but they are relaxed and will wait for you to approach them. Other things in town are the 2 Gringos pub--this is a great place to go to for some local craft beer. Some surprisingly strong options, so plan to get some food (also excellent--recommend the black & blue tacos if you like blue cheese) and drink water before you head back. It is a very long walk back if you've had a lot to drink.

Also in town is where you'll find the stand for Book With Maria tours, at the top of the main street. Maria is super lovely and I highly recommend booking excursions with her, but note that her stand is not always open all hours of the day. If not open when you get there--head to a cafe or the pub for an hour or two, and she may be open if you check back later. Through Maria, we also met Luis of Tico Experience. Luis does the snorkeling tour of the reef out by Choras Island in the bay, and also some fantastic tours of coffee making and local food & culture. A seriously incredible tour guide.

Expect to see some wildlife, even in the resort & in town. Mostly birds and iguanas--sometimes birds will attempt to steal your breakfast so don't leave your plate unattended. Haha. But the animals are harmless, and often quite entertaining. (Do not feed them, or encourage them to take food though, of course.) Staff from the resort will shoo away any critters that get too close to the guest area.

All in all, this was my first time south of... ~Ohio, and an incredible and life-changing experience. I miss the resort, the staff, the beach, and the town almost every day since visiting, and I long for the opportunity to visit again in future years.

Lejos de Nicoya, la playa bien, instalaciones bonitas , es más como para parejas, las comidas no estaban mal, el mejor era el japonés, me prepararon rollos especiales sin arroz muy ricos, los otros dos eran muy básicos para el precio que se paga a la carta ( comida rápida ??? Para cenar ?? Nada que ver), room service estaba bueno, el desayuno era a la carta y lo hicieron bufette( baja calidad), el chef Andrés muy bueno si se preocupó por mi alergia a gluten y dieta Keto , sin embargo muy pocas opciones que le limitaban realizarme comidas, todo era frito, para ser un resort de esta gama ya que casi todo fuera comida rápida me pareció de muy mal gusto. No volvería a ir. Pocas opciones GF. La cafetera de mi habitación sucia con insectos y habían cucarachas en la habitación, por el refri pero lo limpiaron enseguida, mucho polvo en las decoraciones.

Buen servicio del personal. Comidas estaban bien aunque no excepcionales. Ubicación un tanto alejado pero es para ir a descansar en el resort

Exelente en todos los aspectos la atención se pasa de la excelencia totalmente recomendable

About 2 hours from Liberia airport, this beautiful resort is right on the beach. Open and airy, with plenty of options for food. We stayed in a partial ocean view suite that had the best soaking tub on the balcony and privacy. The swim up bar had amazing service, the two female bartenders were very attentive, and could order snacks to the pool or if you sat by the beach.
We were going to switch to the swim up rooms but we loved having the privacy of being on the second floor and balcony. All of the staff was amazingly friendly and helpful. Upon check in we were given cold towels to cool down and glasses of champagne. The chef brought up a plate of desserts to our room after check in. The Italian restaurant was the only food we wouldn’t rate 10/10, the Chill and Grill and Tao Japanese had a wide variety of fresh options.
Everything closes down at 10pm, but you’re so exhausted from the day it’s a non issue, and town is fairly close.

HOTEL is beautiful, right by the beach. Very nice aesthetic and the beach was just steps from the hotel. You can easily have a meal then walk straight onto the beach right after. The location is pretty remote so you cannot rely on uber/lyft/didi for transportation. Large pool, lots of patio space, and the suites are so beautiful. The hotel feels very tropical and is so modern and chic

FOOD for breakfast and lunch was ok, dinner was very good! Service and communication was not. We tried ordering room service but never got it so I can't say anything about that. There is an in-pool bar and food came out pretty slow but it was okay I guess. Some tours start very early but breakfast only opens at 7am. Dinner is by reservation only.

COMMUNICATION was really bad. I was in constant communication with someone from the hotel via email for weeks prior to the trip. When I got there they hardly had any of my information from that person and hardly took any of my requests. Everything is through whatsapp and they can be slow to answer. You don't know who you're talking to and it constantly changes. I tried to arrange transportation 3 separate times. Over email before arriving, at the front desk after arriving, and again over whatsapp after they said they would send a message within 5 minutes and the next day there was still no message. Each time information provided was different and contradicting and they started being rude and addressing me with things like "ok lady." They seemed very friendly when I first got there. I was only there 4 days 3 nights and by the end of it I felt like I was being treated like trash. There is no communication between the employees and there is zero organizational system. You have to request the same things over and over again in person at the front desk and over whatsapp and just hope for the best. Tour/transportation lady got rude and angry with us after confirming but messing up our schedule.

I guess just make sure to follow up every couple minutes, which sucks. The lack of good customer service kind of set a tone for the trip. I would not visit here again, or if I did I would not pay anywhere near full price. Maybe not even half price. I think they really need to get their system together

Had the time of my life at this hotel in costa rica a lot of wild beaches around the hotel only a few km away to go fishing. Lovely room at the hotel and the staff is friendly the food is good and you can hier samara local fishing guides. Also did scuba diving course and kayak with snorkeling in front of the hotel...best resort ever

The Azura hotel has been our least favorite experience while in Costa Rica. We have stayed at Hotel Jaco in Jaco Beach and Rio Celeste Hideaway in Rio Celeste. Both places really made our stay feel special. The staff was super accommodating and eager to help us with anything we needed. The Azura was completely the opposite. Nothing about the experience felt personalized we were nothing more than a number associated with another booking. We will not be returning to Azura.
From the very beginning we had issues starting with the guard gate. The guard was unwilling to let our Tico friend in for dinner. We explained that we would pay extra but have come to Costa Rica to see him and wanted to enjoy dinner. Finally after 20 minutes he was able to come in and enjoy dinner with us.
The dinner experience was mediocre at best. Menus or only available with QR code. This would not be the worst thing if they had the QR code posted at the table. But they don’t. So if you review the menu and then close your browser to look at something else good luck getting back to the menu. Once we ordered our waiter was not very attentive. After our main course was dropped off the waiter never came back to see if we needed any more water or if the meal was OK. He came back once to get our dessert order. But after that never saw him again. This dinner experience was 1 star for us.
While the rooms look very nice we have some serious flaws. On the first night when we went to lock the patio door to our swim out pool, the doors would not lock. I spoke with the front desk about it and they said “sorry, maintenance is gone for the day". After another 20 mi. Of explaining sorry does not work for me they finally found a maintenance person to fix the door. The lock was broken. At this time it was almost 10pm local time midnight out time. After a long day of traveling, we just wanted to get some rest. For over $600 a night our expectation is for the room to be in working order. As a side note the sinks are the worst design. while they look cool, you cannot turn on the water without it splashing all over you. Even at medium pressure it still splashes on you. I guess this is great if you are trying to convince your partner to not wear clothes when using the sink. While the rooms have a nice coffee machine and filtered cold water, we had no cups in the room. I have never stayed in a hotel room that did not have some kind of cups. We walked down the hall in the morning to find some cups to make coffee yet, the public coffee machine had no cups either. Finally we had to walk I to a restaurant and get a cup off the table. This is just another instance of the fit and finish of the hotel service. While it looks nice from a far it is only superficially.
I have alot more to say about the terrible experience but I am character limited out.
If you are looking for a cattle call experience where your presence is more of an annoyance than anything Azura is the place for you. But, if you want a personal experience were the hotel is happy to have you I encourage you to try any other place. I can not be any worse than Azura. If you are not set an Samara beach area I encourage you to check out Jaco Beach Hotel or Rio Celeste Hideaway. They understand the service component of traveling.

Excelente!

Tienen fallos en el servicio de comidas y bebidas.
En cuanto a limpieza de habitaciones, piscinas y presentación del hotel, excelente.

Excelente ambiente para relajarse, un lugar moderno y amigable, persona excelente siempre dispuestos a ayudar y a orientar. La comida es excelente y es todo incluido. Las habitaciones son amplias, modernas y totalmente equipadas. Hay servicio de spa y de servicio de tours.

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Excellent environment to relax, a modern and friendly place, excellent person always willing to help and guide. The food is excellent and it is all inclusive. The rooms are spacious, modern and fully equipped. There is spa service and tour service.

Excelente lugar! Excelente comida! Si busca un lugar de fiesta y escándalo hasta altas horas de la noche, este no es el lugar! Es un verdadero paraíso para descansar, la bebidas y las comidas son a la carta! Su personal no se cansa de consentirte! Las habitaciones cómodas y modernas, un mini bar completo! De verdad que solo licores premium! Y en cada platillo, el personal pone su máximo esfuerzo para complacer a cada uno de los huéspedes!

Un hotel lujoso, con muy buen servicio, sus empleados super amables y muy importante, sitio perfecto para relajarse y ser consentido

The resort itself it’s beautiful and with some changes it could change a few reviews here. It’s 2 hours from the airport with few places to stop for drinks and food on the way. So on to the resort. The rooms were nice we had a swim up. Took about 15/20 minutes to get warm (warm not hot) water for a shower. Food was great! The staff learns your drink and food options really quickly and refill quickly and without you asking at times. It’s one store on property to buy miscellaneous items and gifts. It’s supposed to open at 8am most days it opened close to 9am. The property is shared with a family resort and although Azura is the adult only side everything closes at 10pm. That means no food no drinks no room service. They have a common area fire pit and if you are gathered there after 10pm they ask you to keep the noise to a minimum. They do help you find taxis to get around the tow. We went to the local bar the DJ was pretty good and the restaurant Laconda was good with a great view of the ocean.

Service was ok. Everyone was nice, but not very accommodating. It’s an adults only resort, but as adults everything should stay open later than 10pm. No food, drinks, room service, etc. Especially since it’s VERY small town with few bars and restaurants, nothing is walking distance and they don’t have any activities to do on the resort (karaoke night, yoga, game night, etc.) We asked the front desk concierge why do they close so early, and she said it was bc they’re tired ????

Azura Beach Resort, my Fiancé and I traveled here for my 41st Born Day from June 14th - June 17th 2023, we flew into San Jose airport, DON’T DO THAT! Fly into Liberia airport. San Jose is 5 hours away. ???? Use Leo with Costa Rica Driver & Adventure for private transportation and NOT Viator! Liberia is only 2 hours and 20 min's. We had the balcony that had the soaking tub, but it is out in public view. I personally didn't care. My Fiance on the other hand... I am plant based so the food selection at the Resort was to my biggest surprise. Tons of plant based options. No faux meat but I don't need that anyway. The cleanliness was top notch. And for the entire property. The staff are constantly cleaning. And speaking of! Jason was our greeter! He spoke great English. There was never a moment when he didn't supply any of our needs. He even obliged my Fiance in blowing up balloons on my Born Day(birthday), that made me feel so loved and recognized once I walked back in the room. Elizabeth was another one of our favorites! She was a server in the Tao Thai restaurant. Exceptional the quinoa salad! Elizabeth made great suggestions and did everything with a genuine smile, she even added the cha-cha-cha when singing "Happy Birthday" to me along with her efficient coworkers. We also had Spa services! It wasn't the most fanciest of spaces but the services were relaxing. Lastly do the horse back riding with Explore Samara Tours with Henel & His Wife, it was exceptional.

Muy satisfecho

Buen todo incluído.

I did not know what to expect because of some of the negative reviews but this is one of the top resorts I have stayed at as far as food and the room goes. The room was large with a sitting area, bathtub on the balcony, a shower big enough for 2 :-). Perfect place to stay for couples because of how quiet and romantic it is here. The food has been the best I have ever had at a resort or on a cruise. The staff especially the concierge Darlie, Joshua, Axel, and Gio have been so courteous, professional, and helpful. I barely noticed the construction maybe because of the location of our room. I would 100% stay here again.

We were here in the off season and we're lucky to have perfect weather. We felt rich and spoiled here. The rooms were huge and the swim out was neat. The food and drinks were all delicious. I'd go back in a heartbeat.