Samara, on Costa Rica's Pacific coast, has maintained its original charming village character. The town and its surrounding area offer a large variety of plants and exotic animals. A three mile long beach, with coconut palms and other tropical plants, is sheltered by an offshore coral reef. It is an excellent vacation spot, with horseback riding, surfing, cycling, boat tours, trips to nearby national parks, discos, supermarkets, international-style restaurants and more.

The Hotel Mirador de Samara is build on a high hill, commanding a panoramic view of the village, beach and ocean from every room, terrace or balcony. The village and the bay beyond is unique and ideally suited for families or groups. In high season, this can be a rather warm part of the country, and the elevation of this hotel plus the strictly north – south position of the building catches cooling breezes that the town and beachfront facilities do not enjoy

Air condition here is not required, as large overhead fans in each of the spacious 8 apartments and also the Sky rooms provide all the cooling required. The hotel is very close to the village, yet remote just enough to provide quiet sleeps away from the night action. The apartments and rooms are spacious and each has an enormous deck for enjoying the sunset views, and the building backs onto forest, so the birds are there each morning to greet you with a song.

The main building has 6 apartments, they feature 1 double bed and one twin bedt. In the lounge there is a sofa that can be turned into a double bed, and in the storerooms is another single bed that could be added. Max 6 persons per apartment. Each has a big bathroom, fully equipped kitchen with fridge, electric coffee maker, elec. Blender, rice cooker, cooker, and other common kitchen utilities. On every terrace and balcony, with their panoramic ocean view , you will find a huge dining table with comfortable wicker fiberglass chairs, also on the terraces, sleeping room, and in the lounge you find furniture like sofa tables, night tables, writing tables, closets, private safe deposit box.

The building is constructed in a strategic North – South position which allows the ocean breeze entering into the rooms during daytime and at night bringing cool breeze from the mountains behind. The only sound at night that you hear are the waves - early in the morning you might be woken up by the abundant birds starting their singings. The 4 units (SKY ROOMS) are double/triple rooms with private bath, hot water, queen, king or twin beds size (orthopedic mattresses), cable TV, fridge, security box, balconies etc. They are big , having 330 sq. feet each.

In November 2005 will finish the construction of an additional building, very much resembling the old one. Adjoining the original building it has many of the same characters, like the garden, aces to the swimming pool, ocean view etc. It consists on 6 units, having 2 apartments with 2 sleeping rooms, separate lounges, kitchen, security box, large terrace. Sleeping cap. Up to 8 person sleeping capacity.

The new swimming pool of the Aparthotel Mirador de Samara has a size of 11 meters X 6 meters. It is filled with high quality sweet water from our own 60 meter deep well. The total size of the pool area is about 400 square meters. All this is surrounded and laid in a tropical garden. From the pool and the decks you also can enjoy the panoramic ocean view.

An open walled restaurant adjoins the hotel in a tower with 360 degree panoramic view. The hotel also offers a large tropical garden area with a swimming pool, sun decks, parking and reception and services such as phone and fax ,laundry, ground transfer etc...

The hotel is owned by the German Max Mahlich and his wife Helena. They live in the hotel with their six year old daughter. Max guides most of the tours (except horseback riding and fishing.) He also does the transfers to and from the hotel and any destination. Any emergency, any time of day we can help. There is also a small clinic in Samara. English, French, Spanish and German spoken.

Guide Book Reviews The striking gleaming white contemporary interpretation of a Spanish Parador that commands the hill overlooking Samara is Mirador de Samara. Imagine the panoramic views, especially from the tower (Mirador) containing open-walled restaurant and bar. Six large apartments each sleep five. They're clean within, almost clinical with simple hardwood furnishing and floors. German-owned."
"Also near here is the new Mirador de Samara built on a hill and with a tall white and blue tower which is a prominent landmark. It's a great place to eat breakfast or hang out with a beer in the afternoon and watch for monkeys. There are six good-sized apartments with airy high ceilings, private hot shower and equipped kitchens. They'll sleep up to five people. The owner tells me he can take guests on a car tour anywhere they want to go."

Bird Watching "The bird watching from the surrounding veranda of the Mirador is the best that has been personally experienced by this enthusiast. Each morning in July members of my family would get up and have a quiet cup of coffee, waiting for the first arrivals. Facing west, the side porch looks off into the side yard of the Mirador where there are a number of trees and bushes with berries on them, and this environment attracts many of the small, berry-loving birds. Another attraction on this side of the hotel is the large variety of trees with canopies. Facing south from the actual front of the hotel, one can look at the Playa de Samara, and the Pacific Ocean in the distance, and in the immediate foreground are some palm trees and some other large trees with canopies. In the immediate yard is a series of ficus trees which also attract birds. The hotel is a fine place for relaxing, for enjoying the birding and for living, and the added attraction of the tower, which looks right out over the canopies, is a great bonus. Members of my family were able to positively identify 45 different species of birds between July 3 and July 26.
hese birds were seen from the porch or the tower during our visit
Black Vulture Black-headed Trogon Blue Grosbeak Blue-black Grassquit Blue-gray Tanager Boat-billed Flycatcher Brown-crested Flycatcher Cattle Egret Cinnamon Hummingbird Crested Caracara Crimson-fronted Parakeet Great Kiskadee Great-tailed Grackle Hoffman's Woodpecker House Sparrow	Inca Dove Lineated Woodpecker Long-tailed Manakin Masked Tityra Nutting's Flycatcher Olive-sided Flycatcher Pale-billed Woodpecker Rose-throated Becard Roseate Spoonbill Rufous-collared Sparrow Rufous-naped Wren Scrub Euphonia Smooth-billed Ani Snowy Egret Social Flycatcher	Squirrel Cuckoo Streaked Flycatcher Stripe-headed Sparrow Tropical Kingbird Turkey Vulture Turquoise-browed Mot-Mot Variable Seedeater Western Kingbird White Ibis White-fronted Parrot White-lored Gnatcatcher White-throated Magpie-Jay White-tipped Dove Wood Stork Yellow bellied Flycatcher
These birds were seen on the beach during our visit:
Brown Pelican Egrets	Ibis Magnificent Frigatebird	Neotropic Cormorant Tricolored Heron Willet

Tours Tour prices are per person, and include: meals, entrance fees and transport via 4x4 car Rio Tempisque, Palo Verde National Park, Guaitil (Traditional pottery-making village), Nicoya Discovering Guanacaste: Costa Rica in seven days (volcanoes, beaches, plants, animals) Lake Arenal, Arenal Volcano, Tabacon Hot Springs, La Fortuna Waterfall Playa Grande National Park, "Las Baulas" Sea Turtles Playa Ostional (Sea Turtles) Volcano Rincon de la Vieja Horseback riding in Samara countryside and secluded beaches Pacific boat tour: Fishing, Snorkeling, Dolphin-watching

Weddings

The hotel Mirador de Samara is offering wedding planning services. That means you two can come here and receive a legal wedding performance. Its no hassle. Concerning the marriage laws in Costa Rica you only need your birth certificate, passport and two witnesses, who can be your friends or family. We will take care of the notary and the translator to be here. If you want to bring your friends and family we can accommodate 25 guests (max. 30), and so the hotel services just takes care of the wedding group (for 1 night, 4, a week). The hotel is offering 3 excellent wedding buffets and can include different regional kitchens ( our chef is specialized in European, Chinese and Caribbean food). We will take care of a local marimba band, a tropical flower decoration and not to forget the wedding cake done by a German pastries. Suggested settings: The reception ceremony with the guests will be held in the mirador of the hotel, an open walled watch tower with jungle surroundings and stunt ocean view. The official ceremony conducted by the lawyer and his translator is on the big hotel terrace, also offering a panoramic view over the beach, Pacific ocean and its tropical surrounding. Also here the guests will enjoy the buffet.

How to Reach Playa Samara   Both NatureAir and Sansa operate daily flights from San Jose to Carillo. The hotel will send a car to pick you up at the Carillo air strip at no charge. There is daily public bus service from San Jose to Samara. The service is quite rustic but very inexpensive at about $8 per person. The bus trip takes about six hours. The hotel will send a car to pick you up at the bus terminal. A taxi from San Jose to Samara would take about four and a half hours, at a cost of about $120. On request, with a minimum stay of one week, the hotel owner will pick you up in San Jose and bring you to the hotel for $80. The airport in Liberia has recently opened it's international service, receiving flights from USA and Canada. This is e very good alternative to the San Jose International Airport, because it is only an hour and a half by car from Samara. Finally, you can rent a car. Take the Panamerican Highway north, following signs toward Liberia. After about two hours, turn off (left) at Sardinal, following the sign for the Ferry Tempisque. After crossing the Tempisque river ferry, go through the town of Nicoya and continue on to Samara, about 30 km. on good paved roads.