Amber P.
Clean but doesn’t look well maintained. Food was decent and staff were mostly helpful. Pools and beach were beautiful but not enough activity selection for being semi-remote
Find your place to stay
Azura is an adults-only, all-inclusive beachfront resort in Sámara, about 2.5 hours by car from Liberia International Airport. Selected rooms have swim-out access. Most rooms named “ocean view” actually have partial views. Spa services cost extra; confirm the current restaurant selection before booking.
Along Sámara's palm-lined cove, Azura Beach Resort sets the scene for an adults-only beach vacation. Terraces and balconies create private places to linger, and selected swim-out rooms let you move directly between your accommodation and the pool. The all-inclusive rhythm leaves more of the day for the coast, a long lunch or a relaxed evening.
January through May can be dry on this stretch of the Nicoya Peninsula; the beginning of the wet season brings a fresh burst of green. The palm-lined cove and outlying reef give Sámara its distinctive coastal setting. Beach walks, runs along the sand and sunset evenings can become the simple pleasures around which the days take shape, with sea conditions guiding your water activities.
For a more active outing, try a surf lesson, an ATV ride to a waterfall, kayaking to Chora Island or snorkeling at Carrillo reef. Deep-sea fishing trips travel about ten miles offshore, where turtles, dolphins or whales may be encountered without any promise of sightings. Returning with a catch that the resort's chefs can prepare for dinner adds a satisfying connection between the day's outing and the evening table.
The all-inclusive plan includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner in its various restaurants, with unlimited premium alcohol and non-alcohol drinks. Chill and Grill's poolside cooking ranges from hamburgers, sea bass, ceviche, wraps and salads at lunch to changing evening dishes such as ribeye, red snapper, pork ribs or surf-and-turf kabobs. Bocato's Italian menu includes linguine bolognese, fettuccine carbonara and tenderloin with gnocchi. Fresh fruit juices and infusions shape the tropical cocktails, while nightly live entertainment can range from jazz to popular music. Restaurant selection and menus can change, so confirm the dining arrangements for your dates.
Living areas and bedrooms with spa-inspired bathrooms and toiletries make the suites places to spend time, rather than simply sleep. Robes and slippers, a Britt espresso maker and tea-making options add to the relaxed start of the day. Many suites have a soaking tub on the terrace or balcony. The Presidential Suite distinguishes itself with a private rooftop pool and a personal butler, while swim-out access belongs only to selected rooms. Most room names that say ‘ocean view’ actually refer to partial ocean views; choose with that distinction clearly in mind. Room service is available from 11am to 7am; confirm that unusual range when planning your meals.
Spa treatments add another possible way to unwind. Confirm the current spa arrangements for your dates; an additional fee applies for spa services.
Samara and Carrillo
Latitude: 9.873898; longitude: -85.510269
Pacific Trade Winds customer ratings and reviews.
Showing reviews 1–8 of 8.
Amber P.
Clean but doesn’t look well maintained. Food was decent and staff were mostly helpful. Pools and beach were beautiful but not enough activity selection for being semi-remote
Tracy C.
Only criticism is some inflexibility of front desk staff.
Susan O.
We found at check in that communication was lacking. Example: we were advised we needed to have dinner reservations for each night but were given no idea where and how to get them. Pool towels were never mentioned so our assumption was we’d get them at the pool. No pool towels are distributed at the front desk. Speaking of the pool. They were sorely lacking in pool lounges, chairs and shades. A few were filthy, sitting in mud and dirt, or you needed to be hard pressed to get into them. If you didn’t put a towel on a chair by 6:30 am you had no chair except the ones in the water or the mud and dirt. The pool steps were poorly marked so hard to see when approaching the bar or getting in and out. We found the staff poorly trained. Examples: not having a napkin or missing dinner ware on your table. When I asked to get fresh room towels, I just got one for two of us. Language and communication a definite problem at times. This was billed as an adult resort which would include seniors. Our terrace had one chair and table and a swing so difficult to get in and out of for seniors, overweight, disabled guests. Each terrace should have had two chairs. The tile floors were very slippery, no grab bars in the toilet area. I have saved the food situation for last because it became the worst. It was very hit and miss. Mistakes everywhere. For an adult resort we only got corn flakes and fruit loops for cereal at breakfast. The staff had very poor training. They served pancakes but the guests nor the staff could get the maple syrup out of the container. Some things good others terrible in all the restaurants. We never went to the buffet because the reviews from other guest were so bad. The fish was good but anything with beef so tough you could hardly eat it. Some things listed on the menu were not available or they were just out of it. One night we had 6:30 dinner reservation and at 7:30 we questioned why people who had sat down after us were leaving. Turns out our order never got put in. Then we wanted dessert. No tiramisu. The staff changed rules on different things . One day you could get a drink here but next day no. You could order the same drink and it never tasted the same. There are so many more examples of this resort’s poor quality. For the amount of money we spent to stay there it was a waste and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone especially seniors. There were no spa options or workout room.
Elaine M.
The hotel is a little tired and grubby looking, on our arrival we were dropped at the drop off point, but concierge was not there to greet us and we waited for quite some time before someone turned up - surely the gate should have notified them. Our room ready - however it had not been serviced properly there were no beach towels, hand towels, filled mini bar and only 2 coffee pods -no creamer, sugar or tea. The was clearly not enough housekeeping staff, as our room did not get cleaned at all one day and the other days were haphazard for example if we drank the coffee it was not refilled. There was a chair that was broken in the room which was reported but nothing happened. The floor was never swept or mopped. The staff in the Chill and Grill were great for us but were clearly struggling to keep up with the volume of guests, concerning considering the hotel was not full and 4 star? The service in Bocatto was very poor as was the food. Tao was extremely slow in service e.g on our last night we waited over an hour for our starter and then an hour for our main course. I know its Tico time but that's a bit ridiculous in a hotel that is not full - clearly the kitchen was not coping. The girls at the wet bar were amazing. Staff that deserve special mention for their service were Hazel and Ashley, along with Ermanuel and the rest of the serving and chef at Chill n Grill. Also as a side note the Choras restaurant was only ever open at breakfast. In summary we feel that this hotel was over rated for the cost, we are accustomed to 4 star hotels and in our opinion this is rather a 3 star hotel and maybe only got 4 stars because of the beautiful setting that it's in.
Christine R.
Location was fabulous. Hotel food was disappointing.
This hotel has a great position on the beach, away from the town, but close enough to walk to along the beach. Food is good, staff friendly. Luis in the bar was very good.
Lynda L.
The staff was all new and didn't know a lot in the Restaurants, However, they were friendly and tried to accommodate our needs. They only had 1 cook and the wait was over 2 hours to eat in the restraints daily. The food was great, but the wait for crazy. No intertainement worth liseting to . Only a one band band at night in the seafoods restaurant outside . No dancing area etc.
Eddie B.
The hotel looks very nice but you can tell it’s not been done to the highest standards of a 5 star
Azura Beach Resort currently features two restaurants, Chill and Grill (poolside, serving lunch and dinner with varied menus) and Bocato Italian Restaurant (offering pasta and tenderloin dishes), alongside a daily breakfast buffet. Room service is also available from 11 am to 7 am.
The resort offers spacious, tastefully furnished suites including Azura, Honeymoon, Island Ocean View Junior, Junior Garden View, Junior Ocean Front Swim-Up, Junior Ocean View with Tub, and Plunge Pool Suites. Amenities typically include AC, cable TV, coffee service, internet, living rooms, mini-fridges, and spa-inspired bathrooms; many feature balconies or terraces, some with soaking tubs or swim-up access. The Presidential Suite includes a rooftop private pool and butler service.
Guests can relax on the resort's beach or explore local activities such as surf lessons, ATV rides to a waterfall, kayaking to Chora Island, snorkeling Carrillo reef, or deep-sea fishing. The resort's chefs can prepare your fresh catch. Live nightly entertainment is also offered at the resort.
Azura Beach Resort is situated in Samara, a charming beachfront village on Costa Rica's lower outer coast of the northwestern Nicoya Peninsula. It is approximately 2.5 hours by car from Liberia International Airport.
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