This four bedroom beachfront house is perfect for a relaxing getaway with the beach only steps away. Located on a biological reserve with a trail leading up to a stunning viewpoint to watch Samara’s beautiful sunrises and sunsets, only 7 minutes beach walk from town! The space Imagine sleeping in a beautiful white room, listening to the noise of the ocean and as soon as you wake up, you open the doors of the terrace and feel the breeze of the sea of one of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica? You can enjoy this in Casa Pakatoa. It's a house with 4 rooms equipped with AC, two laptop size safes and two working desks. It comfortably sleeps up to 8 people. It is designed so that two families can stay together since it’s like having two 2br villas in one, because it has two individual kitchens under the same roof. The house is located on the quiet family side of the beach. It has access to a beautiful hammock garden with a fire pit where you can enjoy a great sunset session or even a night full of stars. Your host will be on site to help arrange tours and activities. The house is a 7-minute walk to downtown Samara. If you love surfing, Playa Samara is known for its waves, but if you want to venture further, Camaronal Beach is only 30-minute drive and Playa Nosara 1 hour away. You don´t need to have a car, everything is in walking distance. Tour guides will come and pick you up at the house to take you on nature adventures: canopy tours, kayak/snorkeling tours, nature hikes, surf lessons, tour of mangrove estuary, horseback riding and more. Guest access Guests at Casa Pakatoa have access to kitchen, a spacious outdoor area and a beachfront hammock garden with a fire pit. Behind the house there is a hiking trail. The beach is directly in front of the house. Other things to note The minimum rental period for Casa Pakatoa is one week.

## The Space

This four-bedroom beachfront home offers an ideal setting for a peaceful retreat, with the beach just steps away. Nestled within a biological reserve, a nearby trail leads to a breathtaking viewpoint perfect for enjoying Samara’s beautiful sunrises and sunsets. The house is only a 7-minute walk from the town center.

Imagine waking up in a bright white bedroom, hearing the ocean waves, then stepping onto the terrace to feel the fresh sea breeze from one of Costa Rica’s most picturesque beaches. Casa Pakatoa provides this experience.

The house includes:

- Four bedrooms, each equipped with air conditioning
- Two laptop-sized safes
- Two work desks
- Accommodations for up to eight guests comfortably

Designed to accommodate two families simultaneously, the layout resembles two separate two-bedroom villas under one roof, featuring two independent kitchens.

Situated on the quiet, family-friendly side of the beach, the property grants access to a charming hammock garden with a fire pit—ideal for relaxing at sunset or stargazing at night.

Your host will be available on-site to assist with booking tours and activities.

## Location

Casa Pakatoa is conveniently located just a 7-minute walk from downtown Samara. For surfing enthusiasts, Playa Samara offers consistent waves. For more variety, Camaronal Beach is a 30-minute drive away, and Playa Nosara is about an hour’s drive.

A car is not necessary since most amenities and attractions are within walking distance.

## Activities and Tours

Local tour guides can pick you up directly from the house to take you on various nature excursions, including:

- Canopy tours
- Kayaking and snorkeling trips
- Nature hikes
- Surf lessons
- Mangrove estuary tours
- Horseback riding

## Guest Access

Guests have full access to:

- The kitchens
- A spacious outdoor area
- The beachfront hammock garden with a fire pit

Additionally, there is a hiking trail located behind the house. The beach lies directly in front of the property.

## Other Information

The minimum stay required for Casa Pakatoa is one week.

Located on a biological reserve with a trail ...

Andres

Bedrooms

Bathrooms

Maximum Occupancy

4BR villa

Beachfront House 4 Bdrm / 4 Bath - Houses for Rent in Sámara, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

The highlights of this place are the location and Maggie, the host who lives on grounds. The space was adequate and furniture basic but the veranda views made the place pleasant. Come here for the location. If you're looking for luxury, this will not hold up. We appreciated the air conditioning. And since we were there during the rainy season, Maggie helped us arrange a dolphin-watching tour with Samara Adventures. It is a must-do! We also loved seeing monkeys on the property and walking down to a beach restaurant just 2 minutes away. I was there on a multigenerational family trip. My elderly parents like the views but struggled a bit with the beds. I might choose differently if traveling with older people. That being said, they raved about the proximity to the ocean.

This place was amazing.  Beautiful, right on the beach, updated, great bathrooms, noise didn’t carry indoors, etc. Maggie was a great host who even helped organize an impromptu horse back riding trip. We had both sides of the duplex for our family of 6 and we were spoiled with the space. Not the cheapest place, but absolutely worth it. Easy walk along the beach to town. We didn’t get in our car all four days we were there. Would love to return someday!

A glorious property right on the Samara beachfront. We rented out all four units for our four person family which gave everyone plenty of space and freedom. The house was quiet and peaceful - neighbours were rarely seen. The ocean and waves were beautiful for a family swim. The area felt very safe, even at night. Maggie the property manager was a total gem and helped us settle in. Highly recommend this property for those who are looking for a walk-out beachfront property a little outside of town.

We loved staying here. Maggie made our stay so enjoyable and was always available if we needed anything. The view is amazing and the path to the ocean is right there. Such an easy walk. The outdoor shower was nice to rinse off in after the ocean. We had monkeys right out the door in the trees, we loved that! We did go at the start of the rainy season so bug spray was needed!

Ideal beach house, perfect location on quiet stretch of Playa Samara. Walk to everything, and also enjoy the beautiful ocean.

The place was great, facing the beach. Fully equipped kitchen, very clean and stocked bathrooms. Downtown Samara is 15 min walk via the beach. Maggie is great and knows everything about the town! Would definitely stay there again.

Location, location, location! The place is right on the beach. You can see the sea from every window and can go for a bath right away. Samara is very easy to reach across the beach. The house was very well maintained, but the amenities are very easy. But there is everything we needed. We would book again anytime.

Lage, Lage, Lage! Die Unterkunft befindet sich direkt am Strand. Man sieht von jedem Fenster das Meer und kann sofort baden gehen. Samara ist sehr einfach über den Strand zu erreichen. Das Haus war sehr gut gepflegt, allerdings ist die Ausstattung sehr einfach. Es ist aber alles da, was wir benötigt haben. Wir würden jederzeit wieder buchen.

We were a group of 7 and spent 2.5 weeks at Casa Pakatoa. It was a lovely stay, right on the beach, and a quick walk to the nearest surf school and town. The hosts were super responsive. We would gladly stay again if we're back in Sámara.

The accommodation is fantastically located, right on the beach and close to fantastic restaurants and activities. We enjoyed our time in Samara very much and were thrilled. It is one of the best accommodations in Samara. Thank you very much for the great opportunity.

Our stay at Casa Pakatoa was absolutely amazing. Alvaro and Maggie were so responsive and helpful from the time the booking was confirmed right until the end of our stay. We could'nt have expected any better interaction from a stay. The property was gorgeous, everything was as described in the listing. The two patios were well utilized and we had several patio chairs at our disposal to use on them. The property was clean, inside and out. Being right on the beach we expected some sand or dirt but it was spotless inside, and the front was always spotless. The random horses grazing there may have been a big influence there. The amount of positive things I could say about this property, Maggie and Alvaro is endless and I thank them so much for making our time there; it was the definition of perfection. The price is now much higher than we booked at and it is still a place we feel is worth it and we will be back to stay there again soon.

We loved our stay in Samara. The house has just been renovated which was spotless with a beautiful sea view. The only downside was that the property was still under renovation so the outdoor space was missing

Nous avons adoré notre séjour a Samara. La maison vient d’être rénovée ce qui était impeccable avec une magnifique vue sur la mer. Le seul bémol est que la propriété était encore en rénovations donc l’espace extérieur était inexistant

The location is what we loved the most, it is right on the beach and away from town so it felt peaceful. It is about a 20 minute walk by beach to town. It doesn’t have an exact address so our driver had a hard time finding it (there is no signage). They have just renovated the house so we were quite surprised by the new layout. It worked out well for us as we just needed the master and second bedroom with 2 twin beds for our kids. Both rooms have a large nicely renovated bathroom, and it is connected by a kitchen and dining room that was sufficient for our simple meals. It has a two burner stove that you could really only cook on one, and everything was completely new (we were taking the labels off of everything as we were using them). They are currently renovating the second apartment so it wasn’t exactly quiet, but workers were friendly and respectful of our space. There were boogey boards and sea kayaks that we could use. We had a great time here! Would recommend.

We loved our stay at Pakatoa house and I would definitely recommend this place. We were my husband, me, our 3 teenagers and my sister-in-law (3 adults and 3 teenagers) and we would have had room for other guests. The house is very clean and very well located. The beach is just in front of the house. So you can fall asleep with the sound of the waves. We were within walking distance of the restaurants (if you have envy Burritos, Celia's are the best) , grocery stores, souvenir shops, etc. We loved the activity at Zipline (Wingnut Canopy) which is a 2-minute walk from the beach. There are several activities to do at the beach such as: surf lessons, horseback riding, yoga, dolphin excursion, fishing). Maggie who welcomed us with kindness, was always there to answer our questions and make sure we didn't miss anything. We had boogie boards and kayaks at our disposal. We had all the cooking essentials. In the house we had towels and soap and beds were comfortable. We loved watching the monkeys who were coming to eat the mangoes of the tree on our grounds, we could see iguanas, beautiful birds, red squirrels not to mention the visit of super friendly dogs.

Nous avons adoré notre séjour à la maison Pakatoa et je recommande cet endroit sans hésitation. Nous étions mon mari, moi, nos 3 adolescents et ma belle soeur (3 adultes et 3 adolescents) et nous aurions eu de la place pour d'autres invités. La maison est très propre et très bien située. La plage se trouve juste devant la maison. Vous pourrez donc vous endormir avec le bruit des vagues. Nous étions à quelques minutes de marche des restaurants (si vous avez envi de Burritos, ceux de chez Celia sont les meilleurs) , épiceries, boutiques souvenirs, etc. Nous avons adoré l'activité de Zipline (Wingnut Canopy) qui se trouve à 2 minutes de marche par la plage. Il y a plusieurs activités à faire à la plage tel que: cours de surf, équitation, yoga, excursion pour aller voir les dauphins, pêche). Maggie qui nous a accueilli avec gentillesse, était toujours présente pour répondre à nos questions et s'assurer que nous ne manquions de rien. Nous avions à notre disposition des boogie board et des kayaks. Nous avions tout le nécessaire pour cuisiner. Dans la maison, nous avions des serviettes et du savon et les lits étaient confortables. Nous avons adorer observer les singes qui venaient manger les mangues de l'arbre situé sur notre terrain, nous avons pu observer des iguanes, de magnifiques oiseaux, des écureuils roux sans compter la visite de chiens supers amicales.

Great location and comfortable beds. we enjoyed the monkeys in the trees right outside!

Casa Pakatoa was an amazing place to stay for two weeks. We enjoyed lots of space for our group of 4 adults and 2 small kids, and a peaceful atmosphere but still right on the beach. Julie was very helpful with our questions and needs. The air conditioning worked great, and we used it more than we thought we would as the windows in the 2 bigger bedrooms do not open.

If you are looking for a real Costa Rica feel and a stunning experience, stay here! Julie will great you with a huge smile and open arms. The house is big and beautiful, the kitchen is across from the 4 bedrooms, two of which have king size beds and a twin, and the other two have two twin beds. The kitchen is large and well stocked with dishes and cookware, and it’s amazing to roll up the doors and have the fresh air from outside while you cook. It’s like a private slice of heaven. Bring lots of sunscreen, a hat, and your bathing suit and just relax on the beach which is legitimately steps outside the house. There is a sitting area between the bedrooms with a wonderful view of the beach and a great breeze.  I can’t say enough wonderful things about Casa Pakatoa, I honestly can’t see staying absolutely anywhere else.

The beach house is highly recommended if you are looking for peace and nature. At night, you can hear nothing but the sound of the waves. Samara is very easy to reach via the beach in about 10 minutes on foot. We were with 2 small children (2+4) as there needs of course a little longer. The location and view is great and Alvaro is a very helpful host+always available. Comfortable beds and very well equipped kitchen.

Das Strandhaus ist sehr zu empfehlen wenn Ruhe und Natur gesucht wird. Nachts hört man nichts anderes als das Rauschen der Wellen. Samara ist via Strand sehr gut in ca 10 Gehminuten zu erreichen. Wir waren mit 2 kleinen Kindern (2+4) da da brauchts natürlich einwenig länger. Die Lage und Aussicht ist super und Alvaro ein sehr hilfreicher Gastgeber+immer erreichbar. Bequeme Betten und sehr gut ausgestattete Küche.

Great location, cool Costa Rican vibe. Definitely has some rustic attributes but you can hear the waves while you sleep…

Perfect place on the beach. We loved it here. Nice neighbors too, and stunning view.

Everything was perfect!! Hope we will come back soon!

Great location within a fairly easy walk along the beach (walking roads is not really possible / safe) to the center of Sámara, quiet, peaceful, and nice beach out front. They layout is kind of original - the property has two buildings - one has four bedrooms and a common space between them and this building is at the front of the property facing the ocean. 3 of the 4 bedrooms have air conditioning, but in two of those the windows cannot be opened. Each bedroom has it's own locking door - almost like it could be used for separate groups. Behind the building with the bedrooms is a separate building which is the kitchen, pantry, laundry room - and behind that but separate the residence where the caretaker lives. The seating areas are outside of the kitchen, but still under the roof. The kitchen has blinds and doors that are locked up to keep animals from getting in at night - but is basically open air when opened. We stayed here in February 2021, after the property had likely not been rented much in the last year because of the boarder being closed. We found several maintenance issues but the owner was responsive and helpful to resolve. Note that this property is "rustic" - it was built quite some time ago so doesn't have a sleek, modern, sealed up feel (there will be some bugs getting in rooms. But the location and host were great, and the price was very good for a place where two families with 7 people total had room to spare!

Alvaro's place was great!  Quick walk into Samara, and there's a small grocery store & fish monger in Mata Palo which is less than a 5 minute walk away.  Close enough to everything, but it feels secluded.  Alvaro was great at answering any questions that we had, helpful and responsive.  Our 2 kids had a great time on the beach, and seeing all of the animals that stopped by the property.  I was able to work remotely during our visit.  There was one day that ICE (local internet provider) had an outage, but hotel Bahia (uses another provider) had wifi that I was able to use.  We fell in love with Samara and this house, and we'd definitely stay here again!

A big lovely house next to the beach.  Walking distance to restaurants and town center. Suitable for a big family or a group of friends. Easy to get in contact with the host. Good wifi connection.

House 2 steps from the beach. Waves perfect for the kids. The kitchen is in another building next door. Very present fauna.

Maison à 2 pas de la plage. Vagues parfaites pour les enfants. La cuisine est dans un autre bâtiment à côté.  Faune très présente.

Great place for a family week in Costa Rica! The location and beach proximity was amazing! Only steps from the beach and a short walk to Sámara makes this property great for a group that wants a rustic beach get-away with access to a small town/city with all the supplies you could need and lots of activities available. Separate rooms with bathrooms (and air conditioning for comfy sleeping) made it perfect for our family. Be sure to lock up and move items away from windows when you leave (our sunscreen got stolen on day one through the window, even though Erin warned us!!). We enjoyed the ability to have food and drinks in the refrigerator and cook for ourselves and carried groceries from Sámara to stock the kitchen several times. Lots of activities are close and easy to find (Canopy tour, Local fishing, ATV tours, surfing lessons, etc). Thanks to Alvaro and Erin for helping us enjoy Costa Rica! Pura Vida!

The host canceled this reservation 126 days before arrival. This is an automated posting.

Had a fabulous time here. We were two senior-ish couples, staying for two weeks in January, when most of the rest of the U.S. was freezing. We had two other couples visit, separately, for a few days each—and the house worked well for that. Two of the bedrooms are much larger. Three have bathrooms. The fourth shares a bath (and a/c) with one of the larger rooms. All have ceiling fans. And we only needed the a/c when napping in the heat of the day. Spent a LOT of time in the outdoor patio/kitchen space. The WiFi is only accessible from there, but it was fine. I’d call the place “rustic,” but quite comfortable—and a great value. Alvaro and Erin (his Canadian, on-site manager) couldn’t have been more helpful. The beach is great—a long, sweeping curve, about 100 yards wide at low tide, with a very shallow incline. Very kid-friendly. You only need to pack shorts, t-shirts and flip-flops, even for the nicest restaurant in town (Mama Gui - highly recommended). Try to get to a Playa Carrillo as well, just to the east, about a 40-minute walk or a short drive. (We rented a golf cart for that trip, for $50 a day.). You can lie in the shade right on the beach there—but there are no restaurants, etc—except a few hundred yards up the road Also highly recommend the gyrocopter flight and the catamaran dolphin-watching/snorkeling tour. They don’t promise whales, but we actually saw two. (Also saw whales from the gyrocopter.) Christopher and Brenda at The Info Center (a little hard to find, curiously; see Trip Advisor) are a great help in arranging any and all activities.

Alvaro and his property manager, Erin, were extremely pleasant to work with. They were responsive to requests, and they were very quick to communicate when/if necessary. The house is in an incredible spot, and it’s a little piece of paradise. We loved making Pura Vida bracelets outside and in back in the covered outdoor area. Definitely a gem as air bnb implies. Also noteworthy were the comfortable sheets. After two weeks in yucky cardboard polyester sheets at a homestay, I didn’t want to get out of bed at Alvaro’s place. Thanks for a great stay! Amy

Alvaro's place was great and just what we expected. The location cannot be any better. It was wonderful to have the beach right out of your front door. Erin, who was the property manager was great to work with. She was always available to answer questions and give recommendations. The rooms are air-conditioned which was great since it was really humid. They had a wonderful lady come and clean half way through our stay and we also hired her to cook a meal which was amazing. Alvaro communicated really well before and throughout our stay, which was great. The house is a 10 minute walk down the beach to town and we had great meals there too.  The only negative thing was the ants in the place, but in Costa Rica I think that is inevitable. I would highly recommend staying there. We loved our trip to Costa Rica and plan on returning. 

My family of 6 stayed at Alvaro's place for a month. Located about a 10-15 minute walk down the beach from the main part of Samara. It was a large space for us to have more room for our longer stay. Pictures are very accurate. The bedrooms are closest to the ocean with the porch and 2 end rooms having the ocean view. There are 4 rooms and a porch. 3 of those room connect to an open air porch. 3 bathrooms. 3 of the 4 rooms have AC and a ceiling fan. We didn't use the AC much except for sleeping for a small part of our trip. The kitchen/dining area is behind the bedrooms. It's an open space so there was the basic cleaning that needed to be done each morning from the animals that come out each night. The kitchen was stocked with a variety of pots, pans, utensils, and a few spices too. When we arrived in Samara Alvaro arranged for Erin and Drew, who live in an apt on the property, to meet us and direct us to the house. Alvaro was always quick to respond to answer any questions by text and Erin and Drew were helpful as well. Erin even got us a great deal on a horseback riding trip we took and had a wonderful time. Alvaro also had Elena come once a week to clean which I was very thankful for. Living on the beach ends up with sand everywhere! We learned to plan our day around the tide schedule and the kids loved playing in the surf each day. A couple of my kiddos did end up with a lot bad bites and sores from the bugs and itching too much. We did have an unfortunate incident with my husband's laptop and backpack being stolen from our bedroom. So be sure to always lock up. Samara is a great little town with lots of things to do. Renting boogie boards, surf lessons, fishing tours, and more! Living like locals is what we came to experience and what we got. We loved our stay in Samara and highly recommend Alvaro's place!

Monkeys, mangos, and iguanas in the yard and geckos in the rooms! We had a great time at this beachfront house and liked that it was close to town without being in the middle of everything. The only downside was the amount of bug bites I received during the night, I think it was from ants, even while using the netting and bug spray. This would not stop me from staying here again though!

Great spot for a larger family right on the beach. Great location

Made a return visit for another wonderful week at Casa Pakatoa. Since last year they've added AC, new tiles on floors and a better refrigerator. But what love about this place is the location. QUIET beachfront. Boogie boarding in front of the house. And a short walk down the beach south is the mouth of the Malanoche Estuary. Kayaks for rent. Snorkeling. Tide pools. Our toddler grandchildren loved swimming in the estuary as much as they did playing in the surf. For a genuine Tico experience, Casa Pakatoa is hard to beat... Pura Vida

This is a great place.  The location is fantastic!

We really enjoyed staying at Alvaro's house. We liked the house at the beach very much, listening to the sea, watching the sea from the breakfast table and watching the wildlife (Howler monkeys and other). Elena even cooked Gallo Pinto for us one time and we enjoyed having this big open air kitchen with bar to cook breakfast. There were plenty of dishes, pans, mixer, coffee machine, microwave, a new fridge and much more. The kitchen is separate from the building with the 4 bedrooms, but we got used to it pretty fast. We had plenty of space for the 4 of us. There would be enough space for 2 families with kids. 2 bedrooms are connected and three bedrooms have access to the shared porch. Alvaro checked us in and gave us some great information about Samara and the area. He helped us work through the problems with a previously booked day trip. He was always helpful and his English and Spanish is excellent. He also lent us 2 boogie boards for the 12 days, which we enjoyed very much. Our 2 teenagers, my husband and I enjoyed being so close to the beach and being in a quiet area of the town. We didn't mind the short walk along the beach to the town. I definitely don't recommend bringing high heels, but instead some good mosquito spray in June/July. We definitely recommend renting this beach house from Alvaro. Pura Vida!

My 4 children and I loved our trip to this place. The first day we were a bit surprised by the house as we had not imagined it like that. However, we quickly adapted and we quickly realized that the place was advantageous on several points: near the beach, quiet and safe place, all purchases can be done by walking by the beach, the neighbors are very nice and I miss so much we loved it! Alvaro was always quick to answer us when we had questions and the same for the neighbors who welcomed us home upon arrival.

Great house for 1 large family, two families with 3 to 5 children or a three generation family gathering. The two end bedrooms set up nicely for adult couples and the two middle bedrooms set up nicely for 3 to 5 children. The house is a 9 to 12 minute walk to downtown. A 10 minute walk the other way gets you reef that has a big tide pool the children can play on at low tide. There is a nice local restaurant, Bahia, about a three minute walk down the beach. The house is not air-conditioned, but most of the house is right on the beach or two. Couple of days it was warm during the midday, but not really a problem. Sleeping at night was always wonderful with an ocean breeze and the sound of the ocean being heard in every room. Erin and Drew are onsite if any issues arise.

Alvaros house is a wonderful spot on Earth. Right down to the beach and with monkeys in the treetops over the house, big lizards walking by while you are having breakfast and pelicans diving for fish right beside you, when you're swimming in the waves at the AWESOME pristine beach. Alvaro is so helpful through the telephone, so are his representatives at the big house with 4 bedrooms and a huge kitchen. The place is at distance from Samara so you can feel almost by yourself in nature - but the little town is at the same time so close that you can walk the distance in 8-10 minutes (on the beach with water on your feet!!!). The rooms are simple but pleasant and cool with several fans to get rid of the heat. We will definitely recommend the place to a anybody: couples (like us), groups or families...

Alvaro was an excellent host who kept in touch with us throughout our stay, making sure that everything was going well and we had everything we needed. The house is a great place to stay in Samara. Far enough away from the town to be really quiet, but close enough to still be a part of what is offered.   We loved having our meals outside in the open kitchen and falling asleep to the sound of waves and howler monkeys. Standing on the beach gives you the impression that there is no town, that the forest comes right down to the sand. The beach was wonderful for running, surfing or just relaxing and the house had everything that we were looking for. Thank you again for a wonderful stay.

Alvaro's place was the perfect spot for us.  The location was tremendous since we could walk out the door and be on the beach.  There is a beach path outside, so be sure to keep the house locked if you are not around. We kept the place locked and had no problems at all. There is no ac, so it could get a little hot and muggy.  But he has a lot of powerful fans in the house and that kept us cool at night.  We are out in nature so we had lots of animal visitors which fascinated my 4 year old twins.  You really have to keep picking up after yourself though because the kitchen and eating area is outdoors.  As long as you don't leave food out we were fine, and close up everything when you are done with it.  Alvaro could not have been a better and more attentive host.  He responded quickly to every concern and gave great recommendations.  I would definitely recommend his place, it made our stay in samara one to remember.  

This was a wonderful place for a vacation! There were 4 bedrooms (each with its own door to the outside), 3 bathrooms, plus a common area with some couches facing the beach, although to be honest we rarely spent time inside. There were 7 of us there, and we all enjoyed the property. It is right on the beach, which does not have a many people at all. The outdoor shower was very handy after hanging out on the beach. The large kitchen was perfect for cooking for our larger group of 11 (with 2 refrigerators, stove, plenty of dishes/utensils/etc), plus a nice outdoor area with tables and chairs to sit. There was even a small hammock to help avoid the harsh afternoon sun if needed. On nights we wanted to go out it was just a short walk along the beach to town/restaurants. We didn't need any vehicles to get around besides traveling to/from airport.  Alvaro was wonderful!!! Leading up to the trip as well as during, he was always responsive to any questions we had, very accommodating, and was willing to help with anything we needed. A FANTASTIC host to work with and provided wonderful information about Samara. Additionally, Erin, who helps with the property, was extremely helpful as well. She met us in town on the first day to walk us to the house and popped in throughout the week to make sure we had everything we needed. The neighbors are also very nice/friendly. I would definitely recommend staying here and would come back myself.

We had a fantastic week in this perfect location.

Great house, beautiful location, remarkable welcome. Perfect for groups. The kitchen is large and functional. 

Superbe maison, bel emplacement, accueil remarquable. Parfait pour les groupes. La cuisine est grande et fonctionnelle. 

True native property on a quiet beautiful beach. Host of property went beyond expectations with all accommodations . -Abundance of Love and Blessings PURA VIDA

Firstly, I am scared to write all the amazingly positive feedback I want to give Alvaro in fear that everyone will go rushing to his rental home. The home he rents has been in his family since his grandfather built it in the 70's. It is simple, rustic, but amazingly suited to the casual beach-living we were seeking. Right on the beach, outdoor (and well-appointed) kitchen, outdoor shower, and much more made this the perfect home for our reunion with another family of 4 from Colorado. The 8 of us had just enough privacy. It was perfect. So... lodging aside, now for the real glowing feedback about Alvaro and his sweet companion Claudia. Alvaro grew up spending his summers in this home, between school years attending Colegio Panamericano in San José. His grandfather is one of the original founders of Sámara, buying and protecting hundreds of acres of primary and secondary forest that lies above the house. Alvaro has started Sámara Trails and is one of Costa Rica's most highly trained and bilingual ecologists and guides. He treated us to a tour that blew our minds and made us leave with a new-found appreciation for the area, for what his family has done there, and for Alvaro as a new generation of protector and educator.  Alvaro was present, helpful, kind, and beyond informative about EVERYTHING we needed, while at the same time, never being intrusive or too omnipresent. He is simply a very unique and lovely person.  Next summer can't come fast enough as we will surely return to this magical little corner of CR.

This was one of the best vacations I've been on! Alvaro is an amazing host. He checked in on us throughout our eight day stay several times and was eager to help us in any way. Very kind and full of knowledge about the area. Great english so it was very easy to ask questions about excursions and places to eat and visit. Casa Pakatoa was like a dream come true. We traveled with two couple and a single and we all got our own room and bathroom. The rooms were spacious and had plenty of fans to keep cool through out the night. The windows had a breathtaking view of the beach and I couldn't think Of better way to wake up then to hear the sounds of waves crashing. The kitchen area and living room area is perfect for hanging out. Costa Rica was amazing and I highly suggest visiting! I even more suggest staying at Alvaro's place!

Just spent a great week with my husband and 2 teen kids at Alvaro's family beach home.Incredible location on the beach. Easy walk into the fun town of Samara which has all your needs as well as cool bars and nice beach front restaurants, Mini supermarket 5 min walk away from Alvaro's house as well as rustic beach bar called Las Palmitas.  The house is set up where there are 4 bedrooms in a beach front building with 3 rooms with an en-suite bathroom.There is also a living area with a couple of simple couches that faces the beach. The building is basic with concrete floors, white washed walls and wooden craftsmenship throughout. Fans in each room keep you cool through the night and the added sound of crashing waves sooths you to sleep.  Behind this building is an open plan kitchen and hang out area, it is out of view of the beach so provides privacy and shade from the mid-day heat.  As a family we don't buy into the commercial package holidays but like things to be simple and down to earth. We rented surf boards form Choco's for the week and surfed at high tide in front of the house. Some evenings when we finished surfing we would build a fire on the beach and have happy hour out there.When it was low tide we would snorkel among the rocks at the edges of the beach.One day when the tide was very low we swam out to the island.  This was a very successful vacation for us and some times with teen kids it is hard to strike a balance but this ticked all the boxes.The town was safe enough for them to go in alone in the evening and the surf not dangerous.Each room had an average of 3 beds so next year my kids are considering inviting friends.  Alvaro himself is an attentive host with very useful insights to the area and generally a very nice guy. It also helps that his English is perfect, shame on us.We will be back.

Katy and family where amazing guests. It was a pleasure having them in Casa Pakatoa: very positive energy and very polite too.  I would definitely recommend renting a place to them, they were quiet, clean, organized and communicated anything that came up.  We appreciate your visit for sure. And wish the best for this year. See you in 2016! Pura Vida! Alvaro

Alvaro and his brother, Andres, were great hosts for our vacation! They were checking regularly through email or stopping by to make sure we had everything we needed or to answer any questions. Never intrusive but very helpful.  The house is great, right on the beach so you can hear the waves all night. It is very spacious, each room had it's own full bathroom giving lots of privacy. Very comfortable with breezes off of the ocean and fans in all the rooms. There are mosquito nets there but we never needed them, didn't find the bugs to be a problem. There are screens on the bedroom windows, we left the doors open overnight with the metal gate closed and never had any problem with 'critters' in the rooms. We loved the outdoor kitchen with huge patio. We spent much time there enjoying the shade, breeze and view of the ocean. The kitchen is large with full sized fridge, full freezer, stove, toaster oven, microwave, coffee maker and lots of counter space. It is very well-equipped with enough cookware, dishes, etc. to cook for 20+ people! We had howler monkeys out back for a couple of days with great viewing opportunities. We saw parrots and a variety of pretty birds. We had two 'vacation dogs' that hung around with us through our stay, very friendly, one of them even came out for dinner with us the last two days. We enjoyed sitting out on the patio at sunset watching the sun go down and the bats going out to eat the bugs. For a great place to have ocean views, be able to cook at home and relax and see some wildlife, close to town, we'd highly recommend staying here. A very relaxing and comfortable stay, would definitely come back!

We just got back from a one week stay at Casa Pakatoa in beautiful Playa Samara!! The house is a concrete 4 bedroom beach house with a connected front porch area. It is directly on the beach! There is a detached kitchen area with large L-shaped terrace. The kitchen has large roll-up windows that connect with the terrace, making a large area to hang out, relax, and watch all the iguanas!  The beach itself is very beautiful. Not overcrowded by any means, but not deserted either. There are a variety of activities around to do!! Town is just a walk down the beach. We went and explored several other beautiful beaches in the area, just a few kilometers away. We bought fresh red snapper from a local fisherman for a fraction of the cost in the states!  Meeting the host, Alvaro Teran, absolutely made this vacation!! He is a very warm gentleman and a wonderful host!! He shared with us all the little known beaches around and showed us a trail that overlooks Samara in panoramic fashion. He translated when needed, and explained the history and culture of Costa Rica. If you are looking for a true Pura Vida experience, I highly recommend Alvaro and Casa Pakatoa!!

This house is located at a stunning location and has an excellent host in Alvaro Teran.   The house is just a short distance down the beach from downtown Samara (~7 minute walk). It's close enough to the town to be convenient, but far enough away, that the beach in front of the house is relatively private. It's truly one of the best locations in the area.  The host was also excellent. Alvaro was extremely responsive to all of our requests, and he went out of his way on multiple occasions to ensure that we had the best possible experience. He had a wealth of knowledge about the area and he was extremely fun to interact with. Our entire group thought he was great.  There's a reason that the price is so affordable, however. Alvaro warned us that the place was very rustic. What this means is that there is no A/C, cement floors, gaps under the doorways that allow for easy access for bugs to get into the room, no screens on many of the windows, and bats that hang out with you in the patio area (but they never caused any problems). A few days in, we requested mosquito netting over the beds, which Alvaro promptly provided. Having the netting greatly improved our comfort level sleeping there, and our overall experience. The detached kitchen also had no screens and allowed easy access for bugs. This meant that any food had to be placed in sealed containers to avoid having the ants immediately swarm the exposed item.  Overall, we still found the place to be a great value and we would happily return to stay here again. You just want to have realistic expectations for the type of experience that you will have staying here.

Stunning Location! This House is right on the beach. It's practically like having your own private beach. My teenage daughter and I stayed at Casa Pakatoa for a week. It was a dream vacation! Alvaro took us on on several nature trips. We went kayaking to the little island, on a hike through the Samara Trails nature preserve and he also took us to visit a Mangrove Estuary. Alvaro is an exceptional host and nature guide.  And he's also a great cook! We had a big breakfast each day with lots of fresh fruit, eggs and rice and beans. FYI - the house is quite rustic ---very plain furnishings -- but for the price it is an incredible value. We also really enjoyed meeting the other people that were staying on the property. It was great atmosphere. It is an easy walk into town where there are lots of great restaurants. We ate at Casa Esmerelda several times. Yum. Next year we hope to bring some more friends and family with us to stay at Casa P.

4BR Villa