Sámara, Costa Rica Postcard
The digital nomad experience in a tiny surf town
Costa Rica is on most people’s bucket list, and it’s obvious why.
There’s beautiful golden beaches, 100s of epic volcanos, jungle and wildlife galore!
I always want to be honest when I write these Digital Nomad guides, and I want to tell you that Costa Rica wasn’t my favourite place.
In fact, of all the countries I’ve been to, it was one of my least favourites.
But as with any Digital Nomad destination, it comes down to personal preference. So please don’t let me put you off.
If it’s on your bucket list, then you should experience it!
I have been a Digital Nomad for 4+ years now and I spent 7 weeks living and working remotely in Sámara.
Here’s everything you need to know.
You’re probably wondering why Sámara is one of my least favourite destinations, so let’s cover that first.
It’s one of the most expensive countries I’ve visited (if not the most expensive) and it didn’t feel worth the cost.
The beaches are nice, but I have been spoilt with incredible beaches in Mexico, Bali and The Philippines.
Sámara lacks local culture. Many people we met were expats (particularly French) that have settled and have businesses there.
And any locals we did meet are there to cater purely to tourism which meant the town felt quite Americanised.
It’s my fault as I should have done more research into Sámara.
As I said, I don’t want to put you off, these are my preferences and observations.
The absolute highlight for me was the abundance of wildlife! We saw monkeys, fireflies, crocodiles, lizards, an array of beautiful birds and so many crazy looking insects.
I always felt safe in Sámara, with it being such a small surf town, you get the impression everyone knows everyone.
There are a lot of vacationers and backpackers coming and going too.
The Ultimate Guide To Sámara, Costa Rica (with links)
Visited when and who with: April - May, with my boyfriend.
Where: It’s a very small town; there are no specific areas and you can’t not be close to the beach!
Getting to Sámara: You’ll need to fly to San Jose and you can either get a local bus or pay a bit extra for a shuttle bus (usually with other tourists), which I recommend doing.
The roads are very windy and bumpy, someone was sick in our shuttle bus so keep this in mind if you are prone to getting travel sick.
We used this company and they were great:
https://www.naturalcentertours-samara.com/shuttle-services
There is an International airport near Liberia so this might also be an option as it’s closer to Sámara than San Jose.
Weather in Sámara (April - May): This is the start of Rainy season which means you can expect temperatures and humidity to increase.
Plus rainfall but this was mostly in short bursts in the afternoon and overnight.
The rest of the day was beautiful but very hot.
It does also mean you can expect the jungle to be more lush green and vibrant.
Accommodation: As it’s a small place, accommodation needs to be booked in advance and it can get quite expensive.
We booked a 2 bedroom apartment through Airbnb.
But you’ll mostly find hotels, homestays and hostels.
Don’t expect villas and apartments (we were lucky).
Working & wifi: As it’s a small place, the internet can be sketchy. You’ll want to purchase a local sim.
Sámara is not the best place for working from but there is a coworking space, see details below.
We often experienced power outages too, it’s worth checking with your accommodation before booking if they have a backup generator.
Other than that, I was able to take calls in the morning, the afternoon was more tricky as I assume more people were using the internet in the area.
Co-working spaces in Sámara: Surprisingly there is a 1 co-working space in Samara:
LoCoworking Costa Rica and it’s perfect! It’s also a co-live which could be ideal for solo travellers.
Gym: There is 1 gym but the reviews are not very good and it’s small, so I did all my workouts at home, on the beach and out running.
ATMs: There are very limited ATMs in Sámara, I recommend getting money out before you arrive.
Getting around Sámara: It’s completely walkable to everywhere. Supermarket, bus, restaurants, the beach etc.
There are local buses if you’d like to go further afield.
You can also rent a scooter from the only scooter place in the area, El Cactus. Which does mean it’s over priced, however we had no issues and do recommend using them.
There is no Uber in Sámara.
Laundry: We had a washing machine in our apartment so I can’t comment on any laundry services, sorry!
Language: Spanish. Most people speak some level of English but it’s always nice to make an effort and speak the local language.
Activities (with links):
Surfing - there are plenty of places to rent boards and have lessons. Samara is known for being a great place for learning to surf.
Explore the local area - We rented a scooter and explored local beaches and the jungle. This was probably my favourite thing to do.
A few of our favourite beaches:
Playa Carrillo
Playa Barrigona
Playa Coyote
Learn Spanish with Expanish.
Various tour groups in the area -
Outback ATV they offer tours through the jungle, up mountains or across the beaches.
Natural Centre Tours from sea based activities including Kayaking, snorkelling and fishing. To land based activities like hiking, horseback riding, coffee tour.
Scuba Diving. Although we found the water visibility was poor during April/May.
Farmers Market - Only open on Saturday morning and it gets very busy so I recommend you go early at 7am when it opens. We used to buy our weekly food shop from here.
Cafes and good working spots (with links)
Boulangerie - For good coffee and even better pastries. I never worked from here so I’m not sure if you can.
Marea - A surf shop and cafe. It’s quite small but I did work from there a few times.
Malehu - Great for breakfast and working.
Bohemia Cafe - Very good breakfast but gets busy so I didn’t work from here.
What are the downsides to being a Digital Nomad in Sámara, Costa Rica?
It’s a very small town which means restaurants, cafes and things to do are limited within the local area.
Buying certain items e.g period products, skincare etc can be tricky so always bring enough if you have your favourites.
Currently there is only a small digital nomad community, as it’s mostly expats and backpackers, you might struggle to meet like-minded people.
It’s a more expensive digital nomad destination.
Working remotely from Sámara conclusion: Would I go back?
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, it wasn’t my favourite Digital Nomad destination, so no I wouldn’t go back.
But I do recommend it if you love a small surf town vibe.
If you have any questions, feel free to drop them in the comments and I’ll do my best to help!
Amber x