There's a great farmer's market on Saturday morning in Samara just about a block from the hotel. Save room for snacks and goodies! Goes from 7AM to about 12 noon. Don't miss it!

Rent a 4 wheeler and go on an adventure! See if you can find Mel Gibson's house Playa Barrigona, go have lunch at Rosi's in Nosara, or drive down to Playa Carrillo.

Las Olas is one of my personal favorites with happy hour specials and great music. Right on the beach! You can also just walk down the beach and see what catches your eye.

The hotel desk can coordinate many things like kayaking, snorkeling, boating, fishing, or other tours.

Brush up your Spanish or learn a few basics with their Spanish lessons right on the beach.

This little town has had a facelft and is now pretty fancy. It's a sleepy little yoga/surf town that is beautiful in the evenings. During the day check out Rosi's for lunch and for the evening check out Posada Margherita or Sendero Kitchen. We took a 4 wheeler up to Nosara from Samara last time we were there - super fun! Nosara/Guiones Beach is about 40 minutes North of Samara and only 20 miles.

The drive from Samara to Montezuma is pretty and can feel like an adventure itself. Montezuma is a small hippy little town with beautiful rocky beaches. There are a couple of waterfall hikes you can do there, visit a fishing village just down the road, or visit Isla de Cabuya to see an island graveyard (you need to time the tide to be able to walk out to it). You can also stop in Mal Pais on the way to see the tide pools. This is about 3 hours and is 52 miles.

A hip and sleepy beach town with terrible potholes. Take a surf lesson, venture a bit south and see natural tide pools, or grab a bite to eat at Aroma or The Somos Restaurant. Keep your eyes peeled for celebrities like Matt Damon, Chris Hemsworth, and Gisele. This is about a 3 hour drive South from Samara and about 49 miles.

I'd recommend spending at least one night there to give you a better chance at seeing Arenal Volcano. In the morning you can do the Mistico hanging bridges - go early! There are also Thermal Hot Springs, which would be lovely after hiking the Arenal 1968 Volcano Trail or ziplining. This is about a 4 hour drive North from Samara and 124 miles.

Tamarindo probably has the best party scene in Guanacaste. It's super touristy, has plenty of souveniers, and great selection of restaurants. I stay here usually the night before my flight. A super cool side adenture from here is driving up to Monkey's Bar/Restaurant super early to feed the monkeys some grapes. This is about 2 hours North of Samara and is 58 miles.

If you have 3 or more extra days in Costa Rica, I'd suggest thinking about visiting Manuel Antonio National Park. The wildlife is abundant, white sand beaches, waterfalls, and beautiful water. You can take the ferry, which was relaxing and broke up the trip, or the road around where you'll get to see the Tarcoles Bridge with a massive bunch of American Crocodiles. This is about 5 1/2 hours from Samara and is 173 miles.