Casa Sammie: True Costa Rica

My family and I had a wonderful visit to Casa Sammie. The small fishing village of Tarcoles was a great experience being immersed amongst the culture of the very friendly locals.The wild life was amazing including the beautiful Mcaw that visited constantly, free range chickens dogs and cats.Everything needed was within walking distance and a bus is available for every thing else. The restaurants had delicious fresh foods including the local fresh fish.We had grandkids with us and they really enjoyed the pool and exciting tours of the rain forest and rivers.Patri was so helpful during our stay and was constantly available to us for help with any questions or concerns. She provided us with great information regarding shopping and restaurants, she was actually more than that she was like a friend to me. Overall this visit was the most unique experience that I have ever had b/c we were made to feel like a part of a wonderful community.

We had an amazing time at Casa Sammie. Patri was amazing. She communicated ahead of our trip to make sure we had everything we needed to easily find the house and check in. She gave us local recommendations for some groceries to help us throughout. She also would have been a great resource for excursions and adventures, but we had booked some stuff before we arrived. She also gave us awesome little tips along the way which made our vacation seemless. She was very responsive anytime we had a question about something. This will be #1 on our shortlist when we are back in the Tarcoles area. We loved it. Oh, the house…haha. The house was great. We had scarlet macaws flying overhead. At night when they were nesting, we counted 30+ flying overhead in pairs. It was quite an experience. The house had everything we would need. The AC helped on the hot and humid days, the pool was a great way to relax, and the WiFi was fast.

What a wonderful respite for our family. It was exactly as described in the ad. We spent 3 weeks in CR this year. We were looking for an authentic house in a town where we could relax and unwind. It is exactly what we asked for. The property was immaculate with beutiful landscaping and a prestine private pool. We woke up every morning and walked to the bakeries and markets for fresh food and visited the sodas in the afternoon. If you are looking for the hustle and bustle of Jacoʻ or more popular toirsist destinations this might not be for you but for a chance to unwind and see macaws in the tress this was prrfect. We did not have a car during our stay but everything you need is in walking distace or an inexpensive car ride away. The property manager Patri was fantastic to work with. Wether it was arranging transportation or recommending things to do she was always there to answer our questions and help us along our way.

The house was nice except that the detached bedroom did not have AC. The ceilings in it are low so it was very hot. There are also many stray dogs that roam around the yard and bark at night. Geckos also are very noisy. We love all animals and it didn’t bother us but this place is not for everyone. The good thing is the dogs seem to deter the potential threat of robbery. The neighborhood is poor. Some houses are extremely run down yet are still protected by razor wire. This initially gave us an anxious beginning to our stay. My son found many new species of birds and has the time of his life. We bought fresh fish and I prepared a typical Costa Rican meal of fish, beans and rice which we ate in the beautiful gazebo. I also enjoyed the beautiful flowers around the pool as well as swimming. If you go further down the beach to the right there is less trash and nicer beach. We swam and loved a beach day.