Manuel Antonio has really easy access to wildlife, especially in the park - lots of monkeys, and we also had lots of monkeys at our hotel. The beach inside the park is beautiful. There are a lot of good hotel and restaurant choices. Tulemar Bungalows is very popular. We went snorkeling, and it was a dud for us just because there was a lot of sediment in the water. We haven't been to Samara yet. Si Como No is also popular with young families.

Sounds great, Volcanogirl. We are looking at hotels along the beach, of which there are few. But I was thinking that would be a better location for being without a car. Has anyone had experience with Hotel Verde Mar? It gets mixed reviews, but is in our budget range and looks ideal for location.

I haven't heard much about it. You might also check out La Posada Jungle Lodge and Villas Nicolas. They both seem to get good reviews. Taxis are pretty easy to get in the area and affordable if you need them.

My daughter and boyfriend and my 8 year old grandson just came back from 2 1/2 weeks in Costa Rica. They spent one week in Samara, 4 days in Manuel Antonio at the La Posada Jungle Lodge, and 4 days in Hacienda Baru near Dominical. They enjoyed their whole trip but their favourite was Samara. They did not have a car, so Samara was easiest because you can walk to everything. There is a great place (I have stayed here also) in Samara called Entre dos Aguas. It is a small place just on the edge of Samara. The biggest room is called the Treetop suite and it has its own kitchen, a king bed, a futon and its own private balcony. It is very clean, the owners are great. It has great reviews on tripadvisor. My grandson had surfing lessons in Samara. There are a ton of restaurants to walk to. In Manuel Antonio, the park is great, and the beach in the park is beautiful, but you need to take a cab everywhere you want to go, like restaurants etc. They said the La Posada Jungle Lodge was quite good, with a great breakfast and quite reasonably priced. It was actually right next to the park.

Where we stayed in MA we were able to walk to several restaurants including Cafe Agua Azul, Salsipuedes, Barba Roja, Cafe Milagro and others. We took a taxi to Ronny's Place since it was further, but we only paid five bucks. We stayed at Mango Moon - not sure if they accept children. They've gone back and forth on that. Samara sounds great too.

Hi Ingy and Volcanogirl - Great feedback! I'm checking on all of the hotels you've mentioned. We were originally leaning toward Samara, and I think are still leaning that way, even though Manuel Antonio sounds beautiful. I'll come back with any more questions after I've looked into those places a little more. Thanks!

I should mention that we had to be careful walking along the road because there was traffic. If you want to get away from it all, it sounds like Samara might work better for you.

Been to both Samara and Manuel Antonio- very different choices. If you really want a nice beach with nice, easy surfing waves than Samara is great. it's been years since we've been there, so things may have changed, but we found the food to be very moderately priced, whereas it was pricey in Manuel Antonio. We loved being able to eat right on the beach in Samara too. With that being said, we saw very little wildlife there and saw tons in Manuel Antonio. We had a wonderful experience at both Villas Kalimbas in Samara and also at Villa Mot Mot (part of Tulemar Bunglows in MA). Tulemar has a private beach with very small waves plus beach toys and kayaks for free use.

BTW, if you choose Samara, the Liberia airport is only about 1 1/2 hours from there. Not sure where you're leaving from, but Jetblue flies direct from JFK.

I really appreciate all of these responses - it's so great to hear others' experiences! I'm getting a clearer picture of each town, and I still think we're leaning toward Samara, but it's sure hard to give up the thought of seeing all the wildlife near Manuel Antonio. Perhaps it's time to flip a coin!

That said, I really like the things I've heard about Samara being a little quieter and perhaps more genuine Tico town. I've also heard it can be pretty lively on weekends, but I'd think if we stayed away from the restaurant/bar scene, we'd be okay.

Mad - was it your experience that Villas Kalimba were pretty quiet? They look beautiful, and come highly recommended by Anywhere Costa Rica. A little pricier than what we'd hoped, but it sounds as though it could be worth it!

Can't say enough about Villas Kalimba. we were actually their first guests and are prob going back this Feb as we've been dying to get back there. We were there during the summer, so it was really quiet in town. The villas are a block or two from town (can't remember exactly), so I can't imagine noise would be an issue. They also have a/c, so you can keep the windows closed at night. The owner, Roberto, is a very special person and also am amazing cook.

We are still leaning toward Samara, but I just thought of another consideration: Will the vegetation be very brown in that area of the Pacific coast in early March? I would much prefer to see lots of greenery, but not sure how important that is in the overall scheme of things. I would like to be prepared, though, if the trees near Samara are all going to be brown and losing leaves!

We stayed in Villas Kalimba several years ago and had a great time. We were with our teenage son and having two bedrooms was nice. It was in the summer so can't say whether it's brown or not in March. The villa we had was lovely and the beach is very close. Roberto was a wonderful host. We also enjoyed Manuel Antonio for the wildlife. (Did a couple days in Arenal, then on to Samara for 4 and then down to Manuel Antonio for several). We had 2 weeks and used a great private driver to go from place to place.

We loved Samara and I've posted about it on here before, so you might do some searches. For about $40 our son rented a surfboard for the week that came with several surfing lessons. We felt safe enough to let the kids (then 12, 14 and 16) ride bikes in the tiny town to go and get an helado, etc.

We were there in April and did not find any vegitation to be brown!

Another highlight was the pod of howler monkeys who make their way through the treetops in the mornings around town. Right there among the hotels, restaurants and vacation rentals.

Oh- by the way, you might check out my prior postings on our vacations rental there too! It was perfect!

Thanks Trevorjoyce & Continental Drifter - sounds like Samara's the place!

You will love Samara! There is a very beautiful really quiet beach just a few km away from Samara that is nice to visit. It is called Playa Carillo. Whenever we have been there, we have had the beach to ourselves. If you are wanting to see wildlife, and who isn't, a co-worker of mine went on an excursion that is available from Samara called Palo Verde. It is a boat trip near the top of the Nicoya Peninsula, where you see crocodiles, alot of birds and apparently the monkeys climb right on the boats. March is the end of the dry season, with that area being one of the driest, so that area is a little dry at that time of year, but there is still alot of beautiful foliage. You seem to have decided on that area, but if you really want a very lush area with wildlife, the southern pacific coast is also beautiful. There is a great place called Hacienda Baru just outside of Dominical where there is alot of wildlife. Uvita is a little south of there with absolutely beautiful huge beaches and even more south to the Osa Penninsula is also very lush with great wildlife. We saw toucans daily in these areas. Sorry if I have made the decision more difficult, but I just could not help but mention these beautiful areas. I have travelled all over Costa Rica on both coasts and have had a great time everywhere, so whichever destination you chose, you will have a great time.

Hi Ingy - I didn't see your post until this morning, but I have to grin, because over the weekend, we made a radical change to our plans and are now going to Dominical!

We found a vacation rental through an aquaintance of ours that overlooks Dominicalito, just south of Dominical. We were attracted by everything you describe in your post, just couldn't pass it up. Samara still sounds great, but it's going to have to wait for another trip!

Hi BBgt,
You won't regret your decision to go to Dominical area. You will see alot there. When we were in that area, and also when my daughter and her 8 year old son were there in May of this year, we did a horseback/waterfalls trip that we thought was really great. It is the Nauyaca Waterfalls. It is not far from Dominical and one of the best day trips we have done in Costa Rica. My grandson just loved the trip. Check it out on Tripadvisor; I am not sure if this site has information about it; I would imagine they do. One restaurant we always recommend in Dominical is "Coconut Spice". It is a Tai restaurant, if you are into that type of food. The menu is huge; the food and service are really great. If you have a chance, go to the Ballena Marine National Park in Uvita just down the coast a bit. The Park runs along the beach areas. There are two huge, beautiful beaches you can visit. There is an area called the Whale's Tail and is really great to visit when the tide is out. You can snorkel right off the beach out by the end of the "tail". Enjoy your trip!!

We are considering Samara as well for February, 2013. Has anyone stayed at The Hideaway. I know it is a little outside of town but it seems close to Playa Carillo which sounds so beautiful.

Samara Samara !! Yeah , it is one of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica

Just don't stay at Hotel Las Brisas del Pacifico....it is the worst place I have ever stayed out in Costa Rica or anywhere else in the world for that matter!

In Samara, we love Entre Dos Aguas. We keep going back.

Ingy - thanks again for the tips on Dominical. Once again, everything you describe is exactly what we are looking for, so it sounds as though Dominical is a great choice! I saw the horseback rides to the waterfall mentioned in a couple of guidebooks, as well as Ballena Marine National Park. I'd really like to do the 1/2 day whale/dolphin tour from Uvita, and Hacienda Baru, and the waterfalls, and check out all the beautiful beaches....

We have always rented a house. Get the rental car agency to pick you up at the airport; it's the worst to find your way around and worth it. We were 3 hours LOST and knew conversational language. English is our 2nd language, this is the worst airport.
Manuel Antino, has nice beaches; however I would recommend staying 20 kilometers south of Jaco; it's more central located for the coast. With your child - DO NOT STAY IN JACO; surrounding areas for a rental home, is beautiful. Get a rental car. Horseback riding, zip lining, butterfly garden, crocodile bridge at all within 1/2 hour from Jaco. Manual Antino is very tourtisty from someone who's lived the life of Costa Rica in a local village with locals, eating the local food. Manuel Antino is nice to visit, I wouldn't want to pay to stay there.