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About
5.0
#1 of 1 boutique hotel in Playa Samara
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Our small beach-front hotel is right on the ocean. We are not an all-inclusive hotel, more like your own one-bedroom apartment on the beach. Amenities include: pool, fully-equipped kitchens, daily maid service, and laundry service. A/C in all bedrooms, and both the Casa and the Deluxe Room have A/C throughout and full-sized appliances. The completely remodeled house has a large gathering area and upscale furnishings. Please call us to rent out the entire hotel for retreats or family gatherings.
C. Santo Domingo Samara de Nicoya, Playa Samara 50205 Costa Rica
Fenix Hotel - On The Beach
708 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Jay has done a great job in his first year at the Fenix. The rooms are rustic with no TV, allowing one to completely unplug if desired and if not, free wi-fi is available. At first we were surprised to find that the rooms did not have air/conditioning but found that the over head fans were more then sufficient to cool the rooms. In fact, on two separate nights we were chilled and turned them off. The grounds were immaculate and the landscaping beautiful. There were plenty of lounge chairs for sunning or ‘shading’ and a number of hammocks to relax in. If you like to read or write, you couldn’t find a better place, unless you simply don’t like the sound of gentle waves breaking on a white sand beach. There are even three resident iguanas that meander around the residence. You could not ask for a better host then Jay. He was both courteous and kind and possesses a great sense of humor. On arrival to the Fenix, Jay drove us into town and told us how to navigate our way through it, including the grocery stores since each room comes with a kitchenette and recommended a couple of restaurants, which were also excellent. By way of beach the Fenix is approximately a 20 minute walk to town, which we did each morning before our first swim of the day. The rooms at the Fenix are as close to the beach as you can legally get, allowing for quick and easy potty breaks or easy access to snacks and drink refills. In the beautiful Costa Rica weather it is easy to become quickly dehydrated and Jay actually reminds you to “drink water”. “Don’t ruin a good vacation trying to recover in bed.” Thanks for everything Jay!
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jay P, Owner at Fenix Hotel - On The Beach
Responded Mar 12, 2020
Thanks for the great words. Im glad you had a great time on your vacation. and remember... Drink Water. Jay
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We stayed at the Fenix with our 5 and 2 years old kids. It was a fantastic location right on a beautiful beach with great swimming access for the kids as well. The hotel and grounds are very well taken care of and there are ample spots to lounge in the shade of the palm trees while the kids play in the shaded sand. Jay the owner is very knowledgeable about the local area and things to do. He has also made sure that life is pretty easy at the Fenix. There can be a little bit of night noise (monkeys, roosters, dogs) and I found the bed in the room a tad hard but there is little to complain about. Jay is in the process of updating and had just bought new fridges for all the rooms while we were there. While there is not a restaurant right on-site, the rooms come with a well-equipped kitchen and it is an easy 10-minute walk to the beachside restaurants of Samara. If you are going to Samara this is the place to stay!
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Date of stay: January 2020
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip:There is one room that has A/C, it can be warm & humid at night, if you have trouble sleeping...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jay P, Owner at Fenix Hotel - On The Beach
Responded Mar 12, 2020
Thanks for the kind words. Making the Fenix Hotel a destination spot for everyone is the goal. You returning is our reward knowing we did a good job. See you soon. Jay
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This small hotel is on a quiet, natural and lovely property right on the beach. There are only 6 rooms, and only one has AC. We loved our AC room. Kitchen has everything you need to cook if you wish. Separate bedroom is perfect so early risers can use the kitchen.
The upkeep and updating all over the property is amazing. The owner, Jay, really cares about keeping things in perfect shape and also cares about the comfort of his guests. He is kind, helpful, and thoughtful. We loved being there and can't wait to return! We stayed for 12 days and wish it was longer. It is a real gem!!
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Date of stay: April 2021
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:All rooms are about the same, but only one has AC.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed at Hotel Fenix for 2.5 weeks with our 5 and 2 year old boys. The beachfront location is ideal for families as it has a large shaded lounging zone that's perfect for kids to play in the sand and parents to relax during the hot part of the day. The warm ocean is a few steps away and has gentle but fun waves with no rip currents or undertow. Its a lovely walk down the beach to town, we were able to use our stroller easily at low tide. The room itself was spacious, clean and had everything we needed to live comfortably away from home as family of 4. For light sleepers it's worth noting there is outside noise and light that comes through the screened windows - as well as the sound of the waves which was wonderful. The stocked bodega, pool and beach toys were all used and appreciated. One of the highlights of our stay was getting to know the other guests, it's a small intimate hotel that naturally encourages socializing... by the end we felt like we had longtime friends, and our kids absolutely loved having so many new friends to play and chat with. Thank you Jay!
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Date of stay: January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jay P, Owner at Fenix Hotel - On The Beach
Responded Mar 12, 2020
Thanks for the wonderful review... Wow... such kind words. I am glad you had such great fun. The family environment is special - no question. Jay
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Wow! Ten nights of enjoyment at the Fenix in January. You can't beat that. This was our third stay at the Fenix and the good just keeps getting better. We have not found any other place that provides everything we want: on the beautiful and very clean Samara beach with comfortable lounge chairs shaded by palms; safe for swimming but enough surf for using the provided body boards; small (only 6 rooms) and very friendly atmosphere; full kitchen; pool; clean and well kept rooms and grounds; only a short walk down the beach to town; responsiveness during the booking process; and an owner/operator (Jay) and staff ready to help in any way. The Fenix is always filled with return visitors, and after one stay, you will know why.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jay P, Owner at Fenix Hotel - On The Beach
Responded Mar 12, 2020
Thanks you so much for the great words. The staff and I work very hard to make every experience special. I hope your four trip to CR includes the Fenix Hotel. Jay
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I can’t say enough wonderful things about this sweet hotel. It’s So wonderful, we have already booked again for next year! It was the perfect place for our family of four to spend 2 weeks. A clean and comfortable room with a king bed , and a kitchenette (with a trundle bed where our boys age 10 and 7 slept) where we cut up our fresh local fruit and prepared most of our meals. The rooms stay cool with the ceiling fans and the ocean breeze. The property is gorgeous with many palm trees to give shade whilst you lay in a hammock and sip your margarita). The beach is steps from the hotel room, so need to bring anything except yourself. No packing towels and water and sunscreen for an hour at the beach, you can leave it all steps away in your room. There is a small pool that we used many times during the day to cool off. Just lovely. The best part beside just being in paradise, was getting to know the other fabulous guests. We liked everyone so much we have even have planned to meet here again next year. Jay was a great host and we had a lot of fun chatting with him while we grilled our freshly caught fish for our dinners. He was also so excellent at arranging the perfect tours for us ( snorkeling, fishing and a river boat tour). The Fenix is an oasis on a most gorgeous beach. I can’t recommend this place enough!
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jay P, Owner at Fenix Hotel - On The Beach
Responded Mar 12, 2020
Wow.. thank you so much . We can try so hard to make every guest's experience wonderful. I am so glad you had a great time.
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We spent almost two weeks at Fenix. We really enjoyed the proximity to the beach (20 meters?) and the site. It is well organized, well managed and it has everything you need. The small pool is perfect for the kids and the small appartement was well equipped. You can cook, use the BBQ and ask for laundry service (laundry as a small fee). The place is a short distance of walk to the town (10 min) by the beach, and there is a small grocery at 2 min, of walk where you can find all the basic you need. There is a fisherman close that can sell you fresh fish, we used it couple of times and it was great. Jay, the host, is a hard working man, spending most of its time maintain and improving the place and he was always there to assist us when needed. We recommand this place, a little hidden paradise.
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Date of stay: July 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We pulled into Samara with no room booked for the night. I prefer to stay away from the the busier part of town yet within walking distance. We came across this place where we met Jay the owner...what a guy I must say. This is a quaint little spot right on a beautifully palmed beach. Only 6 rooms with kitchen nets with full size fridge and everything you need. The kitchen also had a “typical way to make coffee”in Costa Rica coffee maker. Pretty neat. Ceiling fan in the kitchen and a ceiling fan in a separate bedroom with a cozy king size bed. I wasn’t sure about no A/C at first but Jay assured me it would cool off nicely at night. Sure enough he was right and I had the best sleep. The property had a pool not too big but a perfect size with only 6 rooms. The beach chairs provided are very nice and comfy with cushions. Not the plastic chairs. Lots of shade or sun to be had. Jay also starts up the BBQ for guests to use to make dinner under a beautiful palapa on the beach. We were only staying 1 night( very lucky for us cause it’s usually fully booked) so we wanted to go out for dinner. Jay recommended the simple bar/restaurant next door and we had fresh delicious red snapper. I’m sure he knows of lots of different places to go but I wanted to stay as close as possible for the little time we had left at the Felix hotel. Everyone was so friendly there. Lots of 🇨🇦. So to sum up my review I loved Jay’s place!!! Awesome accommodations, location and beautiful beach. Oh and I can’t ever forget Jay. What a great host very friendly, knowledgeable on the area and funny too. Next time we come to Costa Rica I’m staying here!
Thanks for everything Jay even though our stay was too short we had a blast.
Jay and Nicole 🇨🇦
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jay P, Owner at Fenix Hotel - On The Beach
Responded Mar 12, 2020
You are more than welcome. Im glad you enjoyed your stay. Thank you for such great words I hope you come back to the Fenix again.... Jay
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Our family had the best time at the Fenix hotel and in the town of Samara Beach. The owner of the hotel (Jay) went above and beyond from the first interaction to the very last during our 4 night stay. The property is perfectly situated on the beach and you’re only steps away from the warm Costa Rican ocean and about a 10 minute walk on the beach to downtown.
The rooms were quite big, with a kitchenette, refrigerator, fully stocked plates/utensils and enough room for our family of 4. The grounds are very well maintained with your choice of 4 hammocks, benches to admire the views & sunsets and even a brand new gas grill. We spent our last dinner eating fresh Mahi-Mahi that Jay sourced from a local fisherman and graciously BBQ’d for us.
We will definitely be back to stay at the Fenix hotel, thank you for such a great time Jay!
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Date of stay: December 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We cannot recommend the Fenix Hotel enough, if you are considering Samara Beach this is an absolute must stay.
The property is steps away from the ocean, 8-10 minute walk to downtown, super clean & well maintained and the owner (Jay) demonstrates top notch hospitality to all guests.
There are only 6 rooms, so the experience is much more mellow/unique than staying at a larger property. The sunset views, proximity to restaurants and warm ocean water make this the perfect spot whether you’re traveling with family or friends. We are already planning our return visit!
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Date of stay: November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Playa Samara, Costa Rica15 contributions2 helpful votes
Buenas días,
We have rooms available for many of the nights in January and February 2016. There are also many nights that we are full.
If you send me an email with the dates you are looking at and the length of time, I will let you know what we have.
Also the number of people traveling with you. All of our rooms sleep four with different configurations.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Saludos,
Phyllis @ The Fenix
Playa Samara, Costa Rica15 contributions2 helpful votes
Buenas dias again Jackie,
Our hotel is located at the center of the beach. Once on the playa, you would need to walk south for ten minutes.
If you want restaurants and bars, you will need to go to Samara central.
Saludos,
Phyllis @ The Fenix
Playa Samara, Costa Rica15 contributions2 helpful votes
Buenas dias,
We do have wood chairs in our rooms. Some of our guests use a pillow.
Our sunbeds on the beach have 3 inch foam cushions.
Let me know if you have other questions.
Sincerely,
Phyllis @ the Fenix
There are more places to choose from in the Playa Samara area.
PRICE RANGE
C$308 - C$349 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
fenix hotel playa samara
LOCATION
Costa RicaProvince of GuanacastePlaya Samara
NUMBER OF ROOMS
7
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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