We will not be returning ROOM The room was great but glad we didn’t pay extra for the swim up ones. Unless you are a pool person this would be a good option. The coffee maker is actually an espresso maker so was a nice choice. It took three days to get hand towels and an iron. Our safe needed to be opened 2x but they still wouldn’t change the battery on it. We never used the tub on the balcony, not sure they were thinking. BEACH The beach was good. It’s not a soft sandy beach but hard sand. Easy to walk on whether going to Samara or to the other beach. Lots of waves and was one of the few positive points. FOOD This is probably the worst place we have been to for the price we paid. It takes approximately one hour to get your food if you are the chill and grill. I asked for a well done burger and it came dripping with blood. We ordered chicken parm from Bocatto and half was raw. The kitchen staff definitely need help on when to send out food. There is no food manager in place and is the number one reason we will not be coming back. EXCURSIONS We took the sloth tour and unfortunately it was 4 hours away due to where our resort is. The tour guide was amazing and we were able to see a mother and baby sloth up close. This was the highlight of our trip. It included the hot springs at the base of the volcano. It was not what we thought it would be. We expected a quieter smaller place but was like an amusement park theme. AIRPORT We arrived to the fastest processing upon arrival that we have ever experienced. It was probably 15 min max. We paid for a private shuttle and was approx 2hrs15min to the resort. Leaving was easy as well. Lots of shops and food. They use WhatsApp to ask for anything and to set up dinner reservations. Pretty easy but you need to do this first thing in the am. Due to the time it took to get your food we always booked the 6pm times. We ventured off to the mountain Nextdoor called Indio Punta. It was an old resort that is not used. We hopped the fence and took some amazing pictures. We walked down to the beach Carrillo and the water was crystal clear. STAFF The staff was amazing and always friendly. Wendy at the Concierge always went out of her way for us.

STAY AWAY Stay away. Upon check in I was told in order to find your way around the hotel you need whatsapp. Nowhere on their website or any communications was it stated i must use whatsapp. I don't have a need for it so i don't use it. My ocean view room was a partial ocean view. Trees covered my view of the ocean. Mr .Flores at the front desk tried to convince ne it was an oceanview. Three different times I asked for the hotel manager and each time i was told the manager was not in. When I had trouble with the coffee maker Flores hung up on me and refused to pick up the phone. I had to bring it downstairs and dump it on his desk. I tracked in mud into my room from the "beach". I called for housekeeping and they never came. One afternoon of exasperation I took my file from their front desk and told them the manager could come to my room to get it. The next evening coming back from dinner a man approached me saying he was the owner and if i did not return the file he would refund the balance of thecrest of my stay and throw me out. By this time people began standing around watching. I told the front desk to call the police. At that time the owner offered to refund the difference between the oceanview and partial oceanview. I would have preferred the oceanview room but accepted the compromise. It takes an hour to get served your food and it is substandered. Veal Scallapini is not supposed to have a thick breading on it and served rolled up in a chunk with mashed potatoes. The breading on everything was so thick you couldnt taste the protien. The Shashimi was sliced thicker than the scallopini making it unattractive and could not be eaten with chopsticks, you need a knife. The catch of the day was okay but the portions were very small. The bar and wait staff worked their tails off working three meals a day. The beach was grass and mud. No sand. Wear someting on your feet in the water or the lose coral will bruise your feet. When speaking with the owner I told him the unsatisfactory service is his fault, not his employees. Nobody smiles except the wait staff. The devil is in the details. The "hot tub" is a small person sized bathtub on your balcony for those private moments. The mini-bar is filled with 3 cans of Coke, 3 cans of gingerale, 2 cans of a fruit drink and 2 cans of beer. The robe and slippers in your room? Nada. Even the owner couldn't get them for me as he promised. My brother had his own room and had to ask for a hair dryer and hot water. It sounds like I am nit picking, but i have been to nany resorts around the world and this is the worst. I would come back to Costa Rica but never here. The beach was grass and ant hills. The supposed sand was mud. No sand castles on this beach.

Definitely will never go back. We were highly disappointed with this resort. We had great expectations because the location is fabulous right on the beach in Samara and the resort itself is absolutely beautiful. However, the service was really poor. Upon arrival we were told there were no beach towels available for us to enjoy the pool with and when shown to our room, we were overwhelmed by the musty mildew smell of the suite. The bath towels in the room were clearly not washed and there was no hot water in the shower. Just luke warm. We waited over an hour and 15 minutes for our food at the Chill and Grill restaurant the first night and when it arrived, it was cold and the steak was basically raw. We didn’t bother eating there a second night and went downtown for dinner. The all inclusive drinks or average at best too. The fitness facility was located next-door in an extremely small room with little equipment and actually quite dirty. The highlight of the stay was the breakfast buffet and beautiful sunsets on the beach.

A lovely relaxing stay Overall we have a lovely 5 nights at this hotel. Very relaxing and just what we needed. All staff were super helpful and friendly. The hotel was quiet which was nice and peaceful, right on the beach and just $10 for a taxi if you want to go into town (or you can walk it down the beach). A few tips for improvement: - shower was not warm and pressure was low - toiletries in room were not replaced when used, you had to request new ones (shampoo, conditioner) - food took 1hour+ to arrive after ordering, but the food was good so we didn’t mind too much

Clean, comfortable and relaxing We stayed 6 nights at the Azura Resort near Samara and have a mostly favorable review. On a scale of 1-5, we would give a 4. We rate accommodations a 5. Rooms were spacious and clean. The king size bed was comfortable and the electric blackout shades let us sleep in until 8:30 which we never do. The hot/cold water dispenser was awesome for a cold clean drink or hot tea. The balcony chairs were comfortable. Downsides were the shower with minimal pressure (only lukewarm but adequate) and a hairdryer that didn’t work. Make sure you get all the towels you need. We rate the outdoor pool and beach a 4. The pool was clean and the swim-up pool bar was awesome. Downside was some of the brown wicker chaise lounge chairs were broken as were some of the umbrellas. Guests will claim chairs early so drop your stuff off to ensure a spot. The cushions in the cabanas were moldy and uninviting. Accumulate pool towels as they can be hard to come by. When you first check in, download the WhatsApp number so you can communicate with the concierge, who is very responsive. You will need this to make dinner reservations and request pretty much anything while at the resort. The internet was quick and reliable. Any issues or problems surfaced were promptly addressed with no apologies. We rate the food and dinners as 3. But first, the breakfast is awesome and we rate it as 5. There were abundant selections whether hot or cold. We never had lunch so we cannot comment. As far as dinner, there are 3 restaurants-the Chill & Grill, Boccato (Italian) and Tao (Asian). They are not always open and they do not let you know when they they are open or closed. Plus, items on the menu are not always available so don’t get set on a selection. We experienced the Chill and Grill twice. Both times we had the Surf and Turf. The steak was one of the best ever! So tender and delicious! We had the Italian 3 times because the Asian was closed 3 nights while we were there. The mushroom risotto was so salty we could hardly eat it. The meatballs were dry and overcooked in the spaghetti bolognese. The 2nd time we had the marlin special which had no flavor. The meatballs were still dry. The 3rd time was better because the catch of the day was salmon and it was perfectly prepared. Our only time at the Asian place was ok with mixed results. The Pad Thai had a weird taste but the One Tso Chicken was ok. Make sure you order items one at a time. Do not say ‘Bring me a wine with dinner’ because they will bring it right away. Also, don’t tell them what you want for dinner early. I said I was going to order a particular entree when it was time to order but my wife was undecided. Next thing I get my entree and she had yet to order. She ordered when I received mine but it was 30 minutes before she received hers. Understand that you will be at any of the restaurants at least 2 hours. Go as early as possible or as late as they allow. We heard the kitchen can only cook 4 meals at a time. It takes forever to get your entree but hey, what else do you have to do. The only wines are Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cab and Merlot. One type each as they are proprietary but tolerable. For activities, we rate a 5. We did the horse back riding and massage. Both were awesome but book as early as possible. It would have been nice if the hotel and food/beverage managers would walk around and ask guests about their experiences. When you saw them, they were focused on staff performance and facility upkeep. Great place to relax. We would probably recommend it to others while sharing the issues and limitations.