Sámara Beach, or "Playa Sámara", is a small beach town in South Guanacaste, Costa Rica that has lots to offer the student craving Costa Rica study abroad. While it is not a "resort town" by any means, the town offers plenty of opportunities to explore and practice Spanish, not to mention restaurants/"sodas", shops, nightlife and even a couple homespun galleries and animal refuges.

1. Don't be an "Ugly American"!
Costa Rican people, or "Ticos", are famously friendly and open people. Keep in mind that you are visiting their home, and that amenities are more modest here compared to American standards. Costa Rica tends to be pretty clean and laid back, in fact its motto is "Pura vida!" or, loosely translated, "Live life to the fullest!". Relax, be patient, be environmentally conscious and enjoy your surroundings.

2. Be open to new experiences!
Perhaps at home you wouldn't normally go on a hike or kayak trip. But Samara (and Costa Rica in general) is abundant in unique wildlife and plantlife, and there are so many mesmerizing views to be seen and once in a life time opportunities to be had – take advantage of them. Shutterbugs, snorkelers, animal lovers, beach bums and rainforest adventurers alike will find something fun to do, so look around and see what's going on! The school staff is happy to suggest things to do and even organizes some excursions (in addition to regular dance and cooking classes!).

3. Travel healthfully
Because of its proximity to the equator, Costa Rica packs a powerful punch when it comes to being in the sun. There are plenty of covered areas and shade from palm trees at the school and on the beach, but for those times relaxing or exploring in the sun it's best to stay hydrated and wear plenty of sunscreen. Also, some people choose to receive shots, so consult your doctor or the CDC before your trip.

4. Find new ways to practice your Spanish
You will learn plenty of new vocabulary and get tons of practice at school and with your homestay family, but don't feel limited to those locations! Though many people do speak English around town, many do not, and even those who do might prefer Spanish anyway. Be brave and ask for a drink at a bar, or visit the "farmacia" if you need a band-aid or sunscreen.

Check out Samara Spanish schools

See my other posts about Samara

By Bradley R., guest blogger studying Spanish in Heredia and Samara Beach, two of AmeriSpan's most popular Costa Rica Spanish schools

The food in Costa Rica isn't particularly revolutionary, although I enjoy it greatly.  As one might expect of any Latin country, the most common staple is rice, with black beans as a close second.  Nearly every meal, breakfast to dinner, includes at least a small portion of each.

The typical breakfast is often called Gallo Pinto, although technically Gallo Pinto refers to the black beans and rice with added flavorings that is omnipresent here.  It can be served with everything from eggs and sausage or bacon to pancakes, french toast, or tortillas–as long as they are fried.  Fresh fruit and juices are almost always a part of breakfast, especially at home, and there is a stupefying selection of fruits and juices that are readily available and delicious.  Possibly most important to Gallo Pinto is the addition of a Costa Rican sauce, Salsa Lizano, that is somewhat like ketchup but with chiles rather than tomatoes.  It is not spicy, and available at every restaurant.  The author of my guide book reported a popular saying in Central America along the lines of "Where there are Costa Ricans, there is freedom"–this due to the country's history of stable government and lack of a military–and compared it to the slogan of the Lizano company, "Where there are Costa Ricans, there is Salsa Lizano."  He quipped that he found these two sayings to be equally true, and I agree.

The normal lunch for many Ticos, especially those working outside of the home, is a Casado, which is a platter available in the local form of a greasy spoon restaurant, called a Soda. It includes rice and beans, three or four small sides, fresh juice, and a choice of beef, pork, chicken, fish, or vegetables as the primary dish.  All of them are fried.  I have found Casados to be uniformly delicious, if uninspiring.  The common sides include french fries, potatoes, fried yucca, shredded cabbage and carrots, beet salad, fried squash, lettuce salad, and a second helping of beans.  The going rate is $5 in very busy areas, and $4 off the beaten path, and at either price a huge amount of food and a great deal.

Dinner seems to vary much more than the earlier meals, but is almost sure to include rice and/or tortillas.  My host family has yet to serve me something a second time, making it difficult to identify any further trends, so instead I will just name a few spectacular dinners that stick out: spaghetti and tomato sauce topped with an unheated sauce of oil, fresh tomatos, and a ton of garlic; hamburgers whose patties were made with a number of vegetables and spices, and which were topped off with bacon, avocado, a fried egg, and Salsa Lizano; black bean soup with fried eggs, plantains, and a large chunk of a vegetable that had the texture of a beet and the flavor of a slightly sweetened potato, but which was neither beet nor potato (with rice of course); and lastly Gallo Pinto with a shredded cabbage, beet, and tomato salad, topped with spicy sausage and served with quail eggs.

Lastly, I would like to make special mention of the Empanada de Chiverre, which is a small, unfrosted turnover filled with the fruit Chiverre.  It is popular during holy week.  My google search informs me that it is similar to spaghetti squash, but this seems dubious. The flavor is most similar to that of a date or a fig, with a similar texture.  Regardless, try one.

Read all of Bradley's blogs from Costa Rica

Learn more about AmeriSpan's several  Costa Rica Spanish schools

This site can help you find your way around Samara and give you important information about the area. It's also a charitable organization that gives back to the community!

See AmeriSpan's Samara Beach Spanish school

Check out Sámara Tourist Board & Community Development Organization

By Bradley R., guest blogger studying Spanish in Heredia and Samara Beach, two of AmeriSpan's most popular Costa Rica Spanish schools

The best-known and most popular activity is called a canopy tour by locals.  It requires one to don a climber’s harness so that the guides can attach you to a long cable via a set of carabiners and a slide grouping with a wheel.  The cables are strung high above the ground in the uppermost reaches of the jungle canopy, and you are pushed out from one tree stand to race down to the other, zip-line style.  The cables are up to 50 meters above the ground and more than 500 meters in length, and speeds of up to 50 miles per hour can be reached.  Nearly every company attempts to cross as many river valleys
as possible: the height of the canopy experience is when you push off through a thick canopy, pick up speed, and burst into an open valley whose floor plunges precipitously below you, sometimes facing sideways or backwards.  Companies may offer the possibility of gliding upside down, or with a partner to hold your legs so you can fly superman-style.
 
Although not actually an adventure tour—strictly speaking—waterfall chasing is a popular pastime with foreigners and locals alike.  For the more daring, this translates quickly into jumping from waterfalls into the pools below, which I got the chance to experience at Montezuma Beach.  From a road just South of town, I hiked about 45 minutes up the river, hopping from rock to exposed rock made available by the low tide and scant rain the previous week.  The first set of falls I came to were quite nice, about 25 meters high, but with rocks at the bottom, thereby precluding all but the most suicidal of jumpers.  From there, I scrambled up a very steep hillside that would have been impossible to climb except for the abundance of tree roots jutting out of the dirt, which made the perfect handholds. From the top it was a short walk to the 2nd and 3rd waterfalls.  The uppermost one was the most popular, with rock ledges ranging from 2 to 5 meters—it also had a long rope swing, for those like myself with Tarzan-like inclinations.  While a group of us was swimming and jumping around these upper falls, I watched as a young guy approached the lower of the two and then hopped over the edge without hesitating even a moment.  I was shocked, because at the low water levels, the jump was about 50 feet—I later read online a similar measurement of about 18 meters—and while I had assumed that people had jumped it, I certainly didn’t imagine I would see it.  To my further amazement, his friend followed him in the same manner, while I was content to watch.

ATVs can be found for rental throughout Costa Rica, and they are a fun and efficient method of transportation on roads that can be extremely rough, steep, and wet.  They can maneuver around trees, boulders, and others obstacles that would make a road or path impassable even for SUVs.  The day that I rented a quadra, as ATVs are known here, was probably the best that I’ve had in country.  I used it to explore Malpais, which is a series of beaches on the Pacific coast of the Nicoya Peninsula.  There were astonishing views of the region from the tops of the inland hills, and the frontage trails along the
beaches were just jarring enough to be challenging and exhilarating, but not too rough so as to buck me from the vehicle.  The highlight was when the trail gave out and seemed to point me onto the beach proper, which directions I readily gave into.  Soon I was cruising across the sand at 60 miles per hour, splashing through the surf, and entirely alone except for a few groups of large carrion birds that looked like vultures, munching on the remains of dead turtles too heavy to carry away.  The pictures that I took of vacant beaches stretching for miles into the distance hardly convey the uniqueness of the situation.  The only drawback to this form of travel was the dirt that was thrown into the air by other passing vehicles, which by the end of the day had rendered my teeth covered with a thick, choking grime.  I suppose I could have resolved this issue by purchasing a bandana to cover my mouth like other people I saw along the most busy beach, but I am far too stubborn for that.

Read all of Bradley's blogs from Costa Rica

Learn more about AmeriSpan's several  Costa Rica Spanish schools

By Bradley R., guest blogger studying Spanish in Heredia and Samara Beach, two of AmeriSpan's most popular Costa Rica Spanish schools

Semana Santa, as I mentioned previously, is a week-long holiday for the vast majority of the country.  There are basically three activities for this time period: involvement in church activities, including preparations, prayers, masses and processions; sitting at home and relaxing or doing nothing; or going to the beach.  For non-religious and young people, the latter option is the most popular.

There are two difficulties, however, with a beach vacation: travel and alcohol.  The roads during most of the week are packed, so a trip that is normally only an hour or two can stretch out indefinitely. Our trip to Jaco and Herradura Beaches, which is normally only an hour and a half, lasted almost three hours, and a friend spent four and a half on the same drive.  This is typical for Holy Week and the Ticos (the Spanish name for Costa Ricans that is commonly used) plan for this.  One way to try to avoid frustration is by taking a bus, which is a very cheap undertaking here.  If one gets a ticket early and has a seat, this is a great option.  But a seat is not guaranteed: like many countries, the last people to get on the bus have to stand for the length of the trip.  Due to the high levels of traffic, it can even be difficult to get onto a bus.  My gringo house sister, for instance, went early on Sunday morning to purchase a ticket, only to find out after two hours in line that the buses for that day were full.  She had to go back even earlier the next day to catch her ride to the beach.

Alcohol is another issue during Semana Santa, since it cannot be sold legally between midnight Wednesday night and midnight on Friday. Not surprisingly, most people purchase large quantities of beer and liquor a couple days ahead so they do not go dry.  It is disappointing nonetheless to be unable to go to bars or clubs for two days during a week of vacation, especially for those revelers whose accommodations are not close to the central districts.  Another result of this policy is that everyone meets on the beach to make bonfires and drink. People from many countries accumulate, and the atmosphere is very social.  Overall, the beach is a great place to be for vacation, and everyone seems to be in an amicable mood.

A last interesting note: the number of lanes on the highways in Costa Rica is generally small, with even primary roads between major cities having only one in each direction for large stretches. Consequently, locals adopt the practice of driving in the opposite lane regardless of pavement markings.  This is somewhat easy during major events, since nearly everyone in the country drives from San Jose to the coast and back to San Jose at roughly the same times. However, it is a strange feeling to be on the wrong side of solid yellow lines for miles on end, and to remain going the wrong way even when the highway is divided by barricades.  The policy is clearly promoted by the government to improve traffic flow, as even the tollbooths are open for those travelers on the wrong side of the road.

Read all of Bradley's blogs from Costa Rica

Learn more about AmeriSpan's several  Costa Rica Spanish schools

This photo was taken at AmeriSpan's Spanish school at Samara Beach. Our professors decided we needed some good old-culture lessons and performed for us. It was amazing! Here is my professor wearing traditional garb for her region of Costa Rica. She's dancing the traditional moves and yelping the traditional "OI!" while one of my fellow students tries to keep up. This was a really special day for us. I kept thinking that it was amazing to have such dedicated professors. And of course, I appreciated that they wanted to teach us about their culture just as much as they wanted us to learn Spanish and enjoy the beach.

This is a great example of the many cultural lessons I've received in the study abroad programs that I have participated in through Amerispan. What I love most about these programs is their unique approach; you can live with locals, cook regional cuisines, and learn fantastic new dance moves. I can't wait to continue my exploration!

Find out more about AmeriSpan's Samara Beach Spanish school

If you have never considered participating in such an exotic and exciting program, we strongly recommend it, and we have hundreds of previous happy former students who would, too!  There are so many of our  to choose from – there's something for everyone!  

AmeriSpan offers five programs at four beach locations:

1. Jaco Beach

An ever-popular location, our Spanish school in Jaco Beach has great facilities and is just seven blocks from the shoreline.  Here you can enjoy a pool, tropical garden, outdoor class, and free internet.  And, you have the option to take Spanish and Surfing if you feel so inclined!
See: Jaco Beach Spanish School
See: Jaco Beach Spanish and Surf

2. Manuel Antonio

Classrooms in Manuel Antonio have ocean views and the school itself is just a short walk to the beach!  It's also very closeby to the rainforest, Manuel Antonio National Park and many restaurants and shops.

See: Manuel Antonio Spanish School

3. Flamingo Beach
Flamingo is another exquisite locale.  The newly built school is just blocks away from the beach and downtown, and students have access to an outdoor gym, pool, and free shuttle service to homestays.  

See: Flamingo Beach Spanish School

4. Samara Beach
Our fabulous school in Samara is popular and relaxing.  Students enjoy outdoor thatched roof huts, personal attention in class, very close proximity to the beach, and daily Latin dance classes.  Hailed by Budget Travel Magazine as the "swellest little town in Costa Rica."

See: Samara Beach Spanish School
See: Budget Travel's Article about Samara Beach

Click to compare AmeriSpan's Costa Rica Spanish schools for yourself