Casa Ceiba Samara

We have not left Casa Ceiba Roja! It is wonderful! CLEAN. NEW. Wifi is awesome! Comfy bed, soft sheets, hot water shower, all basic kitchen utilities. Howler monkeys near by, butterflys, iguanas, birds, thunder and lightning storms to watch from patio. NO smoking! 😊. Walking distance to...EVERYTHING, including the most beautiful section of Samara beach!
Our hosts are also wonderful. Always available and so very helpful. The coffee pot wasn't dripping quite right, they switched it out immediately. Gave us guidance for best restaurants, laundromat, money exchange, and a welcome bottle of cold water. Ten days / nights of pure natural quiet and rest!

Perfect for a longer (or a short) stay in Sámara!We stayed at Casa Ceiba for 4 weeks and loved our time there. The place is simple but really charming and super clean and well maintained. A really well equipped kitchen, a lovely terrace, the small pool and even a washing machine! (Laundry service in Sámara is crazy expensive!)
Our apartment didn’t have air-con but we didn’t miss it. The fans cool down the place nicely.
The location is great. Off the main road, but just a short walk to the beach or into town. Even better if you rent a bike.
Elena and Francesco are super friendly and helpful and will assist with any query. Wether you want to buy fresh fish or need a bike, they got you sorted.
We had a wonderful time here. Really going to miss Casa Ceiba.

Very nice rooms and owners! Pretty pool and property clean and conservation friendly!!

Beautiful place. Helpful owners. Decent location

Consiglio vivamente di soggiornare in questi stupendi appartamenti di Francesco ed Elena, oltre alla loro onestà e simpatia, troverete un luogo accogliente, pulito e con tutto il necessario per rendere la vostra vacanza di vostro gradimento.
Grazie Francesco ed Elena.

Amplpo con buena comodidad.
Los dueños super buena nota.
Lugar muy tranquilo y a metros del centro de Samara y supermercados

Un lugar excelente. Perfecto para descansar, cerca de la playa y del centro. Sus dueños muy amables y atentos. Súper recomendable

Accueil chaleureux, cadre remarquable, logement fonctionnel et très propre

Un lugar muy acogedor. Excelente ubicación y muy buena atención.

Super schön, sauber, toller Ort

Excelente lugar y la atención!!!

Stayed here for almost a week. Close to the beach and close to town. Home owners were very helpful and assisted with any questions we had. You could see the monkeys from the porch which was also cool. Would have no problem staying here again if we were to return

Very kind Italian hosts, great house/appartement, clean & friendly; access on dirt roads on foot is a bit inconvenient - 10 to 15 mn from town and beach

Excelente lugar. Privacidad y lejos de la aglomeración.

Bello teanquillo pulito gestito bene

Casa Ceiba Review - Sámara, Costa Rica
Check in: June 7th - Check out: July 24th 2021- Duration: 47 nights

My wife, 3-year old son and I stayed for 7 weeks at Casa Ceiba, Sámara, Costa Rica.

PROs
-Strong internet except for a handful of times when the electricity went out.
-The green space
-Very quiet location on a dirt road
-The owners were also conscious of the environment (i.e., recycling, compost, etc.), and they supported the locals in town (i.e. coconut vendor, fish guy, etc.).

Challenges/CONS/Suggestions:
-Strict rental agreement and rules - Although we agreed to all the terms and rules in our contract, we interpreted a few differently from the owners.
--Maximum Occupancy - For our additional guests, we agreed to pay an additional surcharge of $10/person per night. We also agreed to provide names, check-in/check-out dates, and payment, however, we did not agree on providing their passports. The owners requested this for all our guests and we only complied when our guests felt comfortable. Overall, it felt unnecessary and was not in the contract.
--Rental Rules - “No unregistered guests or visitors allowed” was variably enforced by the hosts. We originally interpreted this to mean that owners needed notification if family or friends were to visit us at the unit, essentially “registering” them. This caused several challenges as we were long-term guests with the intent of having family members stop over or come for meals at our unit. Also, as we made friends in town, and we were unable to host them. As our family members came to visit (non paying guests), the owners were inconsistent with allowing admission (one sister allowed at any time, but other members only allowed over for 1 dinner only). And lastly, this rule prohibited the use of a babysitter at our unit, forcing one of the parents to stay in from 6pm and onward. In fact, the variability of how this rule was enforced made us feel nervous when our babysitter entered the property for a few minutes to simply pick up our son.
-Multiple contracts - There is one official contract (signed and dated). However, there were a few other ‘non-official’ contracts in the form of emails and Whatsapp texts. This resulted in several breakdowns in communication and understanding of rules. We suggest organizing one document, so everything is consistent and clear.
SECURITY DEPOSIT
-Bicycle maintenance - We were charged $50 as a ‘maintenance’ fee for the 2 loaned bikes. Since bikes in a beach town will experience more wear and tear, we suggest providing a proper bike maintenance protocol and/or tools. At another Airbnb in Sámara, they provided a spray hose and chain lube.
-Return timeline - The contract does not state when they would return the security deposit. The owners initially reported Saturday (Check out date), then Sunday, but we did not get our deposit until Monday. Luckily, we were still in the country. Something to consider if you are leaving Sámara upon check out.
-The check out time of 10am had no flexibility of extending.
-Outdoor hooks to hang up wet jackets and/or towels would have helped.
Spray hose for muddy shoes and bikes.
-Upon arrival, we realized we only had about 10-15 pumps of soap in the bathroom and kitchen which forced us to buy within 2-3 days of arrival.
-Some extras that would have been nice for the house: mop, extra sheets, plunger

It may be that our hosts don’t have a lot of long-term guests, so perhaps our expectations were too high. We were certainly drawing on our past experiences with long term stays when we booked this place. Unfortunately, this mismatch led to us often feeling uneasy and unwelcome during our stay. If we were to do this again, we would definitely go through Airbnb or a neutral third party to ensure more transparency and we would choose an alternative place to stay. We suggest future guests ask more questions before they commit to staying at Casa Ceiba to ensure that it is a good fit for their stay.