South of Sámara, the paved road continues over Punta Indio and drops down to coral-colored Playa Carrillo (5 km south of Sámara), one of the finest beaches in Costa Rica, arcing for three kilometers. An offshore reef protects the bay. The fishing hamlet of Carrillo nestles around the estuary of the Río Sangrado at the southern end of the bay.

To check out native animal species that are hard to see in the wild, follow signs to La Selva (tel. 506/8305-1610, 9 a.m.–9 p.m. daily, $8 adults, $5 children), inland at the southern end of the beach. This wildlife refuge has coatis, tamanduas, peccaries, agoutis, monkeys, and even jaguarundis. Guided tours are offered at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily.

Café Internet Librería Onda Latina (tel. 506/2656-0434, ondalatinainternet [at] gmail [dot] com) is 100 meters uphill from Hotel Esperanza.

Kingfisher Sportfishing (tel./fax 506/2656-0091, www.costaricabillfishing.com) offers sportfishing.

Hotels and Restaurants

You don’t have to be a surfer to dig Popo’s Surf Camp (tel. 506/2656-0086, www.andreabrand.com/popos, from $40 s/d low season, from $45 s/d high season), which has a cool welcoming vibe. Choose from two rooms, two tree-house cabins, or a five-bedroom house, all set in lush gardens. All have hot-water bathrooms and ceiling fans, and there’s a lovely rusticity to the place.

The hillside Hotel Esperanza (tel./fax 506/2656-0564, www.hotelesperanza.com, $80 s/d low season, $120 s/d high season, including breakfast) is a family-run bed-and-breakfast set in a delightful garden. Remodeled in 2010 (the new exterior is ghastly), it has seven attractively furnished rooms—some larger than others—arrayed along an arcade. A restaurant specializes in seafood and pizza.

A similarly pleasant option nearby, the Italian-run Puerto Carrillo Hotel (tel. 506/2656-1103, www.puertocarrillohotel.com, $50 s or $65 d low season, $60 s or $75 d high season) has eight air-conditioned rooms with modest contemporary furnishings, all with cable TV, and WiFi.

The contemporary Hotel Leyenda (tel. 506/2656-0381, www.hotelleyenda.com, $105 s/d low season, $125 s/d high season), two kilometers south of Carrillo, enfolds a courtyard with an inviting pool. Gorgeously refurnished, its rooms are spacious and have kitchenettes plus ceiling fan and air-conditioning. Families can rent a VIP House ($420 low season, $500 high season) with its own pool. It provides shuttles to the beach and has a stylish restaurant serving seafood, pizza, pasta, and fast food.

The venerable Hotel Guanamar (tel. 506/2656-0054, www.guanamarhotel.com, from $100 s/d) has had more lives than a cat and has metamorphosed yet again as a comfy family resort. Its hillside setting guarantees fantastic views, and the large pool and sundeck are major pluses. It no longer specializes in sportfishing, but you get an option to kayak.

About three kilometers south of Carrillo, Hotel El Sueño Tropical (tel. 506/2656-0151, www.elsuenotropical.com, $36–68 s/d low season, $59–90 s/d high season), now owned by a Tica-gringo couple, is a bargain, and I like the tropical motif throughout this lushly landscaped setting. It has 16 clean, simple, renovated air-conditioned bungalow rooms with terra-cotta tiles, queen- or king-size beds, direct-dial telephones, and free WiFi; there is also a suite. The hilltop restaurant has a soaring palenque roof. There’s a pool and a separate kids’ pool. Howler monkeys abound in the surrounding forest. Rates include breakfast.

Getting to Playa Carrillo

The Nicoya–Sámara buses continue to Playa Carrillo. Or you can fly there daily on SANSA and Nature Air.