Great for families or 3 couples: 5,000 sq ft home with fully-outfitted gourmet kitchen, ocean views from every bedroom, huge sun-deck with salt-water pool, hammocks, barbecue. Enjoy sunrises and sunsets, unobstructed ocean views. The house is very private, surrounded by palm trees, mature gardens, and 10 varieties of songbirds. From your poolside lounge-chair it is not uncommon to see a pair of scarlet macaws as they fly overhead or catch a glimpse of a monkey-family as is passes through the nearby trees.
Built in 2008, Casa Colibri is one of 7 houses situated along a 7-acre ridge overlooking Samara Beach. The beach (Playa Samara) is fantastic for families. Off-shore reefs break up larger waves so that only gentler waves can roll up to the shoreline. And because the beach is curved - in a horse-shoe shape - there is very little undertow. The waves at Samara are perfect for boogie-boarding.
Because the house is situated on a ridge 150 ft above sea level, off-shore breezes provide a constant air-flow which makes these houses MUCH cooler than in the town of Samara below. The house is sometimes VERY breezy. Huge folding doors open up onto the pool deck so that the outdoor dining room and indoor living space is one huge room. Folding doors on the opposite side open up as well, creating great air-flow from the mountainside behind the house.
Noteably, Samara Reefs is accessed by paved roads all the way so there is no dust. Renting a car is not necessary, feel free to rent a golf-cart or a quad. Samara is a 10-minute drive away. The town of Samara is very friendly and, given its small size, is surprisingly full of great amenities: Alamo car rental, several tour operators (zip-lines, jungle tours, turtle-tours, nature walks, surfing, fishing in nearby Carrillo). There is a huge variety of international restaurants, cute cafes, boutiques, a tap bar, 7 excellent grocery stores, an Italian deli, liquor stores, AND a Saturday Market featuring fresh local produce, fresh fish for sale by local fishermen, arts and crafts, entertainment, coffee, danishes, pizzas, lots of great lunch options, great people-watching. Samara has an excellent butcher where you can buy Nicaraguan steaks (T-bone, Tomohawk, rib-eye), several bakeries including Roots Bakery where you can buy passion-fruit danishes (my personal favourite). So much to see and do!
There is an excellent dentist (Dr. Shirley) and an English-speaking doctor (Dr. Freddy) right in town as well as pharmacies. The Samara Information Center is available to help you book activities, car-rentals, etc. Having Brenda look after you is like having your own personal Concierge!
Casa Colibri was built in 2008 by award-winning Architect Karin Nagel. The house is elegantly furnished, extremely functional, and built to very high US standards. From the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, the kitchen cabinetry, all the carved hardwood doors, and the staircase, every feature of this house is custom-made. Important details like large windows with high-quality window screens and secure locks ensure maximum comfort. One of he best design features of the house is how the rooms flow seamlessly from one to another. Large glass patio doors off the living room fold up fully, connecting all the main rooms into one large open-aired living space: the kitchen, dining room, living room, pool and sundeck.
Chefs will appreciate the well-designed kitchen: the stainless steel appliances, gas stove, large countertops, and high quality knives (imported from Spain) and pans (imported from Italy). As the owner and an avid chef, I buy only Zwilling-Henckels! The kitchen work-space is bright and inviting, with windows on all sides. It is large enough to accommodate multiple chefs. The 4-person sit-up bar is a very handy place to enjoy the ocean view and pool-deck.
A unique feature is the large walk-in pantry-room. This room is air-conditioned and humidity-controlled and is THE perfect room to store dry-goods, pineapples, watermelons, as well as wine and beer.
The upstairs master bedroom is very large - it is 650 sq-ft and together with the circular staircase takes up one-third of the upper floor. There is a king-size bed, solid almond floors, remote-control A/C, a Tommy Bahamas ceiling fan, 2 reading lamps, tons of storage, a walk-in closet, a very large ensuite bathroom and a jetted bathtub. There is a huge ocean-front sundeck. You can open up the curtains and enjoy huge panoramic ocean views - right from your bed! The sundeck runs half the length of the top floor and, being on the upper floor, you get a spectacular view of the entire Samara Bay and gorgeous sun-rises. A table with 2 chairs is perfectly situated for you to enjoy morning coffee on your deck. Great spot for bird-watching too!!
From the en-suite bathroom, there are 3 view windows. There is even a window in the shower! From the jetted tub, enjoy views of the ecological land-reserve and the mountainside.
Next to the master bedroom is a handy office - a perfect space to set up your computer and work from home. Enjoy excellent Wi-Fi reception.
Throughout the day, you will see large flocks of parakeets (who fly up to the mountainside at about 4:00 pm every day), 6 scarlet macaws, dozens of hummingbirds (colibris), darting in and out of the pink flowers in the gardens below.
The house has 2 poolside hammocks, 3 lounge chairs, and is large enough that even with 8 people, quiet corners can be found to enjoy a book or have a nap. If someone wants to watch TV, the TV room has a/c and can be completely closed off.
Next to the pool is a totally unique feature: a beautiful waterfall feature. Modeled after our favourite hot-spring resort, Tabacon Resort in Arenal, the water from the fountain flows along a rocky "river". The water then falls over a cliff, cascading down in to the "jungle pool" below. Try sitting UNDER the waterfall for a great shoulder massage! (Note that the water comes on for an hour automatically each morning for an hour.)
Another unique feature of Casa Colibri is our Sunset Deck. It is located on the rooftop of our carport and has an amazing view of the mountainside behind the house. Not only is this a fantastic place to enjoy the evening sunset hour, you can turn on the lights for a party effect. It's a quiet place to do some yoga in the morning away from the group, it's a great spot to do some monkey-watching and ... at 4 pm (when the parakeets fly by), it's the perfect spot to enjoy wine and tapas! The sunset deck seats 16 comfortably.
The tropics can be hot BUT this location, with its on-shore and off-shore breezes is wonderfully cool. The cross-breezes flow right through the house. During February, it gets SO windy that you have to securely hook the front door or the wind will slam the door shut!
The absolute best feature of the house is the view. Whether you are inside the house, or out, you will find yourself utterly captivated by the stunningly beautiful ocean views, the rounded shoreline of Playa Samara, the island of Isla Chora, or from the master bathroom, the birds-eye-view into the surrounding mountain-sides. It is truly a magical place.
Behind Samara Reefs is the Werner Sauter protected Ecological Reserve. The reserve is a 60-acre dense jungle with huge native trees that you would expect to see only in remote areas of the country.
