Fenix Hotel - On the Beach — Hotel in Sámara

The Fenix Hotel is a lovely place. The location and setting are idyllic. Many hotels like to say that they are steps from the beach; the Fenix Hotel can say it truthfully. You can see the ocean from your room, fall to sleep to the sound of crashing waves, and wake up to howler monkeys. ||We spent four nights at the Fenix. We arrived on a Monday morning after fleeing a bug-infested AirBnB in Playa Guiones. We did not have a reservation, but were able to get a room immediately. The hotel is set in a quiet residential area a short walk along the beach from town. There are six suites and a casita. The suites all face the ocean. The casita, which was undergoing renovation, does not. Our suite had a king size bed in an air conditioned bedroom and a trundle bed in the un-air conditioned front room. (I do not know the set ups of the other suites, but they all appear to be identical in size.) The front room did have a powerful ceiling fan which provided sufficient cooling at night for comfortable sleeping. There was no television, which is a blessing. The wi-fi was pretty good. I could get a good signal when close to the water in a hammock or lounge chair, but the service did go out from time to time. Beach towels are provided.||There are separate rooms for the toilet and shower. The shower room was spacious. The water pressure could have been stronger, but it was sufficient. We would have appreciated (and expected) some shampoo/conditioner to be provided as we had not brought any because it was provided at our prior AirBnB. Luckily our daughter was smart enough to bring some. There is light room cleaning daily (e.g., beds are made, but linens are not changed); towels can be changed, but there are several reminders that the Fenix is a "green" hotel and I have no problem with that.||There is a serviceable kitchen with a full-size refrigerator/freezer, a stove, sink, toaster, dishes, and utensils. There are some commonly used cooking items (e.g., olive oil) available for sharing so you don't have to go buy many basics for just one meal. Other items may be available to borrow as well. When we asked for a small paring knife to cut some mangoes, the manager was quick to provide one. There is also a gas grill available for guest use.||Outside there are several lounge chairs under palapas and several hammocks hanging between palm trees. I found it easy to relax in the hammocks with the ocean breezes, swaying palms, and crashing waves. There are boogie boards available for guest use. There is a small pool that offers the possibility of a refreshing dip after being out in the afternoon sun. Several other guests' kids' seemed to enjoy it. ||The Fenix has a very chill vibe. Just what we were looking for. It's not fancy, there's no beach bar. But you can make your own drinks and lie in a hammock, either in the sun or the shade, and go at your own pace. You don't have to pack anything for the beach because it is literally steps to the beach from your room. The place wakes up fairly early and gets quiet by 8 p.m.||I'm not familiar with the ownership of the Fenix, but I do believe that it is recently under new management. One of the new managers, Lorena, is simply lovely. She seems perfectly suited for the role and was quick to respond to requests. During out stay I heard her talking on the phone with several potential guests and showing them what the place looks like, so if you're thinking about a stay in Samara, give her a call and check out the place...

It is hard to put the unique beauty of the Fenix into a review but I am going to try. ||We stayed for 5 nights in unit 3. Travelled with school age children. ||Arrival: ||The Fenix is just a couple of kms outside of Samara. You pull off the main road down a short gravel road, passing a small convenience store. When you pull into the Fenix our first thought was hot beautiful the greenery of the hotel was. Check in was so smooth, they send a form in advance with a lot of information so we didn’t have many questions. ||The grounds:||the pictures do not to do the Fenix justice. The beach area with a variety of trees, hammocks, and loungers give you great ocean access and shade. Even with the hotel at max capacity it does not feel busy. ||The pool:||Calm, surprisingly deeper than I thought and was nice and cool. ||The rooms:||We stayed in unit 3. This room had the trundle bed which was great as a family of 4. One thing to note is that some units have full ac and some only have ac in the bedrooms. Unit 3 is the bedrooms only but I cannot speak to its efficacy as we did not turn it on. The cool ocean breeze kept us comfortable all night. The kitchens have all the basics. The only thing I would bring next time is cutting board, this is just a personal preference and didn’t affect our stay. ||My daughter loved the hammock chair outside our room. (As did I).||Not what I cannot put into words is the vibe of the Fenix. It is so low key, relaxed , and you really can just “be”. ||The staff is lovely. Lorena the manager answered all our questions. The housekeeping staff is so friendly and the maintenance gentleman was always working hard. You can really feel the sense of family st the Fenix amongst the staff. ||The is night time security (arrival around 8 pm give or take) The gentleman who does security, performs his rounds diligently as I would always see his light in the distance if I got up in the night.||We will...

This was our second visit to Samara so this time around I searched for an accommodation on the beach. I thought we would give the Fenix a try and I was sure glad we did. We had the perfect stay for close to six days. Our unit did not have AC but we did not need it as the unit had fans and the ocean breeze. We greatly enjoyed the cooking unit including the blender to make our own pina coladas. The owner Jay is great and he takes excellent care of his property. It was nice to actually see and be able to talk with the owner (as this does not happen at many accommodations). Jay also took the time to show us how to BBQ some fresh fish so we really appreciated this. He also booked a tour for us. The way the property is set up makes you fully fall into relax mode - hammocks and lounge chairs which lead to the main beach area. You can also dip in the pool to cool off. The sunsets were mind blowing and the property was located not far from the main town (we would walk the beach) to get to town as we enjoyed the scenic walk there. Getting to know our neighbours in the adjacent rooms was also fun. In all, my only regret is that I wish I could have stayed longer. The Fenix was a real gem! Would love to come back...