Mal Pais

Inside Scoop

Mal Pais is actually three small towns stretched along the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula. From north to south they are called Santa Teresa, Playa Carmen, and Mal Pais. The road is not paved for the last 10 kilometers, but at least the dirt is scraped smooth at the beginning of each dry season. The light brown beaches with green hills behind them bring tourists that prefer nature over nightlife. There are a few late night fiestas and it is growing at a suprising pace, so hopefully the iguanas and monkeys won't be moving out anytime soon. For more info on Mal Pais, check out : www.malpais.net and www.malpaisbeach.com.

In Mal Pais, the beach break has a lot of rocks sticking out, especially at low tide, which makes it a little sketchy on some of the drops, but also a hollower wave. There are also a couple of left points at the south end of town. Playa Carmen is a long and wide stretch of open beach where most of the surfers go since it breaks a little bigger there than other spots. There is a powerful shorebreak and when the swell is big can break very far on the outside. It can handle well over double overhead surf, but will mostly closeout on the sets. Farther north in Santa Teresa and some smaller beaches has a series of rocky reefs that break left and break. The reefs need waves overhead or better to work.

Getting There

To drive there over land it would take a good 7 to 8 hours, not all of it on a paved road. To shorten the trip to five hours, you can take the ferry from Puntarenas to Paquera, which is a scenic journey in itself. The quickest way is to fly from San Jose to Tambor on either Sansa or Nature Air, and then arrange a taxi for the final 45 minute ride. (Remember these airlines don't take boards over 7 feet)

Here is the high season ferry timetable (effective 2/1/08)

Hotels

Name	Contact	Phone	Location	Price
Horizon Surf & Yoga Retreat		2640-0524	Playa Carmen	$80+
Mar de Luz Hotel	E-mail	2643-3259	Playa Carmen	n/a
Moana Lodge	E-mail	2887-4213	Mal Pais	$85+
Luz de Vida Hotel		2640-0320	Santa Teresa	$65+
Flor Blanca Resort	E-mail	2640-0232	Santa Teresa	$675+
The Place Resort	E-mail	2640-0001	Playa Carmen	$50-$250
Vista de Olas Hotel		2640-0183	Mal Pais	$90+
La Hacienda B&B	E-mail	2640-0067	Mal Pais	$130+
Beija Flor Resort	n/a	2640-1007	Mal Pais	n/a
Hotel Casa Azul	E-mail	2643-0379	Playa Carmen	$65+
Ritmo Tropical	E-mail	2640-0174	Santa Teresa	$47+
Hotel Buenisimo		2640-0694	Playa Carmen	$35+
Esencia Hotel & Villas		2640-0420	Santa Teresa	$80+
Ranchos Itauna		2640-0095	Santa Teresa	$60+
Recommend your favorite spot.
House Rentals
Tres Monos Beach Rental Houses		640-0367	Mal Pais	$180

Surf Shops

Surf Camps

Name	Contact	Phone	Location
Mal Pais Surf Camp		2640-0031	Mal Pais
Puravida Adventures		415-465-2162	Playa Carmen
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