Mal Pais beach in Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica is one of those sandy patches of sunshine where you can loll your day away in the sunshine or the surf. This is an exotic location with endless days of relaxation and fun.

Mal Pais is a good spot from which to embark upon a surfing adventure, as it is in the center of a popular surf scene. Both the city of Mal Pais and the adjacent town of Saint Theresa are thresholds of the popular pastime and the associated culture. As soon as you make your way to this paradise near the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, you can find several local establishments from which to make your stopover.

The Hotel Casa Chameleon, Casa Real Paradise Hills, Moana Lodge, Casa Marbella and the Milarepa Hotel might be among your choice hotels from which to take your Mal Pais Beach vacation. There are at least two dozen more hotels in this area where you can find a place to rest. Some are priced a bit higher than others, but the area caters to all economic stations.

In the Mal Pais area can be found nearly one hundred and forty species of birds for the avid ornithologist, so you may want to bring a pair of binoculars on the trip. There is plenty of marine life, also, and would become a fisherman well. And the most pronounced activity has swells and crests that are pretty constant year round making the area a great place to surf, body surf or boogie board. Mal Pais isn’t such a “bad land” after all.

In the past, Mal Pais garnered its name from the parched landscape which takes over in the dry season from November to May. The name Mal Pais translates literally as “Bad Land,” and came from the difficulties people faced in living in this locale in the rainless season. Recently, Mal Pais has become both a surf mecca, and the abode of several celebrities including Mel Gibson, Gisele Bundchen and Bobbi Phillips to name a few.

Things to pack for the trip to Mal Pais might entail a good camera, a surfboard and wetsuit, a swimsuit, and other beach necessities. Mal Pais is about seven hours from San Jose, and around four hours from Liberia. It can be reached in a variety of ways involving rental cars, taxis, shuttles, buses and mini buses.

Beach: Malpais Beach
Location: Nicoya Peninsula – Malpais Beach Address
Distance from San Jose: 7 hrs
Distance from Liberia: 4 hrs
Items to bring: camera, swimsuit, beach towel & blanket, summer wear and binoculars.
Hotels nearby: Casa Chameleon, Casa Real Paradise Hills, Moana Lodge, Casa Marbella and Milarepa Hotel.
Ways to get here: rental car, taxi, shuttle, bus and mini bus.