Mal Pais Surf Camp — Hotel in Cóbano

This is a review of MPSC and some extras about being in Santa Teresa. ||||We stayed at MPSC for 6 nights. They organized our pickup from San Jose Airport ($50pp, which is the going rate), and that went without any issues - driver to ferry at Puntarenas, easy Ferry ride, driver waiting at the other side. The whole trip was about 6-6.5 hours. ||||We were greeted warmly when we arrived about 8:30p and shown our room at Villa 2. It was spacious, tons of hot water and a comfortable bed. Villa 2 which actually had a queen and 3 twins, so we used two of the beds as our dressers. In addition to 2 ceiling fans, there was a stand-up oscillating fan, which was completely fine for this time of year (actually was quite cool by the AM and my wife needed a blanket). The daily cleaning staff left us nice surprises of uniquely folded towels/sheets with decorative flowers - nice touch! We used the small fridge a lot, too, and there were plenty of outlets for charging our devices (really good WiFi!). Outside the villa were a couple of outdoor Adirondack chairs and two hammocks. It was nice to have the outdoor area to dry our wet surf gear. The only down side to the room is that there are no windows, just screens, so you could hear the guests talk and shower at the adjacent Villa. There are no TVs in our Villa, which we appreciated to stick with the casual vibe – and the TV in the bar area plays a lot of surfing/travel videos. ||||As for the service, they should clone Laura because she was the best!! She was kind, caring, friendly, super-helpful... I could go on and on... she really wanted to ensure that the guests were having a great experience. She helped me with all types of tips for our stay (at MPSC and touring); made the call for us to rent an ATV (more later); helped us reserve the water taxi back to Jaco (for a quick day trip before heading back to the airport that nite... but Santa Teresa is soooooo much a better experience than the kitschy, overly touristy Jaco, IMHO). Whatever you needed, Laura was willing to help! I didn't interact much with the other folks in the reception area, but they were all very friendly and helpful as well. So, great staff!||||Expenses at MPSC: So great that they take credit cards! Our bill was very straight forward and separated into a) the lodging portion (add 13% tax), b) the surf lessons (no additional fees), and c) the food portion (add 10% service charge). The food prices are similar to that of in-town, but many places in town only take cash (dollars or colones). The food was very fresh, delicious and plentiful. And, if you want, they have a separate kitchen for the guests to prepare your own food and refrigerators to share. Good deal for any budget travelers staying at MPSC. They also have an honor system for drinks, so you just take what you want, mark it down, and pay later when your bill is due. This avoids having to constantly carry cash with you. ||||They had a really good selection of surf boards for rent. It's short walk (3-5 mins?) to Playa Carmen and then another 5+ min walk to the surf spot. Good, consistent waves for beginners and intermediates. Sometimes a little crowded, but we still found plenty of waves to catch. Playa Hermosa also has really good waves for beginners and intermediates, but will require some form of transport there. FYI - Really strong sun and sunblock is expensive in Santa Teresa, so buy some plastic 3 oz empty bottles and transfer your larger bottle of sunblock into the smaller bottles so they go thru airport security. ||||Location is nice and quiet - we were amused by the howler monkeys a couple of early mornings at 5am, but that was not each day, so it was part of the Costa Rican experience. It's a short walk to town, and a grocery store is about a 10-15 min walk. The roads are really dusty (mostly unpaved), so bring sunglasses and a bandana to cover your face. At first I found it to be annoying, but I think that if the roads were fully paved, then it might be more Jaco-ish. I would strongly suggest transport during your stay – either 4x4 or an ATV (great to have - 3 days for $150, otherwise $70 per day, but you’ll NEED eye protection and the bandana!). It was nice for us to take the ATV over to Chabuya and to Montezuma. Laura helped us get surfboard racks, so we took it to Playa Hermosa as well. There are more places to go with transport, so you might want to consider that as part of your stay.||||Safety: We always felt safe. However, you basically cannot leave anything other than flip flops on the beach. No phones, money, or anything of value. So, we didn’t have all the pics we wanted. Even the ATV’s locking “trunk” was opened (we had nothing worth taking). Car doors get opened as well because the petit thieves look for stuff worth cash. So, once you get yourself in the mindset that you don’t take anything that would suck to lose, then you’ll have peace of mind. ||||Do your research, read the reviews and make sure you go to Costa Rica to enjoy the sun, beaches,...

I do not no where to even start! When ritmo tropical lossed our booking of 8 nights we did not have a place to sleep until we check out the surf camp and resort and the manager said we could stay a few nights! This was incredible because we can plan out where we can sleep for the next 6 nights. Also the food there was incredible as well as the pool and the staff.There was pool table and a ping pong table that you can use also the beach was close and the place felt very safe for us and a relaxed atmosphere. We returned here for 3 nights when a room became available and the villa was amazing. Very clean and comfortable. I highly recommend this to every family who comes to mal pais. ...

Really cool place. We showed up without a room booked and where lucky enough to get the top of a house. It was quite a bit more expensive then i wanted but worth it to splurge for a few days. Our room had a mini fridge which was awesome, a TV, a few DVDs and a great shower. No kitchen, but if had gotten the lower half of the house we would have.

It's a laid back feel that is owned by what appears to be a retired corporate American. Surf rentals are reasonable, lounge area has pool and ping-pong, and the pool is great.

You can rent a board and walk about 300m to the beach and be surfing. Also if you want to walk into town, it's about 10 mins at mundane pace.

If we ever return to CR to surf we would...