The Malpais area
I am sure you have read the classic novel "Brave New World" by Aldus Huxley, .....when Bernard and Lenina go to the Savage Reservation, and Lenina discovers that she has forgotten her soma, so she might experience the Indian Village of Malpais as an unmedicated reality.....
Mr. Huxley published his book in 1932; it was then a revolution, now he is praised as a visionary and, guess what? he made up a name...Malpais. A name to describe an uncivilized part of the world, without knowing that the most beautiful uncivilized paradise of the world actually existed in the middle of the continent, right at the end of the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica.... Nicoya is a local Indian name that in the Nahuatl language means "the land between two oceans" so you may or may not bring your soma but come and visit us in Malpais.
The area of Malpais, in the Pacific coast of Costa Rica is a strip of 12 kilometers of pristine white sanded beaches which extends towards the North from the little Port of Malpais, up to Playa Carmen, where the road intersection is (at the Franks Place Hotel) and continues North to Santa Teresa, then to Playa Hermosa way to Playa Manzanillo all the way up to the Bongo River.
Maramar is located in Santa Teresa, a little beach town 2 km north of the main intersection ( Franks Place ).
The southern Nicoya Peninsula is one of Costa Rica's most secluded gems. From the hilly interior the mountains sweep down to the Pacific Ocean, creating some of the most beautiful and solitary beaches of Costa Rica. Malpais is right next to the Cabo Blanco absolute reserve, which is a sanctuary devoted to the conservation of the virgin forest.
Because of poor or non-existent roads, this tropical paradise has long been off the beaten track for travelers in Costa Rica. But roads and transportations are improving slowly, and tourism is becoming an important part of the economy.
Thankfully, hotels and businesses have still remained small and mostly privately owned, helping to preserve the relaxed and unhurried atmosphere of the peninsula. Travel here is still slow and it is best to resign yourself to a leisurely pace.
As it has always been easier and faster to travel to the southern Nicoya Peninsula by boat from Puntarenas, the region belongs to the province of Puntarenas rather than Guanacaste. Roads connecting to the northern province Guanacaste are still few and in poor condition.
It takes a bit longer to travel to the Southern Nicoya Peninsula than to many other parts of Costa Rica, but it's worth it; you will certainly enjoy owning a property here.
Santa Teresa
Santa Teresa has become a trendy new travel destination in Costa Rica which attracts especially surfers and the hip, younger crowds to its great waves, broad sandy beaches and the secret wasn't well kept. Surfers, raving about the exquisite beaches and world class surf in Santa Teresa have drawn the international scene to their new eldorado. Many who just came for a surf vacation in Costa Rica fell in love with Santa Teresa and never left.
The cosmopolitan newcomers add their spices and styles to the local flavor, so that now there is a nice choice of international restaurants and hotels available.
Formerly a small fishermen's village, Santa Teresa has now quickly developed into a lively little town, with new cabinas, hotels and shops that seem to be popping up every day along the 5 kms of dirt road.
How to get here
Getting to Costa Rica is easy, more than a 100 direct flights, from most cities in the USA, Latin America and Europe, the main Airport is Juan Santamaria in the capital of the Country in San Jose . There is another international Airport in the Northern City of Liberia, the Daniel Oduber Airport, but for the Malpais area is not recommended due to the lack of good connecting roads from Liberia to Malpais.
By air
Once in San Jose , you may take a 20 minutes small plane flight from the Juan Santamaria Airport to the town of Tambor in the Nicoya Peninsula, and from there a 45 minutes taxi drive to Santa Teresa. There are up to 4 daily flights from the Juan Santamaria Airport to Tambor, please check of . Nature air leaves from another airport called Tobias Bolanos Airport which is 20 minutes from downtown San Jose .
Driving
You may want to rent a car, then the best way is to drive to the town of Puntarenas in the pacific coast, is 100 kms away, but because you should cross the mountain range it takes at least 90 minutes. There you take the Ferry Boat to Paquera. The Ferry departs every 2 hours. The Ferry crosses the Golfo de Nicoya in about 50 minutes and then you should drive another 120 kms to Malpais following the road singns.
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