Surf Camp

Participants in this Costa Rica surf camp are taken to a variety of beaches throughout the southern Nicoya Peninsula, including Santa Teresa, Malpais, Cabuya, and Montezuma beaches, depending on the weather, surf conditions, tides, etc. The best surfing beach in Montezuma is “Playa Grande” which is a 20-minute walk from Montezuma. It’s a beautiful beach and jungle trail and you don’t have to carry your board since the surf boards are stored in a bodega on the beach. At Playa Grande you’ll find very few surfers, small to medium waves, no rocks, and no development… in short, pure paradise.

The Surf Resort

Anamaya has a variety of cabins, most with stunning panoramic ocean views, and all are amazing. The style is “Balinese/modern” and most find it exotic and thrilling, like living for a week within a magazine photoshoot. Surf enthusiasts staying at Anamaya typically post many photos on the Facebook profiles to make their friends and family jealous. Anamaya is fairly small… currently with only 9 rooms. It’s normally full however, with anywhere from 12-25 people, so class sizes are small. There are generally more employees and staff so there’s a lot of personal attention.

Other Activities besides Surfing

Yoga is the most popular activity at Anamaya besides surfing. Usually there are two classes per day, taught by a variety of local instructors. Many surfers like to practice yoga in addition to their surfing for its workout benefit and the stretching for flexibility. Also offered are Aerial silk classes, a variety of dance classes such as Salsa, Zumba, or whatever the flavor of the week is depending on what instructors are around in the Montezuma area. Outside excursions include trips to Tortuga Island, zip lines / canopy tours, and horseback riding on the beach or jungle.

Montezuma Surf Camp

I’ve been working in real estate for 8 years in the Malpais/Montezuma/Santa Teresa area, and have worked with many topographers. Most make a lot of mistakes, don’t return calls, don’t use email, and cause you a lot of grief.

Finally I have found some really great topographers who know the area and don’t make stupid mistakes. They’re frequently in the area and I highly recommend them.

Please email me (geoff@malpaisbeach.com) and I’ll refer you to them. Tell me what you’re looking for as well and I’ll give you some basic lessons – topography 101 – for Costa Rica.

The Caribbean is an emotional state in which the senses perceive the exuberance, joy and intensity of each element. Each plant, animal or mountain coexists in a balanced way through a chain of virtuous reciprocity. This generous and appreciated land, supplies us with high quality foods of great complexity. This is one of the most interesting challenges I encounter being a chef in Costa Rica. After visiting this area for long periods I decided to move from my native Hamburg to the Costa Rica. Not only in the tropics, but also in South America, did I discover bold fruit flavors, varieties of potatoes to die for, strange forms of vegetables, melon colored creamy pejiballe, incessant smells in my garden … This is the joy that is transmitted by the nature … If all these feelings translate into a person, this would be
a strong, bold, sensual and deepminded one.

So 5 years ago I created my own private chef and special event catering service company based in Mal Pais – Santa Teresa, one of the famous Blue Zones on this planet. In this famous area I am meeting all kinds of customers from families, wedding couples, surfers, executives, models, famous actors and singers who decide to spend a holiday and request my services. And each of them is so important to me because it gives me the opportunity to serve what this blessed planet Earth is offering us and what I am honoring with every dish that I make.

My services include private chef service in the privacy of your home or vacation rental, wedding and special event catering and planning services, beverages service, waitstaff service, event planning and assistance with equipment rental, consulting and cooking classes.

All fish and seafood we are using is locally caught. Meat, meat products and poultry and eggs are from Costa Rican, free-range farmed animals, where possible. Dairy products we use are local and all the vegetables and fruit are locally grown and organic where possible. In doing this, we are trying to reach the ethical goal of ‘Ono Cuisine working as sustainable as possible.

–
Torsten Radtke
Executive Chef and Ower
‘Ono Cuisine
www.onocuisine.com
Mal Pais & Santa Teresa / Costa Rica
Tel. (506) 8718 66 34

Pacifica Surf Studios

A small hotel located on the Santa Teresa beach, Pacifica Surf Studios offers studio apartment units for guests with a private terrace, air-conditioning, internet service and a ready-to-use kitchen. Pacifica Surf Studios also offers surfing lessons from beginner to advanced and trips to local beach areas of interest.

Latitude 10

Latitude 10 is a guest resort with casitas built right into the beach vegetation. These private bungalows do not have air-conditioning and are all open-air. Hot water is available, as well as twice-daily housekeeping, a deck and open-sky bathrooms. The Master Suites accommodate up to three people, while the Junior Suites are meant for one to two. A guestroom attached to the main building is available and does have air conditioning but no deck.

Villas Hermosas

Villas Hermosas is located right on the Playa Hermosa beach, which is a sandy swimming beach. With only three villas and one suite available, Villas Hermosas is a more private experience than a larger resort. The poolside villas have two bedrooms and two bathrooms and are large enough for families. Villas also come with a kitchen, satellite television, a DVD player, internet service, hot water and air-conditioning. The Master Suite, designed with couples in mind, has the same amenities but with a four-poster king-size bed and one bathroom.

Hotel Milarepa

Located on Nicoya Peninsula, north of the Cabo Blanco National Park, Hotel Milarepa is right along the beach. The private bungalows are open from all sides, with four-poster beds that have mosquito nets and fans above for cooling. The open bathrooms are within the suite and have a shower and garden space. All bungalows have a mini-bar, wireless internet service and a sitting area.

You do need a valid U.S. passport if you`re traveling from the U.S. to Costa Rica for a vacation under 90 days. U.S. citizens going to Costa Rica don`t need visas as long as they have a round-trip or outbound ticket when they board the plane to Costa Rica. Your passport must be valid for at least the next 90 days from your departure date, according to the U.S. Department of State. You are encouraged to enroll in the Smart Traveler Program before you leave to inform the U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica of your visit.

December 30, 2011

Punta Barragona is one of the most beautiful spots in Malpais and yet hardly anyone ever goes there because it’s difficult to find. The point is a huge rock, and there are surf spots on both sides of it (Mar Azul and Bahia Barragona). In front of this giant rock is an amazing set of tidepools. Check out photos of them here: Costa Rica tidepools.

Next to the point is a huge flat grassy area. Most of it is public land, and there’s rarely anyone ever here.

To get here, drive from the Playa Carmen area south into Malpais, and when you see a large sign on the right that says “Mar Azul”, turn right towards the beach. Go to the ends of this road and go to the left. You’ll feel like you’re driving into someone’s driveway, but you’ll exit onto the grassy area, and you can park out there underneath a palm tree.

To your left will be a beautiful protected cove with hardly any waves, which is in direclty in front of the well-known luxury villa rental March House. At low tide, it’s mostly rocky, but at mid/high tides, it’s a gorgeous white sand beach with hardly anyone on it. It’s very safe for kids.

On the other side of the cove is a mellow lefty point break inside the bay, which is good for beginning surfers.

High on the hills up above, you can see various villas such as Mel Gibson’s house, and both Casa de Amor and Villa de Amor.

This is a great place to go on a day when you’re surfed out or want to spend the whole day on a tranquil beach without a lot of people around.

Los Suecos means, “The Swedes” because of the Swedish family that lived down by this beach years ago. Los Suecos, also know as “the secret beach” is one of the truly hidden gems of the Malpais / Santa Teresa area, and isn’t visited by many tourists.

People who have lived in the area for years come to this beach because of it’s beautiful white sand, it’s extremely photogenic beauty, the best snorkeling on the southern Nicoya peninsula, and its amazing tidepools. It’s also located next to the epic Sunset Reef surf spot.

To find it, drive past the Fisherman’s beach at the very southern end of Malpais and just keep going off to the left. You’ll know you’ve found it when you see a gate. This is Cabo Blanco National Park, but this entrance to the park isn’t open to the public.

Park near the gate and find a trail winding down to the small beach. It’s a very safe place to swim. A rock reef protects the beach so no large waves make it inside.

On a good day, the water can be very clear here. I’ve seen octopus, several species of eels, a turtle, a gigantic ray, lobsters, giant hermit crabs, and lots of fish species. The proximity to the national park, where there’s (theoretically) no fishing means that there’s more sea life here… at least until the spearfisherman kill them.

A picture is worth a thousand words, so I’ll leave you with a set of photos taken from various trips to Los Suecos:

Malpais and Santa Teresa have a great snorkeling spot at Playa los Suecos, which is located at the southern end of the Malpais beach road.

For scuba, however, there are a couple of dive outfits in the general area that will take you to some spectacular locations.

Tortuga Island is known for its beautiful beach and hordes of tourists, but the waters in the area are great for scuba diving. You can see whale sharks, dolphine, whales, octopus, white tip reef sharks, and large schools of fish.

This area is the only place in all of Central America that has THREE shipwrecks. Costa Rica shipwrecks that are suitable for diving occur in very few places in the country, so if you’re into wrecks, this is the best opportunity in the country to see them.

There are also great dive spots around Tambor and Montezuma in various rocky reefs and coves, as well as a great spot off Cabo Blanco.

Scuba Dive options:

Anamaya Yoga and Scuba Retreats – Anamaya offers week-long yoga retreats that include scuba certification classes, or just go for a couple of scuba sessions during your stay there.

La Escuela del Sol – Scuba Certification program that can include yoga, spanish language classes, and other add-ons.

The best way to do Scuba Diving however is just to call Michele (pronounced like “me-KEL-eh”) who is the Italian boat captain with the best scuba experience and boat in Tambor Bay. You’ll have a great time with his crew of Italians and Argentians, and they offer a great CMAS scuba certification program. Michele’s # is (011 506) 8823-0831