Mal Pais, Nicoya Peninsula

The weather in Monterverde was cooler and wetter than we have become accustomed to, so it was time to move to the coast and have some beach time and warm weather. We headed to Malpais near Santa Teresa on the Nicoya Peninsula on the Pacific Coast for a week. Our accommodation was an amazing duplex house in beautiful jungle surroundings (plenty of monkeys!) which had its own self-catering facilities, a shared pool and a short walk/drive to the beach. It was bliss after several months of moving around to have some time in one place. The beaches were stunning and unspoilt, lined with palm trees and natural vegetation. The sunsets were outstanding and we enjoyed having picnic dinner on the beach as the ‘sun went down’ (Bertie’s new phrase!). Santa Teresa is the main hub, no more than a small village really but with all the essentials you need from restaurants, bars and supermarkets to clothes shops and surf stores. It gets pretty dusty as the main road is just a dirt track, you can often see the locals hosing the street down to keep the dust manageable. It has a really chilled, relaxed, hippie vibe to it, a nice place to spend a week.

Our nearest beach was really sheltered at low-tide and had natural rock pools that you could float about in. It was really safe for the children and we enjoyed lounging on the beach knowing they were in their element and content. Elana, being the adventurer she is, was desperate to give surfing a go having got a taste for it in Croyde, North Devon, last summer. She spent many an afternoon (when the tide was right) surfing the small waves that came in on the beach – she’s looking forward to honing her skills in Australia!Read more