Surf Costa Rica - Mal Pais

Start Date	End Date	Cost
17/11/2009	30/11/2009 (arriving back in the UK 1/12/2009)	From £575 per person excluding flights

Mal Pais Beach

The Surf

The Mal Pais area of Costa Rica has long been one of the nation’s hidden secrets with miles of uncrowded beaches and incredibly consistent waves in a truly lush, tropical setting. Mal Pais is blessed with miles of beachbreaks so it’s always possible to find an uncrowded wave. In front of our accommodation is Playa Carmen, a long sandy beach with mellow, peeling waves for beginners and intermediates. A short walk north is Playa Santa Teresa, renowned as one of Costa Rica’s best beachbreaks with faster, steeper waves for experienced surfers or intermediates looking to improve. All abilities are welcome and our qualified instructors are on hand for daily coaching sessions.

The Location

Our base is a small, exclusive resort sympathetically designed to blend into its beachfront location among palm trees and lush vegetation. Accommodation is in detached two storey cabins sleeping two or three people with bathroom, fridge and most of the units have air conditioning. A pool is onsite along with a gourmet restaurant and a mini health spa offering treatments, massages and yoga. Our aim is to limit the group to 16 surfers ensuring we have sole and exclusive use of the resort.

Other Activities

The area is rich in wildlife, Howler Monkeys are regularly seen in the trees and a short distance south is Cabo Blanco National Park, one of Costa Rica’s first parks containing a rich diversity of flora and fauna. Snorkelling trips, canopy tours and trips to spectacular waterfalls can all be arranged locally. This sleepy town is slowly waking up to tourism and there are a number of good quality restaurants and bars, a number of surf shops and a medical centre.

Ethical Travel

Costa Rica has recently been named as one of the best ethical destinations in the world for 2008 by Ethical Traveller. Following a worldwide study of environmental protection, social welfare and human rights, Costa Rica was listed in the top ten and highlighted as having: 'a very high level of overall environmental health, excellent water resources, biodiversity, air quality and sustainable energy.'View article here:

The itinerary

Outbound: Depart London Heathrow – 12.30pm. Arrive San Jose, Costa Rica – 21:45pm. Approx. 11/12 hour flying time.

Ten minute transfer to a comfortable hotel close to the airport. One night’s stay in shared rooms with air-con and breakfast. Next morning – transfer by minibus to Mal Pais (approx. 3 hours), check in at beachfront accommodation for the first of many surfs. 11 nights accommodation at Mal Pais. The evening before our outbound flight we return to San Jose for another night at a comfortable hotel ensuring a relaxing night and morning before the homeward flight. Depart San Jose 13.05pm. Arrive London Heathrow next day 09:25am.

Mal Pais Beach

The Cost

Bed and breakfast accommodation in San Jose and room only accommodation in Mal Pais. Airport transfers in Costa Rica, transfers to and from Mal Pais and daily surf coaching with our qualified instructors.

2-Share room: £645 per person
3-Share room: £575 per person
1-Share detached cabin: £1,161

Surfboards can be hired locally for approx. $10 daily (approx. £6). To book please contact Surf South West by phone or e-mail. We require a completed surf holiday booking form and a deposit of £50 with the full balance due 8 weeks prior to departure.

Click here for our Surf Holiday Booking Form

The flights

Flights: Costs fluctuate daily and are in the range of £600 to £750 including taxes for return flights with Virgin Atlantic and American Airlines. To book these flights please contact Robinson Travel, tel: 01237 476 798. There is a charge for surfboard carriage of $70 (approx. £38) on the return leg but in previous trips this has sometimes been waived at check-in. You are free to shop around for flights but please be aware that if you arrive at different times on different flights there may be additional costs incurred with transfers to accommodation.

If these dates are not convenient please click here for details of independent trips to Mal Pais.

For a taste of our trips to Costa Rica please click here to view our DVD!

Please click here to see more photos of Mal Pais

Request Fact Sheet on Costa Rica

Surf South West do not book flights, however we can assist you in obtaining good prices from Robinson Travel, a retail agent for an ATOL holder. We will negotiate the provisional arrangements for your flights that are appropriate to your itinerary and then put you in touch direct with Robinson Travel for you to pay and book your flights. In return Robinson Travel will confirm your flight times and invoice you separately. Please note that we do not take payment for flights ourselves, however by ensuring that you are booking with a retail agent for an ATOL holder you can be assured that your flights are financially protected under an ATOL licence. Robinson Travel can be telephoned on 01237 476 798 or e-mail: enquiries@robinson-travel.com

Financial Protection
For your financial protection, Surf South West complies with the European Package Travel Directive by holding all monies in an independently administered trust account until the completion of your holiday. The trust account is administered by Stevens and Willey Certified Accountants, 9 Boutport Street, Barnstaple, Devon, EX31 1TZ