Malpais, Costa Rica
Encyclopedia
Malpais is a town in Puntarenas Province
, Costa Rica
which began as a fishing and cattle-farming village, and has become popular among surfers and adventure travelers around the world. Recently, Forbes Magazine voted the beaches of Malpais and neighboring Santa Teresa as "One of the ten most beautiful in the world."
The town got its name from the fact that all the rivers and streams that flow into the beach in the area dry up in the summer season, making it a "bad land" to try to live in.
Malpais now is known for its incredible beauty, with white sand coves, rocky outcroppings, steep jungle-covered hills, and forests teeming with animals, birds, and insects.
The area has recently become famous due to several celebrities buying land and building dream houses, Mel Gibson
, Gisele Bündchen
and Bobbie Phillips
, who began bringing celebrities to town several years ago with her private hideaway retreat in the hills of Mal Pais. Her celeb hideaway has won awards from Condé Nast Publications
as well as travel sites such as Sherman's Travel. Many A-listers have been spotted around the beaches and cafes of Mal Pais, but there doesn't seem to be a need for them to be flanked by bodyguards, just yet. The area is still remote and undeveloped. Complete with pot-holed dirt roads that become very muddy in the rainy season (July- October) and dry like powder in the dry season (November-May). The area is very spread out and transportation is a must. Most locals get around on quad bikes and motorcycles. Most of these have surf racks on them and it would be an odd day to travel the area without seeing someone without a surfboard heading to the nearby breaks.
While Malpais is still a remote fishing village, it also is known for modern day luxuries. Many excellent hotels and luxury houses have been built in recent years, and there are many excellent restaurants, with cuisine from around the world.
Puntarenas Province
Puntarenas is a province of Costa Rica. It is located in the western part of the country, covering most of Costa Rica's Pacific Ocean coast, and it is the largest province in Costa Rica. Clockwise from the northwest it borders on the provinces Guanacaste, Alajuela, San José and Limón, and the...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
which began as a fishing and cattle-farming village, and has become popular among surfers and adventure travelers around the world. Recently, Forbes Magazine voted the beaches of Malpais and neighboring Santa Teresa as "One of the ten most beautiful in the world."
The town got its name from the fact that all the rivers and streams that flow into the beach in the area dry up in the summer season, making it a "bad land" to try to live in.
Malpais now is known for its incredible beauty, with white sand coves, rocky outcroppings, steep jungle-covered hills, and forests teeming with animals, birds, and insects.
The area has recently become famous due to several celebrities buying land and building dream houses, Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson
Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
, Gisele Bündchen
Gisele Bündchen
Gisele Caroline Bündchen is a Brazilian fashion model, occasional film actress and goodwill ambassador for the UN Environment Programme.In the late 1990s, Bündchen became one of the first in a wave of Brazilian models to find success...
and Bobbie Phillips
Bobbie Phillips
Bobbie Phillips is an American television and film actress.-Career:Born in Charleston, South Carolina 29 January 1972. Phillips moved to Hollywood in 1991 and began working in television soon after. Her first acting job was guest starring with Halle Berry on the short lived Fox comedy They Came...
, who began bringing celebrities to town several years ago with her private hideaway retreat in the hills of Mal Pais. Her celeb hideaway has won awards from Condé Nast Publications
Condé Nast Publications
Condé Nast, a division of Advance Publications, is a magazine publisher. In the U.S., it produces 18 consumer magazines, including Architectural Digest, Bon Appétit, GQ, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and Vogue, as well as four business-to-business publications, 27 websites, and more than 50 apps...
as well as travel sites such as Sherman's Travel. Many A-listers have been spotted around the beaches and cafes of Mal Pais, but there doesn't seem to be a need for them to be flanked by bodyguards, just yet. The area is still remote and undeveloped. Complete with pot-holed dirt roads that become very muddy in the rainy season (July- October) and dry like powder in the dry season (November-May). The area is very spread out and transportation is a must. Most locals get around on quad bikes and motorcycles. Most of these have surf racks on them and it would be an odd day to travel the area without seeing someone without a surfboard heading to the nearby breaks.
While Malpais is still a remote fishing village, it also is known for modern day luxuries. Many excellent hotels and luxury houses have been built in recent years, and there are many excellent restaurants, with cuisine from around the world.
Further reading
- Lonely Planet Costa Rica ISBN 1-74059-118-6