The Hotels Location Moana Lodge is located in Mal Pais on the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula on the western seaboard of Costa Rica. The lodge itself is situated up on tree covered hills 200 meters from the Pacific Ocean.
In relation to the Mal Pais area, Moana is halfway between the fishing port and one and half kms from the intersection at Playa Carmen, (also know as Frank's corner).
The next major town you'll see on a map is Cobano which is roughly 12kms away from Mal Pais. Thereafter lies the town of Paquera (50min drive) where the ferry departs (1.5hrs) to the port town of Puntarenas. From Puntarenas it takes about two hours to drive to the capital, San Jose..
By Car If you do choose to drive in Costa Rica we strongly recommend that you take a 4x4 jeep as the roads here are terrible. If you require a rental car we would be happy to assist you. Click here to go to Car Reservations.
Directions From San José You take the Interamericana Highway and drive 2 hours northwest to the port town of Puntarenas. In Puntarenas take the ferry to Paquera which is located on the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula. The ferries leave Puntarenas every two hours during the high season and the ride across the Gulf of Nicoya is a scenic 1.5 hour trip. click here for ferry schedule *Please note that this timetable is not updated daily. For a more accurate time youcan call this number +506 26612084, then press #1, however this is only given in Spanish. When you arrive in Paquera take the road to Tambor, continue straight on to Cobano and from Cobano drive to Mal País/Santa Teresa, finally take a left turn at the Playa Carmen crossroad and Moana is located 1.5kms down on the left hand side. Driving from Paquera to Mal País takes about 1.5 hours and is about 50kms in distance.
Directions From Liberia You need to take the Interamericana Highway and headed South and then take the turn off to the port town of Puntarenas, this will be on your right/West. The journey time is about 1.20min about a half an hour shorter than doing the journey from San Jose. In Puntarenas take the ferry to Paquera which is located on the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula. For futher instructions for reaching Mal País please read above.
Mal País by Air Getting to Mal País/Tambor, from San José by air you have two airlines that fly daily, Sansa Air or Nature Air. It costs about $70 per person going one way and takes about 30mins flying time.
Sansa is located in the Domestic Terminal at Juan Santamaria (JSM) International Airport in San Jose which is located about 30mins outside the City in the district of Alajuela.
Nature Air is located in Tobias Bolanos Airport in Pavas, San Jose. The airport is about 5 miles west of downtown San Jose and about 10 miles (30 minutes drive) from the international airport.
The airport nearset Mal País is Tambor Airport, from here we can arrange to have you picked up by taxi. Its about a 50min cab ride to Mal País and costs between $45 and $40 depending on the state of the road.
Most of the major American airlines fly into Costa Rica. You can also try LACSA, which is the Costa Rican national airline. From Europe there’s Iberia who fly out of Madrid, and Martin Air from Amsterdam. Most flights arrive into the capital city of Costa Rica, San Jose, at the Juan Santamaria (JSM) International Airport.
American Airliners Flying into Costa Rica American Airlines Continental Airlines US Airways United Airlines Delta Air Lines Spirit Airlines
By Shuttle Bus This service we can arrange for you, all that we require is your name and the hotel you’re staying in. From San Jose it costs $35 and takes about 5.5 hours. The bus will pick you up in your hotel in San José between 7:30 am and 8:30 am. All the buses have A/C and they will stop allowing you to have something to eat.
Public Bus A direct public bus now runs to Mal País twice or three times daily depending on the time of year. It departs from the Coca Cola Bus Station in downtown San Jose (but never let your bags out of your sight there), it doesn't however stop to pick up passengers at the airport. Unfortunately the bus schedule changes constantly so we cant offer you exact departure times. Usually buses depart at 7 or 8am and later in the day at 2 or 3pm, the best thing to do is to call ahead when you arrive in San Jose. To get to the hotel you will need to get off at Franks Place when the bus arrives at the cross at Mal País/Santa Teresa. From there you'll need to walk or take a cab to the hotel which is 1.5kms down on your left, headed south from the cross at Franks Place. The bus is air conditioned and costs about $10 per person and the journey takes about 7hrs which includes the ferry crossing. Surf boards can also be taken, but bus tickets cannot be prebooked. The bus also makes the return journey to San Jose twice or three times daily. The numbers to call ahead to check the timetable are as follows, but again information is only given in Spanish, +506 26420740, + 506 26420219, + 506 83934349
Hotels Mal Pais 
