We are so happy we found this place..there are many options for accommodation in Mal Pais but myself and fiancé happened upon this place and found everything we were looking for in Costa Rica! Originally we had planned to stay a few nights and then move on to a new area, however after a couple of days we both decided to stay at Moana Lodge for our entire trip. It has that effect. Its a very unique place in Mal Pais and after visits to other hotels in the area, we knew we picked the right place. Aiden and Vicky who run it, are just the people you want taking care of your holiday. They advised and booked all our activities and trips and provided the friendliest and professional atmosphere.
The lodge itself is stunning, so its even hard to tear yourself away to go to the beach which is just across the road. The rooms are of a superior quality; stylish, comfortable and each nestled in its own spot in the lodge where you are surrounded by all the local wildlife. The Papaya Lounge, which is the hotel's restaurant, is a destination restaurant that everyone in the peninsula visits and we found ourselves dining here the majority of nights because the view, the food, the ambiance and the cocktails make you never want to leave!
We didn't want to leave-we will definitely be back-Highly recommended.

Howdy all...

Myself & my girlfriend recently had a two-destination holiday from Dublin, Ireland. Three nights in New York visiting family, followed by 8 nights in The Moana Lodge in Mal Pais on the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica. The whole holiday was well planned out in advance, we both like to do a good mix of activities and love to immerse ourselves into the locale of wherever we are, it seems to work for us. We flew from San Jose on a local flight to the tiny airstrip at Tambor, about a half hour flight, then 20 mins in a taxi, (arranged by hotel in advance), on to the hotel.

Anyway, this hotel was perfect in every respect. From reservation stage to check-out it was a dream, Aidan & Vicky, the young couple who own & run The Moana Lodge, could not have done more for us. The hotel itself is a series of beautiful cabanas/villas located about half a mile from Santa Teresa which is perfect distance for peace & quiet. Our room, which is built on stilts over the jungle canopy facing the sea, was picture postcard perfect. The most amazing sunsets, sunrises every day. It can be quite hot but we had great AC, and the beds were the best we've slept on in a hotel.

The Moana has a lovely small pool area with beds beside it hanging by ropes from the roof of the cabana beside the pool...very chilled out area.

We ate breakfast every morning in their restaurant area, The Papaya Lounge. Now, it's a bit of a hike up a couple of flights of steps but it's worth it for A) the view & B) the food. There are no windows so totally uninterrupted view over the jungle towards the sea. In the early morning you can hear the Howler Monkeys, hilarious. But really the breakfast is the star here...would gladly eat their Huevos Rancheros every morning for ever...loads of great Costa Rican cafe con leche too...

There are plenty of options to eat locally, casual pizza options in Mary's nearby, or nice informal seafood in Brisas del Mar in Santa Teresa, (go for seafood mixed grill), but we mostly ate in the the hotel. Again, a few steps to climb but the restaurant takes on a new vibe in the evening. As it's dark for dinner, you get the moonlight on the sea with the view, great chill-out music being played, excellent pre-dinner cocktails, (the bartender for most of the times we were there was Mike - if you do one thing ask him for his special Capiroska!). The food is really good, I can't recall all our dishes but definite highlights were their calamari with chipotle aioli; yellowfin tuna; bowl of clams, (they should bottle the white wine sauce that goes with this), and plenty more that I just can't remember. They also have a small observation deck above the restaurant, we brought our drinks up there after dinner a couple of times...

The receptionist, I think her name was Melanie, was really helpful. We did the zip-line canopy tour just down the road from the hotel - great fun, loved it. We also did a day trip to Isla Tortuga which included snorkel-diving & lunch - a definite must-do. You catch the boat from Montezuma and while you're there do the short hike up to the waterfalls there, well worth diving in the rock pools under the falls. Excellent restaurant on beach just outside Montezuma called Playa des Artistes I think. Melanie also arranged yoga classes, evening fishing trip, horse riding, surf lessons and we rented a quad bike, (strongly recommend), for the duration we stayed there.

Santa Teresa is excellent for surfing, we're not great surfers but the waves were safe for beginners & experts while we were there. There's a great little pizza bar on the beach in the village, beach is called Playa Carmen, they make legendary Mojito's there. The beaches go on for miles & miles and the jungle literally meets the beach - no Sheratons, Hiltons or the likes...The best part about this is we didn't have to haggle with the various tour operators, Melanie did all of this and as the hotel seems to have a great relationship with all these operators we got a great deal the whole way and didn't have to worry about it until we checked out...

I've gone on way too long here but I really can't fault any part of our stay at The Moana Lodge, great accommodations with spectacular views, super food in the most beautifully located restaurant we've ever ate in and all this was somehow equalled by the personal, caring and attentive service of a small but really caring staff. We're already planning our return...

Moana Lodge beats everything in Mal Paid / S Theresa. Stunning views, great service and rooms/restaurant that are just out of this world. Me and my girlfriend stayed in the Junior Suite, and we just didn't want to leave. Moana is luxurious, but still personal and the suites (at least ours) are very privately secluded with great views. In fact we were in Costa Rica for 12 days and I had been planning to propose the whole time, but the other places we stayed at just didn't get us in the right mood, but it made a lot of sense here. To top it off, on our engagement dinner Aidan went out of his way to fix us a better table even though we hadn't reserved. Many thanks for that Aidan, much appreciated!

We stayed here the second week on January 2012 and enjoyed this location immensely. We found the staff to be friendly and helpful. Arranging trips and tours through the front office was a pleasure. The most noteworthy fact is it's location. It sits on a hill overlooking Mal Pais and the Pacific. If there is a negative it the fact that you have to climb quite a few steps to reach your room and the restaurant but the trade off is well worth it. I noticed one reviewer did not like the location from a standpoint of distance to town and walking down the roads, etc. If you stay here plan on renting a car or as we did an ATV and you can get anywhere easily. Be sure to ask Mike to make you a catica at the bar. After a long hot day, it is the best.