Our experience with this property was very different from the others I've read on this site. We called the property directly to book a bungalow over the Thanksgiving holiday. They advised us that they were booked, but offered us their Villa at a discounted rate of $150 CASH per night. This was above our budge but we were desperate. They said they were 5 minutes from the beach and misled us to believe that we would find comfort there. Quite the contrary: the maid service was un-thorough and pretentious (they wouldn't even wash the few glasses we left in the sink), the property's pool is small and looks green, the landscaping is retarded - there is no clear path for walking from the Villa to the dining area, so you have to duck under chains and leap over plants, and neither lunch nor dinner is served here. Also, the property is not 5 minutes from the beach, but 10, down 2 rocky roads. And the roads to get to Malpais are so bad that it doesn't seem worth it unless you like to surf. If you are looking for groovy streets filled with interesting travelers, head to Montezuma. The only great thing about Malpais in general was a little restaurant called Las Piedras which serves chicken and pork ribs grilled to perfection on an open flame all night long. Oh, and we never met the famed Antonio spoken about in other posts. Andrea was the manager in charge while we stayed and she was a giant exception to the otherwise cordial Costa Rican hospitality we found in the rest of the country. She and The Place are trying to imitate the chic boutique hotels of Miami, but only achieve the pretense without any of the service or charm. We'll pass on The Place, next time.
