I've lost track of the number of times I have returned to Mal Pais and enjoyed staying at Casa Zen. 8? 9?

This place continues to deliver great atmosphere and value. As I write this I sit in the rancho, which is a separate building adjacent from the hotel built for dining and hanging out. Its low season, and the place is quite tranquil.

The menu has evolved a bit but continues to offer a very well prepared blend of costa rican and thai fare. The food remains excellent and a cut above what you find for similar pricing in the area. Kelly's attentiveness to the preparations and the longevity of the staff are a big part of that.

The open air shared kitchen remains available and the close proximity of well stocked local markets -- in addition to a regular saturday farmer's market held next to the beach 100 meters away -- make it easy to keep costs of an extended stay down, but pick carefully from the markets, as imported goods are heavily marked up, while local produce and goods are cheaper.

The surf, as ever, ranges from good to epic. The locals aren't hostile, and there are plenty of peaks to accommodate people. Tides are crucial here, as they shift from 8 to 10 ft per day. While you can learn to surf here, it isn't really a beginner's break when the waves are firing. And when it goes off seriously, there are reefs and points within a few km north and south to hit if the beachbreaks close out. Evening glass-offs are common even on days when afternoon winds blow it out. Dawn patrol remains the best option if you're hunting for hollow tubes and empty lineups.

Lastly, this is one of the cleaner and well cared for places you'll find in the area at this price point. The grounds are well landscaped and everything is cleaned daily.

Excellent location next to beach, great food at the restaurant, fun hammocks me and my college buddies hung out on every night and made new friends. Next door to a surf shop where we rented a board one day. Off the main path so not as dusty as most places in Santa Teresa. We had room 7 upstairs for the three of us and it was perfect, especially on our wallets. Make sure you get the fish and chips from the Israeli guy's stand down the road, delicious! I highly recommend Casa Zen!

My friends and I, surfers in our late 20's/early 30's showed up at Casa Zen at about 8PM and were immediately greeted by the most accommodating and friendly host; Tiffany was her name. She took care of us right away and showed us what she had available (we had no reservations) and answered all of our questions. She was careful to let us know about the extra charge for AC which seemed totally reasonable to us because the rates for the Cabina were so affordable anyway. After our first night we moved to the "dorm" style rooms which had a bunk bed, a single bed and a double bed. It was super cheap, and really clean. Just what we needed. The safe in the room was great because it gave us a secure place to stow all our valuables without having to worry. It was really hot, but that's because we deliberately traveled to the tropics to get away from the cold, which seemed fair to us. Staying in the "main house" was way more fun for us. We got to meet/hangout with the amazing staff, and Kelly, the owner. She was super friendly and helpful. All the facilitates were super clean. The place has an awesome atmosphere and is incredibly welcoming. This place is awesome, and the people who work there are even better. The food was super good as well. It's got a Thai theme but you can get really good local dishes also. Overall it's by far the best place I've stayed in Costa Rica. I highly recommend it!
--"NEW YORK"

Do not stay here!
Other than the owners' dogs barking pretty much constantly the entire night, this place is great!
It seems contradicting, however, that casa zen prides themselves as offering a serene and peaceful oasis and yet there are dogs Barking incessantly thru the night. The owners must be tucked away in their air conditioned cabin, unaware (or don't care) that their dogs are barking directly outside if the travellers' lodgings.
Bring ear plugs and a maybe some tranquilizers if u intend to get any sleep!