Relax in a peaceful, private resort-style property at the end of the road in Mal País, surrounded by nature near the Pacific Ocean and Cabo Blanco Reserve. This spacious 3-bedroom apartment has a private terrace and access to a large shared pool with sun decks and a rancho bar. Walk to the supermarket, sodas, pizzeria, brewery, and pescadería. Highlights: Resort-style pool • Private terrace • Walkable location • Quiet setting • Near beaches & nature The space Casa Pez Gallo' located in Playa de Pesca resort with 3 bedrooms 2 of those with private bathrooms and balcony. The house has AC and fast internet of 100 mbs. The kitchen is equipped with a refrigerator, gas stove with oven, coffee maker, toast and kitchen utensils (such as plates, glasses, knifes, spoons and forks and among other things) The house has a washing machine and dryer. It has a comfortable living room and sofa bed in case of additional guest. The house is set back on the property and has a jungle feel with lots of wildlife. The beach is 25 meters from the property entrance. Walking distance from the property Mal Pais has a grocery store, Cafe/bakery, restaurant Tierra Mar and Pizzeria. From the property you can walk to the beach, Cabo Blanco reserve, Snorkling, Fishing and SUP paddle boarding. We also have ocean kayaks available.

## The Space

Relax in a tranquil, private resort-style property located at the end of the road in Mal País, surrounded by nature near the Pacific Ocean and Cabo Blanco Reserve. This roomy 3-bedroom apartment offers a private terrace and access to a large shared pool with sun decks and a rancho bar.

The apartment includes:

- Three bedrooms, two with private bathrooms and balconies
- Air conditioning throughout
- High-speed internet with 100 Mbps
- Fully equipped kitchen featuring a refrigerator, gas stove with oven, coffee maker, toaster, and essential kitchen utensils (plates, glasses, knives, spoons, forks, and more)
- Washing machine and dryer
- Comfortable living room with a sofa bed for extra guests

The home is set back on the property, offering a jungle-like atmosphere with abundant wildlife. The beach is just 25 meters from the entrance.

## Location

Within walking distance from the property, you will find:

- Grocery store
- Café and bakery
- Tierra Mar restaurant
- Pizzeria

Nearby attractions and activities include:

- Beaches
- Cabo Blanco Reserve
- Snorkeling
- Fishing
- Stand-up paddleboarding (SUP)

Ocean kayaks are also available for guests.

## Amenities

- Resort-style pool with sun decks
- Rancho bar
- Private terrace
- Quiet, nature-filled setting
- Close proximity to beaches and natural reserves

Bedrooms

Bathrooms

Maximum Occupancy

3BR villa in San José

Resort-Style Home Near Beach | Monthly Stays - Houses for Rent in Playa Mal País, Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica

We stayed at Joe’s Playa de Pesca Resort  for a month (July–August 2025), and it was amazing. The location is perfect — between a national park and the ocean, just far enough from the noise of Santa Teresa, but only 5 minutes away if you want to go. Everything is within walking distance: soccer field, beach sunsets, a small grocery store, and the fish market. Surf spots are just 5–7 minutes away. We went fishing with Joe twice — unforgettable! We saw dolphins, turtles, whales, and caught so many  delicious fish. On the property, you’ll spot geckos, lizards, crabs, monkeys, butterflies, and many birds. If nature’s not your thing, you can always go to Miami 😉 To explore the Nicoya Peninsula, this is truly the place to be. As the Terminator said: “I’ll be back.”

Hidden at the end of the road you can walk and get fresh fish from the fishing dock. Walk to some hidden beaches, relax by the community pool (All owned and maintained by the owne), meet other guests. Just chill. Just BBQ. Just relax. Your choice.

Mal Pais is a laid back beach town that is perfect for a family getaway. I took my kids, 4 and 7 for a month and we found a beautiful place and respite  from our over scheduled lives. We flew from San Jose to Cobano and took a taxi to Joe’s place. I didn’t get a car and didn’t need it. We were across the street from a fish market and the beach. The neighbors are a nature reserve and a zip lining tour operator. There was a small grocery store that we walked to almost everyday and a tiny restaurant right next to that. We could have spent everyday in the pool (my kids learned to swim here) but we also tried the beaches and river nearby. The property is so beautiful and well maintained. If you’re lucky Joe will make pizza! Everyday was an adventure marveling at nature even without tours (horseback riding, surfing, fishing tours, etc). We were often the only people on the beaches. Santa Teresa is 3 miles away and has great restaurants. If you want a quiet paradise to rejuvenate- it’s here.

Joseph’s property is a serene, peaceful retreat surrounded by lush greenery and just a five-minute walk to the ocean. The tranquil setting and nature’s beauty made it the perfect escape for New Year's Eve. One highlight was meeting Macho, the friendly “guardian” dog, who quickly became a cherished part of our stay. Joseph’s hospitality was exceptional—he was kind, responsive, and even made us delicious homemade pizza one evening. We had a small misunderstanding about bringing two dogs instead of one, but Joseph was incredibly understanding and welcomed both with open arms. The property itself was well-maintained, and thoughtfully designed, with inviting outdoor spaces to relax and enjoy nature. Our only minor issue was a missed cleaning service, but Joseph apologized and offered to reschedule, though it was too close to our departure to be worthwhile. Overall, it was a fantastic stay, and we’d love to return!

Beautiful spot at the end of the road.  A short walk to beach, fishing, zip line, horseback riding, market, and pizza.  A short drive to nearest town for everything else.  Awesome pool and patio area.  Super clean and well maintained.  We were a family of 6.  Kids loved it too.  Joseph is running a tight ship, which becomes very evident if you go out on his boat and fish with him.

This is my second year staying at Joe‘s place, as always had a wonderful time, felt like I was at home. Everybody in the resort is amazing. The resort itself is beautiful.I will recommend it 100% ,so many things to do around the resort, the beaches are beautiful, people is beautiful is very safe is just Pura Vida…. Life music, excelente pizza and more…..

The best place I’ve stayed in this area. Beautiful property and fantastic houses. Very impressive place. And joe was a great host.

My family of five just left paradise at Joe’s place. We loved walking across the street to meet him and his excellent first mate Javier to catch fresh fish to come back and prep in the poolside kitchen during our stay. We all loved fishing with him (3 times that week and always scored!) and then surfing at the numerous spots close by. Santa Teresa is a little busy for us so we loved the quiet at his place but if you are into being in the thick of shops and restaurants they are only a few minutes away.  And I have to also mention the pizza he makes on Thursday nights. Let’s just say it’ll be hard to go back to my fav pizza joint at home because Joe’s pizza is like nothing we’ve ever had before. We’ll be back here for sure!!

This was our first visit to Costa Rica and we could not have been happier with our experience! We had a month-long visit in Mal Pais, which was a mix of vacationing and working remotely with our small family (two adults and a toddler). For us, Joe’s space was exactly what we needed to enjoy both a peaceful and engaging experience. The pool on-site was a perfect place to relax and play throughout the day. There was a beautiful mix of plants and trees throughout the property that really gave a true jungle feel without leaving the property. If we did want to venture out we could literally walk across the street to a family-friendly beach, the local fish village, or a nature reserve. The location was perfect! Joe and his team, Javier, Elena, and Katherine, we’re extremely gracious, helpful, warm, and kind. They truly helped make our visit as fun - or low key- as we wanted. I cannot say enough wonderful things about this group of individuals. Thank you for a beautiful stay and experience.

Very good option to be close to Santa Teresa but far enough from the noise.

Muy buena opción para estar cerca de Santa Teresa pero suficientemente lejos del ruido.

Joe is a wonderful host who obviously loves to share what is special about Mal Pais and his lush and peaceful resort. He was super helpful with arranging local services such as a massage therapist, SUP surfing rentals and guide, plus local restaurant and surfing recommendations. My 14 yo son and husband really enjoyed spending time together SUP surfing with Joe and the local guide Andy one morning. We look forward to visiting Joe's place again to experience more of Mal Pais and Joe's hospitality.

Excellent location, very peaceful right next to the Mal Pais beaches and close to Santa Teresa (5-10 mins drive). Joe is extremely friendly and helpful. Joe recently built this small resort, a few houses around a pool in beautiful tropical surroundings. Strongly recommended

We were so lucky that our journey in Costa Rica started at this amazing place, and we'll never forget it! This house is spacious and cozy, and it has its own vibe, just like the entire area around it. You can feel the love and soul that went into creating it. The house has all the essential amenities for a comfortable stay and work, and it's well-maintained. You can even arrange for cleaning services if needed. Additionally, there's a secret beach nearby and grocery store just minutes away. We stayed here for a whole month, and honestly, we didn't want to leave. If given a chance, we would love to come back again. Thanks to Joe for being such a great host and making the yummiest pizza we've ever had.

Thanks for your words. Wish you best with your new family. Hope to see you again sometime. Saludos Joe

A place to relax, beautiful, Joseph made us a delicious pizza. Clean the entire place and excellent service🫶. Definitely 10/10

Lugar para relajarse, hermoso, Joseph nos hizo una pizza deliciosa. Limpio todo el lugar y excelente atención 🫶. Definitivamente 10/10

We loved the property and actually hosted our wedding and all of our guest at the property. We were a group of 20 and had an amazing time. Joe made everyone feel like they were at home and could not have been more helpful in making our dream wedding come true. The space was more than enough for our group. Joe is the kind of host that we call our friend now. I cant wait to return.

Joe was kind enough to host our wedding at his location. We were able to do the ceremony at a beach access within a 2 min walk. Joe hosted our dinner reception and wedding party at the house and we could not have asked for a more accommodating host or location. Joe was able to provide local recommendations for entertainment and local businesses that helped take care of our entire group. The homes are beautiful, the beds are comfortable, the kitchens have everything you need, and the pool is a great spot for people to hang out and enjoy. Highly recommend staying at this property.

Had a great stay at Joseph’s place. The houses are brand new so everything was in perfect shape. The caretaker Javier is also the fishing boat captain. I would highly recommend going fishing with him as he will get you on loads of different types of fish. We had enough fish for days of delicious ceviche and fish tacos!

We loved the place. Spacious, private, comfortable. We stayed 4 nights and it was a great experience. The answer was always very good, the finishes of the place, the pool, in general, everything was excellent!

Nos encantó el lugar. Amplio, privado, cómodo. Estuvimos 4 noches y fue una gran experiencia. La respuesta siempre fue muy buena, los acabados del lugar, la piscina, en general, todo excelente!

If you’re looking for a peaceful, beautiful, well-appointed indoor-outdoor living experience just across the street from the beach in Mal Pais, look no further. Joseph and Katherine’s “Playa de Pesca” resort is an incredible find for families, groups, and couples. A beautiful private shared swimming pool with fully covered dinning facilities - we even hired a private chef for a couple of nights- made this a truly special experience for our week-long family stay. Joseph even made us his renowned professional pizza in his outdoor pizza oven! We went fishing with pros just across the way from the resort and caught way too much tuna. All in all, this non-pretentious yet upscale “resort” was a perfect complement to our rugged natural Costa Rican adventures.

This was our fourth time coming to Mal-Pais, and Joe's place was perfect for our group. We really enjoyed the pool and wildlife around us. Also, for anyone who does stay here, make sure you ask Joe when he's making pizza. He makes the best pizza. we had it twice while we were there, lol. thanks for having us!

Amazing place to stay, we’ve felt like at home. You can hear ocean and various nocturnal animals at night, a total unity with Mother Nature. Though one house have capacity to accommodate too separate groups of people, you can still enjoy your privacy; concrete walls are perfect in terms of soundproofing. A kitchen and a laundry room are remarkably equipped, aircons are well maintained, water pressure in the shower is strong enough (small, but such an essential thing especially in the area with lack of clean water). Be ready to rent any vehicle as the house is in 10 minutes driving from main village street and most popular beaches.

15 of us stayed with Joe at Playa De Pesca resort this past week. Joe and his team work diligently to keep the villas and surrounding areas groomed and clean for all guests, while still maintaining the natural, luscious jungle it’s sit in. The pool that connects the villas is a great spot for the kids to play, and friends to mingle.The environment is extremely welcoming to new faces and visitors, including but not limited to- howler monkeys, white face monkeys, iguanas and the local dogs :) Playa De Pesca is the closest resort to the fishermen’s village where you can get the local catch almost daily! (It’s truly sea to plate). The town of Mal Pais is great for people who want to be secluded from the business of ST. Joe and his team really provide the Pura Vida lifestyle that Costa Rica is. If sunsets over the ocean (literally feet away), homemade pizza and wildlife sound like what you need.. We would recommend staying at Playa De Pesca- Thank you Joe!

Jo's house is great, modern and very pleasant to stay in. The rooms are spacious, the bedding is excellent and comfortable, The maisonettes are on the side of the road but very quiet. You just have to cross the road to get to the beach. The house is surrounded by greenery and well exposed to have a natural air conditioning by opening the windows. The pool is very nice too, with its beach to chill in the sun and its pool to make some fathoms. The little plus Jo offers delicious pizza. Only very small "downside" is that there are a few utensils missing in the kitchen but that doesn't stop you from enjoying it. We'll be back at Jo's next year! 🫶🏼

La maison de Jo est super, moderne et très agréable à vivre. Les chambres sont spacieuses, la literie est excellente et confortable, Les maisonnettes sont en bord de route mais très au calme. Il n’y a qu’à traverser la route pour accéder à la plage. La maison est entourée de verdure et bien exposée pour avoir une clim naturelle en ouvrant les baies vitrées. La piscine est très agréable aussi, avec sa plage pour chiller au soleil et son bassin pour faire quelques brasses. Le petit plus Jo propose de délicieuses pizzas. Seul tout petit « bémol » est qu’il manque quelques ustensiles dans la cuisine mais cela n’empêche pas d’en profiter. Nous reviendrons chez Jo l’année prochaine! 🫶🏼

We really enjoyed staying at Joseph's place! We were there with two small children and were allowed to borrow all the snorkeling stuff from Joe. When we arrived we were really amazed by the beauty. The homes are wonderful, fire clean, and really perfect. The beds are huge and very comfortable. The kitchen has everything you need. The pool is wonderful, perfect temperature. We booked the first night immediately two nights and stayed five days in total. We really didn't want to leave. Don't forget to order pizza. We really enjoyed the American vegetarian pizza with pesto for only $15. Best place in Costa Rica so far! Thank you!

We hebben echt genoten van het verblijf bij Joseph! We waren er met twee kleine kinderen en mochten alle snorkel spullen van Joe lenen. Toen we aankwamen waren we echt verbijsterd door de schoonheid. De woningen zijn prachtig, brandschoon en echt perfect. De bedden zijn reusachtig en zeer comfortabel. De keuken heeft alles wat je nodig hebt. Het zwembad is heerlijk, perfecte temperatuur. We hebben de eerste avond direct twee nachten bijgeboekt en zijn vijf dagen in totaal gebleven. We wilden echt niet vertrekken. Vergeet geen pizza te bestellen. We hebben voor slechts $15 echt genoten van de Amerikaanse vegetarische pizza met pesto. Beste plek in Costa Rica so far! Bedankt!

Me and my family stayed at Joseph's place for 3 nights ,i can say nothing else than the best ,Joseph is an awesome person ,on top of that we have had his pizza 🍕, the best in the whole Americas ,for us 10\10 highly recommended

An amazing place!! Very beautiful, clean and surrounded by nature

Un lugar increíble!! Muy hermoso, limpio y rodeado de naturaleza

Fishing beach resort has been a lovely place for us, we have gone 6 people with our dog and we have all been very happy with the house, everything very new and it seems that it has been done with love and effort, Joseph attended us very well, we could enjoy his New York - Chicago style pizza,  the tuna poke and fish tacos that prepared us and everything was delicious, the location  very private, listen to the monkeys , have contact with nature and be a few meters from the beach everything was wonderful, for  this we recommend this beautiful place without a doubt.

Playa de pesca resort ha sido un lugar encantador para nosotros, hemos ido 6 personas con nuestro perrito y todos hemos quedado muy contentos con la casa, todo muy nuevo y se nota que se ha hecho con amor y esfuerzo, Joseph nos atendió muy bien, pudimos disfrutar de su pizza al estilo New York - Chicago,  del tuna poke y de los fish tacos que nos preparó y todo fue delicioso, la ubicacion  muy privada, escuchar los monos , tener contacto con la naturaleza y estar a escasos metros de la playa todo fue una maravilla, por  esto recomendamos este precioso lugar sin lugar a duda.

Clean, spacious, and exceptionally comfortable, these new modern architecture homes enhance and elevate your stay when enjoying and exploring this incredible Mal Pais region of Costa Rica. The beautiful pool and lounge area are centrally located by the covered dining area where your host Joseph creates his fabulous pizzas as well as other notable.creations.. Joseph will also provide guidance on activities and suggest local dining options. You will find Joseph and his staff helpful, friendly and courteous. Pura Vida!

Joseph was an amazing host! We felt right at home and welcome. He even made us awesome homemade pizza in his brick oven! The property is beautiful. The pool is warm and inviting and positioned well to have sun and shade. The rooms are beautifully done with the proper amenities. The beds were comfortable with nice pillows. We enjoyed our private balconies attached to the room and the amazing jungle views. The property is steps away from the beach. Literally just across the road. Perfect for swimming in the day and enjoying a gorgeous Costa Rican sunset in the evening. I highly recommend this property especially if you’re a large group. On this trip it was just three of us, but we really enjoyed ourselves and had plenty of space. Very private and clean. The common area was a great place for a drink and conversing with other guests. We happened to be there during World Cup finals so it was pretty cool to enjoy it with other guests on the large screen TV. Thank you Joseph for a wonderfu

We were one of the first guests to stay at this brand new resort and we had a great stay.  Everything is brand new, clean and stylish.  The A/C works great and the unit provided everything we needed to be able to store and cook food at home; full size fridge and freezer, stove and oven.  The unit was well stocked with all of the necessary dishes and cookware needed provided.  The beach is very close, right across the street and you can hear the ocean from the resort.  There is a beautiful pool for guests on the premises.  Joey was an amazing host and provided great restaurant and activity suggestions.  We hired Joey and Javier to take us on a fishing trip while there and had a great time.  Caught numerous tuna!  That was one of the best parts of our stay there.  Joey made us delicious tuna poke from our catch and also made us great pizza in the onsite wood-fired pizza oven.  There is nothing that could be done to improve the experience and stay we had at this resort.  Highly recommend!

We felt lucky to have stayed at Playa Pesca! Away from the hustle and bustle of Playa Carmen, but close enough to get there whenever we wanted for shopping or dining. The new, Boutique Resort is Really Nice. The 3 Bedroom units are all the same. Outfitted with really comfortable beds and linens. Our private balcony with rocking chairs was enjoyable in the mornings while we drank coffee and listened to the river and sounds from the jungle. The kitchen was complete with everything we needed. We even had our own washer and dryer. The owner Joe was incredibly kind and accommodating. He even served us some fresh tuna that he caught from his boat! We enjoyed the quiet beaches in Malpais, walking distance from the resort. We all had a great time in the saltwater swimming pool, especially the kids. The market was less than a 5 minute walk and literally had everything we needed. The comfort and ease of everything during our stay was unbeatable. We will definitely be back to Playa Pesca!!

3BR Villa