The Costa Rica Gringo

Where Do I Fly Into?

January 26th, 2012 | Costa Rica - Relocation, Costa Rica - Tourist Trap, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | No Comments »

Well, there aren’t that many options. You can either fly into Liberia or San Jose.

Juan Santamaria Aiport (SJO) is commonly known as the San Jose airport even though it’s actually located in Alajuela. Traffic through this airport is not bad and getting from the plane, through immigration, baggage claim and customs hardly ever takes more than a half an hour.

The airport is not small but not large by any means either. There are many duty free shops and restaurants like Burger King, Schotlkys, Papa John’s and Cinnabon. Café Britt also has souvenir shops at the airport which often offer discounts for bulk purchases. If you need to rent a vehicle you can do that too and Read more

Costa Rica Retirement in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times

January 9th, 2012 | Costa Rica - Investment, Costa Rica - News, Costa Rica - Relocation, Costa Rica - Travel Tips, The Best of Costa Rica | No Comments »

Costa Rica has become quite the topic of conversation. So much so, that last December there were two articles written about retiring to Costa Rica.

The first in The Wall Street Journal recanted the experiences of two retirees as they planned and consequently moved to Costa Rica. Some interesting points were made here. An important point is the need for planning before moving here. However, I think one of the most important steps in planning may have been overlooked by the writer, Vicki Berrong. The process of applying for residency can be started before you even step foot on Costa Rica. If you start before you move this can actually make the process easier. For more information on Read more

Save the Sloth! Visit the Aviarios Sloth Sanctuary

January 5th, 2012 | Costa Rica - Adventure, Costa Rica - Family Friendly, Costa Rica - Must See or Do | No Comments »

Slow down and have a look around at Costa Rica’s cutest little creatures. Sloths usually ‘hang around’ the Caribbean coast in Costa Rica. Sometimes sloths end up hanging around the wrong places like power lines and are either hurt or fall victims to humans and other animals. Many of these are rescued and nursed back to health at the Slothiest place on Earth, Aviarios Sloth Sanctuary in Limon.

Operated by Judy Arroyo for nearly twenty years, Sloth Sanctuary has saved many a sloth baby. The first baby, who started this whole thing, was little Buttercup. She was brought to Judy as a baby over twenty years ago and has now grown to be the longest living sloth Read more

Everything you need to know about Costa Rica Weather.

December 21st, 2011 | Costa Rica - Travel Tips | No Comments »

I forgot my sweater! Arrgh! As we drive through San Ramon, I start feeling the chilly mountain air coming down and start rifling through my bag only to find I forgot my sweater…again.

Living in Guanacaste I’m used to the hot weather and I never need a sweater. Seasons are pretty much the same everywhere. It’s hot and dry from December to May and it’s rainy and humid from June to November but temperatures vary by region. Costa Rica may be small but the weather changes quite a bit from one area to the other.

The Central Valley

This area includes Alajuela, San Jose, Heredia and Cartago. For the most part the Central Valley stays around high 70s and Read more

Trip to the Monteverde Cheese Factory!

December 15th, 2011 | Costa Rica - Gringo Favorite, Costa Rica - Must See or Do, Costa Rica - Places to Eat | No Comments »

Great ice cream is hard to find in Costa Rica and great cheese is even harder to find. Monteverde is the answer to our cheese and ice cream deficiency problem.

Established by Quakers in the early 50’s, the Monteverde factory is where all the creamy lactose goodness comes from. In 1954, Monteverde factory was the first to produce pasteurized cheese in Costa Rica thus setting the tone for the quality and originality that continue to characterize Monteverde products.

If you plan a visit to Monteverde, a tour of the cheese factory is a must. We watched from the other side of a large glass window as the cream and milk were churned and slowly turned into wonderful cheese. Read more

Two Great Reasons Why You Should Visit Playa Carrillo!

November 28th, 2011 | Costa Rica - Family Friendly, Costa Rica - Gringo Favorite, Costa Rica - Places to Stay, Costa Rica - Travel Tips, The Best of Costa Rica | No Comments »

As the holidays approach everyone is planning their winter holiday vacations. What’ll it be this year? Arenal, Jaco, Witch’s Rock, Puerto Viejo? Sure you could try to enjoy the overcrowded beaches and packed tourist spots or you could go where the locals go.

Although Playa Samara in Nicoya, Guanacaste is mostly frequented by locals, it does get its fair share of foreign visitors itching to ride the waves. Only 10 minutes away, neighboring beach Carrillo is a totally different story.

Clean, Lonely beach.

Carrillo is actually in the neighboring county of Hojancha so the beach itself is much cleaner. There are trash cans and signs everywhere reminding you and everyone else to keep Carrillo clean. The waves are Read more

How to open your very own Costa Rican bank account

November 17th, 2011 | Costa Rica - Travel Tips | No Comments »

Fees, fees, fees. We’re all familiar with the high international fees and ATM fees were charged every time we take money out of our American bank accounts. How can you avoid losing half your money on fees? The answer may be very simple. Open your very own Costa Rican Bank Account!

How? Here’s the breakdown.

Passport, residency permit or permanent residency card
Proof of residency (water, power, internet or other bill with your physical address on it)
Fill out and sign application form
Deposit the minimum amount for the account you want. If you want an account with Banco de Costa Rica you need to deposit a minimum of ₵50 000 or $500. Banco Nacional

All-inclusive, is it worth it? An inside look at Occidental Allegro Papagayo.

November 7th, 2011 | Costa Rica - Family Friendly, Costa Rica - Places to Eat, Costa Rica - Places to Stay, Costa Rica - Tourist Trap, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | No Comments »

Our hearts were filled with fear and excitement all at the same time. We were headed to the Occidental Allegro Papagayo All-inclusive Resort. Our stay there was a gift from our family. As we read the reviews online, our hearts sank. There were horrible horror stories and also stories of lovely vacations. We were so confused we didn’t know what to think.

The truth. The rooms are nice and comfortable. They are large, clean, air conditioned and they have hot water. The view from our third floor room was amazing. We had a great view of the pool, the beach and the forest surrounding the resort. Everything needs a little updating. A nice coat of paint, a Read more

Costa Rica Cars: How to buy a car

October 27th, 2011 | Costa Rica - Best Shopping, Costa Rica - Business, Costa Rica - Investment, Costa Rica - Relocation, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | No Comments »

Ahhh! What a headache it can be to just think about buying a car in Costa Rica. Between simply finding a car, a lawyer, rtv, marchamo, and deciding whether to buy from a dealer or an individual you may think bringing your own car may be simpler. The truth is it probably isn’t simpler.

If you don’t have residency yet and you leave Costa Rica every three months then bringing your car may work out for you, for a while. So long as you are on a tourist visa your car will be attached to that visa, meaning when you leave the country that car needs to leave with you. However if you are planning on becoming a Read more

ICE Costa Rica, Your One Stop Shop

October 20th, 2011 | Costa Rica - Relocation, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | No Comments »

ICE Costa Rica for Electricity

ICE stands for Costa Rican Institute of Electricity. However, ICE is way more than just an electric company. It’s THE electric company and the largest, most widely used telecommunications company in Costa Rica.

When it comes to electricity, you have no choice, ICE will be your electric provider. The service is good and mostly stable. There are some power outages, mostly scheduled ones. It is a good idea to purchase a UPS to protect valuables like computers and tvs since the voltage output varies enough to potentially damage them.

ICE Costa Rica for Internet

As an internet provider I think that ICE is pretty solid. In our home we have both cable internet Read more

Where Do I Fly Into?

Costa Rica Retirement in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times

Save the Sloth! Visit the Aviarios Sloth Sanctuary

Everything you need to know about Costa Rica Weather.

Trip to the Monteverde Cheese Factory!

Two Great Reasons Why You Should Visit Playa Carrillo!

How to open your very own Costa Rican bank account

All-inclusive, is it worth it? An inside look at Occidental Allegro Papagayo.

Costa Rica Cars: How to buy a car

ICE Costa Rica, Your One Stop Shop

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