Finally! A real mall in Costa Rica!

Home » Archives for March 2009

Finally! A real mall in Costa Rica!

March 31st, 2009 | Costa Rica - Best Shopping | 2 Comments »

When I first arrived to Costa Rica and people said, “Would you like to go to the mall?” I found what I was thinking is completely different than what they were thinking. I was thinking of a two or three story building with tons of stores and a movie theater. What they were thinking of was three mom and pop stores right next to each other in an outside plaza. So when someone told me about Escazu Multi Plaza Mall I thought it was just going to be another compilation of mom and pop shops. I was so pleasantly surprised when I arrived.

In the Multi Plaza you can find a wide variety of shops. On Read more

The Cost of Starting a Costa Rican Corporation

March 30th, 2009 | Costa Rica - Business, Costa Rica - Relocation | No Comments »

In counting the cost for starting a Costa Rican business, which is a necessity if you want to work in Costa Rica, there are many factors you need to take into account. The first of which, is finding a lawyer to help you get things set up.

If you do a quick internet search for lawyers in Costa Rica you will surely find a large number, and when asked for price quotes for starting a basic corporation, they will range from $300 to over $1000 dollars. You shouldn’t, however, have to pay more than $350 to establish a basic, bare-bones corporation.

The lawyer fees serve to register the name of your corporation, obtain tax books, and register your corporation at Read more

Working and Starting a Corporation in Costa Rica

March 27th, 2009 | Costa Rica - Business | No Comments »

Work, work, work! It is always on our minds. Costa Rica is a virtual paradise and this includes the permitting of foreigners to work in the country. Obviously as a foreigner we can’t work at a grocery store or a bank, but what you can do is start a corporation. If you have a certain skill and would like to charge for your services, you can setup a corporation in which your clients can pay for the services received. This, of course, is perfectly legal.

There are two main types of Costa Rican corporations: an Anonymous Society and a Limited Corporation. An Anonymous Society or S.A. in general is used starting a large business, like importing and selling Read more

Aparotel La Sabina in San Jose

March 24th, 2009 | Costa Rica - Places to Stay | No Comments »

“I love apartotels” is what I said after I had my first experience staying in one. I had never heard of anything like it before I arrived in Costa Rica. Basically they are little apartments inside a small hotel. These are a great way to live it up in Costa Rica or travel on a budget. Some apartotels offer free wifi , breakfast, kitchenets and much more. The price range for a room can range from $40 a night to $375 a night.

The first apartotel I stayed in (the name I can’t remember) had a nice king size bed and hot shower. It didn’t have any air-conditioning or Wifi in the rooms which was a big Read more

Tips for Gringos using Bus Travel in Costa Rica

March 22nd, 2009 | Costa Rica - Travel Tips | 1 Comment »

Buses are one of the most popular ways to travel around in Costa Rica, and most definitely the main form of transportation for Ticos. They are, in fact, a great way to travel! They are cheap, and reliable, meaning they always run, not that they always run on the same time!

When you travel by bus always make sure to head to your bus stop just a little early because a bus might arrive five minutes early and take off… or it might be five minutes late. When on a bus always keep your luggage with you or in your line of sight (preferably with you, but this isn’t always possible). Sometimes depending on how much luggage you Read more

GPS in Costa Rica… Why not try PPS?

March 19th, 2009 | Costa Rica - Culture, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | No Comments »

“Where in the world am I?” If you don’t have GPS this is a question you will be asking yourself time and again as you travel around Costa Rica. Costa Rica, like many foreign, countries doesn’t really have many street signs, especially out of town, so then the question arises: how do you find your way around?

We use a system developed in Costa Rica called PPS (People Positioning System). To use this system, if you have rented a car you will first need to pull over where you see a group of people standing around and ask. (Don’t worry, throughout Costa Rica you will be able to eventually find someone that speaks English.) In general most Read more

Moving to Costa Rica with Pets

March 18th, 2009 | Costa Rica - Relocation | No Comments »

If you’re planning on moving to Costa Rica and you want to bring your pets along it is important that you have all the correct paperwork in order. The following is the basics on what you need to do to bring your pets to Costa Rica. Before you come, however, it is best to check with the Association of Residents of Costa Rica to make sure that the rules haven’t change. (Get in touch with them no later than 3 weeks before you are set to arrive!)

Cats and dogs coming into Costa Rica do not need to be quarantined upon arrival. You do, however, need to make sure that you get a certificate from your vet that Read more

Retirement Tours in Costa Rica

March 15th, 2009 | Costa Rica - Business, Costa Rica - Relocation | 1 Comment »

George Lundquist is a retirement and relocation guide who knows what he is talking about. He spent a whole year researching Costa Rica from the States. He toured with Real Estate agents, he joined the ARCR. It was all helpful, he says, but it did not introduce him to what would eventually become his life in Costa Rica.

So now, George has developed tours to help real people relocate to Costa Rica. His no nonsense tours show people what it is like to live in Costa Rica. One of the reasons why George’s tours are so great is that he shares his firsthand experiences from living there.

He can answer the most common questions about the country: electricity, the cost Read more

Arenal rainforest reserve night time river adventure

March 12th, 2009 | Costa Rica - Adventure, Costa Rica - Family Friendly, Costa Rica - Gringo Favorite, Costa Rica - Must See or Do, The Best of Costa Rica | 3 Comments »

Arenal Reserve has much to offer for the adventurist, but one of my favorite activities is the night time rainforest raft tour. When I thought of doing this tour I expected to have several people with me, as we sat waiting at my hotel I saw several busses of people going off to their adventures. Pretty soon after a van with a raft in tow pulled in, I realized my group would be the only one going on this adventure.

On the way to our location we came to realize right away that our tour guide spoke pretty good English. We arrived at the river and loaded the raft into the water. Very quickly day turned into night Read more

Volunteer Teaching English in Costa Rica

March 10th, 2009 | Costa Rica - Business | 2 Comments »

A year ago Costa Rican president Óscar Arias Sánchez announced the Costa Rica Multilingüe program, with its goal of having all high school graduates in Costa Rica speak English by the year 2017. (Currently only approximately 10% of Costa Ricans speak fluent English.)

A year later the program has called for some adjustments, with one of the major focuses being the improvement of the quality of English speakers.

The Casa Presidencial has decided to enlist the help of English speaking volunteers to train adult Costa Ricans who are learning English. With some 33.500 residents from the United States, Britain, and Canada living in Costa Rica, the program has an expansive resource at their fingertips.

The program is voluntary, and Read more