Costa Rica is famous for its beaches, volcanoes, rain forests, etc. However, if there is one place you should definitely visit in Costa Rica, it is the Central Avenue in San Jose. The Central Avenue is a pedestrian walkway that stretches through all downtown San Jose. Walking down the Central Avenue you will find many historic buildings reflecting the architecture of the late 1800′s and early 1900′s.
One of the main attractions sits across from the Central Plaza, where artists gather to sell their work, and people sit on benches to feed the many kinds of birds as the day goes by. This building is The National Theater of Costa Rica. This ornate opera house Read more
Real estate investment in Costa Rica is quite a project, but by keeping a couple of helpful tips in mind you can successfully venture jump through all the hoops and end up purchasing your own little plot of land in paradise.
In recent years more and more fradulent real estate dealings and investment scams. Therefore, it is important to keep your wits about you and don’t give anyone the benefit of the doubt. Many foreigners come to Costa Rica expecting things to run just as smoothly as they do in the States when it comes to business dealings, and sadly, that’s just not they way it is down here.
So, how can you protect yourself from being subject to a Read more
The amount of time I could spend talking about the things you should or shouldn’t do when thinking of relocating are endless. I have been trying to shorten my list to include a few essential do’s and don’t’s for those considering making the move to Costa Rica. Here is what I have come up with.
DO take your time in deciding where you want your home in Costa Rica to be. (Or if you want to stay here permanently at all… this is not something to rush into.)
DON’T buy the first piece of land or first house you see.
DO Rent a place in that area before you buy!
DON’T expect things to be the same as they are
Planning a vacation to Costa Rica? I strongly recommend going with a villa or vacation home rental as opposed to a hotel or an all inclusive and here’s why:
Vacation Villas offer a more private vacation experience.
Villas accomodate larger groups and families better than hotels.
When split among a group a villa rental is a more economic option than multiple hotel rooms.
If you get a villa rental with a pool, you don’t have to share it!
With a villa or vacation rental you can do your own cooking in the kitchen. (Some vacation villa rentals offer an all-inclusive package, for those who don’t like to cook.)
Vacation villa rentals are more secure since no one is entering into
Most of what we do in a bed is sleep. Yet we all know how hard it can be to find the right kind of mattress. Though mattresses are cheap in Costa Rica it is not going to be any easier finding a bed here than it is in the United States.
For example when you buy a bed here in Costa Rica you will find that it comes covered in plastic that they use to ship the mattress. I would recommend not removing the plastic from the bed after you purchase it. The reason is when you buy a frame in the United States normally there are metal cross bars that hold your bed up. In Costa Rica instead Read more
Sometimes you may find that it is the little things you miss when you come to Costa Rica. One thing I missed terribly when I moved to Costa Rica was bed sheets. Though you are able to find bed sheets at low reasonable prices the material used is different than what I am use to. I even paid for custom made sheets just to find that they felt stiff and like plastic.
The best way that I can think to explain it is that bed sheets in Costa Rica are made of a material that feels like window drapes. This may not be true in San Jose but for your smaller communities you will probably find that this is Read more
Now just may be the time to visit Costa Rica, if you can manage to make the trip that is. The economy is on a down-turn everywhere, including Costa Rica, making your vacation even more affordable. If you have been saving up to take a trip, now is the time to do it!
If you watch ticket prices at all, check out the fares on www.kayak.com, www.cheaptickets.com, www.orbitz.com and even www.expedia.com (which in my opinion never has that great of prices). All the fares are down a large percentage from what they were last year at this time. Everyone is trying to make the sale, even if that means lowering prices way down.
Ask around in the expat community, there are plenty of gyms to choose from in Costa Rica. If you want to just pump some iron, then look around the barrio, more than likely you will find a small gym without any cardio equipment, just some free weights and benches, no membership fees and all the sweaty buff Ticos the place can hold. (Not suggested for women looking to get fit!)
If you’re like me though, you need more motivation than just looking at other guys with muscles twice the size of yours flex in the mirror. I need the energy found in large commercial gyms with trainers, good looking women barely breaking a sweat on treadmills, and TV screens on Read more
When I arrived to Costa Rica, I saw a lot of signs on various businesses that state “Express” or in Spanish “Domicilio” which means service at your door. In the United States, express generally denotes speed. Yet, in Costa Rica this word means delivery.
There is a wide variety of items that can be delivered in Costa Rica. One of my favorite services, other than pizza delivery, that I can regularly take advantage of is is Dry Cleaning. Though I have heard of others having issues with dry cleaning companies such as; damaged clothes and lost items. I, on the other hand, have never experienced any problems.
What I have found is that since many do not use the dry Read more
If you are visiting Costa Rica before you decide to make a move a great way to experience the country is traveling like the locals. This means that you will be spending a lot of time on busses or walking. Fortunately there is another affordable alternative for those who wish to have a more comfortable experience: Adobe rent-a-car.
If you are like me maybe you have never heard of Adobe but they are as trustable as any other rent-a-car company. They offer a wide variety of cars, suvs and vans. I myself was able to get a Mitsubishi Lancer for fifty dollars a day. The car itself was not in the greatest condition, having many signs of wear but Read more
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