Apparently this new store will be opened in downtown San Jose. It’s hard to imagine that this novelty will be anything but warmly welcomed by Costa Ricans and those of us who miss our Venti White Chocolate Latte or Peppermint Mocha Latte. Starbucks already buys coffee from Costa Rica so it’s only natural that they would open a store here eventually.

When is the much awaited date? May 2012. Starbucks has close to 11, 000 stores in the US and over 6, 000 international locations. In my opinion, this coffee industry giant will continue to grow and probably continue to add locations in the future. As exciting as this is, I don’t think I’ll visit this new shop more than once. Why? Mostly because I live four hours away but also, unlike the United States, you can find good coffee anywhere in Costa Rica and you don’t have to pay $5 bucks to get it.  One of my favorite places to get coffee in San Jose is actually El Tostador. This place has really good quality hot and iced coffee. So if you’re not a Starbucks fan you still have plenty of options in San Jose and all around the country to get a great cup of coffee.

On a positive note, since the opening of their first international store in Tokyo 16 years ago, Starbucks has prided themselves on adapting to and honoring the culture of each place that they expand to. It won’t be long before you can get your Grande, skinny caramel macchiato, just the way you like it. Get ready Costa Rica! It’s time to start learning Starbucks lingo!

Excited about Starbucks? Let us know. Know of another great coffee house? Please tell us.

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 exchange currency also. Usually I recommend you only change about $20 here and change the rest in the bank where you’ll get a better rate. The truth is that SJO is your typical airport.

Once you make your way out you come to this lobby with a large glass window. On either side are doors that lead outside. Large crowds of people wait pressed up against the large window, waiting to catch a glimpse of their expected guest. Outside orange cabs belong to the airport. These are super expensive but safe. Still further outside red cabs will offer a slightly cheaper ride, also safe.

Daniel Oduber Airport in Liberia (LIR), Guanacaste is completely different and like nothing I’ve ever seen. This airport is small. Usually one flight lands or departs at a time. Driving past it I never realized how small it truly is. There is a modern-looking structure that deceives you into thinking this isn’t a tiny airport. Upon a closer look you’ll notice the modern part of this airport is not yet open, even though it appears completely finished. Next to this modern structure is what appears to be the hangar where the wright brothers must’ve kept their first prototype. There are never a whole lot of people there and it doesn’t take long to get through security and on the plane. Here you actually have to walk on the runway up to the plane and board via steps, just like the president boards Air Force One in all the movies.

Once you’ve been through immigration, baggage claim and customs you step out into the crowd and find your way to your host, a red cab or a local bus that pulls right up to the exit.

Usually SJO is cheaper due to more airlines flying there but Jet Blue started offering direct flights from JFK to LIR at a cheap price back in November. Even from January 22 to 31 you can still fly one-way from JFK to LIR or vice versa for $139. In February you can find flights for as little as $155 one-way and as much as $710 one –way.

Share your experiences at Costa Rican airports in our comments section.

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 permanent residency read “How to attain legal status in Costa Rica”

Though initially the article claimed that gas cost near $14 was completely inaccurate (and since corrected), the section on the cost of food I find to be very accurate. The thing is, when it comes to cost of food or living it really comes down to what you want and how you want to live. Certain things we may be used to, like cheddar cheese, are ridiculously expensive but the local cheese at $4.50 per kilo may be enough to satisfy your cheese needs. It really comes down to this: Costa Rica is as expensive as you let it be.

The New York Times article takes a different sort of approach. This is centered on a family who settles down in good ole Guanacaste and builds a home. Most of the article is about the actual building of the home and its architecture. There are great pointers for those who want to build a home here. The area where this family settled is considered prime real estate which is why the land was so expensive but if you look you can definitely find a better fit for your budget. For suggestions on buying land in Costa Rica read “Costa Rica Land: The rules of Engagement”.

Costa Rica is getting a lot of buzz and attention. Have you been thinking about moving? Well move fast before someone else beats you to the punch.

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 that has successfully been raised in captivity.

Babies and other injured sloths are cared for at the Slothspital. There is a nursery, examination room, laundry rooms and a restaurant quality kitchen. The staff prepare nutritious meals for the sloths and give them physical therapy, potty training, and a weekly bath. Volunteers can assist with the many chores around the sanctuary and vet students may volunteer and assist the resident vet with any examination or procedure.  Volunteers stay a minimum of 14 nights up to four weeks at the sanctuary lodging facility. Meals and hours of funtime with the sloths are all included in the $350 per week.

What if you can’t volunteer? Visit! A day trip to the sanctuary is packed with fun and learning. A tour includes a tour of the facilities and a canoe trip down the Estrella River. Take pictures and memories to last you a life time after a visit to the Sloth Sanctuary. If you fall in love with Buttercup, Millie or a little baby sloth you can adopt a sloth and provide for a year’s worth of sloth care.

Have Judy Arroyo’s efforts gone unnoticed? Not by a long shot. The Aviarios Sloth Sanctuary was featured in Animal Planet’s Too Cute! Baby Sloths. Your heart will melt at the sight of their cute little faces.

Love Sloths? Tell us all about it in our comments section

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 low 80s Fahrenheit. The highlands and most of Cartago in the central valley can get very cold, especially at night sometimes going down into the high 50s.

Zona Sur and Caribbean

The Zona Sur has a varied landscape. There are highlands and valleys so the weather changes a little. This area is mostly warm but it is not an intense heat like Guanacaste or Limon. Many people feel like the heat in zona sur is easily bearable usually staying in the 80s.

Limon is very humid and hot. Personally I dislike this weather completely. My hair gets frizzy and I’m constantly thirsty. Some people like it though. Usually in the high 80s and low 90s this is good beach weather all year round.

Guanacaste

The weather here is mostly hot. Some areas like Hojancha and Tilaran are cool and windy. Most of Guanacaste, especially the coast, stays around the low 90s. The heat is mostly dry and it’s very bearable.

All over Costa Rica, December is the coolest month of the year. Even though it’s the start of the dry season or summer, December is very windy and feels like perfect weather.

Want to check today’s weather? Click here.

Not sure what to pack? Ask questions or make suggestions in our comments section.

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. After a quick look we headed over to the store attached to the factory. At the store we saw the widest variety of cheese we’ve ever seen in one place since we moved here and the ice cream parlor in the store is the best we’ve been to here. My personal favorite is the Coffee, macadamia and coconut milkshake. And no, they do not charge extra for the third flavor. Awesome.

But who wants to drive on a bumpy, rocky, winding road all the way to Monteverde just for cheese and ice cream. The answer is that you don’t have to. Most supermarkets will at least have some Monteverde goodies on hand. The best option, aside from the factory, is a visit to the Monteverde restaurant along highway 1 on the way to Guanacaste. Pricey meals prepared with delicious Monteverde products are the order of the day at this restaurant/ice cream parlor, and well worth the price.

Many towns have their very own little Monteverde Ice cream parlors where you can get your Monteverde fix. I usually get mine at Heladeria Monteverde in Liberia. The ice cream is rich and creamy and the best ice cream I’ve ever had in Costa Rica.

Is Monteverde your favorite? Have another local ice cream favorite? Leave a comment!

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 great for swimming and the water is calm enough that families with small children feel safe playing in it.

Carrillo is very much an old beach town. There’s barely anything around. No restaurants, few hotels, few people. Most of the time, you’ll only see locals hanging out in Carrillo. No vendors hassling tourists to buy their jewelry, boat rides or whatever else they’re selling. Maybe a copo guy or two, selling snow cones for $2.

Affordable Accommodations

Most people who decide to stay in Carrillo stay in cabinas. These tend to be large studio apartments with plenty of beds, a bathroom, kitchen counter and sink and maybe a fridge.  Cabinas are meant to be shared by large groups of people, so they usually turn out to be really cheap. Some are more like small apartments with cable and appliances. These can cost around $300-$400 a month and even less for a week or two, although usually the longer you stay the cheaper it is in the long run.

Check out a list of cabinas in the area here.

Carrillo is a really cool place to vacation because you can be far away from civilization and yet 10 minutes away from the supermarket, restaurants and surfing in Samara. Realistically, everything gets crowded over the holidays but the crowds in Carrillo pale in comparison to the throngs of tourists in popular towns like Jaco and Tamarindo. You won’t have the nightlife or the luxury, but you’ll have peace and quiet and a great vacation!

Have you visited Carrillo? Know of any other great spots for holiday vacation? Tell us in our comments section!

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 only requires ₵5 000 or $30.

It’s a pretty simple process. Take all of this to the bank and you got yourself a bank account. You can choose which bank to enroll with. Personally I prefer Banco de Costa Rica. Although Banco Nacional seems to be in a few more places like the smaller towns, I have never been able to use any foreign ATM card in their ATMs.

One of the advantages of having a Costa Rican bank account is the ability to pay all your bills online. If you only have a foreign account you have to go to an authorized establishment to pay your bills with cash. It’s a real pain. But if you have a local bank account you just click and pay. Easy peasy.

If you are applying for residency as a retiree, odds are you’ll need a CR bank account. Whether you deposit $60,000 at one time or $1,000 a month, having your money in a Costa Rican bank account will minimize your fees from frequent ATM withdrawals. You could even register this account with your PayPal account. You will still face a fee somewhere but you won’t nearly as much as if you regularly make trips to the ATM.

Save yourself the trouble, make your life just a little easier and probably cheaper. Open a CR bank account. It’s easy as pie.

Questions, suggestions or just feel like chatting? leave a comment

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 couple more activities and a little more salt and pepper would do wonders to elevate this resort.

There are three restaurants on the resort. Los Corales is a buffet style restaurant open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  The food is mostly good. Not great, good. Restaurant  La Trattoria is an Italian restaurant with a good menu and good food. La Cantina is a Mexican style restaurant that has also received great reviews. Both la Cantina and la Trattoria are only open for dinner on certain days of the week during the low season and every night during the high season.  In between meals you can visit the snack bar. There isn’t a lot of variety but enough to hold  you over until your next meal.

A highlight of our stay at the hotel was a  boat trip to nearby Nacascol Beach. This secluded white sand beach is excellent for picking shells and walking on the beach appreciating the wildlife. You can see plenty of fish in the water and hear packs of howler monkeys in the trees, as well as badgers looking for food. The water is clear and shallow. Both Nacascol and the resort are located on the Papagayo Gulf so there are no waves but the water is still very pleasant.  Activities like snorkeling and kayaking are also very enjoyable here.

Value.  If you get a really good deal, then this is a great place to visit. This particular resort is not worth its four star price.  If you are willing to pay four star prices then your money would be better spent at Occidental Grand Papagayo or Four Seasons Papagayo.

After reading other reviews we prepared ourselves for the worst but were pleasantly surprised by the great service and fun activities. Our time there was enjoyable. Was yours? If you have any stories to share please leave a comment!

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 resident at some point, that means you’ll end up having to import your car. Import costs can be totally ridiculous. On newer cars the import tax is almost as much as the retail value of the car. This is usually not worth the trouble. To find out how much your car would pay on import taxes check the AutoValor Cartica feature on the Ministerio de Hacienda website.

So at this point you’re probably thinking you should buy a car here. That conjures up more questions. The first thing to realize is that cars are much more expensive here than they are in the US.  Prepare yourself to cough up more money than you think. A car worth $9, 000 or $ 10, 000 in the states is worth at least $ 15,000 here.  That’s why most ticos have cars from the 90s or older.

How do I find a car? When we started looking for a car we found CRAutos.com to be amazingly helpful. You can also look on Craigslist, encuentra24.com and ticocarros.com. The classifieds in the newspaper is a useful tool also. These tools will usually lead to individual sellers but some dealers advertise here too.  Though some are more comfortable buying from a dealer, it is usually cheaper to buy from an individual. Most of the time sellers are very willing to negotiate so long as you make them a fair offer.

You found the perfect car. Then what? Have it looked at by a trusted mechanic. Have the lawyer check if the title is clean. If all checks out then you and the seller go to your lawyer to sign the paperwork. Have it inspected at Riteve. Click here for locations. Pay your marchamo and you’re good to go!

Take a sigh of relief as that headache fades away! There is some legwork involved and you do have to be wise when choosing a lawyer, mechanic and seller to buy from but don’t overcomplicate the situation. Find a car you love, buy it, inspect it and slap a marchamo on it. It’s that simple.

To share your own experiences buying a car in Costa Rica, if you have any questions or suggestions, leave a comment! I’d love to hear what you have to say.