The Costa Rica Gringo

Bring a Dehumidifier to Costa Rica – Keep Mold at Bay!

July 2nd, 2009 | Costa Rica - Best Shopping, Costa Rica - Relocation | 6 Comments »

When I first got to Costa Rica many foreigners told me that I needed to buy a dehumidifier. I didn’t really see the importance since I was home a lot at first and I didn’t notice any problems with mold. Then one week I left for only four days and upon arriving back home I found mold had grown on all my clothes, wood, couches and basically anything made of cloth. After that I decided to get myself a dehumidifier and it has been a life saver and a killer.

One reason I love the dehumidifier is I noticed when I mopped the house the water would not dry on the floors, now with the dehumidifier I don’t have

Finding a Good Comfortable Bed in Costa Rica

June 30th, 2009 | Costa Rica - Best Shopping, Costa Rica - Business, Costa Rica - Culture, Costa Rica - Relocation, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | No Comments »

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 Read more

Bed Sheets and Feeling at Home in Costa Rica

June 29th, 2009 | Costa Rica - Business, Costa Rica - Relocation, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | 1 Comment »

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 Read more

My Favorite Pizza in the San Jose Area

June 25th, 2009 | Costa Rica - Gringo Favorite, Costa Rica - Places to Stay | 1 Comment »

Want to get out for the night and eat out somewhere other than your typical haunts in San Jose? Head east to San Pedro, to La Posada de la Pizza in the Calle Real commercial center.

La Posada de la Pizza, which translates Pizza Inn, not to be confused with Pizza Hut, serves up all your traditional Italian and pizza restaurant favorites: pastas, calzones, salads, and of course, specialty coffees and homemade desserts.

If you are looking for real delicious pizza, then I suggest coming to this place. Toppings include your traditional pepperoni, ham, bacon, mushrooms, pineapple, and olives, but also extend to coconut, fresh tomato, ground beef and salami. There are a number of vegetarin options, including a Read more

American Football Comes to Costa Rica

June 23rd, 2009 | Costa Rica - Family Friendly, Costa Rica - Gringo Favorite, Costa Rica - Must See or Do | 8 Comments »

Congrats to Season 1 of American Football in Costa Rica. That’s right folks, no longer is American Football only played by a large group of American expats on the beach, there is actually a Costa Rica Federation of American Football (ACFA). It’s amazing how the times are changing!

The season officially began for the American Foodtball league in Costa Rica back in March 2009, when the first game was held on a Sunday afternoon. However, the teams started training much earlier than that.

The league is made of up 6 teams and 80% of the members are Ticos. The teams started training for that Sunday in March back in October of 2008. Unlike American football, the Costa Rican version Read more

Costa Rica Bus Schedule

June 21st, 2009 | Costa Rica - Travel Tips | 1 Comment »

Having a bus schedule at the tips of your fingers can be a pretty handy thing. It doesn’t mean the buses will actually leave on time, but at least it gives you a ballpark figure to aim for so that you can be on time for the bus departure or arrival.

The Horario de Buses is an electronic schedule for bus, train and ship arrivals and departures. It also contains a list of shipping points.

For the schedules visit Horariodebuses.com

Cheap Airline Tickets Means a Vacation!

June 19th, 2009 | Costa Rica - Business, Costa Rica - News, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | No Comments »

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.

I saw Read more

Arenal Volcano on Level 3 – Yellow Alert

June 16th, 2009 | The Best of Costa Rica | No Comments »

She’s gonna blow!!!

Well… maybe a little more than she normally does.

Friday scientists from the University of Costa Rica and the Costa Rican Electricity Institute raised the volcanic alert of the Arenal Volcano from 2b to 3, on a 4 level scale.

Level 3, which is the yellow alert, means that in the 10 days, or weeks/months to follow there is a high possiblity of eruption or strong changes in the eruption patterns. Right now changes in the volcanic process are to be expected, which could result in an eruption or damaging rock and lava flows, are reported in The Tico Times.

Since about March scientists have been monitoring an increase in vapor explosions, which have continued for Read more

Getting Fit at the Fitsimons Gym in San Jose

June 15th, 2009 | Costa Rica - Business, Costa Rica - Gringo Favorite, Costa Rica - Relocation | No Comments »

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 Read more

Leaving a Tip in Costa Rica

June 11th, 2009 | Costa Rica - Culture, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | 1 Comment »

Travelers to Costa Rica are often informed that hotels and restaurants add a percentage (usually 10%) onto your bill which serves as the tip for the employees. Technically, this is true. A 10% fee is usually added onto the end of your bill as gratuity and technically once you’ve paid your bill, you’ve paid the tip.

However, what you may not be told is that the tip you are leaving isn’t going straight to the waitress or the maid. It is getting split up amongst all the employees – the cook, the busboy, and even upper management! So, while your waitress will get some sort of a tip for her hard work in running back and forth from your Read more

Bring a Dehumidifier to Costa Rica – Keep Mold at Bay!

Finding a Good Comfortable Bed in Costa Rica

Bed Sheets and Feeling at Home in Costa Rica

My Favorite Pizza in the San Jose Area

American Football Comes to Costa Rica

Costa Rica Bus Schedule

Cheap Airline Tickets Means a Vacation!

Arenal Volcano on Level 3 – Yellow Alert

Getting Fit at the Fitsimons Gym in San Jose

Leaving a Tip in Costa Rica

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