Costa Rica-Real Estate Condos for sale in Guanacaste

If you wonder about one of the nicest and most impressive things about Costa Rica: food. Since Costa Rica is one the country with most cultural diversity due to the many immigrants from all over the world, Costa Rica cuisine is something worth to explore when coming here. Not only it is possible to actually food from all over the world, but also the regular tico dishes have interesting twists due to the variety of nationalities involved. A traditional Costa Rican recipe can also be found to have a whole different way to be prepared from town to town, meaning that you can never taste the same thing twice while visiting and that makes the whole trip even better if you ask me.

In Costa Rica, food prices vary depending on your location and what type of ingredients you need. The main ingredients on any typical meal are rice and beans: you will need them for your gallo pinto in the morning or for your casado at lunch. Traditional Costa Rican food has lots of vegetables like chayotes and vainicas, they also use lots of carrots, corn and potatoes; most of these ingredients will be combined on a huge pot with steamed beef and it will create a killer Olla de Carne which is a very delicious soup.

One of my favorite things to have for breakfast is the Tortilla de queso: a huge corn tortilla filled with home made cheese fried on a regular comalito that, from what I’ve seen is an iron flat pan that has made too many tortillas, that’s probably where the flavor comes from. Costa Rica also has many international choices; you can find a Thai food restaurant as easy as finding a grocery store. People in Costa Rica know food and they eat everything from sushi to kosher food, Brazilian rodizio or Turkish dishes and they all know how to eat it and where it comes from. This is a side of Costa Rica culture that amazes me; they like to learn everything, very well educated people.

If you are coming here, do not worry about finding a nice place to eat, Costa Rica has plenty of choices for every taste, yet, my experience has taught me that it is nicer to come and try traditional meals, one of the many beauties Costa Rica has to offer.

Whenever you are planning on investing on any real estate market there are certain things you should consider, including good research. In Costa Rica, real estate opportunities are everywhere and anywhere. Depending on what type of location you are location you are looking for whether it is a small town home or a beach condo, Costa Rica has something for every taste.

The availability for real estate in Costa Rica increases everyday and there is something for every budget; small town houses, apartments, villas, penthouses and much more. In my case, I own a nice villa in the Guanacaste area. This location gives me the possibility to drive to most beaches, some natural reservations and is only 45 minutes away from the Daniel Oduber airport in Liberia. If I had a dime for every time someone has contacted me to see if I rent it…this place is magnificent and I have absolutely no regrets about moving here. The peace and relaxation I get just from breathing the clean air every day is just priceless. It is also very common to find land for sale in Costa Rica and I have been planning on investing on a few square meters closer to the ocean, make a nice housing project and earn myself a few bucks.

In Costa Rica, real estate for sale can be found either through a real estate agency (which is easier) or just driving around the location you are interested in and look for properties sold by the owners themselves, cutting the middlemen from the deal (which is cheaper). The most expensive properties in Costa Rica are mostly near the beaches and close to highly developed areas such as Escazu and Santa Ana in San Jose. Another place that has become a favorite in real estate listings in Costa Rica is the Heredia mountain side like Monte de la Cruz, or even San Jose de la Montaña where the views area so stunning, people are going crazy for it. Costa Rica real estate is getting bigger, so I would say that this is the time for you to look for a nice Costa Rica home at a reasonable price, before prices skyrocket.

To get the best information, always try to find people that have gone ahead and tried to relocate in Costa Rica, talk to different real estate agencies and make a list of exactly what you are looking for, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding a nice Costa Rica property to enjoy.

Usually, when you first arrive in Costa Rica, transportation is something you probably already planned out: either an arranged transfer, a friend to pick up you, or perhaps you just plan on taking a cab once you pass customs. Well, I have decided to put together a quick “transportation in Costa Rica” guide for newcomers. Hope this helps you out a bit:

First of all, you should know that in Costa Rica, public transportation is as reliable as it is in the U.S, in some cases even more; with the exception of some areas that are very secluded, you can get anywhere by bus. This is a small country, therefore, in Costa Rica, ground transportation is a very reliable and rather fast way of getting around. Let’s take a look:

• Public buses: They are anywhere and everywhere. Costa Rica has buses to get to most places arriving and departing all day long. In San Jose, Costa Rica transportation becomes a circus, especially in the down town area. The only thing you should be aware of is that, down town, there are a lot of robberies, so don’t leave your stuff unattended no matter what. The Mercado de la Coca Cola is the designated bus stop to get to most beaches, since there are a lot of tourists and local travelers with luggage, robbers are common. Just keep your eyes open and your stuff with you and you should be okay. In Costa Rica, travel can be easy, but like anywhere else, you need to be careful.
• Train: This is one of the most interesting and nice things in San Jose. Costa Rica has had this train for many years. About 20 years ago they closed it and after several discussions, they open the train services up again to help with the traffic jams issues. They train only works to cross San Jose from side to side and their schedule is only from Monday through Friday, yet the thing I like and amazes me the most is that they use the exact same carts they have since the seventies, so its like taking a ride to the past. Make sure to you ride it at least once.
• Taxi cabs: These are tricky: the ones set for airport transportation are orange and the drivers wear uniform; the taxi cabs anywhere else are red. Make sure you can see their taxi cab license on the side doors, shown as big yellow inverted triangles with their number. Do not get into any other taxi if it is not licensed, in Costa Rica, there is what they call “piratas” and they will take advantage of you for being a tourist.
• Costa Rica transfers: These have to be set up by your specialized Costa Rica travel agency; they are a bit more expensive but will get you to your destination fast and easy.
• Internal flights: Cheap, fast and reliable. Costa Rica flights go to Quepos, Guanacaste, Golfito and Arenal so this will make things easier for you since you can arrive to most places in 30 minutes. By land, it could take you about 4 hours.

I hope this quick guide to Costa Rica transportation helps a little. If you need more info don’t hesitate to comment, I will try and help as much as possible.

This past weekend, while I was driving towards San Jose and back, I realized how different Costa Rica is from other countries. It is amazing how many different types of weather, towns and people you can see just by driving from Guanacaste to San Jose, in 4 hours you can actually witness the places change and be the opposite from each other.

When leaving the Guanacaste area it is common to see dry sceneries where the cattle wanders around under the sun looking for something to calm their thirst, the people have dark skin, since they spend so much time under the sun and the kids run around in sandals. When you are getting closer to the ferry, Costa Rica tourism is widely seen all over, so the people in these areas are more talkative and dress a little bit nicer, mostly because they work with travel agencies or sell souvenirs.

After getting off the Puntarenas Ferry the view doesn’t change that much, yet the place is full of vendors and restaurants. Costa Rica has plenty of crafts and it is really easy to find cheap souvenirs on the street. Someone on the ferry told us we should stop and have a “pescado entero” in Puntarenas, Costa Rica traditions have this “delicacy” on its list but it was too early to have lunch.

Arriving towards Atenas I noticed a sign that read: Welcome to Atenas, the best weather in the world. It is true: the sky was sunny and there was very refreshing breeze in the air. I have to make sure I do some research about this place when I am on my Costa Rica real estate search mode. The best thing about the place is that is close to both beaches and mountains as it is close to San Jose and the airport!

When we were finally arriving to San Jose, Costa Rica became a whole other country: not only was it raining a bit, but also all the peace of the road was left behind. People just don’t know how to drive, although they were very nice when giving directions. We arrived at our hotel at noon and some of the concerts had already started, so we had a quick lunch and went ahead to look for the best spot to enjoy Costa Rica music.

Today I’m leaving to San Jose to enjoy a very nice celebration that will be taking place this weekend: Fiesta de la Música (also known as World Music Day) which is a lovely festival that celebrates all kinds of music sponsored by the French embassy in Costa Rica. The festival mostly celebrates the summer solstice (which is known as the Veranillo de San Juan in Costa Rica).

This is a very big deal in for the art in Costa Rica. There are going to be outdoor and indoor live shows all day tomorrow and it is worth it to go check them out. This festival takes place every year in 250 cities all over the world. There is going to be everything from folk music, to belly dance to hip hop and so much more I’m still trying to figure out what my schedule is going to be. In Costa Rica, music is a very deal and there are all kinds of genres to choose from. Music in Costa Rica is everywhere and people love partying and celebrations.

The World music day first took place in 1982 and its purpose is to promote music all over the world. The Fête de la Musique is one of the few nights of the year where, under French law, there is no noise restriction. Although in Costa Rica, celebrations take place mostly during the day so everyone no matter their age can attend.

I was kind of bumped to see that were not going to be celebrations outside of San Jose though. Costa Rica has that flaw, a lot f the cool events only happen in San Jose, Heredia or Alajuela. The good thing is that it is not hard to move from one place to the other.

Apart from the World Music Day, Costa Rica was also one of the countries included into the very well known Cow Parade and all the cows are placed all over downtown San Jose! So, this trip to Chepe will also be a tour through the nice pieces of art.

If are in Costa Rica right now, make sure you catch some of the Fiesta de la Musica celebrations. Schedules and information are available all over the net. Right now, I am leaving Guanacaste for the weekend and find deals in downtown hotels. Costa Rica is just more and more exciting everyday.

Yesterday I was talking to a Costa Rican friend of mine and he was explaining to me how traditional families work. It is quite different to what we are used to. In the rural areas of Costa Rica, families have the tendency to grow big and fast, usually a newlywed couple has their first child within the first year of their marriage. In Costa Rica, traditions are strong, and like in any other Latin American country, they have a bit of a “macho” attitude.

The husband is the provider and usually older than the wife. The woman is a housewife, but ends up being more like a house manager, sort of speak. Traditional Costa Rica homes may have more than 2 or 3 kids, in some cases there may be even more than 8 kids. Everyone has to help around the house whether it is helping with the house chores or working outside and help bringing food to the table. In the Guanacaste area it is very common to teach kids to do all kinds of work: house chores, agriculture, selling the goods they grow, etc and they also go to school. Boys usually will go to work with their father when school is out and girls learn everything there is to know about house chores since they are very young.

Yet, it is quite impressive that Costa Rica customs and traditions change from location to location, for example in the main cities like San Jose, people don’t marry young anymore and usually they get university degrees before learning how to cook or clean a house. What is still very common regardless the location is the fact that kids don’t leave their parents household until they get married. However, in Costa Rica, wedding traditions are very similar to what we Americans are used to.

Also, an interested fact is that in the rural areas of Costa Rica, properties are passed on within family members. In many cases, when a couple gets married, their families will provide them with a home already.

I found all these very interesting, I wonder what would have happened if I didn’t leave my parents’ house at 18? I got married when I was almost 40 years old! This is another thing that amazes me about Costa Rica: how is the traditions are so colorful and different in every area.

Starting this Friday, the Guanacaste beaches will experience the very famous “Veranillo de San Juan” (well, very famous in Costa Rica, I personally never heard of it until I got here). This weather phenomenon lasts about 5 days and happens mostly in the Guanacaste region.

This change in the weather is known since it happens in the middle of the rainy season and what happens is that there an increase in the trade winds and the rain activity declines, providing nice lovely days of summer. In Guanacaste, beaches get a little crowded and the ambience gets nicer during these days. I am going to take advantage of this nice weather and go check out the secluded areas of Guanacaste. Real estate in those areas is a bit cheaper and I was thinking of maybe opening my own villa rental business in the near future, so I am going to browse some properties. Costa Rica has many natural resources and even hidden areas have amazing views and thing to explore.

Sunset in a Guanacaste beach, you want to be there

If you were planning on a weekend getaway, this is your chance: travel to Costa Rica is really cheap right now and you will get to experience high season weather on green season prices. You can actually experience nice ATV tours and Canopy; just get in touch with one of the many rentals, Costa Rica has that advantage: resorts, hotels and rentals can actually help you plan your entire vacation with tours and all kinds of activities.

My personal recommendation is heading as north as possible. I have learned that the best beaches are heading north in Guanacaste: Playa Real, Playa Rajada, Playa Panamá and such are very peaceful and you can actually rest and cleanse all that stress out in those beaches: pristine blue water, fresh breeze air (I have to admit, it always smells flowery).

Trust me; nothing beats a nice piña colada while watching the sunset in a Guanacaste beach.

Since yesterday’s dawn I just have been sort of falling in love with Guanacaste all over again. I went ahead and did some research about natural reservations in Costa Rica, Guanacaste national parks mostly. The biggest ones (or at least the most important ones) are Santa Rosa National Park and Rincon de la Vieja. Of course, at the national parks there are no homes for sale; Costa Rica legislations are very strict on this matter.

Rincon de la Vieja, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Rincon de la Vieja is located over the Guanacaste mountain line, about 17 miles north east from the city of Liberia. Regarding real estate, Guanacaste agents forget to promote the beauty of Natural Reserves, I am not so sure why, since they are quite spectacular.

At Rincon de la Vieja, Guanacaste’s variety of habitats can be experienced at its maximum, mainly because of the different types of altitude and the effect of the volcanic eruptions of the area. The park itself is huge; according to some research I made today it measures about 14.084 hectares! This is very impressive if you ask me. I am definitely working on a visit to this area as soon as possible, I’ll make sure to share the details with all. Apparently it is really easy to visit national parks, Costa Rica has many, and I mean travel agencies with very affordable one or two-day tours worth to check out.

Although Santa Rosa National Park is mostly known for its historical value (Costa Rica’s national hero and his adventure occurred there, I will tell you the story on another time), you can also enjoy natural attractions and it is not such a long trip either, like most of Costa Rica. Beaches on the surrounding areas area very quiet and peaceful, this is definitely a good place to relax in Costa Rica. Travel agencies of the area can provide you with all the information you need and even tour guides to take you there.

I am sure I am becoming a Tico: you come here once for vacations, Costa Rica opens up for you and you end up attached to the amazing ambience, the people, the places and mostly that feeling of finally being home.