I absolutely love my life in Costa Rica. Living in the lush and verdant Orosi Valley, I have found my perfect retirement paradise. But every silver lining has a cloud here and there, and there are definitely some aspects of my personal paradise that can be trying from time to time.
When Chicagoan John Marrero started his international house hunt in Costa Rica in 2013, he had tropical villa dreams in mind. Maybe Spanish style, a tropical landscape, maybe an ocean view.
If you need a manicured lawn, 18-hole golf course, large fancy supermarket, or luxury condo to be happy…you can find that in Costa Rica. But you’ll have to give the country’s southern Caribbean coast a miss.
The first day of my stay in Playa Brasilito dawned brightly and I couldn’t wait to get out on the white-sand beach. It was quite early and I found no one else strolling the stretch of more than a mile—the beach was often virtually deserted throughout my stay—but in the distance three horses carried riders into a mangrove-lined path.
I have a confession to make: I had an addiction. Or maybe it’s better described as an obsession…or a mania. There was a time when I probably could have stood in a dank room full of the similarly afflicted and said, “Hello, my name is John, and I have too many watches.”
My wife, Brenda, and I love our second home in Jacó, Costa Rica. With the beach a block away, and all the amenities we need within walking distance, it is a wonderful place to enjoy the beautiful weather, the exotic tropical plants, and the engaging and vibrant people of Costa Rica.
From the first time Steve Reyer visited the trendy Costa Rican beach town Nosara—way back in 1992—he was smitten. A lifelong surfer, he instantly fell in love with Nosara’s breath-taking Pacific coast, spectacular surf, and laidback atmosphere.
Decompressing in retirement was a concern I had after leading an active and hectic business life for more years than I care to count. Moving to Sarchí in Costa Rica’s Central Valley alleviated those concerns since there is so much enjoyment to be had in the mere simplicity of the lifestyle here.
According to the Global Property Guide, average listing prices for properties in Costa Rica have increased just over 6% year-on-year. In the last three years, about 80% of home sales have exceeded $200,000.
Retiring to Costa Rica was an easy choice for me and my wife, Jackie since we had been vacationing there for several years and loved the simplicity and natural beauty of the country.