WHERE TO LIVE

[STEVEN HIEMER]

This summer we are planning a two-week scouting trip to Costa Rica to see if that is where we want to move to retire in the near future. The weather in the Central Valley would be too cool for us, so we are renting a vehicle near the end of June to drive around the Central Pacific and northern coast. There are so many towns that dot the map that we do not know where to begin. We will start off by staying in Jaco for a week while we drive the coast north and south of that area a bit.

We need some suggestions for towns to see that would be close to the ocean or at least that we could see it from a bit higher elevation. We want some conveniences but do not want to live among too many tourists. We need a town also that would have rentals available, perhaps built to North American standards. Please help.

[JASON HOLLAND]

Hi Steven,

Kudos for taking a scouting trip. That’s totally necessary in finding your sweet spot.

Jaco is a pretty good home base for your explorations, with some caveats, which I’ll get to in a moment.

Here are some towns on the Central Pacific coast you should check out where you can live near the ocean and are close to modern conveniences and have North American style homes. First, Jaco is pretty touristy but does have a strong expat community. Lots of housing options here for rentals, from condos to homes. In Esterillos you have a small fishing village, with homes set in the jungle and close to the beach. Bejuco is similar to Esterillos except it has two medium sized gated communities where most of the expats live. Manuel Antonio further south is also somewhat touristy but because the buildings are set on a hillside overlooking the Pacific, many places feature spectacular views.

Some places to check out in the Southern Zone – about 2 – 2.5 hours south of Jaco, include Dominical, a small village, with most homes set in the hillsides overlooking the ocean. Uvita is a larger town 30 minutes south that also has homes in the hills, as does the small jungle village of Ojochal – great restaurants here, by the way.

So these are the two areas you can comfortably visit from Jaco – although the Southern Zone would be a long day.

To get to the northern Pacific you’d need to stay up there, as towns like Tamarindo – a small beach resort town, are five hours from Jaco. Some other towns in this area you might check out are Playas del Coco (and nearby Playa Ocotal and Playa Hermosa – not the same place as the one by Jaco), which has a nice expat population and plenty of services. Playa Samara is another beach town – kind of a bohemian vibe. And Playa Nosara is a community centered around surfing, yoga, and alternative health practices. Samara and Nosara are reachable from Tamarindo in long day trips. Plenty of rentals available in these areas as well.

[STEVEN HIEMER]

Jason,
Thanks so much for the great itinerary. We have read about some of those places but you included many others to consider. We also thought about staying in Samara 4 nights so can hopefully access the northern coast for there.
Steve

[JASON HOLLAND]

Hi Steven,

Samara would be a good home base for exploring the northern Pacific. Getting up to Playas del Coco will be a couple of hours at least. But it’s doable.

One thing to keep in mind is that driving at night (sunset is 530 approx.) in rural areas can be a bit intimidating. The roads are winding, people walk and ride bikes in the road with no lights, and watch out for livestock (no joke). If at all possible reduce the time you spend driving in the dark.

Good news is sunrise is at 530 so you can get an early start.

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