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Hi Linda,
You have a lot of options for transportation. The cheapest would be to take the bus. Tickets to Tamarindo are about $8 per person one way. The company is called Empresa Alfaro. Their terminal is in downtown San Jose, about 20-30 minutes from the airport. Taxi will be around $20 for the trip, more or less depending on traffic, from the airport to the bus station. Alfaro has a couple of buses going to Tamarindo each day. You can find a schedule here: http://thebusschedule.com/cr/ (the website is down right now but should be up again well before your trip). Be sure to call the bus station to get an updated timetable as that website is not always updated in a timely manner. The phone number is on the site.
You can also arrange for a private shuttle through Grayline (http://www.graylinecostarica.com/) or Interbus (http://www.interbusonline.com). The cost would be around $50 per person one way to Tamarindo. Call to make a reservation and they can arrange to pick you up directly from the airport or at your hotel the next day if you’re arriving in San Jose late.
Hi Gerald,
Sorry for the delay. Just got back home from the FastTrack Costa Rica conference in San Jose.
As far as your questions, Poas (in Hone Creek, north of Puerto Viejo on the coast road) and Adobe (in Limon) are the only rental car agencies on the Caribbean, as far as I know. If you rented from them in San Jose you could drop off there and head into Panama with a shuttle or bus. I’d check with them first.
As far as Bocas to Panama City, I’m not familiar with that route. But my colleague in Panama, Jessica Ramesch, should be able to help you out. Her email is: panama@internationalliving.com
Good luck!
Hi Gerald,
I’m about to make that trip from CR to Bocas del Toro myself in a few months. The border crossing is at Sixaloa. Most – if not all – rental car companies won’t let you take a car across the border. (At other border crossings you can sometimes switch cars through your rental company at the border – you’ll want to check with the individual company directly.) Since Bocas is an archipelago and accessible only by ferry you’d have to leave it somewhere on the mainland anyway.
You can take a bus to the border and then cross over on foot. From there you catch a water taxi to Bocas. There are also shuttle services that pick up in Puerto Viejo, on the Caribbean coast on the Costa Rica side. They’ll take you down to the border in a van and have a boat ready to pick you up on the other side.
Jason
Hi Warren,
Assisted living facilities are less common than in the U.S. Many of the older generation live with family.
But there are some. Here are a few I’ve found online. I’ve never visited them personally or spoke with any residents there.
http://costarica.com/relocation/assisted-living-communities/
The prices are listed on the site.
In home care is also available. The price depends on the provider and the level of care needed. But I know one couple paying less than $2,000 a month a 24 hour live in nurse.
Hi Kim,
I can’t recommend any individual agents or real estate companies. But a quick Google search will yield several operating in the area.
Christmas to New Year’s is quite a time to visit Tamarindo. That week is when nearly all Costa Ricans head to the beach for family vacation, especially towns like Tamarindo, Jaco, Manuel Antonio. It’s going to be PACKED! I’d recommend visiting at another time if possible, especially if you want to check out real estate – nobody in the country is working that week for the most part.
Hi Linda,
Great question. In some locations on the Pacific and Caribbean beaches golf carts are actually quite common for getting around town or even between towns in some cases. Often they are more “off road” type carts because in some areas you’ll find dirt roads instead of paved. Scooters for rent or to buy are also available throughout the country.
Hi Roger,
Great question. Your best option is what is called “prepago,” which is essentially pay as you go. You can bring a phone from the States, as long as it is a GSM phone. Basically if you can take out the SIM card, it’s GSM. It should also be unlocked, in other words, not tied to a particular carrier like Tmobile. If you have an unlocked iPhone, Blackberry, or Android, or other lower-tech cell phone, you should be able to bring it to Costa Rica no problem.
You can also buy phones in Costa Rica – there are cell phone stores on every corner, although a great place to buy a phone is actually Walmart. If you’re flying into San Jose, Walmart is right across the street from the airport. The cheapest model will run you $20 but I recommend getting a mid-range phone in the $70-$100 range.
Once you have a phone you buy a SIM card, or “chip,” for one of the local cell carriers, you install it, and activate your account over the phone with a customer service rep (the clerk can do it for you or the reps often speak English or can transfer you to someone who can). Be sure to have your passport handy as they like to register the phone with your info. The chip costs about $5 and comes with several hours of call time. To recharge the phone minutes as you use it, you simply go to any store with a little sign with your companies logo – most grocery store checkouts will do it too. You give them some cash and they recharge it for you online or give you a card to add minutes yourself.
I haven’t really noticed a huge difference in networks, but these are the big three: Claro, Movistar, and Kolbi.
The thing with the minutes is that I think they will shut off your SIM if you don’t use it for several months at a time. But because the SIMs are so cheap, you can swap them out every time you visit. Just don’t put too many minutes when you recharge the phone, $10 will go a long way.
If you have a smartphone, Movistar offers a data/talk/text plan for 60 cents per day.
Hi Wayne,
Very cool you’re coming down for a visit. There are plenty of taxis at the Liberia airport. But you might want to check with your hotel if they have some sort of shuttle service, some do some don’t.
As far as getting to Arenal and La Fortuna, you have a couple of options for private shuttles, which will take you door to door. You can reserve your seats now or wait until you get to CR and book through your hotel or by phone.
Interbus http://www.interbusonline.com
Grayline http://www.graylinecostarica.com/
Once at Arenal and La Fortuna you can hire a driver/guide (ask the hotel for recommendations) or sign up for tours to get to the various attractions like the hot springs. There are plenty of taxis there as well.
Good luck and have fun.
Hi Linda,
Only citizens and permanent legal residents can own firearms. You can gain permanent residency after being a temporary resident for three years. An example of a temporary residency category is the pensionado, or retiree, residency. That’s the most common for those retirees coming to live in Costa Rica who receive Social Security or a pension. There are also investor class residencies for younger folks.
I just called a shooting range here in Pavas, a neighborhood in San Jose. They allow non-residents to come shoot but you have to have completed a firearms course. And you can rent firearms there.
There are expat groups that meet for cards, sunset drinks, crafts, travel, book clubs… just about anything you can think of … all over the country. It’s just a matter of asking around when you visit or move there.
In Atenas, for example, I ran into a group of ladies who make jewelry every week at Kay’s Gringos Postres, a local restaurant that is very popular with the expat community there.
Hi Linda,
I should have been more specific. The $1,200 premium is annual and per person.
The Association of Residents of Costa Rica (http://www.arcr.net) offers discounts on INS insurance and can put you in touch with a broker.
Hi Linda,
All the communities you mentioned are very nice. I would suggest adding one of the coastal regions to your itinerary so you can check out the beach as well. You may not want to live there but it’s nice to know what it’s like in those areas. From Arenal you could reach the northern Pacific coast within two hours. I’d check out Playas del Coco, Flamingo, and/or Tamarindo and the surrounding area. From the Central Valley towns like Atenas and Grecia, you can get to the Central Pacific beaches like Jaco, Herradura, and Hermosa in about an hour, hour and a half. Just an idea.
As far as your requirements, all the areas you mentioned meet your need for low humidity, awesome famers’ markets, safety and cheap rentals. The Central Valley has a very temperate climate, hardly any humidity. Of the places you picked Atenas is very much a small town with a large and active expat population. Grecia is a larger town with lots of amenities. And Arenal is more of a rural community, much smaller population. But still an active expat population.
In Atenas be sure to stop by Kay’s Gringo Postres by the Red Cross building. It’s an expat gathering place. In Arenal go to Gingerbread restaurant for dinner on the weekend. Grecia’s gathering spot is Café Delicias on Saturday morning and the farmers’ market on Friday night, Saturday morning.
I have visited Colon or Santa Rose, so I can’t speak to those places in detail other than to say I’ve heard good things.
This is the tropics so there can be creepy crawlies. Most are just a nuisance. But some have painful bites and stings. You kind of just learn what’s what and avoid them. There are also venomous snakes to watch out for. I haven’t had any snakes come in my house and haven’t heard of it happening to other folks but I’m sure it’s possible.
I wouldn’t say any of the areas are more prone to bugs and snakes than others. It’s really your specific location. If you live in the forest or jungle, you’ll get more wildlife and insects.
There are second-hand stores. But new furniture, hand-made and high-quality, can also be found for much lower prices than the U.S. The Central Valley town of Sarchi is the best place to find dining tables, bed framers, dressers, desks, kitchen cabinets, etc. Sarchi is about 15 minutes from Grecia. Check it out when you’re here in November.
Hi Linda,
Medicare only works within the United States.
But there is very low cost healthcare in Costa Rica. When you become a legal resident, you join the universal healthcare system, known as Caja. There is a network of public clinics, pharmacies, and hospitals throughout the country. You pay a monthly fee based on income, usually between $50 to $150 per couple. After that all your care, prescriptions, doctor visits, testing, etc. is free.
There are also private doctors, clinics, and hospitals. You can pay cash or use insurance. Many U.S. insurance companies are accepted, although you should always check your policy and with your provider.
Hi Donna,
You have several options. Once you have a rental or home you’ve bought head over to the local post office to talk to the mail man. Tell him where you live and that you’d like to start receiving mail there. May seem like a roundabout way to get your mail but there aren’t really street addresses in most of Costa Rica. So you need to have that one-on-one contact with your mail carrier to receive packages and letters at home in most cases.
You can also rent a post office box at Costa Rican Correos (Post Office). It runs about $40 per year. Just like in the U.S. you have box number and your own key and you pick up your mail there. For packages, they’ll put a little note in your box to let you know.
There are also private mail services like Mail Boxes Etc. that offer PO boxes but they are more expensive. FedEx, DHL, and UPS all operate in Costa Rica as well.
You can order from Amazon.com and similar online shops but international shipping rates can be pricey, depending on the item.
Hi Carolyn,
Smartphones can be at U.S. prices or higher. Just like in the U.S. you can get them cheaper by signing up for a contract. But cell phone contracts are only available to citizens and legal residents. I would recommend bringing a smartphone from the U.S. Be sure that it is “unlocked,” i.e. not tied to a certain carrier in the U.S. There are a lot of options on Amazon.com.
Then you can just put in a SIM card from a provider here in Costa Rica for $5 or so. Again, until you’re a resident you have to be on prepaid, or “prepago” line. You just add minutes at the grocery store or wherever you see a sign for your cell phone company by telling the clerk your number and giving them cash. I find $15 lasts me the whole month as far as voice and text. If you use data, or go online, it’ll be more.
The iPhone 5 is here in Costa Rica but it’s pricey unless you get a contract.
On the other side of things, there are plenty of cheap options when it comes to basic cell phones in Costa Rica. Prices start at $20 (although I wouldn’t recommend buying the cheapest model) and go up from there. You can get a decent phone for about $50.
Hi Robert,
You might try the forum at WeLoveCostaRica.com. You should be able to connect with some Canadian expats there. It’s quite active.
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