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Hi Les,
All great questions. I’ll tackle them as best I can and then put you in touch with someone with years of experience in Arenal real estate.
As far as building guidelines in gated communities, I’ve seen some have convenants while others have more freedom. It depends on the place.
If you buy bare land whether you use septic or have to dig a well also depends on the location. Some spots closer to the towns of Nuevo Arenal and Tilaran have city water and sewer. But if your place is farther out, it’s less likely.
Building permits / codes are handled by the municipality. I couldn’t find a copy online. But a builder in the area should be able to let you know.
A great resource in Arenal is Terry Moran at http://www.moranlakearenal.com
He’s been in real estate there for many years and has a lot of knowledge of the area.
Hi Sandra,
Awesome news that you’re heading back to Grecia. That’s where I first lived in Costa Rica. Great town – loved the farmers’ market.
If you’re going to be there for a month, I would recommend a vacation rental. That’ll give you the opportunity to really live in the community.
Craigslist Costa Rica is where I found my rental. Of course, just as with CL in the States thoroughly check out the listing and the owner before giving a deposit.
VRBO.com has good listing too, as does http://www.american-european.net in their vacation rental section.
I don’t know any builders personally in that area. But you might ask the folks at these real estate offices. Perhaps they could point you in the right direction. They exhibit at IL conferences.
http://www.remax-oceansiderealty.com
Hi Sue,
That’s an easy one. 🙂
The northwestern Pacific coast, also known as the Gold Coast, is the driest and sunniest region in Costa Rica. The rainy season is much shorter and there is much less rainfall during the season. The province is called Guanacaste. Some of the popular towns for expats here include Tamarindo (where I live), Playas del Coco, and Playa Flamingo.
Hi Lynn,
No need for a medical report. But you do need a criminal report and a letter proving your income. In the pensionado residency that would be Social Security or a pension bringing in $1,000 a month. In rentista residency that would be non-job income from investments, CDs, retirement account, etc. that bring in $2,500 a month or a deposit of $60,000 in a Costa Rican bank.
You can review requirements and paper work necessary at the U.S. Embassy website here: http://costarica.usembassy.gov/cr-residency.html
Hi Thomas,
I’m in a developed area, Tamarindo, with cable Internet. A lot of areas have similar service, even pretty out of the way spots. Although there are still some areas where cable is not available. In those cases, I’ve heard of people getting a satellite connection. Another alternative is a “mifi”/3G/cellular data connection since there are cell towers everywhere. I know Movistar, a local cell provider, offers a little antenna you plug into your laptop via USB to get online. Of course, speed is an issue with that.
Hi Lynn,
Got confirmation. There is a course in the planning stages for Arenal but not built yet.
Hi John,
You’re fellow Insider, Ed Fomby, posted recently about his home-building experience.
https://internationalliving.com/forums/topic/building-costs-in-cr/#post-501162
Hi Lynn,
I don’t think there are any courses there. But I’m asking a buddy in Arenal to double-check – I’ll get back to you.
There are courses on the northern Pacific coast at the residential resorts Hacienda Pinilla and Reserva Conchal. And there are several country clubs in and around San Jose, the country’s capital. They are about three hours away.
Hi Fred,
There are a good number of pet-friendly hotels throughout the country. I’ve had luck with this website, which has an extensive listing:
As far as short term rentals, that’s a bit trickier as each owner or management company will have different rules. In my personal experience I haven’t had any problem finding a place. I have a standard poodle and a Havanese. I would suggest finding a place first, then contacting the owner/agent about their pet policy.
Hi Barbara,
Liberia is recently expanded and very nice. The roads are fine and it’s actually the airport of choice to many of the largest resorts in the country and most popular expat centers. Much less crowded than the San Jose airport.
But Liberia, in the far northwest of the country, is about 5 hours away from San Jose. So which airport you fly into really depends on where you plan to visit in Costa Rica.
If you’re headed to the northern Pacific coast (towns like Playas del Coco, Tamarindo, or Flamingo) definitely fly into Liberia. If you’re going to the Nicoya Peninsula (towns like Samara, Nosara, Montezume, Malpais), Liberia is also best.
Arenal is about halfway between Liberia and San Jose – so if you’re going there it’s a toss up.
But if you’re headed to the Central Valley, Central Pacific coast, South Pacific coast, or Caribbean, San Jose is the better option.
Hi Anthony,
Just did a speed test on my connection. Looks like I’m at 2 mbps. That works for me as far as running Netflix, watching videos online, and uploading stuff to Youtube and such. My Internet is reliable. There have been some short and infrequent outages. I’m not sure that 25 mb/s is available in residential plans. The highest I’ve seen is 10 mb/s from Tigo for $90 per month.
Here’s some contact information for local providers. They might have some more insight on this. They should have a customer rep that speaks English.
Cable Tica – http://www.svcabletica.com/Sucursal/Cabletica/WFContacto.aspx
Tigo – http://www.tigo.cr/personas/atencion-al-cliente/contactenos
Racsa – http://www.racsa.co.cr/cable_modem_servicios_hogar.php
Terry Moran is another good contact in Arenal for real estate. http://www.moranlakearenal.com
As far as back ups, are you referring to different regions? If so you should also check out the Central Valley, which is the area around San Jose, the capital. You’ll drive through this region from the airport in San Jose to Arenal. The altitude is at 3,000 feet and up so the climate is very temperate year-round. Mid 70s average. Cools down to the 60s at night often, especially at higher altitudes.
Ivo Henfling at GoDutchRealty.com is a good resource in the Central Valley.
Hi Jim,
Adobe and Vamos 4×4 should be fine. I meant avoiding some of the small, “unofficial” car rental operators you might meet on your travels.
Drive time from San Jose to Jaco is about 1 1/2 hours on average. For the other times, or hundreds of other routes, check out this site. It’s an excellent drive time calculator and has good maps too.
http://www.yourtravelmap.com/costarica/travelmap/index.php
In Arenal be sure to check out one of the hot springs, hike around the volcano – the national park has good trails, and have lunch on the lake – Café y Macadamia is my favorite spot. If you’re scouting real estate though give yourself an extra day just for that.
Hi Gerald,
I don’t know any specific boats or captains in Jaco. But that is a major sport fishing area so you should have no problem finding a charter in Jaco or nearby Quepos to the south or Los Suenos just to the north.
February is right in the middle of the season for marlin, sailfish, and mahi. Roosterfish are also an interesting fish – put up quite a fight I understand.
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