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August 19, 2014 at 11:16 pm in reply to: Coming to CR for a Month, yes planed it for the rainy season… On porpose!!! #582084
JASON HOLLAND
ParticipantGreat questions. Tamarindo is totally different than Grecia. I like them both. Grecia is a market town surrounded by mountains, sugarcane fields, and coffee plantations. Tamarindo is a busy beach resort full of tourists. It’s always temperate in Grecia and always hot in Tamarindo.
There are plenty of Facebook groups for expats, like Expatriates in Costa Rica, as well as forums like WeLoveCostaRica.com.
In most areas of Costa Rica where you have expats you will find active communities that get together often for parties, card games, crafting… everything. A place like Atenas, for example, is very active. They have a chili cook off every year, for one.
There are more bugs on the coast, mosquitoes and “no see ‘ums” come out at dusk especially. As far as shots I would consult with your doctor for your particular medical history.
I have been to the Caribbean. Great snorkeling and scuba over there. Crystal clear blue waters and reefs right offshore. A funky more bohemian expat community over there. But the issue is a real lack of decent medical care. From where most expats lives it’s about two hours to a hospital with an ER. And San Jose is four hours away.
ParticipantHi Carol,
I haven’t personally been on George’s tour but I hear good things from people who’ve done it. My top recommendations are to get a good sense of some towns that you might be interested in living in during the tour and then trying to spend more time there before you head home. Try to meet some expats there, check out rentals for your next visit/long term stay, and just explore. Get to know the area, the shops, services, etc. Try to see it as if you live there, not as a tourist.
As far as medical specialists, you will find the best in the country and the largest variety of specialists in and around San Jose and its suburbs, though you will also find some in the Southern Zone. So if medical care is a top priority for you, you might want to focus your search on the Central Valley, which offers quick access to San Jose. A place for you to visit might be CIMA Hospital, one of the top private facilities in the country. They have an international patients dept. where you can ask plenty of questions about care.
For insurance, once you become a legal resident, say with pensionado status, you join the Caja, which is the public healthcare system. There are no age or pre-existing condition exclusions and after you pay your monthly fee you get free doctor’s visits, prescriptions, testing, and surgeries. You can also get private insurance through companies like INS, the local Costa Rican insurance. But they do have strict policies on pre-existing conditions, as do many international insurance companies. You can contact this broker for more information on insurance. They recently spoke at the IL conference in Costa Rica in July: http://www.garrettbrokers.com
On vet care, there are excellent vets throughout the country. I have two dogs myself and while they haven’t needed any major treatment, I’ve been very impressed with the level of care and the price.
August 17, 2014 at 9:51 pm in reply to: Coming to CR for a Month, yes planed it for the rainy season… On porpose!!! #581844ParticipantHi Gary, Kim, and Mom!
Sounds like a great trip you have planned. And good job on coming in the rainy season – You’ll get a good idea of what it’s all about by being here in October. From the needs you have as a far as a hospital nearby and a temperate climate, as well as the farmers’ markets, movies, enjoying the outdoors and such, it does sound like the Central Valley will be your best bet. Towns like San Ramon, Grecia, Atenas, and Heredia offer what you’re looking for. The towns offer everything you need as far as shopping but you are also close to San Jose and its suburbs where you have the country’s top hospitals and docs.
There are plenty of rentals in the CV. Real estate agents usually offer long term rentals on their websites. Some agents you might try include; Atenasbestclimate.com, American-European.net, and GoDutchRealty.com.
As far as where to stay, when you’re exploring the Central Valley, there are small hotels and B&Bs in those communities. Your best bet is to check TripAdvisor.com for top rated places in those towns. Alternately you could stay near the airport in San Jose at the Holiday Inn Express or Hampton Inn – it’d be a short drive to those towns and put you close to San Jose as well so you could check out the medical care and services there as well.
But if you’re down here, you might want to check out some of the beach areas too, just to get an idea. They’re not necessarily as expensive as you might think. The towns of Jaco and Manuel Antonio (and the smaller beach communities around them) are worth a look on the Central Pacific coast, and the advantage is that they are close to San Jose and the hospitals and other amenities there.
As far as exploring, renting a car is the best way to go. Be aware that the driving is a bit chaotic at some points but just keep your eyes open and you’ll be fine.
August 16, 2014 at 6:38 pm in reply to: Total % of all costs aka fees, comissions, taxes, etc on purchasing a house. #581840ParticipantHi Neal,
Just wanted to get some confirmation from real estate experts. Looks like 6-7% would be a good ballpark number for taxes, fees, commissions, and such. Of course, always consult with your agent/attorney for your particular transaction.
Jason
ParticipantHi Philip,
The first place to start would be to review the presentations from the conference on residency. You should be getting access to those soon. You can also review the basics here: https://internationalliving.com/country_clubs/costa-rica/visas-and-residency/ This will be a good refresher from the event.
The requirements for pensionado are pretty straightforward, mostly having to do with income. To apply though you’ll need to gather up several documents from home, like birth certificates and police records, and those documents will have to be apostilled in your home state or country.
That brings me to step 2. Contact an attorney and get the exact list of documents needed to apply. They’ll tell you exactly what to get and the procedure. Once you have all those documents you send them down and then you have to come down yourself to be fingerprinted and some other admin stuff that can only been done in person. Then you turn in your application and documents and wait for approval. It’s not necessary for you to be in-country during the approval process. But you can if you want, without having to leave the country every 90 days to renew your tourist visa.
Roger Petersen, who spoke at the event, is a great resource. You can find his contact info in your packet from the conference and at the link above.
Finally, just a personal note. I would encourage you to visit Costa Rica for several months first before you start the residency process. Come down and max out your three month tourist visa and really get to know the country and any communities you’re interested in living in. That way you can be sure you want to live here and that it has all that you’re looking for.
ParticipantHi Stephanie,
Great question. For Amazon orders, most people use a service like Jetbox.com, which has offices throughout Costa Rica. They’re kind of like a private courier service. Your Amazon order is shipped to their place in Florida and then down to their office in Costa Rica. They take care of all the customs as well. They would be best equipped to help you figure what the customs fees might be.
I haven’t heard of any particular problems ordering vitamins through Amazon. But keep in mind that Costa Rica has a big tradition of natural cures and such. There are stores called “macrobioticas” that are basically natural pharmacies. They carry herbs, vitamins, oils, etc. So you might be able to find what you need in-country.
In most stores you can find lentils, kidney beans, and garbanzos. You have to go to speciality stores to find tofu and different varieties of lentils. I haven’t yet seen tempeh, unfortunately. That’s one thing my family misses from the U.S. as well. It’s possible there is a specialty store I haven’t found yet that carries it but so far no luck.
ParticipantHi Stephanie,
There are snakes in Grecia/San Ramon and Lake Arenal. But as I said, they aren’t prevalent. It’s not something that people here are in constant fear of or anything. I’ve only seen one snake in the whole time I lived in Grecia, though I have friends who live in more of an isolated area and they’ve seen several over the last year.
Basically, they’re around but it’s not a big deal. I can certainly understand your concern. I have family members who are snake-phobic.
ParticipantHi Stephanie,
As a tropical country Costa Rica has plenty of critters and creatures of all types. You can find snakes all over, though they are most prevalent in forests and jungle and other specific environments, especially in places where there are less people. But you definitely could have them in your yard, even in the Central Valley. It’s just something you watch for, although I’ve never had any problems with snakes near my home in any place I’ve lived. Mostly I’ve encountered snakes in nature hikes. There are several venomous snakes in Costa Rica, though medical personnel here are experienced with bites and you can generally get good treatment if you are bitten.
In short, yes there are snakes, but it’s not like they’re all over the place all the time. So it doesn’t have a huge impact on your life. Just something you keep in mind.
As for crocodiles, they tend to stick to rivers, swamps, and wetlands areas. But sometimes they do get out into the ocean if a river or estuary feeds into the sea. For example, in Tamarindo a croc did bite a surfer. But he’s doing okay. It’s very rare.
Not all expats live in the tropical forest, there are plenty of other landscapes like the temperate and mountainous Central Valley, the Lake Arenal region, and the beach communities. If you live in a high-rise condo on the beach, for example, you won’t have to worry about snakes at all.
ParticipantHi Michael,
Yes, it is a problem loophole for those in the process of obtaining residency. Some people head to Nicaragua or Panama to renew their tourist visa/get a new stamp good for 90 days to continue driving. Others risk it and count on the traffic police understanding the situation. Hopefully, this situation will be resolved.
I’m also contacting a lawyer here to get more clarification and see if there any other solutions to this problem.
ParticipantHi Sandra,
Congrats on the move. I was in Montezuma in January – really cool place. I do know the beach right in the heart of town is good swimming. I’m not familiar with the safety of the other beaches or rentals nearby. But I would suggest you try some local real estate folks to get their take. This is one agency I know that is active in town: http://www.tropisphere.com/area/montezuma/
You could also stay at a hotel or hostel for a week while you ask locals and local expats. You can often get better deals in better spots through word of mouth. A great place to meet expats in Montezuma is the Saturday morning farmers’ market in the center of town.
VRBO.com and airbnb.com are other options for usually short but sometimes also long term rentals.
ParticipantHi Ed,
Congratulations on your trip. Atenas is a nice spot, as is Arenal. Lots of rentals in Atenas but I’ve heard that recently the rental market has been tight in Arenal because of limited inventory. Here are some sites to check out:
Atenasbestclimate.com
Airbnb.com
Vrbo.com
Moranlakearenal.comFor airfare, I always check Kayak.com for good deals. The sooner you buy your ticket the better, of course. But Jetblue also has cheap flights and I find they have good service too. Plus your first checked bag is free!
ParticipantTo give you some possible contacts, you might try networking on this Facebook group:
Expatriates in Costa Rica
Or this forum: http://www.WeLoveCostaRica.com
ParticipantThe main spot for hot springs in Costa Rica is at the base of the Arenal volcano. There are several hot springs, as well as resorts and hotels with hot springs on site. Most are accessible with day passes as well. Some of the best include:
Tabacon – http://tabacon.com
Baldi – http://www.baldihotsprings.cr
The Springs – http://www.thespringscostarica.com
You can also find hot springs around the Rincon de la Vieja volcano in the Guanacaste province, though they are located within a national park and are not as convenient as those in Arenal.
ParticipantGolf clubs can be found in a few areas in Costa Rica, but they are not super-common.
A new notable locations and clubs include:
Central Valley –
Valle del Sol http://www.vallesol.com/eng/golf.html
Costa Rica Country Club http://www.elcountry.cr
Cariari Country Club http://www.clubcariari.com
Central Pacific
Los Suenos http://www.golflaiguana.com
Northern Pacific
Reserva Conchal http://www.reservaconchal.com/reserva-conchal-golf-course-en.html
Hacienda Pinilla http://www.haciendapinilla.com/golf/
ParticipantNatural healing practices are quite popular in Costa Rica and practitioner, both local and expat, can be found throughout the country. But they are clustered in a few spots. You might try in and around San Jose, the capital, and its suburbs like Escazu. And the beach community of Nosara, on the Pacific, is a destination for those interested in yoga, naturopathy, and other similar practices.
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