It is nice to meet you! I just got back from a trip to the Central Valley last month. I use Facebook Groups to answer my questions and give advice when I am visiting a new place. I find them very helpful and my top resource.
On my recent editorial trip to Grecia, Costa Rica, I wandered into Los Jardines Vivero y Café. A kaleidoscope of colors welcomed me—flowers in every shade, vintage VWs adding charm, captivating art, and a Koi Pond. The Nuevos Amigos Group in Grecia weekly gathering was in full swing. Although expats started the group, it's a place where anyone interested in building new relationships can join on Wednesdays at noon.
And in Atenas, a weekly women's group gets together on Thursdays from 10 am - 12 pm. Every month they choose a new restaurant to visit. Their Facebook Group is informative: https://www.facebook.com/groups/663758784658197/?hoisted_section_header_type=recently_seen&multi_permalinks=1144736216560449
Additionally, there was so much interest in Atenas that another group started meeting on Tuesday mornings, too.
I met a wonderful woman in Grecia, who specializes in real estate in these areas. I suggest contacting her on WhatsApp: Brooke Bishop +506 8311 5336
In the Central Valley, you will find the country's biggest cities and many bigger towns. That doesn't mean it's all urban. There are plenty of quiet countryside locations, little mountain villages, bustling market towns — you can also get away from it all in the Central Valley.
I suggest checking out some other areas, maybe Escazu, Alajuela, Santa Ana, Pavas, Tres Rios, and Cartago. If you stay in San Jose, you might want to stay at the Grano de Oro or the Gran Hilton Hotel. And we hold our yearly conference at the InterContinental Escazu.
Let me know if other questions come up.
Bekah Bottone, IL's Costa Rica Correspondent