Where to visit and possibly live part of the year
-
We are coming to visit CR in the near future! Is there someone that has experienced different parts of the country that might have suggestion! We need to be close to Health Care. Lake Arenal, Guanacaste, and Jaco got our attention. In reading all about CR it's hard so far to decide! We will stay two weeks to a month and would like to rent 3/2 for a thousand or less! Thank you in advance for any help!
-
Hello.
I suggest spending a month and staying in each of the places to really get a feel for them and check out the vibe for yourself. I recently visited Atenas and Grecia in the Central Valley and you might want to check them out if being close to health is necessary. I will be talking about them at the San Jose Conference in July 2024. Are you planning on joining us online or in person?
The best healthcare is in the Central Valley, so keep that in mind. The best equipped hostpitals and most specialists are there. Often times, a specialist will visit a clinic in Guanacaste once a month. So it isn't as conveninet.
An important factor to consider is the weather. What temperatures do you prefer? It rains everywhere, yet some places have more rain than others.
- The beaches
- Hot and humid, and I love them!
- Guanacaste is the driest part of Costa Rica. The Central Pacific receives more rain.
- Lake Arenal
- Cooler (temperature) than the beach.
- Nuevo Arenal gets about 50% more rain than Tronadora, located just across the lake.
- Tronadora is much windier.
- La Fortuna and the surrounding towns like Chachagua are drier and warmer.
- The Central Valley
- Cooler temperatures - especially from the variety of elevations available.
I always recommmend reaching out to FB groups and asking questions. I use those groups to learn about differnt areas and connect with new people all of the time. FB groups are very active here and worth using as a resource.
These FB pages might be a good start:
Arenal
https://www.facebook.com/groups/712758082803982
https://www.facebook.com/groups/270122543035935
Guanacaste
https://www.facebook.com/groups/297720547030161
https://www.facebook.com/groups/3442610169117243
Jaco
https://www.facebook.com/groups/290260966853843
https://www.facebook.com/groups/711552235579574There are lots of expat groups too:
search 'Expats in... 'As for budget, $1,000 a month is possible, yet not as likely in big tourist- like in Tamarindo. The best thing in my opinoni is to talk with peopel currently living in the area. You can find expat meetups in FB groups. For example, this group posts about a women's would be a great place to get insider info. https://www.facebook.com/groups/663758784658197
Many people find staying in an Airbnb a good way to check out a community, more so than a hotel.
I talked with Nick when in Nuevo Arenal and he rent out an Airbnb.
https://internationalliving.com/from-deaths-door-to-thriving-in-lake-arenal-costa-rica/ (https://www.airbnb.ie/rooms/40036748?source_impression_id=p3_1719933875_P3ic3CyJiPWB-oYF)Good luck on your travels. Let me know if you have any more questions.
-Bekah, IL Costa Rica Correspondent
-
Bekah- we are coming in for the CR Fast Track conference on the 17th. We are looking at retiring to CR in the near future. Any clues as to how much cash we should bring for the conference? We are renting a car and staying a couple of extra days to visit some of the Central Valley communities while there. I see so many different recommendations as to how much US and how much CR currency to have. Some say to get it from an ATM after arrival, others say to get it from our bank here in the US to get a better exchange rate. Your expertise would be sincerely appreciated. Thanks! Steve Scott
-
Thanks Bekah! I must have missed the opportunity to be at the conference online. Will that be live and would you please send me the link. Tronandora sounds better with less rain than Nuevo for sure. Love the views! Thankyou for all of your suggestions! It sure helps! Burck
-
Tronadora