As we enjoy the last few hours of 2016 and we wait to welcome this 2017 in the beautiful country of Costa Rica, many reflect on the past 12 months and make a balance of what it was like, this also helps us establish new resolutions for the time ahead, many seek a new love, success at work, to live a healthier life, or make more money, others want to travel or begin a new project; and to achieve th...

When you hear about the wonders Costa Rica has to offer, one of the aspects that always comes up is the wonderful weather the country has; this is the reason many choose it as a vacation escape, especially those that live in areas of very cold winters, and this is also the reason many decide to move to Costa Rica. But what is so wonderful about the weather in Costa Rica? Costa Rica has only ...

If this is your first-time spending Christmas in Costa Rica you will certainly love the excellent weather conditions this time a year, downside to this season in Costa Rica, like in any other, is that traffic gets worse than usual in San Jose in the days leading to Christmas and after Christmas the beaches can get really crowded. Costa Ricans celebrate Christmas much like other countries in Ame...

The annual study done by Reporters without boarders in relation to the state of the Freedom of the Press in the world in 2016 shows Costa Rica in the sixth position worldwide and the first in America. The ranking of 180 countries, shows Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark and New Zealand in the top 5, followed by Costa Rica, Switzerland, Sweden, Irland and Jamaica in the next 5 slots. The ...

The beautiful province of Guanacaste Costa Rica charms locals and foreigners with their impressive nature, and many looking to escape the stress and fast pace of the city look to make Guanacaste their new home, but how to choose where to settle? We have sought the advice of real estate experts at RE/MAX Ocean Surf and Sun to help us answer this question, and here we leave you the top 5 recommen...

According to the 2016 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange data released by the Institute of International Education (IIE) in partnership with the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs,  there is a significant increase in the student mobilization between the United States and Costa Rica. President Obama launched the initiative “The force of 100...

Costa Rica is among the preferred destinations by expats, every year many tourists visit the country on vacation and fall in love with the place, they make the decision of moving here, but the first question they ask themselves is: Where should we live? With the help from our friends from Immigration Experts, here we offer you information on the best and preferred places by expats to live in Co...

If you happen to be vacationing in Costa Rica right now and you are concerned about the hurricane alert, don’t panic, here’s what you need to know: This is the first-time Costa Rica is in danger of being directly affected by a hurricane; this country has received the indirect effects of several tropical storms and hurricanes in the past, the last one was Juana in 1988. Costa Rica has a three...

Escazu continues to grow. With a concept that combines commerce, residential space and offices , Escazú Village is hoping to attract those that enjoy the “urban life”. Located next to Walmart in the entrance to San Rafael de Escazú more exactly in Trejos Montealegre, this complex is located in a property of 26,500 square meters and will have a total construction area of 130,000 square meters...

A total of 5.38 km (3.35 miles) of bicycle track should be ready by February 2017 in San Pedro, Montes de Oca confirmed the mayor of this town Marcel Soler who also confirmed the Municipality is studying the possibility of extending the bike paths to other areas in the county in the future. The path consists of three different tracks, one will connect the Law Faculty of the University of Costa ...

Every country has its culture, its traditions, and its people, and this last element can make a big difference in your impression of a country or in your overall experience, but it is very hard to learn all about the residents of country and their way of living if you are visiting for just a few days, and certainly knowing a few things about a country’s citizens is not only part of the experience,...

A “barrio” is a neighborhood, and that’s the topic and inspiration of this year’s edition of Traffic Museum in Costa Rica. Barrio Lujan, Barrio Los Angeles, Barrio Amón, Barrio González Lahmann, Barrio Otoya, Barrio Escalante, Barrio San Bosco and Barrio Aranjuez; are the eight iconic San José neighborhoods chosen, and that with their architecture, tradition, characters, and history inspired te...

According to a study by human resources firm Manpower titled “Shortage of Talent”, the difficulty of Costa Rican employers to fill the different vacancies in their companies has lowered from a 46% to a 35%; the average in the countries evaluated is of 40%, while in some countries like Colombia is close to 50%. In general, the positions that are hard to fill have remained the same in the past el...

The “Plaza de la Cultura” (Culture Plaza) in the Central Avenue of San José will reopen on Monday, November 14 after 7 months. The famous plaza in downtown San Jose was closed back in April of this year, with the purpose of remodeling the area and doing maintenance work to some infrastructure in the underground building where the Central Bank Museums are located. The construction worked invo...

The Legatum Institute published its 2016 Prosperity Index; this study evaluates 149 countries based on several variables such as the per capita GDP, the wellbeing of the population and even the internet access. The Index ranks nations over nine areas: Economic Quality, Business Environment, Governance, Education, Health, Safety and Security, Personal Freedom, Social Capital and Natural Environment...

Neighbors of the west side of San Jose, will soon have the possibility of joining a new country club. The Santa Ana Country Club is a project that hopes to provide an option of healthy entertainment, social gathering and wellness to its members. Located on “Ruta 27” (the 27 highway) right across from the Villa Real Residential in Santa Ana, this country club will offer: gym, racquetball court, ...

Fatal motorcycle accident in Costa Rica, from the Facebook "Accidentes en carretera" group. By Wendy Anders “We can not accept that our families are dying on our streets,” exhorted Elian Villegas, Costa Rica’s National Insurance Institute (INS) president, in a public video statement issued Friday. By the end of this year, his agency estimates that 379 people will have died due to road-re...

The days when dogs where chained in the back patio and fed leftovers are in the past in Costa Rica, although this may still be the case for many canine companions specially in the rural zones, the education and culture regarding pets in Costa Rica has changed a lot in the last decades, however, there is a lot of work still to be done when it comes to this topic, but, one paw at a time. For now ...

By Wendy Anders After the new animal welfare law approved by the Costa Rican legislature in July was given a thumbs down by the Costa Rican Constitutional Court (Sala IV), legislators regrouped to revise the law’s text. The changes, which mainly included lowering the fines and prison terms in the original version, were accepted unanimously by the committee in charge of drafting the bill. ...

Did you fall in love with Costa Rica during a visit? Perhaps you need a change in your life, a fresh start. Maybe you are tired of the cold weather in your country and you want to move somewhere where it doesn’t snow; or maybe it’s time to retire and you want a place where you can live a more relaxing life. Whatever the case may be, you are right to consider the possibility of moving to Costa Rica...

Google transit is now including Costa Rica's train stops, routes and schedules to make it easier to use this method of transportation. This was made possible by the joint efforts of Google, Costa Rica’s Train Institute (INCOFER), and the company Bus.cr. The tool Google Transit is part of the app Google Maps and it’s designed with the purpose of making information available to users that need...

Scientists have ranked 63 nations by the level of empathy demonstrated by their people, the data collected through an online survey included the answers of 104,365 adults in 63 different countries, the survey measured people’s compassion for others and their ability to identify with or understand another`s situation or point of view. Costa Rica ranked in the 9th position. The study, “Differenc...

By Wendy Anders Two pieces of good news for women were announced yesterday. Women can now call in to speak with professional counsellors at a phone line set up by the Costa Rican National Women’s Institute (Inamu), reported Costa Rica’s daily tabloid, El Diario Extra. Though further details were not available, the local phone line, 2527-1911, appears to be staffed during weekday office ho...

The upcoming elections in the United States have generated a lot of controversy, and we’ve all heard different people stating they will move to Costa Rica or elsewhere should Trump or Hillary, (depending on each particular political preference), gets elected, some may say this just to say it or as a joke, but many actually mean it. Although this may come as good news to the Costa Rican real e...

By Wendy Anders Woman injured in train accident yesterday late afternoon near San José's La Sabana park is transferred in critical condition to the hospital. (Jorge Navarro for La Nación) This year’s 85 accidents involving vehicles and trains leave no doubt that basic safety infrastructure along the urban railway that bisects San José, Costa Rica’s congested city center is urgently needed. ...

By Wendy Anders Costa Rica Colones currency A reform of the Costa Rican rental laws proposed in 2013 went into effect earlier this year, bringing relief to the country’s estimated 1/4 of a million renters who previously were charged up to 15 percent annual rent increases, reported ElMundo.Cr today. So, if your lease is up for renewal this month and your landlord plans to raise your rent,...

Things to do in Costa Rica this weekend: Saturday, October 8 If you like opera, Eugene O’Neill Theater located in the main branch of Centro Cultural in San Pedro, will kick off their Live Opera season Saturday, October 8 at 10 a.m. from The Metropolitan Opera (MetLive in HD), with the play Tristan und Isolde, and opera in three acts by German Richard Wagner and based largely on the romance b...

By Wendy Anders Water tanker truck in Costa Rica. More than 16,000 residents of Atenas, a small town west of San José, will continue without water indefinitely due to damage to a potable water pipeline that supplies the area, reported local media this week. The Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (AyA) reported that work is underway to replace the pipe, which was affected after...

Costa Rica is in the sixth position in the world among the preferred destinations by expats according to a study carried out by InterNations, an expat network that provides information on destinations around the world and assessment on Visas, work permits, lodging, international schools etc. The study was applied electronically to 14, 272 expats of 174 different nationalities and that reside in...

When you are planning to travel to a country you’ve never been before one of the first questions that arise is do I need a Visa? And if the plan is moving to a different country and establish your residency there, a bunch of new questions come to mind regarding migration policies. The problem is that these are never easy questions to answer, since the conditions for entering the country and more ...

Sometimes is difficult to find different things to do in Costa Rica, so here are some options of cultural events that will be taking place in the upcoming days: Film: The first lady of the revolution / Already in movie theaters This movie is based in the life of the U.S. author and journalist Henrietta Boggs, the first wife of Costa Rica’s former president Jose “Pepe” Figueres and his par...

By Wendy Anders Yesterday morning, a 62-year-old Costa Rican man by the last name of Chavarría was stabbed in the chest in the main park in downtown Escazú, a western San José suburb. He died from the wounds shortly after being rushed to the San Juan de Dios Hospital in downtown San José. The attacker, a 38-year-old man by the last name of Salas, was detained three blocks from the park immed...

By Wendy Anders Today, Costa Rica's official government bulletin, La Gaceta, published an executive directive that eliminates the requirement of providing a paper copy of your personal or business identification, the infamous “cédula,” for government administrative transactions. The directive was signed by President Luis Guillermo Solís in July in order to eliminate what is defined as an “un...

By Wendy Anders Wikimedia Commons Qualy TV, Costa Rica’s Direct-to-Home television service, announced today it will be ceasing its operations. The announcement comes just under two years after its commercial launch in Costa Rica, reported The Netherlands’ digital Telecompaper. “In the last few months we have experienced various difficulties beyond our control, prompting us to take the de...

By Jack Donnelly Mexican cuisine is one of the great culinary influences in the world today, along with Chinese, Italian, and others. Tacos, burritos, nachos, refried beans (an unfortunate mistranslation we will never get back: it should be well fried beans), pico de gallo, and many other Mexican dishes are found the world over. Costa Rica is no exception and, as in other countries, Ticos have ...

Source; UNHCR Forced displacement caused by violence and organized crime is a problem that continues to be "invisible" for many in Central America's Northern Triangle, but it requires more attention and more effective protective mechanisms, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees representative Jose Samaniego said. Forced displacement is "a rather invisible phenomenon, the victims in ...

Costa Rican Legislator Epzy Campbell Afro descendant parliamentarians and other political leaders of the Americas and the Caribbean are converging in the capital city of Costa Rica to act upon the framework of the International Decade for People of Afro Descent 2015-2024, which was established by the United Nations last year. This meeting has been declared of national interest by President ...

Flickr Commons MIAMI, Florida (August 26, 2016)—The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) today said it views with concern a series of actions taken against media and journalists in Costa Rica, Honduras and Venezuela in recent weeks that it said impair press freedom in the Latin American region. In Costa Rica, on August 18 a preventive embargo was filed against radio station Radio Columbia ...

By Wendy Anders Barva, a small coffee-growing town north of Heredia, inaugurated a spacious new clinic last week. The Costa Rican Social Security Board (CCSS), the country’s public health services agency, said at the opening that the new facility expands their capacity to meet with health needs of Barva’s 42,464 residents. Outfitted with previously unavailable services such as a clinical ...

Warner Brothers Cinépolis, a leading movie Costa Rica movie theater chain with locations in Desamparados, Cartago, Heredia, Lindora, Moravia, and Tres Ríos, has started screenings of War Dogs, a film directed by Todd Phillips. In Costa Rica, the title has been translated into “Amigos de Armas” – a play on the expression “brothers in arms.” According to the official synopsis by film studio War...