Shannon Enete, Author of Becoming an Expat: Costa Rica It feels like an entire life ago when I worked as a paramedic. Responding to 9-1-1 calls across the beaches of action-packed San Diego filled my days. That is, until one emergency response created the first link that would soon connect me to my new life in Costa Rica. The patient was not breathing, large, naked, and pure dead weight in a ti...

From the concrete jungle of Johannesburg, South Africa, to the wilds of the Costa Rican rainforest is quite a change. Two months ago, South African couple Gary Kritzinger and Shayne Mrazek left behind electric fences and heavy security, hour-long 6 km commutes, and a metropolitan beehive of 12 million people, for a different kind of jungle where their closest neighbors are tree frogs and toucans. ...

Most North Americans are already familiar with gated communities and their benefits. In general, a gated community is an enclosed housing development usually with 24/7 manned security. Gated communities also offer amenities like a club house, community pool, sporting facilities, barbecue areas, many claim eco sustainability, and higher end communities may also offer such amenities as access to ons...

Source: Facebook The future of residential living in Costa Rica involves physical security, efficiency, technology, industrial design, and privacy. Lots of privacy. So much privacy, in fact, that you may never see your neighbors. You and your community will be enshrouded behind a veil of secrecy, and the brutalist architecture surrounding you will be similar to that of sci-fi films such as Aeo...

If you would like The Costa Rica Star to publish your business press release, please contact us. El Castillo, COSTA RICA – September 26 – Rancho Margot, innovator and educator in sustainable community development, permaculture and self-sufficiency, continues to build on a holistic lifestyle approach and will host two, 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Trainings (YTT) at its Center for Natural Living in 201...

This is a guest article by Live in Costa Rica. The effects of two storms, César and Juana, turned the town of Puerto Cortés into a virtual ghost town. Juana tore through Cortés in 1988. I remember that storm well because my son was born during it. César occurred around the year 2000. Between the two storms that took place in the Southern Pacific Zone (Zona Sur) a lot of damage occurred. Star...

One morning, Karen Diaz was walking along the road when suddenly two men stuck their heads out of a car to tell her what they thought about her body in graphic and violent terms. And that was when she was only eleven. Now Diaz, a resident of Nosara, is 25 years old but she has never forgotten her first experience as a child with sexual harassment in the street. She says she relives the experien...

This is a guest article by Travel Mother, one of our favorite Blogs about Costa Rica. Please consider liking them on Facebook. Sometimes I receive emails from mothers who would like to move to Costa Rica, but are unsure of how comfortable it would be living here without a car. While it is possible to go carless here–as we have done thus far–it is not always convenient, especially when you have...

If you go to any supermarket or fería (outdoor farmers market) in Costa Rica you will notice that organic produce is more expensive and not usually as attractive as regular produce. However the benefits of organically grown foods are many. Organic foods are much healthier and beneficial for the environment. They are grown without pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, antibiotics, growth hormones a...

This is a guest article by Bill Grinstead of CostaRecon.com. The views and opinions shared herein are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star. You must be 18 years or older in Costa Rica to drink alcohol in a bar, please observe and follow the law. You can definitely get by in Costa Rica without learning Spanish, but I’m not sure why you’d want to. I’ve had plenty of English-speaking frien...

Source: Flickr CC If there is something that foreign visitors and residents of Costa Rica quickly learn is that lining up (or queuing up) is a tradition. Costa Rica thrives on long lines and waiting times; this is how business is done and how errands are accomplished. It has been this way for quite some time and is unlikely to change any time soon; it is also highly inefficient, but there may ...

What do a tomato, blueberry, onion and dark chocolate have in common? No, it’s not some weird recipe. They are “superfoods,” so-called by doctors and nutrition and health experts for their amazing beneficial properties that can help you keep the right weight, fight off heart disease and cancer, live longer, and even put you in a better mood. You don't need specific foods for specific ailment...

The cost of living in Costa Rica, as with everywhere else, is a frequent topic of discussion. Before relocating here I read as much as I could on the matter, trying to get a feel for what to expect. The feedback varied. Some would say it was cheap, others would say it wasn't. And then there were always those making the "back in my day" statements. In piecing it all together, I estimated ...

Source: Wikimedia Commons Mike Periu, a Miami-based financial expert whose work has appeared in CNN and Yahoo!, recently published a report on the five most expensive places to live in Latin America. Costa Rica occupied fourth place, which closely follows Uruguay, Brazil and Venezuela. It is important to note that Uruguay has a high economic development index and Brazil is the “B” of the BR...

Tenant laws in Costa Rica are pro-tenant in that even if a tenant refuses to pay rent they can continue to live in the property until the landlord exhausts all of his or her legal hurdles to evict them, a process than can take years in the worst case scenario. But that may soon change with the passage in first debate of a reform to the Landlord-Tenant law that expedites the process of eviction,...

The Big Mac Index is published by The Economist as an informal way of measuring the purchasing power parity (PPP) between two currencies and provides a test of the extent to which market exchange rates result in goods costing the same in different countries. It “seeks to make exchange-rate theory a bit more digestible”. The index takes its name from the Big Mac, a hamburger sold at McDonald’s r...

Written by Sunny A. M. Fitzgerald.  Dedicated to anyone who has lived, worked, or played in rural Costa Rica. Please feel free to add your “Sure Signs” in the comments section below. Pura vida! 1. You were never considered a “morning person,” but now you don’t even require an alarm clock; the sun beaming into your bedroom window and the birds chirping wake you up quite consistently. And t...

Rob and Nadine Pisani were successful business owners in New Jersey, but when the stress of their lives landed Rob in the hospital, they decided it was time leave it all behind and start over in Costa Rica. Five years later, they are happier and healthier than ever. Rob is in a band, Nadine has written a book, and they wake up every morning excited to see what the day will bring. From shopping for...

After living in San José for almost all my life (30 years) I decided that it was time for a change. I was tired of being in traffic jams for hours, breathing all the smoke from the cars, listening to people honking about everything, fighting for parking space at the shopping mall and all the stress that cities bring with them. I started to look for a job in the area of Guanacaste and I found a ...

Playas del Coco is one of the more well known beach towns in the country for both locals and tourists. Although it is one of the smaller beaches in the Guanacaste region, it is still full of nightlife and activities to do such as scuba diving, sport fishing, and snorkeling along with many bars and restaurants. During the main holidays such as New Year and Easter, Playas del Coco becomes packed wi...

Costa Rican's are warm caring people People are what make living in another country a positive experience, or a bad one. Here in Costa Rica, it's made up of small communities all over the country and they're never short of smiles and waves as you make your way through them. It has a warm 'hometown' feeling and its filled with people who don't have a care in the world. I've heard so many s...

PuraVidaDog.com - Dog Services Lindsey Blunt [email protected] 8587-2668 If you live in Costa Rica and own a dog, from time to time you may have to travel out of the country or visit friends at the beach, and you will not always want to bring your canine companion. Well don't worry, a Canadian family living in Guachipelin Escazu has the answer, PuraVidaDog.com. Located very clo...

In the recent past The Costa Rica Star has published about the Costa Rica Easy social network. Living in Costa Rica is a dream for many people, but the distance it creates between friends and family can often lead to feeling lonely and transplanted into a different culture. A great cure for this is video conferencing with your friends and family, which can be achieved on the Costa Rica Easy soc...

One appealing aspect of moving to a place where you don't speak the language is you no longer have to hear anything stupid. Living in New York City, where strangers rub elbows and ears together, means that you are constantly overhearing cell phone conversations, 90 percent of which constitute of "I dunno, where do you feel like eating?" and what passes for bon mots on the subway ("No azzhole, ...

Note to readers, this is an opinion piece submitted to The Costa Rica Star by Dave Playfair, sharing some of his experiences with real estate and community developers in Costa Rica. Costa Rica is a land of undeniable natural beauty where the vast majority of its citizens exude the type of kindness and humility reserved for only the most pious of persons. Calm and reserved (except when driving o...

To have a dog is a privilege. A privilege that can greatly improves one’s quality of life. Your dog can be the reason to drag yourself out of bed in the morning and get outside. He or she can be the reason to hurry home after work or after you run your errands. After all, you have someone waiting for you, someone depending on you. There really is nothing like having a friend in your life who loves...

In Costa Rica, you’ll find plenty of expat hangouts throughout the country. It’s usually a restaurant, café, or bar, often owned by an expat, that acts as a gathering place and meeting spot for clubs and groups. Saturday morning coffee and breakfast might be the big time… or Friday night dinner, it really depends on the place. It’s a great way to meet people in your adopted hometown. And becaus...

(Updated April 5, 2020) I‘ve been exposed to many types of security systems from building custom homes for discerning clients during the past 30 years and I’ve designed and installed a multitude of security systems, safes and safe rooms into the walls and floors of dwellings. Most of my clients have wanted various types of security devices and personal protection installations for their homes an...

There is no shortage of opinions about how to go about relocating to another country. Just look on the internet under ‘expatriation’ and you’ll be met with over 5 million related sites. There are magazines, newsletters, personal blogs and electronic bulletin boards all dedicated to answering your questions and disseminating information. Official government web pages and real estate sites abound. ...

In Costa Rica, from February until April, before the rainy season begins, many folks inquire about repairing leaky roof and flashing installations. There are several methods to troubleshoot and solve roofing problems. Following 20 years of inspecting residential and commercial construction here, I’ve witnessed mostly quick fixes that temporarily solve leaky roofs. Quick fix repair methods are noth...

Inspired by the The Costa Rica Star's recent articles, and frustrated by the poor quality of the bell peppers at my local supermarket (you know the one that starts with “W” and ends in “almart”) my girlfriend and I decided to visit the Farmers' Market in Heredia. I had heard that I should arrive early for the best products, so when we arrived at a leisurely 9:30 am we expected things to have c...

There is a poignant scene in the 1996 film Shine, about the life of concert pianist David Helfgott, in which he asks an astrologer to marry him. Mr. Helfgot suffers from a severe emotional disorder, something that the astrologer -who would eventually accept the proposal- knew about. The astrologer's decision came only after she reassured herself that her life was going to change. A lot. Change ...

In typical Tico housing, standard two-prong electrical outlets are commonly installed. These outlets, also known as receptacles or plugs, serve to provide ready-to-use electricity for all devices. These electrical outlets deliver power to everyday items such as appliances, lights, computer equipment, and suicide showers. In most new construction, electrical outlets supply the power and are visi...

Costa Rica’s Regulatory Authority of Public Services, ARESEP, has been granting most public service providers increases for the services they provide at the expense of the residents and business owners. Once these new rate agreements are published in Costa Rica’s official legal publication, La Gaceta, the consumers need to concurrently pay more every month for basic public services that are necess...

For most people the mention of Guanacaste conjures up visions of ocean, surfing, palms and most anything beach related. That's because most of us head there on vacation. Locals have a life to live and it usually doesn't involve sand in their toes. I took the bus from San Jose to Liberia on a trip to meet my in-laws. Family dynamics aside, taking the bus really changes your perspective on this ...

A new bill making its way through the United States legislature may impede travel for American passport holders who owe taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Costa Rica’s proposed Fiscal Reform Plan, which was recently sent back to the National Assembly by Sala Cuarta (Constitutional Hall), is just one example of legislative efforts in several nations to increase revenues with the goal o...

As I sit here sweating enough to refill the Arenal lake, I really wish I were sea-side with a frothy adult beverage in hand. That's a place I haven't made it this year. You may be thinking I missed my chance now that Easter has passed, it's unofficially not summer here in Costa Rica, the rain is looming (which frankly in this heat, I welcome) and vacation days are over. I'm glad you feel that ...

UPDATED January 2017 In the past, the vast majority of tourists and persons seeking to retire in Costa Rica were much older than they are now. Back then, there was only the famous pensionado plan (now defunct) designed to attract retirees from the States. The requirements were minimal and had many benefits, including free car import provisions and even a special license plate for pensionados. ...

In the early 80’s, Costa was an entirely different place than it now is. With a population only approaching the two and a half million mark, there was hardly any congestion at all, no traffic problems, no real crime and certainly no violence. Back in those days, from San Isidro del General to Dominical was a three and a half hour trip just to get there, and if the trip were by bus, the passeng...

Marcela Castro Wedel is a physiotherapist and certified instructor of the Pilates and yoga disciplines. She is also a dog trainer who believes that doga, the practice of yoga with a canine companion, is a discipline that carries even more benefits than traditional yoga. Doga combines a series of yoga poses and breathing exercises that humans can perform along with canines. The idea is for both ...