The city of San Isidro del General is located about 45 minutes inland from Dominical and is very convenient for shopping, hardware stores, doctors, dentists, lawyers, and more. San Isidro I have heard called “the fastest growing city in Central America”, but do not know if there is any truth to that. The area around San Isidro is known as Perez Zeledon and includes towns such as; La Palma, Cajon,...
Raising a Family in Costa Rica
If you want a cell phone in Costa Rica that works on the local networks, then it has to be unlocked; meaning not tied or ‘locked’ to any wireless provider in the U.S. The phone also has to use a SIM card and work on an HSDPA 3G network. Note: CDMA phones will not work here. There are few ways to get an unlocked phone: 1.) Buy it here, but the price is much higher due to heavy import taxes on...
Labor in Costa Rica is very affordable compared to the U.S., Canada, or Europe and many ex-pats employ a full or part time gardener and house cleaner. Since the jungle grows so fast around here, a gardener can keep the property and the landscaping maintained. Same for a finished home, having some help cleaning windows, sweeping, mopping, and more helps maintain its beauty. After all most people move...
About 40 minutes South of Dominical in San Buenas, Cortes there is a huge Mamones farm we like to visit to pick fresh Mamones. It is lots of fun to bring the whole family and get as much as you can eat to last a week, not to mention filling up while you are picking them right off the tree. The Mamone is a golf ball sized fruit with red peal and soft spikes also called Lechies in Asia. Inside is a grape...
High speed internet in the middle of the jungle is a beautiful thing, but up until a few years ago was almost impossible. The only options back then were to go to an internet café (which was usually dial up speed) or try and hook up your cell phone (if you had signal) to the computer and use snail pace internet. Well, all that has changed thankfully and it is possible to work online from your house in...
The local soda has great taste and the best prices around. Not a soda beverage, but rather the local small restaurant they call “Sodas” around here. They are typically family owned and many times operating right out of their home kitchen. Talk about good ole’ home cooking. As with most Costa Rica restaurants they are open air and there will surely be a dog sleeping in the corner, but do not...
Now you have a home and property or even a lot ready to build, and want to plant some flowers and fruit trees. This is one of the best aspects of living in such a tropical environment, you can usually literally cut off a branch and stick it in the ground and it will grow. You will notice driving down the road though out the country, some of the fence posts have started growing branches and become trees...
The local farmer’s market is a weekly event that most residents and locals alike look forward to. Every Thursday and Friday in San Isidro and every Saturday in Uvita, one can stock up of fresh fruits and vegetables from an assortment of local area farmers. There is everything imaginable and even an organic fruit section; which is very popular and best to go on Thursday morning for more selection. ...
When making the move to Costa Rica, should you rent long term or buy a home? This is a common decision for retirees or families to make. Before even deciding to move to Costa Rica full time it is recommendable to rent for an extended period of time and during both the dry and rainy season to make sure it is the right fit for you. Also it is a good idea to try out some different parts of the country...
The idea of raising your family in a different country and culture can be overwhelming to some parents. However, with a bi-lingual private school in the Costa Ballena area it is becoming a real possibility for many young families. Previously it was only an option to raise a family in a larger city like San Jose that had English speaking schools, amenities, and international communities. The beach...