My Blog

Part 4: Opportunity Knocks in Playa Panama

Hard Work and Challenges Continue in San Jose

My first year as a General Manager of a 4 stars hotel in San Jose was great but I was still traveling every day back and forth to my little home town of Atenas. It was too bad the four lane highway that now goes to Caldera wasn´t built at that time because it would have saved me 20 minutes off my ride instead of the 40 minutes from the old road that goes through the Santamaria airport and the little town La Garita.

Since 2020, I have been telling my clients about the high number of visitors in our area during the low season, but I never imagined that Playas del Coco would be so crowded in October and November! In previous years, the streets of our small town were empty, with only a few local Ticos or residents seen walking in the streets or spending time in the shops and bars that remain open at this time of year.

It's truly remarkable to see the crowds in downtown Coco at 3:00 in the afternoon! All the bars and restaurants are buzzing with a carnival-like atmosphere.

I always tell everyone that Playa Hermosa is UNIQUE! I don't know of any other community in Costa Rica that offers such a well-balanced diversity of social structures, all within the same small beach town. It's surrounded by a mix of Costa Rican natives, expats who are full or part-time residents, retirees, and vacationers.