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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.
In the last 8 years, we've seen a lot of new building construction and services in our area, and private schools have gotten much better. Many schools are bigger now or offer new services that weren't available before, like sending trained babysitters to help parents who need to travel.
Delfin School used to be just a small elementary school, but now it has a high school too in Playas del Coco. The school buildings are modern, and there are lots of places for kids to play safely, including soccer fields and areas for outdoor activities.
Like every year, September 15 marks the celebration of Costa Rica's independence. The main attraction of this day is the parade featuring choirs from various academic institutions, composed of dancers, drummers, and a wide variety of musicians, all dressed in costumes of patriotic colors. Since it is the rainy season in Guanacaste, the event starts early in the morning. Thousands of Costa Ricans gather in Liberia to celebrate Independence Day. At 8:00 a.m., accompanied by my family, we decided to go to Liberia to attend this celebration.
I really do not travel a lot! There are a couple of main reasons for this. The first is because I live in Paradise already in a tropical beach community with a the “Pura Vida” lifestyle among locals (Ticos), ex-pats (Gringos and Canadians) and tourists (from around the world). I always feel like I am on vacation even though I am working and have business dealings everyday. The second reason is that even though we live in the “Jungle” we have unparalleled services like no other developing country in the world.
I love Playa Hermosa for the different cultures of its people; the mix of luxury properties with the humble houses of the local Ticos, in a relatively new community. There are still hundreds of monkeys and a multitude of wild animals that live with the people of this beach community. While most residents are foreigners, Playa Hermosa has a very close group of Costa Ricans who are celebrating the traditions of this country with all kinds of social activities.
Although my favorite places in Costa Rica are the beaches, I also enjoy the mountainous areas of the country. Every time I visit my two children, Bianca, 12, and Jourdan, 20, who live in Atenas with my first wife, I try to find something special to do to make the most of the short time I have with them. One place that I've known and liked for over 25 years is "Las Minas del Aguacate", located in San Mateo in the Province of Alajuela. These mines were first exploited in 1821 during the gold rush, and when they were closed, the area became dotted with water pools.
The Green Season Kicks Off
Just two weeks ago, everyone in the region was talking about the lack of rain we've had this year, but they seemed to forget about September and October. The rains over the past four days have been significant, and they could last until November 15!
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.
The thing that I like about living in the Papagayo region is that most of the time you feel like you´re surrounded by a tropical rustic environment. The people are humble and simple, and they live their life in a slow pace compare to the North Americans.
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