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In the Costa Rica real estate market, it is not uncommon for buyers to skip home inspections on properties they intend to purchase. This is a big mistake. It can lead to missing important construction details resulting in problems down the road. Here are some key points to take into consideration when purchasing a new home in Costa Rica....
Part 5: Off to Panama and Barceló Hotels
My tenure as the general manager of Nakuti Resort in Playa Panama Beach, Costa Rica, concluded in 2003. (Refer to "My Life in Costa Rica Part 4").
I spent approximately six weeks in Atenas, near San Jose, cherishing quality time with my children. They were moving out of the house we had purchased in...
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...
Part 3: Working Hard and Exploring Costa Rica
1993: My Hotel Career Begins
Throughout my life, I had been dedicated to the hospitality industry, including owning my own B&B in the Dominican Republic when I was just 20 years old. One of my most memorable hotel experiences was working as a bellboy at the famous Meurice Hotel in Paris,...
Part 2: Living in San Jose
Getting to Know Costa Rica Better
While downtown San Jose may not be celebrated for its rich cultural and architectural heritage or historical significance, I found great joy in the capital of the country, primarily through the extensive network of friends I made during my years as a bar owner there. Despite the...
Background: How I Began my Journey to Costa Rica?
Country Hopping
To understand why I chose Costa Rica as my home, we need to go back 32 years. In 1988, after spending 8 years traveling between Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela, I still hadn't found a place to settle. Every country had its issues, whether it was political...
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...
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...
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...
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 love this time of year—the real green season; everything is as...