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COSTA RICA RETIREMENT AND REAL ESTATE TOURS
 This tour covers every major city in the Central Valley where we feel that real estate values still exist and the quality of life is higher than that in other parts of the country. The Central Valley is the hub of Costa Rica and where more than half of the country´s population resides. It has the most solid infrastructure and the widest variety of available services in the country. However, it still retains a wonderful tropical atmosphere, and you can make your home in either a city or country setting, whatever you desire, and still have all major facilities nearby. And most cities on the tour are less than two hour´s drive from the beach!
Please note that this itinerary may be customized or slightly changed, based on real estate or investment opportunities, weather or the availability of new properties.
If you plan to spend extra time in Costa Rica, we suggest that you do it after the tour if possible, so that you can go back and spend more time exploring the places you like best. For those who want to return to San Ramon and would like to stay at the B&B, Andrew will offer you a special rate. www.angelvalleyfarmbandb.com
Day 1
Breakfast at the B&B 7:30 and the van will leave at 8:00.
Today we will concentrate on properties in the coffee and sugarcane-dotted hills of Grecia & Sarchi, two of the most livable cities in the Central Valley. Grecia is also recognized as one of the cleanest cities in Latin America
and famous for its unique metal church, which is a deep dark red color. The Cathedral de la Mercedes is a gothic style church made from metal pieces that were imported from Belgium in the 1890’s. We will look at several properties in the surrounding hilltowns, set amidst beautiful mountain landscapes and rich lush sceneries, where the weather is warm with a slight, pleasant breeze year-round. Here we´ll view one of our ¨BBB¨ (Boomers Best Buy) recommendations.
Before leaving Grecia, we´ll also introduce you to one of the leading architects in the area who will tell you what to look for when purchasing a lot and building your home in Costa Rica. The considerations differ greatly from what you are accustomed to in the U.S.
Sarchi is the artisian capital of Costa Rica and, in addition to looking at property,
we will take time there to visit a furniture makers shop so that you can gauge the craftsmanship,
quality and prices of these solid-wood, handbuilt pieces (prices are a fraction of what you´d pay in the States!) We will also take some time to browse the craft shops, as this is the perfect place to pick up souvenirs to take home.
Before dinner you’ll have some time to relax and enjoy the surroundings of Angel Valley Farm B&B
Day 2
After breakfast,
we´ll view properties in the lush, green hills of Naranjo, a town primarily known for coffee plantations. The town was first called ¨Los Naranjos¨ (the Orange Groves) because of the large number of orange trees found there, but was eventually shortened to Naranjo. This area, along with Palmares, is now being discovered as one of the best places to live in the Central Valley.
We will also introduce you to the town of Palmares, home to furniture makers and other craftsmen. Palmares has an interesting church, made completely out of stone. The town square is highlighted by one of the most verdant parks in the country and houses a group of three-toed sloths!
In each city we visit on the tour we will point out restaurants, popular local and gringo hangouts, internet cafes, professional offices, shops, etc. – places and people we´ve frequented and met since we´ve lived here. They will all also be included in the ¨Contacts List¨on the CD you will take home with you. Having these contacts will save you tons of time once you move to Costa Rica!
We'll have dinner at a local typical restaurant where we´ll be joined by one of most professional and thorough attorneys in the country who will give a presentation on the legal aspects of incorporating and purchasing real estate in Costa Rica.
Day 3
Today we will concentrate on seeing properties in San Ramon and spend the full morning viewing properties in the area, amongst them another of our ¨BBB¨ (¨Boomers Best Buy¨) recommendations. At 3,000 feet above sea level, many of these properties have spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and can still be had at reasonable prices. We’ll also be met by your second tour guide, who will spend the rest of the day with us.
 We´ll take some time to tour this pleasant town, known locally as the city of presidents and poets because several of them were born or lived here. We will experience daily life here by walking through the main square, with its charming and peaceful park, Romanesque and Gothic cathedral and museum and cultural center. We will also visit a local ironmakers´ shop to watch craftsmen hand-forge their works of art.
In addition, we will make introductions at one of the international banks to give you information on opening an account and obtaining a mortgage in Costa Rica.
We´ll also visit Los Angeles Sur, set above the city to see land and homes for sale and rentals, including Rancho Lobo, an ex-pat community. This is also home to Andrew´s Angel Valley Farm B&B.
Day 4
This morning we’ll spend time getting to know the city of Atenas, famed for its warm, moderate climate. In addition to seeing a variety of properties in this idyllic town, we will meet several professionals and/or business owners here who can assist you if you decide to invest or move to Costa Rica (No stop in Atenas would be complete without stopping by Rick´s Internet Café for a coffee, a great meal or, of course, use of the internet, so we´ll make sure y ou get to meet him! Rick knows literally everyone and everything in town!!)
We will also visit La Garita, famous for its ¨viveros¨ (plant nurseries). You will be amazed by the variety of plants (everything seems to grown here!) and, above all, the reasonable prices.
Our tour will end between 3:00 and 4:00 and you will have two options of where to end your tour.
OPTION 1:
San Ramon - for those who want to stay and re-visit the area or are heading to Pacific coast beaches (including Jaco, Manuel Antonio, Nicoya Peninsula or Guanacaste). We can assist in car rentals from here.
OPTION 2:
Garden Court Hotel at the San Jose/Juan SantaMaria International Airport - for those of you who are visiting the Caribbean coast or have flights out. Rental car companies are also close by or taxis are available to other destinations.
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 The tour covers the mid-Pacific coast of Costa Rica and will begin near Punta Leona, just north of Jaco, and will end in Manuel Antonio, near Quepos, one of the country’s most beautiful beaches. The tour will also cover a number of smaller beach towns in between. Each tour will provide everything baby boomers and retirees need to know about moving to and living in Costa Rica, emphasizing coastal living. Clients will explore beach towns and meet others who have made the move to Costa Rica. They will also view dining, entertainment, outdoors, and social activities, and look at wide variety of real estate options from condominiums to homes to land.
Day 1
We will depart from your hotel at 8:30am to begin the tour. We will travel through the mountains of Atenas and head down to the Pacific coast. On our way down the coast we will stop in Tarcoles and see the famed crocodiles that live under the bridge here.
Today, we will concentrate on properties in the coastal towns of Herradura and Jaco. Herradura, home of the well-known Marriott Los Suenos resort and a terrific inlet for boating and water sports, offers a variety of housing options from condominiums to single family homes. Jaco, one of the most popular beach and surfing destinations in the country, and only a 1.5 hour drive from San Jose, is a popular retirement haven, attracting Americans, Canadians, Europeans and many Costa Ricans from San Jose. Here you will also meet some expats who have already made the move you’d like to make.
We’ll spend the remainder of Saturday and Sunday in the Jaco area getting to know what life is like here.
Day 2
After breakfast, we´ll visit downtown Jaco, pointing out the numerous shopping and services available in this town, as well as several ex-pat owned businesses. You’ll get a real sense of what life is like in this busy beach town.
Jaco has the reputation of being a ‘party beach’ with an excellent nightlife. However, the fun here is very relaxed, and the people are both friendly and helpful. While the town caters mostly to a large number of foreign tourists who want to enjoy a quiet lifestyle, Jaco has a nice clean beach that is especially popular in the summer months attracting a fair number of people from the San Jose area who primarily come for long weekends.
For lunch, we’ll eat at the well-known “Taco Bar,” a quaint outdoor restaurant which offers some of the best seafood tacos in the country. A trip to Jaco is not complete without at least one meal at the Taco Bar.
We will also visit several new condominium projects in the Jaco area so you can get a feel for the prices, views, and amenities offered. There are a wide variety of condominium developments in the area and we’ve only selected those with the best combination of location, quality, amenities, access to shopping and services, and price.
On Sunday evening, we’ll eat at one of Jaco’s best known restaurants, sure to satisfy both seafood lovers and land lubbers alike! After dinner, Jaco offers many bars and clubs from relaxed to downright rowdy.
Before leaving Jaco we´ll also introduce you to one of the leading architects in the area who will tell you what to look for when purchasing a lot and building your home in Costa Rica. The considerations differ greatly from what you would expect in the U.S., and in particular, when building or buying a home near the beach.
In each city we visit on the tour we will point out restaurants, popular local and gringo hangouts, Internet cafes, professional offices, shops, etc. – places and people we´ve frequented and met since we´ve lived here. They will all also be included in the “Contacts List” on the CD you will take home with you. Having these contacts will save you tons of time once you move to Costa Rica!
Day 3
After breakfast, we will head further down the Pacific Coast and will show you properties and life in the beach towns of Hermosa, Esterillos Oeste and Esterillos Este. These towns, while much smaller than Jaco, are easy accessible to Jaco but offer a more quiet escape for people just wanting to “get away from it all.” We will spend the full morning viewing properties in the area, both land and re-sale home, amongst them another of our ¨BBB¨ (¨Boomers Best Buy¨) recommendations. Along the way, you’ll see pristine, quiet beaches and some of the best surfing in the country.
We´ll take some time to tour these pleasant towns, getting to know the stores and services offered here. We will eat at a typical Costa Rica “soda,” where the food is both delicious and inexpensive.
After having lunch, there will be some free time for swimming, shopping, or just relaxing. In the late afternoon, we’ll head a bit farther south, ending up in the Quepos/Manuel Antonio area, where we’ll spend the night. There are numerous, terrific restaurants in the Manuel Antonio and we’ll offer several choices—a group vote will confirm our plans for the evening!
Day 4
Today, we will get to know one of Costa Rica’s most famous beach towns, Manuel Antonio, famed for its stunning beaches, national park, and terrific wildlife. After an early breakfast, we will have a private tour of Manuel Antonio National Park by one of the most knowledge tour guides in the country. You will see a variety of wildlife including rare birds, sloths and monkeys.
After a coffee break, we will begin our investigation of real estate in the area, looking at a wide variety high quality re-sale homes and condominiums, both existing units and those under construction. We’ll meet with developers who have many years of experience in the area and have a proven track record of developing high quality housing developments. We’ll also see some our “Boomers Best Buy”—BBB—recommendations including a variety of homes.
We will have lunch at one of the nicest restaurants in the area which offers terrific seafood with stunning views of the Pacific Ocean.
In the early afternoon, we’ll visit with the ex-pat owners of local businesses to gain some real insight into beach living. We’ll also visit the home of an ex-pat couple who have lived in the area for many years.
Our tour will end between 2:00pm and 3:00pm and you will have two options of where to end your tour.
OPTION 1: Manuel Antonio - for those who want to stay and re-visit the area we can drop you at any hotel in the Manuel Antonio area.
OPTION 2: Garden Court Hotel at the San Jose/Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO)-for those of you who are visiting the Caribbean coast, want to explore the Central Valley or have flights out. Rental car companies are also close by or taxis are available to other destinations. In addition, Andrew will offer a special rate at his Angel Valley Farm B&B for anyone wishing to further explore the San Ramon area, or to just relax!
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Below you will find information relating to each tour. The idea is to help you decide which tour is right for you. Of course, you can also take both tours as they are run back-to-back (with a day of rest in between)!
CENTRAL VALLEY TOUR
 Climate: The temperature usually fluctuates between 65 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit depending on the time of the day. Temperature will also vary according to the altitude above sea level. We try to locate properties that are about 3,000 feet above sea level or higher, because in our experience, it results in the most comfortable climate. Humidity is also lower at this altitude. Air conditioning is almost never used.
Costs: If you choose to buy property and build a home, a property of approximately 1.25 acres (5000 square meters) or greater, with a home will run between $135,000 and $235,000, depending on how large or how luxurious the house is. Lot prices will vary from as low as $10 per square meter to $50 per square meter, with larger tracks of land costing less. Construction costs for a higher quality home will be between $45 and $60 per square foot. Again, it is always possible to spend more if you so choose. It is also possible to find extremely cheap land or construction quotes, but we have found when the price seems too good to be true, it usually is. We have spent many hours screening various properties, weighing price and quality, in order to find property priced well, without sacrificing quality, location, clear title, etc.
The prices of resale homes will vary widely depending on the size of the house and lot, location, quality of finishings and other factors. Keep in mind that many resale homes may have been originally built for Costa Ricans and may not have the features North Americans expect such as bath tubs, large bedrooms or in some cases, modern showers. However, newer homes built specifically for foreigners are becoming more widely available.
Infrastructure: The Central Valley’s infrastructure is far superior to that of the beach. Most streets are paved with asphalt and are considerably wider. While beach areas sometimes suffer from droughts and power outages, these are usually not issues in the Central Valley. You will also have easier access to public transportation, taxi services, a wider variety of grocery stores and other shopping, and the main Inter-American Highway.
Location: Most areas of the Central Valley that we introduce you to are about 45 minutes to the nearest beach. Most towns are also about 45 minutes to San Jose’s international Airport. Things to do in the Central Valley include canopy tours, horseback riding, various nature trails, bungee jumping, fine dining (both international cuisine and typical Costa Rican food), and more. Most towns in the Central Valley are also between 1.5 to 2 hours to the famous Arenal Volcano where you’ll find a variety of tourist attractions such as hot springs, horseback riding, and hanging bridges.
Type of Client: We find the majority of Central Valley tour clients enjoy the ambiance and tranquility of this different life style. Those, especially from the Northeast, find it to be an alleviating escape from the rat race back home. Foreigners living in the Central Valley are usually not “beach goers,” but instead have a higher interest in natural surroundings and outdoor activities.
PACIFIC COAST TOUR
 Climate: Due to its lower elevation, areas surrounding the ocean tend to be hotter and more humid. Temperatures tend to range from 80 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, cooling off into the mid 70s at night. Due to the humidity, it may also feel warmer. Air conditioning is a must.
Costs: Prices of homes and condos we show tend to range from $250,000 to $1,000,000. Lot prices will usually cost over $100 per square meter (compared to $10 to $50 in the Central Valley). The cost per square foot to build is also substantially higher due to the high demand for materials from the recent construction boom. For quality, home construction costs generally are between $60 and $100 per square foot.
Infrastructure: Beach areas are well known for their poor roads; however they have been improving in recent years. Lower water supply and more frequent electricity cuts occur than in the Central Valley. It is extremely important to be assured of access to such services before purchasing property. Our goal is to introduce you to developers or real estate agents with a track record of establishing residences without any of these major issues.
Location: All properties we show are within minutes to the beach. There is also a larger array of finer restaurants with dishes from many parts of the world. Things to do include boating, fishing, golfing, and walking along some of the world’s most prestigious white sand beaches.
Type of Client: Clients for the Pacific Coast tour will spend substantially more to live at the beach and to purchase property. The higher prices are due to the enormous demand. The supply of quality developments with breath taking views and a good location is relatively small for the thousands of people who are trying to get a piece of this paradise. Almost all activities are predicated around the beach, and therefore, we wouldn’t recommend this tour to anyone who is not a beach lover. If you are looking to live less expensively, this tour probably isn’t for you, rather, the Central Valley tour would likely be more appropriate.
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Like to do things at your own pace? Our standard tour dates don´t coincide with your schedule? Want to focus on only a few select cities or areas outside the Central Valley? Want to bring the kids, parents, grandparents or friends along? Want to assess real estate investment opportunities including larger tracts of land for commerical uses? Interested in specific business opportunities? These are all great reasons to consider our private, custom tours.
With a custom tour, we´ll design a program with your unique objectives in mind. And, we'll do it when you want to do it and for as many days as you need us. You´ll have flexible options for hotels and meals, which makes pricing also flexible. In fact, depending on the package that we arrange for you and the number of people travelling, costs could be comparable to those of the scheduled, regular tour.
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Just email us with your interests and ideas and we´ll go from there.
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