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Ever since our first visit to Costa Rica in 1991, my husband & I dreamed of owning a piece of it, with the ultimate goal of retiring there. We returned last Sunday from our fourth & final (as potential investors) trip. We chose the Playas del Coco/ Ocotal area this time. Each trip has left us more disillusioned with the rampant, unchecked development, and we have become convinced the “eco” in “eco-tourism” stands for economics rather than ecology. The developers seem intent on occupying every last square inch of this Garden of Eden until they have destroyed the very thing many seek it for.
We are consciencious and thoughtful people. We did our homework. My husband has a background in economics & finance. We read several books, studied newspapers (The Tico Times, The Beach Times & La Nacion), this website & others. We conferred with a friend who was a Costa Rican consul to the US and an acquaintance who owns & is developing property on the southern Pacific coast of the country. We hoped we were sufficiently prepared. While there, we worked with three different real estate agents. I am now very grateful we took the time to ask questions, interview property owners and LOCALS, and to OPEN OUR EYES.
Please,don’t get me wrong. There’s no doubt the investment potential is there- a “buyers” market exists that may likely get even better- at least in some respects.
Of course, everyone is different. We arrived at our decision to not buy after much thoughtful discussion. Our reasons were numerous and varied; not only financial and personal, but, I feel, moral as well. Needless to say, the cons overwhelmed the pros,
and we reluctantly relenquished our dream.Costa Rica is truly a beautiful gem, populated by a wonderful people. We hope to return, but next time, it will be strictly as tourists. I hope the government of Costa Rica will have the forsight to learn from the mistakes made by others and look out for the legacy it will leave for its own people.
It’s unfortunate that you have given up your dream here. While there are targeted areas that are experiencing incredible development, if you don’t have to be in the heart of the Central Valley or in the most populated areas along the coast, Costa Rica still offers an abundance of the things you say you first loved about it. Development is a two edged sword and Costa Rica is starting to take measures to at least have some simblance of control over it. Development ideally brings with it ecomomic benefits to the local population in the way of jobs and more tax revenue that hopefully will be spent on improving infrastructure and services to everyone. I will commend you on your level of research to come to the conclusion that Costa Rica is not for you. Keep in mind though that people are looking for different things in life and what is a negative for you is a positive for many others. It isn’t fair for some who come here to find their little piece of paradise to turn around and say “ok, shut the door”.
You are correct. And there is no way to “shut the door” short of mandatory world population control such as the Chinese government is doing right now. If Costa Rica is suffering ecological damage, then ecological disaster must be overcoming the rest of the planet. Where else outside of Costa Rica is the ecology so protected? Where else will you go for your dream?
When I first moved to South Florida, it was at the beginning of another population explosion but it was still habitable. The Florida Keys were still a laid back sub tropical paradise, fish and other wildlife were abundant and the back waters were as quiet as they might have been one hundred years ago. 30 years later, it has become a crowded, noisy, polluted place to live. Flotsam and jetsam wash up on every shoreline and jet skis and fishing boats spew fuel oil in the once clean waters. I am leaving for Costa Rica. I don’r see CR as anywhere remotely near the level of population and pollution that we have here in much of the United States. SO I wonder, if Costa Rica no longer satisfies your dreams, what place on the planet can do that? Where will you go?As long as people are more concerned with their investment than their quality of life, there will be massive devlopment in every part of paradise, except where it is not fashionable, such as remote parts of the Central Valley. I remember when the Yucatan was paradise — that was back in the early 80’s when it was laid back, safe, and a really marvelous place to live. I wouldn’t live there now if you paid me, because it is no different than those beach communities that are being over-developed in Costa Rica. Where I do live in Costa Rica is still pretty undeveloped. It’s by no means chic, unless you consider campo living chic, where you have more cows than people!
Gary – I understand your point generally speaking but I have to ask, where else would you go that could be better?
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