Costa Rica hadn’t really appeared on my radar before November of 2013. I mean, yes, my son and my nephew had both vacationed in Costa Rica but they had spent a few weeks at resorts and doing the things that tourists do. Their experiences, while very enjoyable, sounded much like the ones I had had vacationing in Mexico.

Then in November 2013, my friend, Nadene Tipper, who had been living in Costa Rica since 2008, came to Canada for a visit and Costa Rica appeared very large on my radar. She spoke of her experiences, the life that she and her husband were leading in that new world….so very far away from the world that I was inhabiting.

I was very intrigued and more than a little interested but didn’t believe that I would ever be able to spend any amount of time away from Canada and the world I found myself in, much less in the kind of place I had fantasized living in since I was a child.

I continued to get updates from my friend over the ensuing 17 months and then, in April 2015, I received an email from her saying that her DH (Dear Husband) would be in Canada for several weeks in the summer and I should come for a visit. I did.

I arrived in July and spent 3 glorious but too short weeks falling in love with this little Central American country. I know, I know…I was on vacation and it’s a different vibe than actually spending any time living a regular kind of life here, but still….I was smitten.

As my friend and I travelled a little around the Nicoya Peninsula and I started to experience a very, very tiny bit of what Costa Rica is about and has to offer, I understood that I had to do “whatever it took” to enable me to come back here for the winter.

My clients (I’m a working 62 year old whose retirement prospects seem very far in the future) and my 2 adult children were encouraging and very supportive and so I made the commitment. I would spend my winter in the sunshine of Playas del Coco, Costa Rica, far away from the very short days and freezing temperatures of an Albertan winter!

And now I’m here. I haven’t been here long, just a mere two weeks and I have experienced a wee modicum of frustration that is part of the adjustment of a North American to the Pura Vida lifestyle, but the benefits for me far outweigh any frustration there may be. There are many and these are my top 5 SO FAR…:

1. I love that this is what I see out of my office window…..or rather, from my balcony, which is my office (oh how I love to say that!) all day, every day!
2. In the morning, before work, I can go for a swim in the pool just outside of my door. Yes, I can go for a swim before work back in Canada, too, but in order to do that I first have to put on my coat and boots and mittens and go scrape the windows of the car. So I can drive to the pool.
3. At lunchtime, or at any other time I choose, I can walk out my door in my shorts and tank top and walk 5 minutes in my flip flops to the beach. I am astounded every day by how uncrowded the beaches are.

   

   Sure, there can be some funky smells along the beach sometimes but that doesn’t take away from the magic that the ocean and the beach provide for a person who has lived a land locked life but always yearned for the sounds and the sights and the feel of the ocean.

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4. The astonishing surprises that await an Albertan living in a tropical location that I hadn’t anticipated. For instance, I rode with friends to San Jose last week for an overnight trip. We stopped at a restaurant along the way for lunch and the trees around the restaurant were populated with macaws! Beautiful, gloriously hued macaws!

   That kind of unexpected surprise is soul lifting for me and I expect that there will be many more of them over the course of my stay.



5. Last, but VERY far from least, is the warm and enveloping welcome that I have received here in Playas del Coco. Being a newcomer in a new environment is cause for anxiety for me and can be difficult, but here I have experienced nothing but kindness and inclusiveness from the large expat community.

   The Costa Ricans that I’ve had the opportunity to meet have been warm and open. They exude a generosity of spirit and a warm heartedness that I feel so grateful to be on the receiving end of.

The excitement and energy that I feel each morning when I awaken is in stark contrast to the bleakness I feel during my winters spent in Alberta.

Please understand that I adore my family and love my friends at home and I don’t know if I could ever leave them permanently, but I know that if I can have my “druthers” I’ll be spending my winters here…in the sunshine and in the warmth of all that is Costa Rica.

So, if you’re looking to make the leap and spend some time in Costa Rica, be sure to contact Nadene and Roland Tipper. The Las Palmas community has dozens of condos for sale under $150,000. Please fill out the form below and they’ll send you some fantastic options from the beautiful beach of Playas del Coco.

Roland and Nadene Tipper are Canadian citizens who have lived in Costa Rica since 2008. As professional real estate sales agents in the Playas del Coco area, they offer the best service possible by providing accurate and up to date information so that their clients can make an educated decision when it comes to buying real estate in Costa Rica. 

Their focus is on customer service from start to finish and beyond and the fact that their clients become great friends says a lot. 

For more information about Costa Rica condos for sale in the Playas del Coco area, please contact our Recommended Realtors in Playas del Coco Roland and Nadene Tipper using the simple form below: 

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.