Costa Rica Living in Atenas? Free video interview with Terry Mills

Atenas is a small, friendly, quiet town with an agricultural base, great climate, friendly people, a good multi-national community base and anything we don’t have here in Atenas is just a short drive away… Practically the center of paradise!

Three major banks reside here, (Banco Nacional, Banco de Costa Rica, Banco Popular), with at least 5 ATMs, 4 larger sized grocery stores (all these accept debit and credit cards) and lots of smaller ones, 2 gas stations, one gourmet food store, 2 health food stores, 4 butcher shops, 4 pharmacies, lots of clothing stores, a post office, a library, a gym, a pool/party center, one huge hardware store and two smaller ones, a paint store, at least 4 doctors, a new clinic, several dentists, several veterinarians, 3 equestrian centers, 3 cycle shops, an ice cream shop, 3 video rental shops, three internet cafés and 6 B&B/Hotels.

We also now have high speed internet available in most of Atenas!

In the Atenas area you will be truly comfortable, the temperature does not get very hot and never cold. It is the steady, even, warmth and humidity that is perfect for most people but is especially important for people who might be recovering from an illness or surgery.

If you like it cooler or warmer, Atenas includes several mountain ranges and you can go up or down a bit until you find an area that is perfect for you. It rains enough here to keep things green but not as much as in other areas where it can rain for days at a time.

Here in the “rainy season” it rains for a couple hours in the afternoon and is usually cleared up by dinner time. We just had our “worst” part of the rainy season here in Atenas. It actually rained almost every day for several hours for a whole week!!

That’s it, we’re done. Now it will rain for a couple hours in the afternoon about 4 days a week, the mornings will be bright and sunny, with a cool breeze, just like today!

If you live in Atenas, you never have to feel like an ‘outsider’ or very far from the comforts of ‘home’. Kay’s Gringo Postres (next to the bus station) is a meeting place for Ticos and all sorts of foreigners alike.

English is spoken as well as Spanish (and occasionally, German and French). It is truly a melting pot as they make everyone feel welcome. Take some time to sip a cup of coffee, read a book, visit, and sample things like pumpkin, pecan, key lime, lemon merangue and apple pie, brownies or pound cake, as well as typical Costa Rican deserts such as ‘Tres Leches’ and lemon bars.

Kay makes a wicked carrot cake with cream cheese or pineapple frosting, brownies, and cinnamon rolls, plus serves American style hot dogs, chili or Coney dogs, bacon cheese burgers and French fries.

Breakfast is biscuits and sausage gravy, (we’re talking sausage made with sage – if you don’t think that is a big deal, you have not been in Costa Rica long enough! – blueberry pancakes or other rare American delicacies!

Costa Rica Living Video Interview: To watch this short video with Terry Mills, please click on the small white triangular Play button in the middle of the screen below and allow a few seconds for the video to begin.

If you want something more typical, try the Gallo Pinto or fruit plates. This is also the home of the book exchange where books are freely exchanged in English, Spanish and German.

In Ricks internet Cafe, on the corner across from the park, everyone speaks English, you can have a great frozen cappuccino or a meal while you “surf the net” or check your mail, Rick is open 7 days a week! (8am to 8pm m-f and 10am to 6pm on Sundays) He also has a great “dinner party” on Thursdays so everyone can get to know each other.

Atenas is also home to a gourmet restaurant, a Chinese restaurant, an
Italian restaurant, 3 chicken places, a pizza place and several typical restaurants and “sodas” which are small typical restaurants.

Ekalis is next to the Banco de Costa Rica and serves very good typical and non typical food. Their menu is in English and Spanish and their prices are very reasonable. t also has probably the best Pizza anywhere around, and they deliver!

The School of Agriculture makes and sells several varieties of yogurt and cheese. So far we have not been invaded by McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, etc. There is also one big bread store where various kinds of delicious breads and pastries are coming out of the oven at all hours, it smells wonderful.

So what do people do in Atenas besides eat? If you enjoy relaxing in the park, the flock of parrots that comes in to roost and play each evening will delight you, but Atenas is also a great place for more serious bird watchers.

If you enjoy more strenuous activities, you can play tennis, go swimming, mountain biking, horseback riding, and golf is coming soon.

If shopping is a major pastime, the mall is only a half hour away in Alajuela, and so is the town of Sarchi, home of furniture and souvenir factories. It is a convenient “day trip” to the Poas Volcano, La Paz Waterfall Gardens, and the beaches on the Pacific side (like Jacó, etc).

In San Jose (at about 45 minutes) you will find theatres, casinos, museums, golf and of course more shopping and food!

Interested in investing Costa Rica real estate in Atenas? The price of land in Atenas has been rising at a steady (sometimes alarming) rate, so land bought just to hold is a good investment. But there is a real need for rental property in Atenas in all price ranges and homes built to US standards are also in short supply.

Everyone speaks about the “new highway” which puts Atenas at halfway between Santa Ana and the beaches. Supposedly a half hour to the beaches and a half hour to Santa Ana, then on to Escazú and San Jose.

We have been hearing about this highway for several years and I understand it has been “in the works” for 20 or so. Huge modern bridges have been in place for some time and work is scheduled to begin on the “cow trails” between them “officially” in November, and we have seen some crews and work being done already so it looks like it is really going to happen now.

Investors are buying up the land around the highway and have been doing so in a much more frenzied rate in the last few months.

One last thing: If you like coffee, some of the best (and least expensive, I might add) coffee is grown and processed right here in Atenas!

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Considering The Atenas Area For Your New Home In Costa Rica?

The AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) ranks Atenas as one of “The Best Places to Retire Abroad.” For more information about homes and land for sale in the area please contact our Recommended Realtors in Atenas by 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.