As far as shopping, you can find almost anything you need within Ciudad Colón. There are several hardware and building supply stores; clothing, children’s toys, fabric, housewares and stationary stores; pharmacies, video rentals and agricultural supply stores are all located downtown.

As of yet, there is still nothing like a large home store or warehouse store, but PriceSmart and HiperMas in Escazú are only about 15 minutes away. Additionally, a new, modern shopping mall is set to be built near Boulevard Las Palmas.

Ciudad Colón is located near the international University for Peace, and as such, the city is a temporary home to many of its students. For a pleasant afternoon, take a leisurely drive (or bike, for the more adventurous) out to El Rodeo to the U. Peace park, where you can hike, picnic, and just enjoy the scenery.

The park is also home to a colony of oropendolas, and if you look up in the palm trees just to the left of the entrance, you’ll see their nests, which resemble hanging baskets.

Housing options in Ciudad Colón range from rental apartments to modest Tico-style homes to more expensive homes in gated communities like Boulevard Las Palmas and Cerro Colón. The Ciudad Colón area is experiencing quite a bit of growth, with new residenciales being built all the time.

If you’re interested in checking out the area for yourself, I suggest staying at the Hotel El Marañon (also home to the lovely restaurant El Aguacate), a small bed-and-breakfast hotel very close to downtown Ciudad Colón in La Trinidad. Also near downtown, the Julia and David White Artists’ Colony hosts visiting artists from around the world, and will rent out rooms when not otherwise occupied by visiting artists.

In the interest of journalistic integrity, and because I’d just bought a new RAV4 and wanted to put it through its paces, I decided to try out the “road” that will eventually become a highway from just outside of Ciudad Colón to Orotina, making the drive to the Pacific Ocean around one hour, and putting beaches within easier reach.

This project has been in the works for several years, and must certainly be on “Tico time,” as bridges were built years ago, but for the most part, the road that connects them is just dirt, rocks, bumps and holes.

However, it appears the project is finally moving forward, as dump trucks and excavators were busily working away on the day we drove through the area. Still, I would not recommend anyone else actually having the same experience until the road is paved — it was quite an awful drive in my new car, and at one point we nearly got stuck in a swath of soft dirt.

For now, for those wanting to hit Costa Rica’s Pacific side, it’s still much easier and faster to take the highway to Santa Ana and then to the Pan-American Highway toward the Pacific.

You can read Part I of Wendi’s article about Living & Retiring in Ciudad Colon, Costa Rica here.

Written by Wendi Patrick. Wendi Patrick is a California transplant who currently lives in Ciudad Colón with her husband, son and ever-growing menagerie of animals.

Besides being the editor of Costa Rica Outdoors magazine, Wendi’s articles have also appeared in The Tico Times, and she is the author of several children’s stories. Her Costa Rica adventures have included falling in a muddy ditch while hitchhiking in Tamarindo, running from a troop of angry howler monkeys in Manzanillo and holding a baby crocodile in Atenas.

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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.