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Scott, I just read on another thread that you just recently spent time on the Carribean side. we are going there in early November. How was the weather? the bugs? the snorkeling? crime? Is there diving? the drive down from San Jose? We will be travel;ing with my 4 year old son, who, I am proudly able to say has just learned to snorkle. Any advice would be appreciated. We are going to try to get to our resort that night after a 2:00 pm landing in San jose.
Koty
I will try to write something about the trip before the end of August koty but my two wonderful teenagers are with me for another few weeks so I’m trying to devote as much time as I can to them.
I do love to visit that area but could not live there.
Scott
koty
It sound like you are going to be busy arriving in Costa Rica that day.
If you have a perfect arrival at 2PM you will need time to get through imigration, customs, picking up the luggage and getting your rental car and driving through or around San Jose.
The rains on that side of the divide can be rather heavey and with the road conditions in certain areas not being that great (South of Limon for a short distance), you may have an arrival time of somewhere between 7-8pm.
You may want to think about a one night stay on the East side of San Jose and enjoy the beautiful drive in the light of day… and you will be rested.
Bill Maes
Koty,
Here are a few websites that you may want to look at. I still had them saved to my favorites when my husband and I were looking to purchase some land in that area. We were going to be staying in Cocles just south of Puerto Viejo at Fincachica, we even had wired our deposit, but decided that after more research that it looked like we would love it as a vacation spot but not to retire to. We did lose our deposit but, the owner who allready had given us a great deal on the small cabina, said when we got over that way to make sure we let him know since he would give us a very special deal! If you are looking at property the recommended realtor is Manuel from Carib-Sur. They also have a personal website you may want to look at since they have small children. They live in Punta Uva. The websites are as follows:
http://www.puertoviejo.net
http://www.puertoviejoweb.com
http://www.costaricaguide.info/manzanillo
http://www.caribsur-realestate.com
http://www.lifeinpuntauva.com
Hope this helps, have a great trip!Debbie
The link to Caribe sur real estate is http://www.caribesur-realestate.com/
Yes, Puerto Viejo is not for everyone, that is what makes it special. I live here and having discovered this place 4 years ago, I can see where most of the rumours and misinformation about the Caribbean have served most expat residents well.
I will take the Caribbean over the Pacific any day.
There are no golf courses or tennis courts. In fact you will have a hard time finding a swimming pool or a room with AC.
If you want better info on PV and what to expect, you might check out my FAQ http://colinsito.blogs.com/banana_azul/2006/04/frequently_aske.html
or Puerto Viejo Photo tour.
http://colinsito.blogs.com/photos/puerto_viejo/index.htmlLiving in Puerto Viejo was the most incredible experience I have ever had. I sold my home and everything we owned, left a 17 year tenure with a very steady job (with municipal government) and moved to PV as a single mom with two small children. I chose Puerto Viejo for the eclectic mix of ideas and cultures and for the unbelievable natural beauty. I have never in my life met a community comprised of so many unique and caring individuals and wouldn’t trade the experience for the world. No, it’s not for everyone, but it is for those unique few who want a different experience, something out of the norm, those seeking a greater satisfaction in living, perhaps a deeper spiritual connection with themselves and those around them.
Are you still there? If not, what made you leave? How did you educate your children? We have a 4 year old and would love to live somewhere that would belp him grow up Bi-lingual.
Koty
Unfortunately, I am back here in the States. I only lived in Puerto Viejo for three months. In retrospect, that seems like a ridiculously short period of time, given the sacrifices I made to make that lifestyle change. But I have no regrets.
I moved to PV to work with a non-profit organization. I had been offered a ‘tentative’ position with this organization – pending funding. The funding never grew enough to allow for another paid position. I knew this when I left the States, but decided to take a chance. The main factor in my decision to leave Costa Rica was financial.
As for schools: While we lived in PV, my children attended the public school. The ideal situation would have been to enroll them in a private school, but I did not have the funds to do this. The public school setting was, admittedly, a bit trying. The children spoke and still speak, very little Spanish. Some of the private schools in the area are 1/2 English and 1/2 Spanish and I believe a year in that type setting would have helped them to gain enough of a grasp of the language to move to the entirely Spanish-speaking environment.
Anyway, my heart is still there. I believe that Costa Rica is an excellent environment to raise children, it’s much like the feel of small-town USA about 50 years ago. Go with a sense of adventure, and flexibility and you’ll be just fine. Your child is at a great age to make the move.
Thanks for your comments on Puerto Viejo. My wife and I fell in love
with the area (she is 7th generation Jamaican), and it reminds her
of the version of the Jamaica she grew up in until the age
of 17. We have recently purchased a home in Cocles, and plan on
retiring there as soon as possible. We also enjoyed the gentleness
and creativity of this eclectic community, with lots of laughing children playing freely, amazing beauty of environment, and the
best food I have eaten. I can see where the comments “rumors and
misinformation have served expats well” is very true indeed.I’m so glad you have found this beautiful area, it is truly unique. I’m looking at coming back soon and am hoping to be close to the Cocles area so the kids can attend school there at the escuela publica. . . we may very well be neighbors!
We moved here with 4 kids in 2003. We are still here and are very happy here. We do private school. But we love our community and our livestyle.
Wendy, I lived in Puerto Viejo last year for a few months and am now back in the States. I moved there for probably all of the same reasons you did, the lifestyle being more conducive to raising well-adjusted, well-rounded children. The major issue I ran into, and the reason we returned here to the US, was the inability to juggle a job and the erratic school schedule in PV as I did not have the funds to enroll the children in a private school. I’d love to be back in Puerto though, I’ve thought about it every day since I left. I was wondering if you might offer any recommendations or advice as to how I, a single parent, could make this transition once again, perhaps you know of a business opportunity, or job opportunity that would be flexible enough to manage the kids schedule. Email me directly if you wish, at michele001@excite.com. I would truly appreciate any information or advice you can offer. Thanks much.
Edited on Sep 09, 2006 07:35
Edited on Sep 09, 2006 07:36
How did you create income for your move? We would move in a second if we could figure out how to finance it. How much are you spending on a monthly basis, if you don’t mind me asking.
The income I brought with me was from the sale of a home I had owned for 18 years; not much, but it was enough to live on for awhile. I had been offered a job with a local non-profit, but due to funding constraints, the founders were not able to hire me on – at that time. I basically took a chance when I moved down, as the job was not ‘set in stone’ so to speak. I took a chance and it didn’t work out. So, I basically lived on my savings, spent about $1,000 per month for the three of us, maybe a little more because we bought things like bicycles for transportation purposes, household items that we had not brought with us, etc. After a month or two, I did go out and seek another job – any job – in town and found the pay to be about $100 per week, no matter what type of job – unfortunately, not quite enough to support both myself and my children. The reason, and the ONLY reason, I’m back here in the States now is that I could not find a way to make ends meet in Costa Rica. As a single parent, I believe my situation was exacerbated somewhat. I’ve seen many couples move down, and open up a business, such as a small hotel, restaurant, any type of small business and most of them do very well. But without the support of a significant other, and without substantial capital to start up (and an ingenous business idea/concept), I found myself struggling with basic survival. Back here in the States, at least I have the skills to make a living. Se la vi.
Edited on Sep 17, 2006 09:51
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