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I have a group of friends and we all want to go in on a large house somewhere in Costa rica. Puntarenas seems so easy to get to and you can get a beachfront house for 300-400K. Is the town really that awful or should we look somewhere else. Surfing is not that important as we are mostly day sailors and divers. Any advice most appreciated.
It’s not that it’s “seedy” or “awful” but Puntarenas has always been a local type beach resort that did not attract foreigners and admittedly in recent years, it has lost some of it’s appeal even to the locals but Puntarenas is changing.
There are a few new projects now going up and since we walked up and down knocking on doors analyzing land prices and started recommending one of them, land prices in the area have doubled.
For more information about the Puntarenas area please see:
[ https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/1027.cfm ] with video
[ https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/1030.cfm ] with video
[ https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/407.cfm ]
[ https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/1032.cfm ]
[ https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/1187.cfm ]Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comLaura:
If you haven’t visited Costa Rica to sail or dive you are making a mistake to buy. I have done a little diving in CR but am afraid that the waters in the Nicoya Bay have low visibility. You should go visit the places you want to sail and dive before you make a financial commitment. If you want blue water diving you should check out the dive shops along the pacific coast. If you want I could recommend one out of Quepos my wife and I have used last April.
Cptn Joey BuettnerThanks Cptn Joey and must agree about taking your time to make a big decision…
I came here after living in the Cayman Islands for five years where the diving is simply breath taking and where the water is nearly always crystal clear…
Near shore diving on the Pacific side of Costa Rica tends to be cloudy and disappointing depending on the season. I have found the near shore diving on the Southern Caribbean side better.
But I do hear that diving around the Cocos Island is amazing, but it’s a long trip.
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comThanks for your input Scott and Joey. Between 15 people, work and family we are trying to dial in where we want to visit for an exploratory into investing in C R. About half of our group has been there. We figure with the market in the toilet here in the US that the CR market probably is soft also so thanks for the advice and we will keep looking and dreaming!!!
Puntarenas proper is a hole! South of Puntarenas toward Jaco can be decent once you get past Caldera. Most industrial port towns with fishing fleets and a prison tend to be seedy. The Gulf of Nicoya waterfront has great vistas, but the water is a little on the milky/smelly side until you get to the islands at the mouth of the bay where ocean currents mix. Maybe it is all the tuna boats. From Curu around the peninsula through Montezuma, Cabuya and Mal Pais, on the “other side”, is a slice of heaven.
Also up to $400k you can find houses on or very near the beach in other locations such as Playa Hermosa(Jaco) or Esterillos. Both wonderful places close to San Jose(1.5 hrs.approx.), just 40 minutes to Manuel Antonio and a stones through to Jaco for all the services one could want.
I am told the waters in that area are cloudy because of all the rivers that flow into the ocean. Those rivers pass through a lot of heavily farmed land and carry solids (pollutants) to the sea.
Also, I have a rather low opinion of the beach towns I have seen compared to the mountain towns. Things just seem more tidy and better cared for in the coffee towns of the Central Valley. Apart from the high real estate prices and stifling tropical heat, the general seediness of the beach towns is one big reason why I chose to buy in the mountains inland.
In Puntarenas the water quality on the gulf side is much better than the water on the estuary side which is more polluted because of yachts and sewage.
My personal feelings are very much the same as yours ‘sprite’ on this as I would not live in the most luxurious penthouse in Jaco or in Puntarenas if someone else bought it for me – it’s just too hot & toasty for me personally – however many people love the heat and these locations so we’ll do our best to identify the best, most experienced developers for our VIP Members.
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.com
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