San Ramon, Atenas, Grecia,

[mustardgirl]

Been looking on-line at property in these areas.
Several questions
1. What are the differances in these areas.
2. Services Available
3. Americans living there
4. Climate ?
5. Property costs

[wmaes47]

My goodness Mustardgirl. You have a lot of questions to answer.

COST IS ALL AREAS ARE DEPENDANT ON MANY FACTORS: VIEWS, ACCESSIBILITY, INFRASTRUCTURE, WATER AND ELECTRICITY.
Atenas is the most expensive
Grecia falls next in line
San Ramon area is the lowest, but is starting to increase in value.

CLIMATE VARIES GREATLY AMONG THE THREE.
Grecia has more humidity increasing warmth
San Ramon center is about 3,000 elevation and cooler
Atenas is a drier climate.
You will need to visit all of these areas during different times of the year to see the various climate changes.

AMERICANS
Grecia has the highest concentration of USA citizens
Atenas fall at second for USA citizens
San Ramon has the lowest of all three

SERVICES AVAILABLE
San Ramon is probably on top of the list with a hospital, University, movie theatre, bi-lingual school, shopping mall and most of the Costa Rican banks
Grecia is right behind, but no mall or university or larger hospital that I know about. Traffic in town center can be terrible, especially during cane harvest with the big tractor trailer units traveling right next to Parque Central.
Atenas will be a quieter town, but still on a major road to Jaco. No mall, university or major hospital that I know of…

You really need to visit these areas and include Naranjo and Palmares in your search. These are all nice areas.

I prefer the San Ramon area.

Pura Vida
Bill Maes

[mustardgirl]

That was great info and very helpful. If I looked at these areas would two days and two nights be enough for an intial look/feel- (I am planning my 10 day trip) I am also looking at the Quepos/Manuel Antonio area and South
I realize that the San Jose highlands are vastly differant than the Mid -South Pacific but I am planning a trip- 8 days on the Pacific and two days in the Grecia- atentas -San Ramon area . They look very close to each other?. I guess one consideration is the weather

Edited on Sep 27, 2006 15:01

Edited on Sep 27, 2006 15:02

[wmaes47]

Two days are totally adequate. That will give you plenty of time to see these areas.

I would like to suggest that you find a competent person to give you a tour of these areas and show you those amenities and the towns.

There is a place I like to stay near Naranjo, with great rooms, a thatched roof bar and a good place to eat. It is the Rancho Mirador along the highway, just West of Naranjo. If you don’t have a place to stay, I have a great place in San Ramon, La Posada. I have yet to find a great place in Grecia.

Let me know if you have questions or need contact information.

Much warmer weather, elevation, bugs and prices of real property are a concern for the Quepos/Jaco/Parrita/Manuel Antonio. South of Quepos the roads are horrendous, until you reach Dominical. There is a real decent road from Atenas/San Ramon to that area, which is to be rebuilt to a much better rood.

Pura Vida and Cheers
Bill Maes

Edited on Sep 27, 2006 15:14

[DavidCMurray]

Backpackers B&B in Grecia gets excellent reviews from those who stay there.

Atenas is reputed to have the best climate on earth. That does not explain why every house marketed to gringos advertises central air conditioning which we neither have nor need nor want in Grecia.

When I looked at the climatic data on-line, I found all the beach areas, Pacific and Carribean, to be hot and humid year ’round.

[mustardgirl]

I can not find anything on Rancho Mirador. so what looks good and I think centrally located to the area I want to explore is either Vista del Valle Plantaion Inn or El cafetal or how about Posada Mimosa in Grecia. So if I want to explore the Aetnas, Grecia and San Ramon area which is a good base of operations for those two nights?

[mollyjim]

I stayed a week at La Terraza B&B (http://www.laterrazab-b.com/).I cannot say enough good about it. Beautiful, wireless internet in rooms, great breakfast, secure (I left money, laptop,etc. in my room daily), extremely clean (I saw Xiena cleaning the railings on the balcony as part of the daily cleaning ritual! There is a river in the back yard (equal to a big creek in the USA) to fall asleep to. I have read, but have no personal knowledge, some reviews of Posada Mimosa that said that they had difficulty sleeping because of the nearby autopista noise, and that the breakfast was a cold continental style breakfast. Did I say that La Terraza’s breakfast is great?

I’m a fan, as you can tell.

Jim of mollyjim

[rf2cr]

Spent a couple of nights at El Cafetal based upon what we had seen online – Don’t bother with it, rooms were expensive and small, there was barely a trickle of water in the shower, couldn’t use the phone to call the US without the manager who wasn’t on the property until very late at night. There are so many great places to stay, I’d give this one a pass.

[mustardgirl]

Surprising comments . Great reviews on Trip Advisor. So you “say there are great places to stay” like what? What about Vista del valle plantation??

[mustardgirl]

Ok thanks for your great suggestions – So since I can not locate Rancho Mirador. I have two options, #1, El Cafetal # 2 Vista del Valle PLantation Inn. Which is the nicer place and more importantly which is a better base of operations to explore the areas – San Ramon- Atenas- Grecia?

[wmaes47]

Rancho Mirador…

Try this number after 11 AM and you can speak with Lupia or Mel Cook to make a reservations. 011-506-451-09-45 from the States.

The direct line to Ranch Mirador is 011-506-450-38-57. The people that answer here are not good with English. This will make a great place for a base. No breakfast is served, the cantina is not open Mondays, there is a guard at the gate 24/7 and the best part…

Nice rooms with Direct Tv, hot bath/shower, comfy beds and right off the Autopista… US$28 per casita for up to two people.

Rancho Mirador is easy to spot. As you drive from Grecia towards the Pacific, you will pass the exit for Naranjo. Keep going and look for the Rancho Mirador sign on a hill on the right. After you see the sign, take the next right turn which will loop you around back to the East. Keep straight on this short, nasty road past the stop sign until you see the entrance on the left, about 200 yards. It is a steep drive up the hill, but well worth the effort.

My place to stay for a central location of Grecia, Naranjo, Atenas, Palmaras and San Ramon.

Pura Vida
Bill Maes

[MarilynSunshine]

Is this San Ramon de Heredia? I think there’s such a place.

[wmaes47]

MarilynSunshine

I search in my Costa Rica Guide map and didn’t find the San Ramon de Heredia.

This is San Ramom de Alajuela. It is on the Autopista (Hwy 1) West of San Jose about one hour drive time. This will be the end of the line for the new highway from San Jose that will cost $170,000,000. San Ramon is the most used road the Arenal Volcano and La Foutuna.

Cheers
Bill Maes

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