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There are only two large interior design firms in Costa Rica that I am aware of: FUSION and INTERDISENO. Most architects in Costa Rica will provide interior design services after you work with them so there are few specialized firms in the field. FUSION is the firm that decorated the Marriott Los Suenos, the Marriott in San Antonio de Belen, the Four Seasons Hotel in Papagayo and they are now working on the Regent Papagayo and the St. Regis. FUSION is owned by famous architect Ronald Zurcher so expect very high fees for their services. INTERDISENO is a newer firm located in Escazu and owned by Rodrigo Trejos Montealegre, another great local architect. INTERDISENO is more into luxury homes, condos and offices. Personally, I am currently working with INTERDISENO in the renovation of a Hotel and the construction of 14 new condos in a Resort in Playa Hermosa, Guanacaste and so far the results have been fantastic and they have worked with my budget.
There are lots of independent interior designers in Costa Rica but very few good ones so watch out. I hired a small firm from Guanacaste called DECOARQ owned by Rita Gaggion to decorate my condo in Playa Hermosa and the results were fantastic. I highly recommend her if you need an independent designer/architect. She is a very good interior designer and will be less pricey than the large firms.
Scott, this is not an advertisement 🙂
You should try CARGA TICA in Doral, Florida. They are a Costa Rican shipping company. I shipped my entire college apartment back home to Costa Rica after graduation and the service was excellent. I had Movers come in and pack everything for me and then shipped it all to the Carga Tica’s headquarters in Florida. They then took care of the shipping and the customs process in Costa Rica. Here’s their website: http://www.cargatica.com.
Also, the best dance lessons in Costa Rica are from Merecumbe and Kurubande but they are both located in San Jose.
Check this website out, it has all the spanish schools available in Costa Rica http://www.learn-spanish-guide.com/costa_rica_schools.html. There are Spanish schools in Flamingo Beach, Tamarindo, Samara, Manuel Antonio, Dominical, Jaco and Monteverde which are very popular tourist destinations in Costa Rica. If you don’t mind learning in the capital city of San Jose, I recommend INTENSA by far. Hope this helps!
Tamarindo has definitely changed for the worse. I first visited this town in 1988 and it was a beautiful small village with excellent waves and a gorgeous beach. Now it’s over populated, too much construction and there are lots of problems which includes: drugs, prostitution, crime and serious infrastructure problems. When I mention serious infrastructure problems I mean specifically roads and sewage. The sewage problem is really bad as the “aguas negras” are being thrown into the ocean and many surfers have been suffering skin rashes, eye irritation and stomach diseases. I’m sure that in the long run the problems will be solved by regulation and investment, but for the meantime I would look elsewhere for travel and/or investment. There are much nicer places in Costa Rica worth the visit.
We Costa Ricans are definitely being forced out of the housing market in the coastal areas and some of the prime urban areas like Escazu, Santa Ana and Curridabat where developers are charging anywhere from $300K all the way up to $2 Million for Condos and Houses. Another problem is that the influx of foreigners and tourists are causing the prices in commercial establishments in these areas to sky rocket making it impossible for Costa Ricans to vacation where they have traditionally been able to vacation throughout history. For example: Tamarindo, Flamingo, Playa Hermosa, Papagayo and Playas del Coco. This is obviously causing an anti american sentiment as people feel that we are being cheated out of something that is ours. Especially in areas like Nosara, Tamarindo and Mal Pais where foreigners feel they own the area and treat Costa Ricans poorly when they visit (from personal experience).
Nonetheless, a great percentage of the sellers offering condos, houses and land are Costa Ricans and many people have benefited greatly from the real estate boom. You see a lot of Costa Ricans driving around San Jose in BMWs, Land Rovers, Mercedes Benz and Audis which were rare back in the 80’s and 90’s. High end stores, restaurants and bars are opening everywhere. Also, there are still plenty of housing options in the $50,000 – $150,000 range in urban areas like Ciudad Colon, Santa Ana, Escazu, San Pedro, San Antonio de Belen, Los Reyes, Heredia, Alajuela, etc. and in Coastal Areas like Playas del Coco, Jaco, Hermosa, Puerto Viejo, Quepos and Puntarenas. The poorest of Costa Ricans get housing aid from the government and the rest may still find very affordable options but still 20% of Ticos are very poor and need help from the government and all of us. I can assure you that the economic situation in Costa Rica is a lot better than it was in the 70’s, 80s and 90’s so don’t feel bad about purchasing quality property in Costa Rica as you will contribute to the economy by paying taxes, purchasing goods, services and hopefully through some charity donations to your local community.
If you want to contribute to Costa Rica here’s some advice: 1) learn Spanish, 2) pay above minimum wage, 3) do charity with your local community, 4) avoid corruption, and 5) be respectful and nice to Ticos. I believe that with these 5 issues most Costa Ricans will appreciate your presence and slowly the negative image will start to change. Before I’m bashed for my comments, I am Costa Rican, I have lived here for 26 years, I’m from Santa Ana, I went to school in the US and lived there for 5 years. Oh yeah…my girlfriend is gringa!
Did you try the Do It Center in Papagayo? You will find them in EPA or PRiceSmart. If they don’t have them you can special order them. I have seen them many times in PriceSmart.
I don’t have anything against Nicaraguans, but make sure that whoever you hire is from Costa Rica. We have hired plenty of Nicaragua maids over the years and have had some pretty nasty experiences with a few exceptions here and there. I back up Scott’s advice on using a maids broker. If all fails, put an ad in La Nacion Classifieds.
