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Carl, perhaps you should try to contact Tom Terry in Playas del Coco, Guanacaste. He has a very good construction company called Grupo ConstrucTom (506) 670-0332. He might be interested in giving you a job, but then again, you are an ilegal resident and you would be competing with Costa Ricans as David says. Not to mention that he probably will be able to hire someone with similar skills as yours for a fraction of what you charge for your services. The only advantage is that there is a shortage of construction workers in the country with the increase in development and construction all over the country.
David said: “…the law explicitly prohibits foreigners, including legal residents, from competing with Costa Ricans for jobs which they (Costa Ricans) are qualified…”. Hmmm, kind of what is happening with ilegal residents working as real estate agents all around the country.
Costa Rica does not have a very reliable postal service, but there are several private firms such as Aerocasillas, MailBoxes Etc. and JetBox that provide PO Boxes, Air Mail and Courier services. If you are planning on living on a coastal area, it depends on which area you are as these services are limited. I believe your best option would be to live on or near Playa Tamarindo as far as mail, beaches, surfing, business, shopping, supplies, entertainment, housing, dining and proximity to an International Airport.
Ava: I recommend you bring your MAC computer and your Epson Printer with your luggage as the price would be much cheaper even after paying taxes, if they even charge you at Customs. You can claim them as used or personal use items. There is an Office Depot, Price Smart, CompuUSA and several other places you may purchase Printable blank DVDs, DVD Cases, inkjet paper, etc. You would have to buy in bulk in San Jose and stock up if you plan to live in a coastal area as it is harder to find them over there. There are suppliers that might deliver in some areas of Guanacaste and the Central Pacific as well. Prices are obviously higher than in the USA due to import taxes, sales tax and others, but they are reasonable. Car prices are definitely higher in Costa Rica than in the USA as the government places hefty import taxes on them that sometimes reach 100% of the original value. A brand new Ford Explorer might be something like $40K – $50K. Most people purchase Asian cars like Toyota, Nissan and Hyundai as they are cheaper, more fuel efficient and perform better in our roads which are full of potholes in most areas. American cars currently have a great value as the dollar is cheaper than the Yen or the Euro. A good option is to purchase a used car at http://www.crautos.com which is Costa Rica’s version of Auto Trader. Hope that answers your questions. Aloha!
My advise is to contact Pacific Home Furnishings http://www.pacifichomefurnishing.com. They are located in Guanacaste but maybe they can help you in Jaco. I have heard many great things about them. You may also try to contact Carolina Ortiz at INTERDISENO in Escazu http://www.interdisenocr.com 228-1338. They are a professional interior design firm with graduate designers from Savanah Institute of Design, NYU and Universidad Fidelitas which is the best design school in Costa Rica. Another person that might help you is Magda Bruna from Concierge Costa Rica http://www.conciergecr.com. They would be the best option in terms of quick, hassle free, honest and high quality design. If you are looking for a more affordable and do it yourself kind of project then contact and purchase each piece of furniture at La Artistica http://www.laartistica.net, Bo Concept http://www.boconcept.co.cr, Altea Design http://www.alteadesign.com, Muebles Akiro http://www.grupoakiro.com or Habitat Muebles y Accesorios http://www.habitatmuebles.com. I would go for an interior designer such as INTERDISENO or Concierge Costa Rica as they would even furnish the place down to the linens and kitchen supplies.
There, I have solved your problem. Now you owe me $2,000 for my consulting services. Just kidding…hope this helps!!!
Contact Avispas Adventures in Guanacaste, I have heard very good things from the guests in my resort. Here’s the link where you may check out the tours that are available http://papagayotourscostarica.typepad.com/avispas_adventures/home/index.html. The difference between them and other agencies like TAM, Swiss Travel and CAT is that they provide tours with groups of 8 people or less so they are more personalized and custom made. Hope this helps.
1) You will be able to find stovetop coffee percolators here in Costa Rica at Cemaco, Aliss, Yamuni or Ekono. Why don’t you get a traditional Costa Rica coffee percolator. It’s a cloth in the shape of a sock and tied to a wooden structure in which you put the coffee, pour hot water on it and put your coffee cup underneath. Most coffee in Costa Rica is still served this way and it’s very neat.
2) I think you might find that at Colchones Jiron, Ekono, EPA or a Costa Rica hardware store like El Lagar. Why don’t you buy an inflatable mattress?
My recommendations for Sports Bars are:
1) Big Dog’s Sports Bar
2) Henry’s Beach Bar
3) Outback Steak House
4) Hooter’s
5) Oconnor’s Irish PubWhat I don’t understand is that you want to get the “flavor of Escazu” by going to an American-only sports bar. That’s like getting the flavor of France by going to a McDonald’s in Paris. If you want to get the real flavor of Escazu go to a local bar in San Rafael de Escazu, not a sports bar.
Capnsaltine, I’m glad you posted. I had a big problem with this casino a few years ago when my friend from San Jose and I were playing there. We started playing at this Casino in the “tute” table and won about $75 each. We then moved to the Rouellete table and started playing harder by placing bets of $5.00 – $10.00 on select numbers. We starting winning modeslty but on one special ocassion we hit number “20” with a $10.00 bet which means they had to pay us $350.00. While we were celebrating the casino manager approached us and denied our payment. We obviously complained heavily and the dealers proceded to clear the chips and close the Rouellete table. We were threatened, accussed of cheating and told to leave the casino immediately without paying us our winnings. We left and headed towards the Fuerza Publica station in Coco to report the incident but they never even bothered to visit Flor de Itabo. We reported the incident weeks later to the Organismo de Investigacion Judicial (OIJ) with no success of any charges or getting paid for our winnings. I have several stories of other people that have had problems with this casino. Be careful of playing here as they don’t even have surveillance cameras, they don’t respect Costa Rican gaming regulations and they possibly operate without a gaming license.
Stay away from there! If you want to play at a Casino head to Coco Verde or the Casino Concorde at Fiesta Premier. I have played in Las Vegas and in Costa Rica but I have never encountered such a fraudulent casino as this.
Try Galiza Business Apartments in Santa Ana http://www.galizabusinessapartments.com. They are brand new, excelent location and furnished with top of the line furniture from ALTEA and LA ARTISTICA. Across the street you will find a Fresh Market, Dry Cleaning, Pharmacy, DVD Rental, Spa/Salon and 2 Restaurants. You might be able to negotiate a good monthly rate. Other quality options are Apartotel Villas del Rio in Escazu http://www.villasdelrio.com and Casa Conde http://www.grupocasaconde.com. If you are looking for a lower price then try Apartotel Maria Alexandra in Escazu http://www.mariaalexandra.com, El Sesteo in Sabana Sur http://www.sesteo.com or Casa Reflejos in Escazu http://www.casareflejoscr.com. It’s very hard to find a good price for a monthly rental in San Jose. You will pay $900-$2000 per month depending on the location and quality.
I recommend Papagayo Dental Clinic at the Do It Center. Dr. Valdelomar is excellent! Check them out at http://www.papagayodental.com.
Mel Gibson’s Ranch is called Hacienda Dorada. It consists of 166 hectares of ocean view and beachfront land. Hacienda Dorada faces towards Playa Barrigona which is 7 kilometers away from Samara Beach. This property had been in the market for a while and included several luxury homes that were consistently rented for high profile customers. I believe that $25 Million for this property was a great investment as properties of this size and quality are quickly becoming rare in Costa Rica. I’m hoping that he either uses it as a personal vacation residence or develops an ultra-luxury residential project. This kind of investments will only result in more investments as it creates PR for Costa Rica.
