Saturday, September 04, 2010
Dear Reader,
I spent a week last month back in Costa Rica, scouting for properties. I love this small, green gem of a country. It starts at the airport with a bear-hug greeting from our Tico driver, a typical easygoing local we've gotten to know rather well during scouting trips. Next, it's the dramatically lush landscape, filled with exotic wildlife...and the miles of Pacific beach that beg for an afternoon of swimming, surfing or sport fishing. The country's laid-back atmosphere soon soaks in, and takes over. It's easy to see why Costa Rica's so popular with tourists, expats and second-home buyers.
Costa Rica placed 26 out of 149 countries in the Global Peace Index this year. Lack of an army certainly helped, along with good political stability. The country ranked highest of all the Central American nations (Panama came next at #61). Other factors taken into account included a high literacy rate (96%) and life expectancy (almost 79 years).
That Global Peace ranking (and Costa Rica's #1 spot in the Happy Planet index) influenced Travel + Leisure. They named Costa Rica their top choice for solo travelers, based on the country's happiness and safety rankings. Of course, happiness and safety aren't only important for solo travelers; they come high on the list for expats, property buyers, and retirees, too.
With a low cost of living, affordable medical care, and close proximity to the US, increasing numbers of North Americans are considering Costa Rica as a relocation, second home, or retirement destination. One Texan's retirement plan involved the country's South Pacific coast, a boat, and a spot of sport fishing. It didn't work out that way. He realized that Quepos, the little beach town he'd settled in, didn't have a marina. So he decided to build one himself. Eleven years on, with 97 docking slips opened this year, the marina's plans call for 206 more slips, a boatyard, and a shopping center. It looks like the retirement plan has taken a back seat for a while...
The marina caters to international boaters from Europe, Russia, South Africa, and the US. Some are sport fishers, in Costa Rica for "quality fishing" and "peace and quiet". Sport fishers from North America generated $599 million, or around 2% of Costa Rica's GDP, in 2008. Sport fishing is big business here, and has drawn enthusiasts to the country's South Pacific for many years. And today, they don't have to come here by boat. With the new coastal highway, opened in January 2010, getting to the marina in Quepos--and the South Pacific coast--is easy, comfortable, and fast, for the first time in 30 years.
I traveled the coastal highway, scouting, when it was a pitted, potholed nightmare... impassable in rainy season, and choked in clouds of thick dust in dry season. One section, from Quepos to Dominical, took 90 minutes alone on my last trip. Now, with the new road, that same section took 22 minutes...and the entire journey from San Jose, right to the heart of the Southern Pacific, took 3 hours. The comfortable drive means you notice the amazing mountain and beach landscape, rather than paying attention to the road.
I didn't find any new property gems on this scouting trip, but it was still worthwhile. I checked out Pacific Lots again, the longest-established development in the area. I met a group of fellow readers at the project, enjoying a Southern Zone chill weekend...and considering Costa Rica as their second home destination.
Last year, Pacific Lots offered 7 chill weekends. Since the new road opened in January this year, they've run 3-4 chill weekends a month...every month...and they can't keep up with demand. The next available trip is November 5th-8th. For $250, you'll find out what makes Costa Rica--and her South Pacific coast in particular--so attractive to second-home buyers and retirees. Just don't take too long thinking about it--these trips sell out fast. Contact Pacific Lots today to reserve your spot in November.
Margaret Summerfield
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