In yesterday’s election for President of Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla was expected to take the lead, but there was a question of whether she’d get the 40% of votes needed to avoid a runoff in this multi-candidate election. She won nearly 47% of the vote, so is scheduled to take office May 8th. Not only will Chinchilla be the first woman president of Costa Rica, she won all 7 voting districts, which hasn’t been done in the last quarter century. 50 years old, Pres-dent-Elect Chinchilla has served in the legislature, was Minister of Security, and served as Vice President until she resigned a year ago to run for President.

Here’s a short video on the current look of Playas del Coco in the Guanacaste area on the northwest Pacific coast of Costa Rica, thanks to a RE/MAX colleague there. Rob and I were in Playas del Coco earlier this month – it’s less than half an hour from the international airport in Liberia, Costa Rica.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpQNQxE19k8

On Wednesday the new Costa Rica highway from San Jose to Caldera on the central Pacific Coast opened, after 34 years of planning. This 77 kilometer highway cuts the time for the trip from San Jose to Caldera from 90 minutes to 45 minutes, a major time saver. Various sections are two lane, three lane and four lane, with shoulder lanes.  This opening is long awaited good news for the area. We’ve driven on some sections of the new road and the positive difference is amazing! Much better driving conditions, but still offering great views of the Costa Rican countryside.

Rob made an interesting observation on our recent Costa Rica trip – he saw no homeless people sleeping on the streets or in parks, and we didn’t see a panhandler during our entire visit. Yes, people were selling wares and yes, people were selling services, but no one had their hand out looking for something for nothing.  Does Costa Rica have poverty and poor people? Of course. We need to remember, though, that money and happiness aren’t necessarily synonymous. People can have few materials goods and lead a happy life. We love the Ticos and celebrate with them  Pura Vida!

Manuel Antonio beach Costa Rica

The Costa Rica weather beckons us to Go South, especially this week when frost is delaying planes at Tampa International Airport. With Tampa temperatures this morning dipping to 27 degrees, compare these:

Papagayo Gulf in Guanacaste: high of 83°, low of 63°

Esterillos:  high of 83°, low of 61°

Manuel Antonio: high of 82°, low of 72°

You can check Costa Rica weather online – just use the drop down menu to choose your Costa Rica location and see the forecast for the next 15 days.

Safe Havens are a property trend to watch in 2010 according to the International Property Journal:

Safe Havens:  A germ of a marketing idea will continue to develop as a movement, as buyer and investors look for overseas spots to stash income. Fear of economic collapse will spread, along with Ayn Rand quotes. Smart promoters and developers will market property as a hedge against financial disasters.

Costa Rica is one of these safe havens. Barry Strudwick has been advocating this for years and has been developing del Pacifico as such a safe haven.  Several of our clients who have purchased in Costa Rica and are looking in Costa Rica cite economic concerns and preserving a portion of their assets as motivation. A small number are even planning to move to a safe haven.

……………………….Who is John Galt?

Most businesses in Costa Rica shut down from December 18th to January 4th. Not just government offices, but most businesses! Tourism businesses remain open, but the rest of the country can relax and enjoy the season with their family and friends.

Tents along Manuel Antonio Park beach in Costa Rica

A year ago the beach approach to Manuel Antonio Park was lined with sidewalk vendors and there were tents and clotheslines on the adjacent beach.

Sidewalk vendors near Manuel Antonio Park

Today all that is gone. With the approaching opening of the new marina in Quepos and the importance of tourists at Manuel Antonio Park, the government has been effective in cleaning up this area and making it more easily accessible.

Beach near Manuel Antonio Park in Costa Rica

You may think of bananas and coffee when you think about exports from Costa Rica, but technology provides 3 times the revenue of banana exports and 7 times the revenue of coffee exports. Intel, the largest exporter of chipsets and microprocessors expects to exceed $2 Billion in sales for the third consecutive year. Intel opened their plant in Heredia Costa Rica (northwest of San Jose in the Central Valley) in 1997 and currently has 3,00 employees. Intel has made Costa Rica one of the top technology and computer software exporters in the world.

Motif Inc will open a call center in Costa Rica in January 2010. They plan to hire 100 people this month. According to Manfred Kissling, Costa Rica was the chosen location due to a combination of efficiency, quality and productivity. He reports that there are 83 companies in the services sector already operating in Costa Rica, who employ over 24,000 Costa Ricans.