Canadians are flying to the Gulf of Papagayo in Costa Rica because of the great travel deals now available. yyzdeals.com shows round trip flights from Toronto to Liberia Costa Rica (LIR) for $299.00! In 5 to 5-1/2 hours Canadians can go from col Many condos and homes along the beaches of the Papagayo Gulf are only 30 minutes from the Liberia airport. 

It’s not enough, though, for a destination to be affordable. Canadians are coming to Guanacaste, Costa Rica because of the weather, of course, since the days are warm with low humidity. Spend your day relaxing by the pool or at the beach. They’re also coming because the people in Costa Rica are so friendly, helpful and welcoming. After all, Costa Rica has been named the country with the happiest people in the world. 

It’s an excellent time to buy real estate in Costa Rica. Buy a vacation home for winters and summers; buy a Costa Rica home or condo as an investment: rent it out if you’re not going to be using it. Buy now for retirement later – or just decide to retire now and enjoy life in the Papagayo Gulf area. Guanacaste offers a wide variety of properties, from a small studio condo to homes over 10,000 sq ft. 

Find out more about Costa Rica real estate.

Guanacaste Costa Rica beach

The Tico Times recently posted a survey asking readers for their favorite vacation destination in Costa Rica.  Keep in mind this is “vacation spot” which is not necessarily the same as “best place to live” in Costa Rica. Here are the results when I last checked the website:

25%  Central Pacific – which includes Jaco and Manuel Antonio
24%  Guanacaste Beaches (northwest Pacific coast)
14%  Osa Peninsula (southwest Pacific coast – more remote)
12%  Arenal
11%  Caribbean coast (including Puerto Viejo and Tortuguero)
10% Nicoya Peninsula
3%  Monteverde  (Cloud Forest)

What’s your favorite vacation spot in Costa Rica? Where’s your favorite spot to buy a second home or to live permanently?

New road in Playa Panama

Some Costa Rica roads are great  (and yes, some are not, with huge potholes to avoid).  Last month’s visit brought some pleasant surprises, though. This is a new road in Playa Panama, not used a lot yet, that leads up to three hotel sites overlooking the Papagayo Gulf. Another road recently paved is part of the Monkey Trail, which goes past Lomas del Mar and on to the Hotel Riu, which has been so successful that they are adding another 500 rooms.

Playa Flamingo Costa Rica

Cool off  in Costa Rica! Does it sound crazy to go south to cool off? Not this year.  When cities up north were suffering with temperatures over 100, they could come to Florida to cool off. Yet there have been mornings here in St Pete when I open the front door to get the morning paper and feel as if I’ve entered an oven. I’ve been watching the temperatures on the Papagayo Gulf in Guanacaste Costa Rica and they have consistently been at least 10º cooler. The cool of the day is about 72º-73º F, making for pleasant mornings as you sip the Costa Rican coffee. Then temperatures go up to the mid or high 80s.  One of the nice things about Costa Rica is that the temperatures are pretty consistent year round. We can expect the same temperatures in Guanacaste in January as in July.

If you want to change the temperatures – change your altitude.  These are temperatures by the beach. Head to San Jose or Escazu or Atenas and you won’t even need air conditioning – but you will need a sweater in the evening. That’s the “land of eternal spring”.

Enjoying the beach in Guanacaste Costa Rica

ICT, Costa Rica’s tourism board reported that visitors to Costa Rica in the first quarter of 2011 were up 7.8%. Visitor arrivals at Liberia (LIR) international airport, however, were up 26.9% for that quarter. This shows the increasing appeal of Guanacaste, the province in northwest Costa Rica on the Pacific. The number of flights increased 25% in February – and the new terminal won’t even open until the end of this year. Many beach resorts are within 20 minutes of the Liberia airport.

Guanacaste has been the most popular destination for tourists and the area most targeted by Costa Rica for improvements. Many beach resorts are within 20 minutes of the Liberia airport – many of them quiet, peaceful beaches, others with lots of activity. 54.2% of the international arrivals by air were from the United State, with over 250,000 Americans traveling to Costa Rica in the first quarter of 2011. Costa Rica is a 2.5 hour flight from Miami and there are also flights from Atlanta, Dallas, New York, Denver, Los Angeles and Toronto.

To learn about renting or buying a home in Costa Rica, contact The Simms Team at ALVA International, Inc. real estate.

Outdoor dining at Citron

The new Citron restaurant in Playas del Coco in Guanacaste Costa Rica was a wonderful surprise when we were there in January.  We preferred dining outside on the deck surrounded by magical white lights in the pochote trees.  Though we visited favorite restaurants from previous trips, we wound up here 4 or 5 times in our two weeks in Coco.  It’s right outside the gates to Pacifico, so we could walk from or condo – or, if we wanted to drive, didn’t need to go out on the main road.

Citron has an interesting menu with delicious choices such as caramelized pork tenderloin, seared ahi tuna, beef tenderloin dijon and poached sea bass. Citron has a full bar as well. The entire staff was so friendly we felt like family whenever we came in. Never rushed, we always enjoyed the weather and the peacefulness. Truly Pura Vida!

Citron is located in the Pacifico Retail Village on the main road in Coco, just across from Auto Mercado. When we were there, Citron was open from 5:30 pm to 11:00 pm, Monday through Saturday. The Citron menu is online.  Entrees were generally from $12 to $15. Highly recommended!

Iguana at Playa Ocotal Costa Rica

This friendly iguana came up to our table on the beach at Playa Ocotal when we were having lunch at Father Rooster.  Just a few miles from Playas del Coco, this restaurant is worth the trip! Call first to be sure it’s not closed for a private party and be sure to check the fresh local catch – mahi-mahi, tuna or if you’re lucky, fresh lobster. Playa Ocotal is one of the many beaches in Guanacaste, the northwest portion of Costa Rica on the Pacific.

P.S.  Please DON’T feed the iguanas.

Papagayo Bay Guanacaste Costa Rica

A new resort hotel is coming to Guanacaste Costa Rica, according to Paradisus Resorts, the 5 star luxury brand operated by Sol Melia. It will be located on the Gulf of Papagayo, near the Four Seasons. The new resort, Paradisus Papagayo Bay, is scheduled to open in July 2013. The 381 room hotel is planned for 50+ hillside acres with fantastic water views.

This is yet another sign of the economy springing back to life. In January the real estate agents we met with were all very busy with an increased number of buyers. Now we’re seeing commercial development starting again and development money starting to come back into the market.

If you’ve been waiting to invest in Costa Rica, or are just starting to think of investing some of your money outside the US, you may want to act now. Call us for more information! Take advantage of opportunity in Guanacaste real estate.

Sailing on Bahia Culebra Costa Rica

Bahia Culebra is on the northern edge of the Gulf of Papagayo in Guanacaste Costa Rica. It is always nice to look at but capturing this sailing vessel, which we frequently see in the area, right at sunset is exceptional. Thanks, Sylvia, for another calendar month with a great photo.

Bahia Culebra is in the popular resort area of Guanacaste in the northwest corner of Costa Rica. Playa del Coco, Playa Hermosa, Playa Panama and Papagayo all ring Bahia Culebra and are within a half hour drive of Liberia International Airport.

Sylvia Guardia is an excellent photographer who lives in Guanacaste, though her assignments cover a much wider area.  She’s a delightful person and I highly recommend her, whether for wedding photography, business photography, or custom work.

Ginger Restaurant in Playa Hermosa Guanacaste Costa Rica

Ginger restaurant in Playa Hermosa Guanacaste Costa Rica is one of our favorites and we have at least one meal there every time we’re in Guanacaste. Last month when we were with friends in Playa del Coco, Ginger was one of our dinner venues. I was pleasantly surprised to see it reviewed in Condo Nast Traveler magazine.

We love the selection of delicious tapas – order 2 or 3 per person, and then share them. Anne Hegney has created a great spot here. Enjoy the evening breeze, some cocktails and great food!

http://www.concierge.com/travelguide/costarica/restaurants/18420

Brief video:   /http://www.concierge.com/video/cental-and-south-america/costa-rica/costa-ricarestaurants/1904733261/ginger-costa-rica/1830779183

Menu and more information:     http://www.GingerCostaRica.com

Blog  http://gingercostarica.blogspot.com/