Country Article / Postcards
The Secret Side of Costa Rica
Date: 09/20/2007If you love Costa Rica but hate the crowds--escape to the Caribbean coast. This coastline has fewer than 10% of the population living on this 125-mile stretch of wild and rugged terrain.
Even through it is easy to access, the Caribbean coast still isn't as popular as the Pacific side, mainly due to its year-round humidity.
The government plans to expand the Puerto Limón airport from a regional to an international terminal. This has stirred an interest with foreigners looking for property along the Caribbean coast, where prices are much lower than the Pacific's Gold Coast.
Here are a few property examples on the Caribbean coast:
* A four-bedroom, ocean-view house next to the rainforest on the southern Caribbean coast. The 2,000-square-foot house features a master bedroom with a private terrace, a swimming pool with pool house and barbecue area, dining and living rooms, maid's room with bathroom, and separate guest quarters. Price: $595,000.
* A two-bedroom house only 650 feet from the beach at Cocles, a small village just south of Puerto Viejo. The house features an outdoor patio and landscaped tropical gardens. Price: $127,000.
* A 1,292-square-foot house with two bedrooms and one bathroom, just 500 feet from Playa Negra Beach on the southern Caribbean coast. The property includes two small apartments, each with a kitchen and terrace. Price: $197,000.
For decades, tourists have been attracted to the Caribbean coast for the superb surfing and sport fishing. People enjoy getting close to nature in an area where tropical rainforests meet white-sand beaches. The Caribbean coast is home to several wildlife refuges and parks, including the Tortuguero National Park (where turtles go to nest) and the Cahuita National Park.
Puerto Limón, once a major banana port, is a melting pot of Afro-Caribbean culture, music, language, food, and a laid-back lifestyle. The Pacific coast is beautiful and elegant, but not much different from what you'd find in the Dominican Republic or Cozumel.
Don Ediger,
Sun Hound, International Living
Editors Note: Don, you've done it again. Affordable homes on the beach in the world's sunniest locales is Don's expertise. Read his latest report here.
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