The public health care system in Costa Rica is based on socialized medicine and is actually very good treatment once you are seen by the doctor. However, due to the bureaucracy of public medicine scheduled appointments can be months, if not years, away. If there is an emergency they will admit you to the emergency room, but for exams, tests, etc the waiting period can be too long for some to endure. ...
Costa Rica Vacations
Costa Rica has been a favorite destination for tourists, retirees, and second home owners for many years. It is perfectly safe to travel and live full time in this country. Of course you have to use caution in certain areas of the San Jose due to crime concerns and use common sense to avoid petty theft when travelling with cash, passports, and electronics throughout the country. In tourism areas...
If you want a cell phone in Costa Rica that works on the local networks, then it has to be unlocked; meaning not tied or ‘locked’ to any wireless provider in the U.S. The phone also has to use a SIM card and work on an HSDPA 3G network. Note: CDMA phones will not work here. There are few ways to get an unlocked phone: 1.) Buy it here, but the price is much higher due to heavy import taxes on...
So you are just visiting the area and want to get the feel of living in Costa Rica that you cannot get from the hotel experience; then the best option is a vacation rental home. There are plenty available in Costa Rica on websites like homeaway.com or vrbo.com (vacation rental by owner) where you can find great deals on luxury homes in exotic locations. If looking in the Dominical-Costa Ballena area...
Costa Rica is one of the most protected countries in the World for wild life and has placed about 25% of their entire land mass into reserves and national parks. The various climates and regions of Costa Rica are home to tons of animal, bird, and insect species. Tourists come from all over the World to visit Costa Rica for its picturesque beauty and to view exotic animals in their natural...
Costa Rica is a mecca for surfing with miles and miles of secluded coastlines on both sides of the country. There are numerous World famous breaks such as; Witch’s Rock up North, Playa Hermosa by Jaco, Pavones in the Southern most part of the country, and Salsa Brava the Costa Rican pipeline on the Caribbean coast. Witch's Rock in Northern Costa Rica Accessed Best by Boat The 'Costa Rica Pipeline'...
It seems like just yesterday it took well over 4 hours to get here and the last stretch of spine rattling bumpy dirt road from Quepos to Dominical took an hour and a half. And the bridge in Uvita had holes you could see straight through to the flowing river below! The first time I came to Dominical on vacation we were at a local breakfast spot up in Playa Hermosa near Jaco and were reading a free...
The local soda has great taste and the best prices around. Not a soda beverage, but rather the local small restaurant they call “Sodas” around here. They are typically family owned and many times operating right out of their home kitchen. Talk about good ole’ home cooking. As with most Costa Rica restaurants they are open air and there will surely be a dog sleeping in the corner, but do not...
The weather in Costa Rica is warm and tropical all year round and depending on which part of the country to visit the climate can vary in temperature, annual rain fall, and humidity. The Guanacaste in the North can be really dry at times and gets winds every March; where as the Central Valley can be cool in the high elevation mountain areas around San Jose. No matter where you are though there are only...
The Dominical area is one of the most desirable real estate markets in all of Costa Rica to anyone looking for unsurpassed natural beauty, long stretches of nearly deserted pristine beaches, spectacular waterfalls, abundance of wild life, and daily adventures. The Dominical area has lush green rain forest covered mountains sloping right into the Pacific Ocean creating dramatic landscapes and...