Costa Rica

[SugarAndSun]

We are planning to stay in CR for three months, starting mid January.

Is there anyone who can help me decide where to stay?

We are thinking of staying first in Nosara, since we have a few acquaintances there. IT is pricey though so we are wondering if we should stay on the Atlantic coast first (we've been to Puerto Viejo). Another option is somewhere like Playa Hermosa.

We were going to ship the car, but don't want to get into the taxes, etc. so will be without a car unless we buy or rent one.

Any thoughts?

We have a 3 and 5 year old.

[saritajoy]

Hi SugarAndSun! Ohmygod, that's a huge question!!! It so depends on what you and your family enjoy and what you are aiming to get out of your time in Costa Rica.

I live near Heredia in the Central Valley and love it. But I have family here and my business is travel-based so it's great to be by the airport.

Try picking up Living Abroad in Costa Rica by Erin Van Rheenan and read through the archives of http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CostaRicaLiving/ because there have been conversations ad nauseum about which beach location is best to live... a couple this month at least!

Please feel free to PM me with other questions, check out my blog, etc. http://maternidadnaturalencostarica.blogspot.com/

Good luck making your decision!

[lifeguard]

Where to stay is so dependent on what you want out of your stay. It's beautiful everywhere but can very different from the carribean coast to the pacific. How isolated do you want to be? How much access to products & stuff that you normally have do you want? How "swanky" a place do you want to stay in? Do you want to be more around locals or expats?

Vehicles are very expensive there. If you can arrange to go without one you will save a lot of money. Taxis are pretty reliable though (& not too pricey if you speak some spanish) & I've heard the public bus system is actually pretty fantastic (I never actually took it myself as I had a car when I was living there).

[SugarAndSun]

Thanks for the replies! We have settled on a place in Nosara. I know it is the more touristy place, but I think it will work for us. We considered getting a place in the Atlantic coast, but went with Nosara in the end.

We are going to bring the car as tourists and then renew as necessary. We are looking into just getting a visa for six months so we don't have to worry about leaving, etc.