Hi all. We did a tour in Costa Rica in 2013 and enjoyed it. My wife and I are planning to come down to Costa Rica for a month in June or July of this year. If we move down, we would definitely prefer the central valley area, some place much cooler than the beaches. Would San Ramon be a good base from which to explore the surrounding towns? From reading about them, I am drawn to San Ramon, Grecia, and Puriscal. I am looking for quiet towns that are cool, and get a fair amount of sunshine. I actually wonder if San Ramon is not too close to the cloud forest. I like Puriscal because it is supposed to have less wind than other places, and more sun. Any town would have to have attractive rentals, because we have no plans to buy anytime soon. Any other suggestions for towns to explore would be appreciated.
I really have the idea that I would NOT like to live in a gated community meant for ex-pats. Am I crazy? Is there too much burglary outside gated communities?
How easy is it to get around without renting a car? If we move, we will likely buy a car, but car rentals (at least of nice cars) seems very expensive in Costa Rica. When my sister visited, she found a "driver" (which I gather is sort of an illegal taxi) who drove her around very inexpensively and even waited for her. She commented that she would not have done that without a strong recommendation from someone she trusted. Is that a common arrangement? Thanks for reading and thanks for any info.
Base Town to explore central valley
Be SURE to scout our fantastic area of Heredia Hills with its mild sunny climate .Many Gringos here do not know although profess to know it LOL Obviously not true judging by "some opinions "
Not too many Gringos here so you will learn Spanish,,and I have lived on 3 acres here for many years with no burglaries here or in our neighborhood GREAT roads and bus service and has all that the gringo Gulches have ..and more but LESS crime and rentals also cheaper here. You can find nice 1 and 2 bedrooms for $500/$600
If you email me I will show you our area at no charge.. And maybe set you up with an inexpensive driver..
email extrapetsATgmail.com
Thanks. I'll shoot you an email just so you have a contact. We don't know dates yet but we'll certainly take you up on your offer.
San Ramon's fine, Grecia too; but I recommend Palmares where I live. Check it out, I love it.
Thanks for the tip, MauroN. Since it's close by, we will definitely check it out.
Thanks for the responses, After reviewing some more info, I think Costa Rica's crime rate is just getting too high for us to consider it.
Peticolas wrote:Thanks for the responses, After reviewing some more info, I think Costa Rica's crime rate is just getting too high for us to consider it.
According to the Tico Times article re crime stats, yes crime has increased in Costa Rica but it's kind of misleading. It's like there's tons of crime in any big city in the USA but if you don't involve yourself in criminal activities or hang out in "bad" places you are very unlikely to get hit by any crime in those big cities.
I parked my car down town the other day and forgot to lock it, came back 3 hours later, not a thing missing. Do car thefts and car breaks ins happen in Costa Rica? Yes. And in Chicago or NY or St Paul, too.
If you live in a good neighborhood out in the country side and have some common sense and some semblance of security, you are unlikely to get hit by crime. It's all about location.
If you live in a gated community you are more likely to get hit by burglary than if you live out on your own IMHO. This is not scientifically backed up but is based on many friends I have here and all the people I know who've been robbed live in a gated gringo community (it's usually an "inside job") and all the people I know who've not been robbed do not live in a gated community.
To me, living in a gated community makes you a target, especially if you live in a big luxury home along side other big luxury homes . I live in a small modest home out in the boonies, not visible from the road, I have a camera security system set up with lights that come on if you approach at night, a locked gate, the house pretty far off the road...An automatic timer that turns the lights on and off at night... a radio that stays on to talk radio... So far never a burglary.
None of my neighbors have ever been robbed, except for one Tico who works all day away from home and people knew it so he was hit. Now he has someone living with him so always someone home, so no more burglaries. Burglaries are most often done when people are known to be away for days at a time and have no security set up. And it's often an inside job where someone knows your schedule.
I don't know where you will move to where you will find less crime than Costa Rica. Certainly not Mexico, which was recently named "the #1 retirement location" by some stupid poll! Certainly not any major city in the USA either... Malaysia was named as a top place to go as was Colombia. (RU kidding me?)
I think you're over reacting to an article about stats . Stats don't tell the whole true story.
On the other hand if you are a rich gringo looking to live in a rich gringo gated community, yeah, maybe Costa Rica isn't for you. You'd be a target.
We live in a very rural gated community. No houses here have been subject to a break in.
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