Moving to Costa Rica solo

I moved to Costa Rica, alone in January 2015.  I didn't know anyone but met my first honest good hearted tico at the airport.  Marvin was and remains a taxi driver.  He was there to pick me up at the request of an acquaintance of my daughter who had moved here a year before.  I was lucky.  I didn't know much about Costa Rica other than on my prior visits the people seemed friendly and most of them spoke english. ( That was my impression from two prior visits beginning eight years earlier. )  Well, DUH, I quickly learned that most ticos who work with tourists , do speak some english.  Unfortunately for me that did not include most of San Jose where I flew into. 
But I was here to learn espanol so no problema.   Another DUH.   I learned over the next three years that Ticos did not speak espanol like it was written in my online websites.  Their words did not sound anything like the online verbalizations found in duolingo, etc.  The speak so fast they give Puerto Ricans a run for their money.

Another problem I had for the first 3-4 years was I did not know enough about the abilities of my laptop mac, and the software it ran on to know I could cut -copy-paste most text of espanol and translate that into english.  Some say the gods protect fools and in my case that was true.  Not knowing how to translate espanol online saved my skin when I decided to look for someone to date.  On the advice of a Canadian I met at Expats International or some organization like that I joined Tinder.  I received A LOT of replies to my lovelorn post but they were entirely in espanol.  lol.  lo siento, pero no leo/hablo espanol.  So again, I got lucky, I responded to the one woman who wrote to me in english.  She was and is a truly special woman.  We remain a couple to this day.

With that introduction, my suggestions to newcomers are:

1. Most Tico's / Ticas are good hearted honest people.  The trick is telling the difference from those that are not.  Again, the gods protect fools, but that adage is not necessarily one a person can always rely on.  There are some Ticos/Ticas out there who are not honest, do not appreciate nor like gringos in their country, and if a gringo is stupid or foolish enough to trust them, well, so be it.  BE aware, the law of this country re: cohabitation can be very penal for the one with $$.  Watch out and learn before you get in over your head.

2. My first dealings with people I learned I could not trust were oddly, Canadians.  Of course this is not all Canadians living down here.  Only a few I managed to meet and do some kind of business with my first two years here. To this day every bad deal I have had down here started with a Canadian who was looking to make money off stupid gringos. A Canadian who had a car he rented for less than the exorbitant rates at the airport, but oddly could only meet us "after work" at night.  Nice deal until the next morning when inspection showed a set of tires that looked like recruits from the local dump.   Next, a bald guy who thinks marketing is simply making up lies  or omissions as needed to get his "client" to invest in a bridge loan thereby securing him a commission.

3. I began my journey living in a hotel in San Pedro, run by a Tico who had spent most of his adult life working in the US.  He bragged to me how the CCSS took care of all employees in CR.  When I applied that concept to the maid who cleaned his hotel rooms, he said no, that did  not apply because "she" was a Columbian who was an "independent contractor".  So it was ok to extol the virtues of Tico employment for others but not for his hotel because then he would have to pay her CCSS.  how nice.

4. San Pedro, while a nice area, had traffic that was so bad, I spent one friday evening driving one hundred meters in an hour.  THAT was enough.  I looked for a small town abutting the San Jose metro area.  I found Santa Ana, or Santana as it is referred to by most Ticos.  It was a welcome respite from traffic except for evening rush hour because many Tico's did not want to pay the toll on Ruta 27 and so used the old road from Escazu to Santana to get to where they were headed.  Sadly, Santa Ana was slated to be the next Escazu and within a year had a lot of $$ developing new commercial centers etc.  What was a quiet town is quickly changing.

5.  Golf.  That game is a cruel mistress but it does have benefits.  Foremost, one can meet other golfers who offer advice, companionship and sometimes some local knowledge. If one is lucky they can develop friendships that result in new groups of expats, dinners and parties.  Second, one get's to play golf on two vastly different courses, both those being the same golf course.  The only difference is the rainy season where the sod is so soft, the ball gets no roll and the dry season where the course is so hard, it allows another 10-50 yards per golf shot.( that is nice on a fairway drive, but not so nice on an errant approach shot to the green.)

6. The cultural differences can be significant.  Pay attention and remember, YOU came to this country, the Tico's did not come to yours.  So be patient, quiet, and maybe learn something.  Acceptance is the key to life.

7. Not all grocery stores are born equal.  If you want to eat american products you will pay the US price plus another 80%-100% in taxes and profits

8. Real Estate brokers only show THEIR OWN listings.  There is no MLS ( that is actually a good thing in the long run ).  So ask multiple brokers to show all their listings.  If you buy a house it has probably been listed for at least a year, quite possibly two.  It will take you at least that long to sell your casa when you decided to move. 

9. if you engage in a business that will at times, have to rely on the courts to say, foreclose a loan on a piece of real estate, know going in that the law and courts here are A. very different. and B. very slow in reaching a conclusion.  I was told in Santa Cruz a week ago (Nov 25, 2021) by the Court Clerk, that the judge assigned to my case only looks at four (4) files per month.   He has a total of 50 cases.  When he looks at a file, he reads and decides what the ruling will be on each issue/pleading existing at the time of his inspection.  Thereafter any new pleading filed causes the file to go back into rotation.  That rotation for my file is 14 months and counting just to get an auction date to foreclose the loan, ignoring all the bogus pleadings the borrower's attorney has filed with the sole purpose of delaying the proceeding.  There does not appear to be any actual trials in this jurisdiction.  Only resolution by pleadings and briefs filed by lawyers. 

10. One cannot fire one's own attorney for incompetence.  THAT bozo has to agree and if you refuse to pay him for his incompetence he can and will lien your property and most likely get the court to award it to him.  The alternative is a side venue with the lawyers guild that will again take a year or more to resolve.( this may cause your actual litigation to sit in abeyance until attorney fees/ incompetence are resolved)

11.  the best wildlife is in the southern zone.  The best beaches are in Guanacaste and the Caribbean town of Puerto Viejo has a great vibe.

12. Last and most important, crime of opportunity is pretty much the norm.  BUT that opportunity at a minimum will result in theft of some item, phone, wallet, purse, camera, etc.   USE common sense.  Do not advertise your wealth.  Do not go out at times or places when a lot of other people are not already out.  Unless you want to chance death, do not contest the issue just give them what they want,
Do not trust the security guards. many are from Nicaragua and seem to have a different moral code than one would expect.  Do not open hotel doors to security unless you called the desk for assistance. 
Do not trust taxi drivers you don't personally know. Never take a "taxi" at the airport that is not an official orange taxi.   If you need a taxi and are alone, or with children, try to walk to a hotel that provides the service.  There are hundreds of honest good taxi drivers.  The problem is some others have been arrested for robbing their unsuspecting passengers.

suerte !!

Bonjour.
Merci pour vos précieux renseignements ,je voudrais savoir si le vaccin covid  est obligatoire au Costa Rica.
Bonne journée

Not yet but you cannot enter any establishment without the proof of vaccine (from December 1). You can enter the country though.

Hi.  I am a single woman who moved to Costa Rica - didn't know the country, didn't know anyone here, didn't know the language and I'm a senior.  I am also not sorry I left the USA for here.  I don't like city life so I moved to a rural area and had my property built to my specs.  I am about an hour away from Turrialba in one of the poorer areas - except the area I live in has 6 homes and one lot that is owned, but not built on.  These homes are not built like the locals - they are, for the most part built more American style.  I am not in an American community - after all, I came to escape the USA, not be a part of it in an other area.  I like the native community, but that doesn't mean it's perfect.  I still am not fluent in Spanish, even after 8 years (bad memory at my age).  I love most of my neighbors.

I would warn newcomers to be careful in hiring lawyers as so many of them are crooks (in my experience).  I finally found an honest one and she speaks English.  The CAJA doctors are very good, but also very slow in getting things done around here.  Before I qualified for national health care, I just paid a doctor as I used her and her English is perfect, so no problems there either.  Often, I bring a friend with me to translate, but I can also get a lot done on my own.  In some of my surgeries, I've gone to private hospitals and doctors because waiting time for those surgeries would be years away.  Oh, my CAJA doctor also speaks English.  I figured both doctors and lawyers should speak my language so there are not misunderstandings.

I had no problem making friends here and I don't feel threatened by being alone in my area - or even when I go to town - but then again, I don't go out at night unless someone else is driving because I don't see well at night.  Shopping does suck compared to prices and selections in the states.  My son comes twice a year to visit me and he brings me a suitcase filled with my care packages and mail.  I have found I don't trust the mail system here as many things I ordered never came to me, even though tracing said they did and magazines never got to my box either.  Now I just have everything delivered to my son and he brings it.  Oh yeah, and anything sent from China you get to pay a fee for customs.  For the most part, the government here leaves me alone.  Yes, there are laws and some mandates for the pandemic, but since I am not in the city, most of it is ignored.  I know my property tax is a lot less here, corporate taxes are on par and since I don't earn money here, no income to report as they don't tax you on money not made here in this country.  There is one exception and that is the hiring of help.  The laws favor employees and there doesn't seem to be "independent contractors".    You need to look into the laws regarding this and document everything if you don't want to get screwed royally.

I am a single 73 year old male Brit. Pre pandemic, I spent the winters in SE Asia - mostly Thailand but often having a break in other countries in the area. I have been to Costa Rica once - about 5 years ago. I was scammed/ ripped off twice (once by a policeman in full uniform next to a police car - so genuine police - asked for $100 as I didn't have a passport on me and once by someone who claimed to be police and had the full id - but planted some drugs on me - fortunately the Gods must have been smiling on me as I just walked away in the end).
In spite of those experiences, I thought Costa Rica would be a great place to spend winter months. I have plenty of acquaintances in Thailand and things there are easily accessible + I know the system.
Time for a change - probably being stuck in the UK winter. Thailand's current Covid rules are ridiculous.
I would prefer to be on the Caribbean coast, but I have read seaside towns can be very quiet. I am not looking for an amazing night life, but would like a good selection.
I think it's important for me to meet English speaking expats as well as locals. The question really is, where are the best places to meet expats?
How do  I find them?
On my trip, I spent about a week in San Jose which I assume has expat clubs/ bars/ meetings. Although not next the sea, it seems a compromise (if needed).
I drove around and 2 places remain in my memory: La Fortuna - pleasant, but seemed a bit quiet, the same as another place, Tamarindo (although, I think, more expats).
Does Puerto Viejo have a lively (ish) evening?
Any suggestions?
What about long term accommodation - is there a good website? Are there small condo buildings with shared facilities?
There are lots of questions I can ask, but one final one.
I keep reading that the locals don't speak a recognisable Spanish. I don't speak Spanish, but believe it's important to try and learn. However, is there any point is taking a Spanish course, or is there such a thing as a learn Costa Rican Spanish course?

sporto505 wrote:

Some say the gods protect fools

That explains a lot and here I thought I was just lucky :-)

Thank you for taking the time to type up your response. Really appreciated.