Did We Visit Costa RIca and Fall in Love?

We first visited Costa Rica in August of 2019, for a vacation to someplace different. It was out of the country and required that we apply for passports which we something we had never done. Our vacation destinations were California—Squaw Valley, Sacramento, Napa Valley, Sonoma and other wine country spots, and of course Lake Tahoe and San Francisco. Never before had we ventured out of the states, and except for a few recent trips to the Florida Keys, California was our go-to vacation stop.

It made perfect sense. California was where family was. Dallas’ brothers and sister, my sister (until recently), and Dallas’ mom and dad had located in California. Strangely we were the east coast contingent.

Jacksonville Co. Courthouse

Earlier in the year Dallas and I attended a Passport Expo on a Saturday in the Courthouse where we applied for and ultimately received our travel documents. I remember there being a discount available (which was funny what people will do for a $15 dollar discount on a $150 purchase). The line for passport applications made the discount seem pretty paltry.

It was actually a good thing that we applied in advance of needing them because the required documents meant we had to do some groundwork to get everything together—and it came in handy that everything was together when we needed it all again for my pension application.

Our first trip in August was smack in the middle of the rainy season. Which meant that while it rains most every day, it doesn’t rain all day. Being from Florida we are used to the summer rainy season—we call it the Florida monsoon season. It rains almost everyday at about four pm and while it cools the temperatures it increases the humidity. Think sticky and hot.

But we found the rainy season in Costa Rica to be pleasant, depending on your location and elevation. If you’re close to a beach it is at least ten degrees (Fahrenheit) more than it is at a higher elevation away from the sea. We visited the Nicoya Peninsula in Guanacaste Province which was near the beach and rose to about 400 ft. in elevation inland. The temperatures range from 71⁰ F to 95⁰ F and the weather was nice; humid and rainy, but with air conditioning quite pleasant. (Remember this is a Floridian’s view.)

But for a retirement destination, running air conditioning adds to your budget in ways that are not welcomed. Still, Guanacaste remains on our list of Costa Rican locations that are very attractive.

We also visited, in the rainy season, the beaches between Jaco and Quepos in Puntarenas Province.  This is an area of beautiful beaches, great surf, rain forests, and exotic animals to see. Near Quepos is Manual Antonio National Park where it is easy to spot monkeys, iguanas, morpho butterflies, and sloths. Truly an incredible place to see. And to dabble your toes in the Pacific Ocean.

The weather in Jaco and the South Pacific area is hot most of the year. 75⁰ F to 92⁰ F is the norm. Again, air conditioning is required if you want to be comfortable.

Did we visit Costa Rica and fall in love with the country and its people? This was our first trip and we both knew this was a place with serious potential to meet our needs for a retirement destination. There would still be lots of investigation and fact checking needed, but we were sold on Costa Rica and its potential for us.