Costa Rica Gaviota del Sol the country

North Pacific: A Perfect Blend

Guanacaste is the northwest part of Costa Rica. The capital city is Liberia with 35000 people. Since the last decade Guanacaste has become the most popular destination in Costa Rica because of its naturals wonders, climate and tourist facilities. Costa Rica's North Pacific is also well know for its folklore, music, color and traditional food.

Location: The Republic of Costa Rica is located in Central America. Together with Panama is an important natural bridge that unites North & South America. It borders Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south, flanked by the Caribbean Sea to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west.

The country size is pretty much like West Virginia in the United States, Nova Scotia in Canada or it is slightly larger than Switzerland. Costa Rica's population is approximately 4 million people and it is mostly concentrated in its capital city: San Jose.

The country is divided by 3 mountains ranges creating a great variety of habitats and microclimates.

Climate: Costa Rica has a wonderful climate due to location ( Tropical Region ). The weather varies throughout the year, most of the variation in temperature comes from differences in elevation. However the Costar Rican territory has two well defined seasons.

Dry season: Normally called verano, It goes from November through May. Temperatures are from 60 F to 95 F depending on the area. There is not much rainfall, except in the highlands & the Caribbean area. In the Pacific lowlands it rarely rains.

Rainy season: Normally called invierno, It goes from May through November. Humidity is very high. Temperatures drop a little bit. Rainfalls increase significantly. The Pacific side is usually dry & sunny in early mornings with good probabilities of rain in the afternoon. In the Caribbean area rainfalls are expected any time.

Language: The official language is Spanish, although many people speak English as a second

language.

Religion: There is freedom of worship, however most of the population practices the Catholic

religion.

Currency: The national currency is the colon, even though USA dollars & major credit

cards ( Visa, Master Card, American Express ), are well accepted.

Democracy: Costa Rica is considered the purest democracy in the

region, it also has the highest standard of living, the fastest

population growth and the most advanced social welfare

system. The literacy rate is 97%. No army since 1948.

Airport Departure Tax: Departure Tax must be paid

cash (Costa Rican or USA money) and the costs

is $26 us dollars per person.

Infants and children must pay it, too.

esort site maps, area maps and country maps can be seen at the bottom of this page.

Christopher Columbus called it the "Rich Coast". Rich in beauty, rich in ecology, rich in flora and fauna with thousands of species plants, animals, birds and insects that live in magnificent and sometimes mysterious tropical forests. It is so rich that it even exports "oxygen" an essential nutrient for a better, healthier and cleaner life.

Some call Costa Rica "Switzerland of the Americas", others call it "Paradise on Earth". You can call it what you like. One visit to Costa Rica and you can never forget the memory of it. It will be etched in your mind forever.

Its 51000 square kilometres are filled with pleasant surprises at every turn you take, and especially do not forget Costa Rica is a peaceful country that has a Nobel Peace Prize winning ex president, Oscar Arias. Its Pacific or Caribbean sides, oh yes, the best of both worlds with nearly 1500 kilometres of countless virgin beaches among rocky bluffs, enclosed by numerous peninsulas and bays offer unsurpassed scenic beauty, and will enchant you. Its mountains, forests and natural heritage form one of the world's most outstanding biological reserve and national park systems.

THE PEOPLE

Or "Ticos", as they commonly call themselves in an endearing way, are their country's greatest assets; they are warm hearted, friendly, educated, entrepreneurial and ready to cater for your every whim.

THE LANGUAGE

The official language is "Spanish", but a great many Costa Ricans speak English.

THE CLIMATE

Some areas such as Grecia and Atenas, forty five minutes from San Jose, boast the best climate in the world. In fact the whole of Costa Rica boasts spring like climate at least ten months a year. Temperatures in the Central Valley and the mountains average 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius) 79 degrees Fahrenheit ( 26 degrees Celsius) for lower coastal areas. In the northern province of Guanacaste they say half the year is like being in Hawaii and half is like being in Palm Springs California.

BANKING

The banking system in Costa Rica is very modern and offers all services national and international including the issuance of credit cards, ATM's, personalized and computerized banking system as sophisticated as anywhere else.

HEALTH SERVICES

Numerous excellent Hospitals operated by the National Social Security System exist in strategic locations of the country. It is common to have your own private and very inexpensive medical team highly educated in North America and Europe. Privately operated hospitals with top facilities and multidisciplinary Medical Corps, cater for the needs of many foreign visitors who frequently take advantage of the better value, very professional medical care offered in Costa Rica. Cosmetic surgery and Dental Care are in particularly high demand.

EDUCATION

There really isn't much to say. Costa Rica is the most literate country in Central America and its literacy rate rivals that of many much larger and much wealthier industrialized nations.

THE GOVERNMENT

Costa Rica is a free, independent and democratic republic. Costa Rica is a peaceful country where the existence of a standing army is prohibited by its Constitution. The Constitution provides for a President, elected by popular vote for a period of four years and exercising executive powers. The congress is a single chambered legislature, whose members are also elected by popular vote for a four-year term. The Supreme Court is the most important judicial body in the Nation. Costa Rica is one of the oldest, most stable and pacific democracies in Latin America.

In 1869 primary education for both sexes was declared obligatory and free of cost. The death sentence was abolished in 1882 as were the armed forces in 1948. In 1983 Perpetual Neutrality was proclaimed. Prestigious International Human Rights Organizations have their Headquarters in Costa Rica.

COMMUNICATIONS

Costa Rica's communications are among the very best in Latin American. There are postal and telegraph offices throughout the country. Telephones, postal services, facsimile services as well as electronic mail (Internet) are readily available anywhere in the country.

TRANSPORTATION

Costa Rica is served by a major Intercontinental Airline network flying into and leaving from its International Juan Santamaria Airport, located at some twenty five minutes from San Jose. It's new Liberia International Airport, in the province of Guanacaste, has begun operations over a year ago, receiving international flights from the USA, Canada and Europe, catering essentially to the tourist industry. A domestic network of internal airports also serves well the needs of local and international travelers. Domestic Flights to popular tourist destinations and other parts of the country leave daily from Juan Santamaria and Tobias Bolanos International Airports in San Jose. There are several private Airline Companies that offer Charter Flights to anywhere in the country with a landing strip. Their equipment includes twin-engine aircraft, helicopters and others.

BUS SERVICES

An excellent network of ground transportation exists in the country through private enterprises. Regulated scheduled departures / arrivals from / to San Jose and any part of the country run smoothly and are economical. There several bus companies that offer scheduled departures to the rest of Central America and Panama at competitive rates. Costa Rica counts with a good highway system most of which is paved except in remote rural areas where a four-wheel drive would be necessary. Some major highways have tollbooths. Gas stations are plentiful throughout the country and many operate around the clock. There are no self-service stations in Costa Rica.

CAR RENTALS

There is an impressive choice of car rental companies to choose from. Shop around for the best all-inclusive deal.

HOTELS

Costa Rica has a great variety of Hotels catering for the most discriminating needs. There are city hotels, mountain hotels, beach hotels and many self contained resorts, offering almost everything Golf, Tennis, Racquet Ball, Surfing, Fishing, Casinos... You name it, the choice is entirely yours

Opened on November 25, 1995, the paved runway of the airport measures 2,750 meters long and 50 meters wide, with a 22,500 square meter ramp to facilitate international flights. The airport is equipped to offer full services for fuel, cleaning, luggage handling, and can handle all types of aircraft from Lear jets to Boeing 747s.

The Liberia International Airport is undergoing a new wave of upgrades and expansion in the ongoing effort to make it a fully competitive and equipped facility for international air traffic. Presently the airport receives domestic flights and charter flights, as well as private airplanes. There remain a few hurdles to overcome before the airport can realize its full potential in servicing the expected tourism demand.

Officially named the Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport, after the popular former president of Costa Rica and supporter of development in Guanacaste, the airport is considered the linchpin to the thriving and rapidly growing tourism industry. Aside from the Juan Santamaria International Airport outside San Jose, it is the only other airport in Costa Rica capable of handling international flights.

The enhancements of late are part of an expansion project aimed at meeting the requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA sets standards for international commercial airline traffic. An instrument landing system is being installed, which will enable large commercial aircraft to land using instruments at Liberia. In addition, modifications to the passenger-waiting terminal have been made to meet FAA safety codes. These improvements come on the heels of numerous others requested by the FAA which include: fencing off the airport and upgrading its emergency plan.

Airport overseers expect to push forward with still more enhancements this year, including a plan to privatize the management of the airport. Private operators from France, the US and Italy have already expressed interest in the project. Given that it is an election year in Costa Rica, further improvements this year will probably be limited to the extension of the plane parking area.

With the improvements already made, Daniel Oduber is a highly competitive facility. Located at sea level, on the great extension of flatland called the “Llano Grande’, 17 km west of Liberia, it is better situated than Juan Santamaria to receive flights and grow over time.

The airport offers full services for fuel, luggage handling, and technical service for weight and balance certification, while its fire department is specially equipped with paramedic services. Inside the terminal are immigration, customs, airport security and anti-drug controls, as well as a bank, snack bar, restrooms and medical assistance.

As a result, the facility is attracting an increasing number of charters that fly directly into Liberia from the US, Canada, Europe and Latin America. Notably absent are the crucial international commercial airlines. To attract them, still more improvements are necessary. The airport’s fueling facility, which currently stands next to its fire department, must be moved. Plus, the airport must be equipped to handle cargo, chiefly by building cold storage hangars to store export goods. To get the big carriers to come you need rooms and cargo.

Hoteliers and other developers are clearly banking on the continued improvements taking place at the airport. There are already 2,800 rooms among the hotels and resorts currently operating on the beach areas of Guanacaste. Another 3,200 rooms will be added over the next two years as others hotels under construction will open for business. There are a number of large resort communities underway which include four new golf courses. Additionally there are numerous restaurants and other tourist businesses that are relying on the Liberia airport to bring them the customers.

Three international airline companies presently utilize the Daniel Oduber International Airport as an alternative airport when the Juan Santamaria International Airport, in San Jose, is unable to receive them.

In the meantime, there are the charters. The numbers have increased significantly over the last three years, and for the first time, two charter flights are arriving weekly during the “Green Season.” During last year’s “High Season,” the airport received 35 flights from 10 carriers utilizing the airport weekly. These charter flights carry passengers for both the cruise ships and hotels in the Guanacaste area. They are: Canada 3000 (with flights from Toronto and Philadelphia); North American (Boston); Miami Air (Miami, Dallas, New Orleans); Sky Service (Toronto); Finnair (Helsinki); Allegro (Detroit and Atlanta); Air Transat (Managua, Toronto, San Jose); Aeropostal (Caracas); Northwest (Minneapolis) and Transmeridian (Atlanta).

As a growth indicator, the significance of the increased use of the airport and the “Green Season” use should not be missed. This is an incredibly strong indicator of the growth of this area and an indicator for future growth. Real estate values will inevitably mirror this growth.

Guanacaste is the northern province of Costa Rica on the Pacific Coast. Its main city is Liberia, whose International Airport operates weekly flights to Canada, US and Europe, among other destinations.

Because of its location and many tourist attractions, the government has declared this area a priority for tourist development and offers great investment opportunities in real estate and building development. There are twelve major Pacific beaches in Guanacaste, each offering its own beauty and characteristics ..

If you are looking for crowds, nightlife, action, and a large beach community, Playa Hermosa, Guanacaste will disappoint you. However, the ever-expanding ex-patriot community that is choosing to reside in Playa Hermosa are doing so for that exact reason.

A direct translation of Playa Hermosa is “beautiful beach”. There is no doubt that Playa Hermosa is an incredibly beautiful beach, and one simply needs to spend an afternoon on the beach to find this is true. The beach is just over a kilometre in length, and over 50 meters in width at low tide. It is one of the safest swimming beaches in all of Guanacaste, as it has small waves, no ripe tides, and no rock. It truly is a swimmers paradise.

The residents of Playa Hermosa are people that appreciate the incredible natural splendours of Costa Rica in a private tranquil setting. With the recent development of private gated estate lot developments, Playa Hermosa is taking on the character of becoming a very upscale affluent beach community catering to those that wish to enjoy what Costa Rica has to offer in a quiet peaceful environment.
In addition to the upscale peaceful community that is drawing ex-patriots to Playa Hermosa, a second reason maybe that Playa Hermosa is the closest beach area to the Liberia International Airport and as such the closest beach area to most major North American cities which in addition to being served by charter flights over the last seven years, will be joined by commercial flights commencing December 2002.

Playa Hermosa is sprinkled with a small number of boutique styled beach hotels with restaurants that offer residents a variety of specialized tastes and recipes. The hilltop hotel Finisterra has Sushi night on Fridays. El Velero has a mixed grill barbecue on Saturdays & Wednesdays. Aqua Sport and Puesta del Sol are beach front restaurants with international menus and “Happy Hours”. Pescado Loco is great for a quick fix and the owners of Villa Del Sueno in addition to having a lengthy tradition of serving fine cuisine, will personally entertain you with live music. Gingers Restaurant offers "bocas" in a fine cuisine atmosphere.

A unique aspect of Play Hermosa is an active and cohesive residents association that has ensured that Playa Hermosa was one of the first beaches to be recognized as a Blue Flag beach and works to maintain this designation. In addition to a number of community benefiting programs being developed by the association, we have a developed a very special Christmas fund program and gift giving parade that has turned into an annual tradition.

The residents of Playa Hermosa like the quiet peaceful life-style, and the private character of their beach, so please, “ssshhh, don’t tell anyone about it”.