News

Aug 23
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Costa Rica Celebrates 113 Days of 100-percent Renewable Energy (and Counting)

By | Renewable Energy | No Comments
Manuel Antonio National Park

Manuel Antonio National Park

Cat DiStasio posted a great story in the Inhabitat design blog about Costa Rica’s impressive goal of becoming the first carbon-neutral country by 2021.

“Costa Rica is much more than a lush, green tourist paradise; it’s also a green energy pioneer. The small Central American nation has generated 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources for the past 113 days, and the run isn’t over yet. The country, which draws clean energy from a variety of renewable sources, still has its sights on a full year without fossil fuels.

With a 113-day stretch of 100-percent renewable energy under its belt and several months left in the year, Costa Rica is edging closer to its target. Costa Rica could be on track to match the record set with its renewable energy production last year, which accounted for 99 percent of the country’s electricity. That included 285 days powered completely by renewable sources, according to the Costa Rican Electricity Institute.”

Read the whole story.

Jul 28
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Costa Rica in Top 50 Places to Travel in 2016

By | Biodiversity, Travel | No Comments

Interesting article by Lindsay Orlander, published on the Travel and Leisure website:

“The top 50 places to travel in 2016—how many will you check off the list?

  1. Costa Rica

Few places have the biological diversity of Costa Rica, with its cloud forests, wetlands, and tens of thousands of unique species of flora and fauna. Since the 2012 opening of the new terminal at Liberia’s International Airport, many low-key properties have opened, but it’s only more recently that the new wave of luxury development has come to fruition.

Guanacaste’s beach community of Las Catalinas has opened their Beach Club, a gathering place for residents, villa renters, and visitors alike. It has two pools, a restaurant, a gym, and a beachfront terrace. A 20-room boutique hotel in also the works for later this year.

In Papagayo Bay, the adults-only, all-inclusive Secrets Papagayo has joined the Four Seasons and Andaz. Next up: a Mandarin Oriental, a Paradisus, and a Wyndham. Farther south, the Pacífico Sur region is having a moment too. Auberge Resorts recently unveiled its takeover of Hacienda AltaGracia, in the remote Pérez Zeledón mountains. The brand’s first Central America property, which grants new access to a relatively unknown region of Costa Rica, has horse stables and ultralight planes for exploring the terrain.

Best of all, a new airline, VivaCam, is planning low-cost flights from San José to the rest of Central America.”

See the whole article on Travel and Leisure.

Mar 21
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Time Magazine Calls Gallo Pinto one of the World’s Healthiest Breakfasts

By | Costa Rican Food, Costa Rican Lifestyle | No Comments
Traditional Costa Rican breakfast - Gallo pinto

We all knew that Costa Rican food was good and good for you. Looks like Time Magazine agrees! Mike Dunphy wrote in his column, Eat This, Not That! @EatThisNotThat:

10 Healthy International Breakfasts

Take a cue from these countries’ better-for-you morning meals

#6 – Costa Rica

Black beans—and the heavy amounts of iron, zinc, potassium, thiamin, and folate inside—play a central role in breakfast here. Mixed with rice, spiced with cumin, pepper, and garlic, Gallo Pinto often comes with eggs on the side and a host of vitamin-rich tropical fruits like mango, pineapple, papaya, and plantains. The breakfast might have a lot to do with Costa Rica’s “Blue Zone” designation, given to countries with long-living populations.

Read the whole story in Time Magazine.

Jan 12
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New Law in Costa Rica for Perpetual Tourists

By | Costa Rican Laws, Travel | No Comments

The Sunday, January 12, 2014 electronic edition of The Costa Rica Star, a local English-Language publication, contained an article titled “New Law in Costa Rica for Perpetual Tourists.”

While we, at Residency in Costa Rica, do not condone or encourage being a perpetual tourist, those inaccuracies have caused undue concern and worry to individuals currently living in Costa Rica as perpetual tourists. The article is not accurate in many respects. The statements attributed to Mario Zamora are from the year 2010, and are not effective in 2014.

Here is a link to the Costa Rica Star article (and its explanation as to why the article was published, as it appears in the January 13, 2014 edition: http://news.co.cr/new-law-in-costa-rica-for-perpetual-tourists/31555/

Here is a link to the original story, published February 19, 2010 by amcostarica.com See also our archives for February 19, 2010: http://www.amcostarica.com/021910.htm

We wanted to correct some of the inaccuracies of the article and to put to rest some of the fears and concerns created by the article. Please read a Letter to the Editor of Costa Rica Star sent to the Editor this morning.

Saludos cordiales,

Residency in Costa Rica

Dear Editor. I write to call to your attention that the article “New Law in Costa Rica for Perpetual Tourists” that appeared in the 1.12.2014 edition of your publication is not only almost four (4) years old but it is inaccurate in many respects. It’s great for my business but you are causing unnecessary panic amongst the many perpetual tourists residing in Costa Rica. Strongly recommend you check your sources and information more closely.

I have no idea why The Costa Rica Star published today, January 12, 2014, an article that almost four (4) years old yet it is made be to current. I strongly suggest you read the amcostarica.com edition of February 19, 2010 (also reprinted with permission in our website), a more accurate newspaper where they write their own stories. Please feel free to search the archives of amcostarica.com for the quote from Mario Zamora.

ERRORS AND INACCURACIES – PARTIAL LIST

  1. “Costa Rica’s new immigration law goes into effect March 1.” That was correct back in 2009, but not in 2014. The changes to the Ley de Migracion were approved on August 2009 and the new Law took effect on March 1, 2010.
  2. “Mario Zamora, the director general of Migración y Extranjería,” ==Mario Zamora has not been the director of Migracion for almost three years. He has been the Ministro de Seguridad Publica in the Chinchilla Administration since April 28, 20113
  3. “Mario Zamora, the director general of Migración y Extranjería, said Thursday that a tourist will not be able to go to the same country twice and that after two trips to renew a visa a tourist will have to stay out of Costa Rica for a minimum of 15 days.” ==Zamora made those off-the-cuff remarks in a radio interview almost four years ago. It is NOT the law. It was never in the law and it is not effect now.
  4. “Instead of traveling to another country to renew a tourist visa, a foreigner can go to any immigration location and renew another 90 days for $100.” ==NOT so. US, Canadian and most Western European tourists who enter Costa Rica on a 90-day tourist visa DO NOT qualify to renew their visas by paying the $100. That method of renewal is available ONLY to tourists who enter Costa Rica on a 30-day visa.
  5. “The rule that a tourist cannot renew a visa by traveling to the same country twice is new.” ==This NOT the law – it doesn’t exist anywhere. This was part of the radio interview remarks.

Please use caution when reprinting articles from unreliable sources. You are creating great harm to the community.

Saludos,

Javier Zavaleta

Residency in Costa Rica
Box 86352, Los Angeles, CA 90086
Tel (323) 255-6116 – Fax (323) 344-1620
In Costa Rica: Tel 506.2226.0755 – En español
On the Web at www.residencyincostarica.com

Nov 10
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10 Reasons Why You Should Quit Your Job and Move to Costa Rica

By | Costa Rican Lifestyle, Move to Costa Rica | No Comments

Viva Tropical posted this story by Camille about the reasons retirees and expats decide to move to Costa Rica. Read her full story – the top 10 reasons are:

      1. Stunning Nature Abounds
      2. Great Healthcare is Affordable
      3. Comfortable Climate Year Round
      4. Its Proximity to North America
      5. The Established Expat Community
      6. A Healthy Lifestyle
      7. The Stable Government and Economy
      8. Kind, Generous Local Culture
      9. Outdoor Adventure Opportunities
      10. The Pura Vida Lifestyle