If there is an anchor for Americans outside of the Central Valley area of San Jose, it has to be the Nosara area on the Nicoya Peninsula in Guanacaste.
Yet one region, Guanacaste, has remained hot year-round for second-home buyers.
Located in the country's northwest corner, it isknown for its captivating shoreline and world class surfing, snorkeling, bird watching and windsurfing.
The region has not yet reached the development level of some retirement and vacation resort areas, but the high end, master-planned, gated communities definitely have arrived.
Yet laid-back beach getaways also can be found.
The key to Guanacaste (derived from the word quahnacaztlan, the native word for the guanacaste tree) has been the expansion of the Daniel Oduber International Airport near Liberia.
Ask any developer, Realtor or second-home investor - the potential for buyers and renters is in direct proportion to the number of air flights to a nearby, accessible airport.
The facility, named after the country's president from 1974 to 1978 who launched the idea of an international airport in the northern portion of the country, features non-stop flights from Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, Houston, Charlotte and Philadelphia with more U.
S.
cities standing in line.
Traffic to the airport increased 122 percent from 2005 to 2006.
Before 2002, travelers to the region typically flew into San Jose's Juan Santamaria airport and either took a short flight or drove several hours via the Pan-American Highway.
Playas de Nosara is the oldest expatriate community in Costa Rica and was founded in 1968 by a U.
S.
investor group as the Nosara Civic Association (NCA) "American Project" or "Proyecto Americano.
" The NCA development stretches along more than two miles of protected beaches and encompasses approximately 3,000 acres.
Of these, 850 acres are held in trust as protected green zones - a national wildlife and nature preserve woven throughout the community.
Among Nosara's other draws are the Lagarta Lodge sustainable hotel and wildlife refuge, Ostional Wildlife Refuge for the protection of turtles, and Playa Guiones' consistent surf.
The Nosara Yoga Institute and the Omega Institute's recent investment of $17 million in land acquisition for an exclusive yoga and healing resort have made the area a destination for holistic health and wellness.
Nosara's remote location, highlighted by boutique hotels and restaurants and nestled in a fertile river valley near the mouth of the Nosara River, has resulted in a family-friendly destination with a community feel.
It has been a quiet, favorite stop for celebrities including singer Jackson Browne, actors Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon and football coach Pete Carroll.
"What was originally planned as a golf course country club has now become an eco-community where residents live in harmony within the jungle surroundings," says Chip McGraw, a transplanted Florida surfer who is now owner/managing broker of Coldwell Banker Del Mar Realty, Nosara (www.
cbnosara.
com).
More information: http://www.
crabmanpublishing.
com/
Yet one region, Guanacaste, has remained hot year-round for second-home buyers.
Located in the country's northwest corner, it isknown for its captivating shoreline and world class surfing, snorkeling, bird watching and windsurfing.
The region has not yet reached the development level of some retirement and vacation resort areas, but the high end, master-planned, gated communities definitely have arrived.
Yet laid-back beach getaways also can be found.
The key to Guanacaste (derived from the word quahnacaztlan, the native word for the guanacaste tree) has been the expansion of the Daniel Oduber International Airport near Liberia.
Ask any developer, Realtor or second-home investor - the potential for buyers and renters is in direct proportion to the number of air flights to a nearby, accessible airport.
The facility, named after the country's president from 1974 to 1978 who launched the idea of an international airport in the northern portion of the country, features non-stop flights from Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, Houston, Charlotte and Philadelphia with more U.
S.
cities standing in line.
Traffic to the airport increased 122 percent from 2005 to 2006.
Before 2002, travelers to the region typically flew into San Jose's Juan Santamaria airport and either took a short flight or drove several hours via the Pan-American Highway.
Playas de Nosara is the oldest expatriate community in Costa Rica and was founded in 1968 by a U.
S.
investor group as the Nosara Civic Association (NCA) "American Project" or "Proyecto Americano.
" The NCA development stretches along more than two miles of protected beaches and encompasses approximately 3,000 acres.
Of these, 850 acres are held in trust as protected green zones - a national wildlife and nature preserve woven throughout the community.
Among Nosara's other draws are the Lagarta Lodge sustainable hotel and wildlife refuge, Ostional Wildlife Refuge for the protection of turtles, and Playa Guiones' consistent surf.
The Nosara Yoga Institute and the Omega Institute's recent investment of $17 million in land acquisition for an exclusive yoga and healing resort have made the area a destination for holistic health and wellness.
Nosara's remote location, highlighted by boutique hotels and restaurants and nestled in a fertile river valley near the mouth of the Nosara River, has resulted in a family-friendly destination with a community feel.
It has been a quiet, favorite stop for celebrities including singer Jackson Browne, actors Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon and football coach Pete Carroll.
"What was originally planned as a golf course country club has now become an eco-community where residents live in harmony within the jungle surroundings," says Chip McGraw, a transplanted Florida surfer who is now owner/managing broker of Coldwell Banker Del Mar Realty, Nosara (www.
cbnosara.
com).
More information: http://www.
crabmanpublishing.
com/