We are a husband and wife team from Canada who are actually LIVING the dream. We spent some time touring around Costa Rica pre-pandemic, and decided to move to Atenas (in the Central Valley) in 2022. Why did we choose Costa Rica over Mexico, Panama, Bahamas, Nicaragua, etc? Soooo many reasons....

• The Costa Rican people ("ticos/ticas") are incredibly genuine, kind, and polite. They value family and respect their elders and the environment, and they are gracious (and forgiving) when you make an effort to speak Spanish with them.

• The wildlife is fantastic (except for the snakes LOL, of which we've only ever seen a couple in our years here). We frequently have howler monkeys visiting the trees by our balcony, and we'll never get tired of seeing the toucans, macaws, and brightly coloured insects and birds.

• The climate. We don't need A/C in the Central Valley, and with easy access to beaches (on both the Pacific and Caribbean sides), mountains, rain forests, and more, Costa Rica is fun to explore whenever we want a change of scenery or different micro-climate.

We know how frustrating it can be to arrive in a new area and not know where to find service providers, such as doctors, tradesmen, mechanics, etc. So, we've compiled a searchable database for you here. Enjoy your time, and Pura Vida!