In May we learned that the house we were building in Costa Rica was going to take another year to complete. We decided that we really didn’t want to spend another whole year in our current Costa Rican location in Escazú. Instead, it would make more sense to spend that year in an area of Costa Rica that was nearer to our new house, so we could more easily visit it during construction, and also a place that had more of the things we found desirable about building on the Pacific side of the country to begin with, proximity to beach and a view, among others.
We had set our sights on the area near Playa Flamingo and scheduled a house hunting trip over the last weekend in May, staying at the Margaritaville resort. In the last post, we discussed some of the challenges staying there, presumably because of COVID. In this post we’ll talk about our actual international house hunting experience.
Prepping for the House Hunt in Playa Flamingo
Back in Escazú, we hooked up my computer to our large screen TV in our main living area and starting scouring realty sites for long-term rentals. Tourists flock to the Pacific side of Costa Rica, so long-term rentals are harder to come by. And, long-term isn’t usually a whole year. When you click on the Long-Term rental menu option on the realty sites, the pricing for long-term rentals is often grouped by low season, mid-season, and high season, not to mention extra high prices for Christmas and Easter. Still, we were hopeful that with the tourists currently being shut out of the country and the general uncertainty with COVID, that there would be a property owner that would be grateful to have guaranteed income for an entire year.
We set up a spreadsheet to track properties we were interested in seeing during our visit. Just like on the House Hunters International show, all properties had been given unique names on the sites – some more whimsical than others. For example – “Casa Tigre” was one property that we thought we might want to see, based on our criteria, and not because of actual tigers, of course – there aren’t any tigers in Costa Rica.
In addition to the names, we added columns for Price, House or Condo, and Number of Bedrooms and Bathrooms. We continued to add columns as we went along, based on information we could glean from the websites, like how far from the beach, laundry facilities, furniture décor rating, comfort for TV watching rating, etc. Eventually we had so many columns we had to “freeze” the Property Name column so we could keep track of what property we were looking at when we were doing our analysis. Then that ended up being only the first tab of the spreadsheet. We added a tab for ranking the properties, then in preparation for an actual visit, added separate tabs based on the showing agent/property owner. These sheets, with columns and rows transposed, we printed out so we could fill in our criteria rankings when we actually saw the properties.
Are you rolling your eyes yet? Because that’s not all. We then created a PowerPoint where we inserted a map of the area, and based on the website locations, pinned the locations of the ranked houses, including a guesstimate of scale of miles and proximity to beaches.
We followed the protocol for contacting the listing agents for the properties by filling in our information in the realty sites and indicating interest in the specific properties. We also mentioned that we were interested in 2-3 bedrooms and at least two bathrooms, proximity to beach, and a view. We went through this exercise for about 14 properties. Then we sat back and waited for someone to reach out to us.
As I mentioned in a previous post, the properties we ranked the highest ended up being with one realty company, Premier Casa Costa Rica even though they were shown on two different sites. We’d made arrangements for a rental car to get us to Playa Flamingo, and also for a place to stay when we were there, so now we just needed to make sure that we had properties to visit. After a few days of not hearing anything from these “two” companies, we got nervous and broke down and called them. In both cases the same woman answered the telephone and told us that Enis would be reaching out to us. It took another phone call before we did finally hear from Enis, whom we dubbed our reluctant realtor. As it turns out, one of the properties on the top of our list was already rented (Enis promised that she would update the site), she was trying to get ahold of another property owner, but had another property, Casa Sunset, that she thought might be a good fit, based on our criteria. We had already seen this house on the site and dismissed it, but since we were getting nearer to our visit date, and the number of potential properties was dwindling, we decided to go ahead and see it. We made plans to see the house and whatever other properties she may be able to dig up in the meantime on the Wednesday afternoon of our arrival.
The next tier of houses in our rankings were on the Tropical Homes of Costa Rica site. Their realtor, Rita, reached out to us within a day of our indicated interest of their properties. However, we ran into similar difficulties with rentals. One of the property owners didn’t want to rent for an entire year, another, who had a house with a pool under construction, didn’t want to show the house (although there was a possibility of a drive-by?), etc. In the end, she lined up three properties for us to view. We scheduled time with her on Thursday morning.
We saw our list of properties carefully laid out on the spreadsheet being reduced from 15 to now 4. And, based on the timing of when we needed to notify our current landlord of our intent to move, hopefully moving in July or August, we needed to get a place during this trip. In an act of desperation, John reached out on social media to a Costa Rican expat group that we’re on and asked about rentals near Playa Flamingo. There were two responses that yielded tangible leads. One was a guy, Ron, who was interested in renting his house in the near future. He helpfully provided a short video of his house. We arranged to meet Ron on Wednesday afternoon to see his house, after we left Enis. Another lady in that group lived in Reserva Conchal, near Playa Flamingo, and gave us the name of the representative of the leasing company, Gabriel. We arranged to meet Gabriel on Thursday afternoon, after our morning visit with Rita.
Wednesday afternoon – Enis and Casa Sunset
We met Enis on Wednesday afternoon at her office. That’s not quite accurate. We arrived at the realty office in Playa Flamingo and found that the office was closed. The office was located next to a couple of other businesses that also had a very large Adirondack-type chair in the gravel parking lot. This chair was obviously set up for tourist photos. While we waited in our car, we did see one car stop, and a couple of people pop out to get their pictures taken in the chair, before they drove away.
Eventually another car drove up with a man driving. A forty-something woman in white jean shorts, camisole top and sandals got out and introduced herself as Enis. We knew that things were laid back here on the coast, but after being in Escazú, where you practically never saw women in shorts (few even when exercising), this seemed a bit too laid back for a professional. Enis told us that her husband would drive the two of them to the house we were going to look at, Casa Sunset, and that we should just follow in our car. We drove less than 10 minutes and arrived at Casa Sunset.
Casa Sunset was a stand-alone two-story home that looked exactly like it was picked up from a US suburban neighborhood and plopped down in Costa Rica, and by this I mean, somewhat out of place. From the website, we knew it had 4 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. We didn’t need that many bedrooms – that was a lot of upkeep, especially with COVID limiting any potential visitors. It did have its own pool, but it didn’t look like it was that big. It also didn’t have a view, except of neighbors.
Enis explained that the current renter was a man with daughters, but he/they were going to move out. The man was there at the time, sitting at a table on the patio, working on his laptop. We entered the house. Things were stacked everywhere! In the small dining area, there was a plastic table filled with a sewing machine and material. Enis commented that the current renters had moved the dining room table to the patio, that the man was now sitting at, and put this plastic table in its place, although she wasn’t sure why. She said that the table could be moved back inside. Then we saw the kitchen – it was somewhat large, with a scented candle burning atop the stove. I looked inside one of the cabinets – it was crammed with mismatched, dusty, glassware. Presumably with a furnished rental all of this crap would stay with the house.
As we toured the downstairs bedroom, I noticed that the house was completely closed up and the air conditioning was on. I also noticed that there were no screens for the windows. I asked Enis about that. She admitted that none of the windows had screens. This was a house that was just blocks from Potrero beach, right at sea level. There would be bugs night and day, so the house would always require closed windows and with it usually so warm on the Pacific side, air conditioning running 24/7. Almost as if a sales push, Enis commented that a 4-bedroom house was hard to come by in Costa Rica, and that she did have one woman who had indicated interest, although she would have to wait until after Covid restrictions were lifted to travel. The upstairs bedrooms were nothing special, although in one bedroom the bed had been moved so that you couldn’t open any of the drawers in the dresser. Enis seemed perplexed about this, as well.
Although we were not at all interested in this property, I did ask about the laundry. Enis led us outside, where we found both a washer and dryer attached to the side of the house, with minimal protection from the elements provided by a small plastic overhead awning! I commented that it seemed a bit unusual to have the laundry outside, especially with a house like this. Enis replied that it was very “Costa Rican.” She proudly stated that she had pushed the homeowner to install a dryer, as it was customary to line-dry clothes, because she personally didn’t like the rough feel of line-dried clothes against her skin and preferred her clothes to be dried in a dryer. As a reminder, there are only two seasons in Costa Rica – the wet season and the dry season, each lasting for about 6 months. Also, because of the proximity to the equator, there are about 12 hours of daylight every day, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. In the best of circumstances, you would be doing laundry during the day, standing in dirt. In the worst of circumstances, you would be doing laundry in the dark in the mud – better not drop a sock!
When we finished touring the house, we parted ways with Enis (and her husband, who had stayed in the car the whole time). She said she was still trying to get a hold of the owner of another property on our list, and was hopeful that maybe we would be able to see it, maybe Saturday.
Once back in our own vehicle, John and I quickly crossed Casa Sunset off our list. No need to fill in the rating sheet for this one. We drove back to Margaritaville for a quick pitstop and prepared for our next property viewing.
Wednesday afternoon – Ron’s House
Ron’s house was located in a development called Mar Vista. This gated community actually had several other properties that we were potentially interested in. Rita had arranged for a viewing of another house in Mar Vista on Thursday morning.
Ron had notified security of our visit. We were waved through by the security guard and parked in a small area just on the other side of the gate. Ron drove up and after introductions, offered to drive us in his vehicle. Ron is a large, super nice guy, originally from Canada. He and his wife and daughter decided to move from their farm in Saskatchewan to Costa Rica. He also mentioned that when he told his mother about their move, that she, surprising to them, decided to move with them!
Ron also noted that he was building another house in the development that should be completed by August. At that time his family was going to be moving to the other house. We replied that we were hoping to be able to make our move in July, and he said that would be pushing it for the completion of his new house.
Ron drove us to his house, a 3-bedroom, 3.5-bathroom home that appeared fairly new. When we entered the house, we were greeted by the smell of home-made bagels. His wife was making them for the construction workers on their new house. That seemed so nice and very Canadian. Their daughter was doing homework on a computer station they had set up in their main living area.
There were also three cats living the house. They were hard to miss, as they were hairless, Sphynx cats. Ron mentioned that they liked to curl up next to the stove when his wife was cooking, presumably for warmth, even though it is quite warm in Costa Rica. They had these cats in Canada, and he mused they may have been cold living there. The litter box was in plain sight when we toured the home, but we couldn’t smell anything but the bagels.
There were a few odd things about the house. First, Ron’s mom wasn’t living in the house with them. They had built her a separate house on the same lot. When you sat out on the patio next to the pool, your view was pretty much just her house. Oh, and when Ron’s house was finished, Ron’s wife and daughter would be moving to the new house, but Mom was staying put. The neighbor’s houses were also in very close proximity. This could be good or bad, depending on the neighbors, but overall, Mom’s house wasn’t the view were hoping to find.
Second, the house was missing a few doors. Surprisingly, there was a door covering the all-in-one washer/dryer unit. But there was a missing door on a hall closet, and most critically, a missing door on the bathroom off the master bedroom. I mentioned the omission, and Ron said that the doors had just never been installed, maybe someday, but they had just gotten used to it – no big deal.
For those of you who have read any of my blog posts, you probably are keenly aware of my feelings on bathroom situations. I didn’t make a deal of it then, but a master suite bathroom with no door is Not something that I could “just get used to.”
Ron, being the nice guy that he is, drove us around the development, past the on-site restaurant (pick-up only at that time due to COVID), and also to a small nearby beach that he said a lot of people from the community frequent. He also drove us past his house that was under construction, that he said was supposed to be ready by August. Given its state, it was hard to tell whether the house was being constructed or torn down. To us, it didn’t seem at all possible that his new house would be ready by August. He then drove us back to our car, where we thanked him, and then returned to Margaritaville.
Thursday morning – Rita
When Thursday morning rolled around, we were hopeful that we would have better results with realtor Rita. Rita had offered to pick us up at the hotel and drive us around. We walked to the hotel parking lot at the appointed time and saw a small jeep-like vehicle with “Tropical Homes of Costa Rica” on the side. Standing beside it was an older woman with a long-sleeved shirt with “Tropical Homes of Costa Rica” embroidered on it, and she was wearing long pants. Admittedly, Rita looked to be in her 70’s, but she did give off an air of professionalism that Enis had been lacking. As we drove, she told us that she was originally from the Northeastern US and had first moved to Costa Rica in the early 90’s with her husband. Then he died. She went back to the US for a while, but she said she was drawn back and has lived here ever since.
John and I got in her vehicle, which Rita noted was a bit rough. It wasn’t her choice, but the one they had given her to use that day. Inexplicably, the roof of the vehicle was all torn up. As John put it later, it looked like someone had tried to claw their way out of it (unsuccessfully, it would seem).
The first properties we saw were “Casa Mega” and “Casa Jungle”. In our research, both properties appeared to be near each other, walkable to the beach, with great views. We were hopeful, until Rita started the very steep ascent up a gravel road. As a crow flies, the properties were close to the beach, but as a person walking, …not so close. We passed a police station on the way up the hill, so that seemed like a good thing as far as security was concerned.
Casa Mega and Casa Jungle were located within a two-building complex with five or six units. We were greeted by the caretakers for the buildings, a local man and woman. The woman followed us throughout the tour of the two units. We looked at Casa Mega first. Even though these properties were in the same complex, they were very different. Casa Mega was in a more traditional Costa Rican style, with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Whoever did the pictures for the realty website certainly did this place a lot of favors. The pictures made it look spacious and bright. The reality was that it looked dingy and dark. One of the worst parts of it was that there was absolutely no place in the unit to hook up a TV. The logical place would have been in the corner of the main living space, but that was dominated by a huge stone fireplace. Because, you know, in a climate where the average yearly high temperature is 91 degrees Fahrenheit and the average yearly low temperature is 71 degrees Fahrenheit, it is really important to have a massive fireplace.
Located in the next building, Casa Jungle had a modern style, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It did have a spectacular view of the ocean and seemed much brighter in the main living space. It was priced above our budget, but we might have been willing to stretch the budget if we were enamored with the place. But … we weren’t. When we had looked online, we’d seen that there was a smallish TV installed in the corner of the main living space, far away from seating. We thought surely there would be a place we could set up our own TV. There wasn’t, and the furniture wasn’t that great.
I asked about flushing toilet paper. Rita responded that technically you weren’t supposed to, but “everybody does.” There was a small pool that Rita told us was shared by all of the units in the two buildings. It really was too small to do anything in it but sit. Rita told us that yes, the pool was shared, but “everyone says they want a pool, but no one ever uses it when they get it.” Well, maybe because it’s too small?
Rita spoke with the caretaker in Spanish. We were told that she would provide maid service and do our laundry for us. I am OK with someone cleaning but haven’t reached the level where I am OK with someone doing my laundry for me. In some ways it seems like an intrusion of my privacy. And, I admit I am kind of particular about what I want washed and dried in what temperature, or what I don’t want dried at all, etc. Of course, I could do my own laundry, but where was it? Oh, we’d passed it on the way from one building to the next. The laundry “room” was shared with all of the units. It was not spacious, and seemed to have extra stuff stored in it. It had one washer and dryer at the time, although there was another box that looked like a new washer had been delivered. When you wanted to do laundry here, you had to go outside of your unit to the laundry room, and hope that there wasn’t anyone, like the caretaker, doing laundry already. And, in the rainy season, you would likely be traipsing back and forth in the rain with your newly dried laundry.
There was one other place that Rita had lined up for us at our request – Casa Miramar 2 BR. That house was in Mar Vista, the same development as Ron’s house, that we had seen the day before. Rita told us that she had a conflicting appointment so couldn’t go with us. She took us back to the hotel so that we could drive there ourselves, and meet the homeowner, Drew, at the security gate to Mar Vista.
Thursday morning Casa Miramar 2 BR
We were hoping that the security guard at Mar Vista wouldn’t recognize us when we drove up and wonder what we were doing there again. We needn’t have worried. It was a different guy. He called Drew, and within a few minutes, Drew came down to meet us. Unlike Ron, he had us follow him in our car to the house. There were actually two identical houses, side-by-side, separated by the driveway. Each had their own pool. Drew led us to the house on the left as you drove in. We parked and he unlocked the door.
We noticed right away that the house was more tastefully furnished than any of the houses that we had seen so far. Drew was nice but did not strike us as an extrovert. Drew was from Texas and asked us where we were from. When told him Iowa, he said, rather flatly, that his wife was also from Iowa, Altoona. Now if it had been me, I would have responded in such a way it would have required an exclamation point, like “Really? My wife is from Iowa, too!” But Drew just said it in a very understated way, and also noted that he had been there to visit her parents. (This conversation brought to mind the old Seinfeld episode where Elaine ends up breaking up with her boyfriend after things spiral out of control when he didn’t use an exclamation point on a message that he took for her.)
When we stepped outside through the sliding glass and screen doors from the main living space to the patio and pool, I said, “Oh, Pella Windows!” (Note use of my exclamation point here.) He replied flatly, “My wife insisted.” (Again, another missed exclamation point opportunity.) For those of you who don’t know, Pella Windows has its headquarters in Iowa.
Casa Miramar had two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The master had a king size bed! The second bedroom had two twin beds, that Drew noted could be pushed together, if desired. This would be better for guests our 2nd bedroom in Escazú, which had been furnished with an old futon, a desk, and an office chair whose fabric on the underside of the seat was disintegrating, and constantly shedding small black flecks. Casa Miramar did have a one-piece washer-dryer unit in its own little cubby off the kitchen, but there was no door covering it. I speculated that the noise would probably limit the times you would want to do laundry, since it could potentially interfere with TV or perhaps conversation, but at least it was all inside!
The kitchen was U-shaped, with GE appliances. The refrigerator was very similar to the one we had in our apartment in Escazú, but the GE oven had English controls, including a digital display for time and cooking temperatures, in Fahrenheit! We would be able to actually work this oven!
There were sliding doors from the two bedrooms and the main living space to the patio with the pool. The pool was a decent size, where you could actually swim. When you were standing you could see the ocean in the distance, although the view was blocked by shrubs when you were sitting. There was seating and even included a grill! John has been dying for ready access to a grill for over 4 years – three when he was in his apartment in South Carolina, and one in Escazú.
Drew also showed us the twin house. It was identically furnished. The difference was that it had a better view of the ocean – you could see it when you were sitting on the patio. For that, it was also higher priced.
After the tour, John and I felt that we would be happy in either house, but would prefer the house with the better view.
Thursday Afternoon – Reserva Conchal
Reserva Conchal is a massive development south of Playa Flamingo, on Playa Conchal, with several hotels, a golf course, individual homes, and multiple condo units in different styles. We had arranged to meet the leasing representative, Gabriel, in the early afternoon. He was driving back from meeting a client that morning further south in Costa Rica and texted us to tell us he was going to be delayed due to road construction. He did give us the option of changing the meeting to the next day. That wasn’t going to work for us, as that would be Friday, and our rental car plates didn’t allow us to drive on Friday, and we would have to drive a bit to get to Reserva Conchal.
In the end, Gabriel was delayed only 1 ½ hours, so could meet him. Thursday morning had been sunny and hot. When we arrived at Reserva Conchal, it started to rain. And it wasn’t a gentle rain, it was a heavy downpour! Gabriel met us in his car at the security gate, and we followed him in our car via the nicest roads we’d seen in Costa Rica, lined with attractive old-fashioned looking lampposts, and beautifully landscaped grounds. Even through the pouring rain it was easy to see that the grounds were superbly maintained.
Gabriel first led us to the beach club area, which we would have access to with our rental. We’d brought umbrellas, but Gabriel also provided a very large one, that was helpful as we made our way from the parking area. There was a very nice open-air bar, a large well-equipped gym, a golf course and some shops. We would also have access to 13 restaurants including those within two on-property, upscale Marriott resort hotels. There was also a large community pool (taped off with police tape, due to COVID), and a small walkway that led to the beach, Playa Conchal. Playa Conchal is supposed to be a very beautiful beach. Gabriel offered to have us walk to it, but seriously, the rain was so intense, if just didn’t seem worth it.
The facilities manager happened to be in the area, and Gabriel introduced us. He then told us that there were three properties in the development that he could show us, based on our criteria. The first was a three-bedroom in a traditional style, the second was a more modern two-bedroom, and the third was an ultra-modern three bedroom, that would be much higher in price – not only in monthly rent, but also in utilities. Gabriel said that the utilities on the ultra-modern three-bedroom would run about $1,000 US dollars a month! Wow! We immediately declined seeing this unit.
We then followed Gabriel as he drove to the traditional-style unit. This was currently rented, and it appeared the family had just fled the scene, as there was a skillet with food cooking on the stove. This unit had more space, but it was older, and seemed a little creepy. We couldn’t live there.
We then drove to the building with the two-bedroom modern unit. It was on the first floor, but the building was designed in such a way that even the first floor wasn’t ground level. There was a small deck that looked out on a golf course, with the ocean beyond it. You could also see a good-sized pool for residents of that building. When John asked, we were told that we could supply our own grill and cook on the deck.
The interior of the unit looked nice and clean. The master bedroom had a king-sized bed, and the second bedroom had two twin beds just like the house we’d seen earlier that day. There was an actual laundry room in the unit, where you could also store things, like cleaning supplies. The two bathrooms each had single sinks, but tons of counter space. John and I have not had enough bathroom counter space in our bathrooms for a year. This seemed well thought through.
(Whenever I see couples on House Hunters complain about single sinks in a bathroom, especially if it is just the two of them, and there are multiple bathrooms, I want to know – do they really both crowd into the bathroom at the same time, needing to use the sinks? Counter space and storage is a problem in most bathrooms, so if you can use different bathrooms, I will always trade a separate sink for additional counter space. Maybe it’s just me.)
The décor of the main space was a bit off-putting, though. There was a four-foot candelabra that stood on the floor – definitely a waste of space. But the main décor item of concern was the large Buddha art piece that was hanging above the sofa. There was just something about having Buddha watching over your every move that was unsettling.
Overall, the unit had some pluses, and the beach access and amenities at Reserva Conchal gave us a lot to ponder.
Decision
John and I spent a lot of time discussing our options the rest of Thursday. If we hadn’t seen the unit at Reserva Conchal, it would have been an easy decision, Casa Miramar. But the amenities at Reserva Conchal, not to mention the actual in-unit laundry unit and bathroom counter space was giving us both pause. The monthly rent appeared to be comparable.
Regarding Reserva Conchal, John would ask, “Do you really want to live in Disneyland?” I would think to myself, “why is that such a bad thing?” For me, I remember looking down at the community pool for the building from the small deck at Reserva Conchal and remembering the police tape at the pool at the beach club, and thinking, is this going to be like Escazú, where we can’t use the pool because of COVID, or obnoxious neighbors?
In the end, the idea of having our own house, patio and pool at Casa Miramar won out over the amenities at Reserva Conchal. Rita had mentioned she thought homeowners might possibly negotiate pricing, with COVID and all. We contacted Drew, and asked if he would go a couple of hundred lower per month on the house with the better review. He countered with the same price drop on the other house, which was lower than the other, anyway. For us, the house rental would actually be lower than our apartment in Escazú. We agreed.
To tie up loose ends, we emailed Enis, and let her know that we had settled on a rental, were not interested in Casa Sunset, and wouldn’t need to see the house that she was trying to arrange for us to see on Saturday. She responded stating that the owner of Casa Sunset was going to put in window screens.
We also reached out to Ron and told him that we wanted to move earlier than August, so were not going to rent his house. He asked if we thought the price was fair and for our general opinion. We said we thought his price was fair, and that he may want to consider getting the bathroom door installed on the master bedroom. He wrote back stating again, that they were just used to it.
Our kids had suggested that when we made our decision, we follow the format of the House Hunters show. We could present to them our top three choices, with the criteria we were looking for and whether or not each property met them. Then they would guess which one we picked. On a rainy afternoon at Margaritaville we put together a PDF with a summary and a few pictures of the top three properties – Casa Jungle, Casa Miramar and Reserva Conchal – and a map with each property’s location identified. We finished with a page that had a side-by-side comparison of the properties’ criteria, e.g., number of bedrooms, etc. We listed 8 criteria in all (more than they do on the show) and made sure that each property met the same number of criteria – 3. We then sent it off to our kids to let them ponder which property we chose.
We really thought that it would be a bit of a thought teaser for the kids. After all, it had taken us more than a few hours to figure it out for ourselves. Hah! Within five minutes both of them had responded and had correctly guessed which property we had chosen! Perhaps it would have been time better spent to send them the document before we spent so much of our time on the decision!
House Hunters 8 Week Update
It’s now been a little over eight weeks since we moved to our new rental in Playa Flamingo. Just like they always say on the show, we couldn’t be happier! You’re not going to see any “fun” pictures of us surfing or paddle-boarding, but we’ve been able to take advantage of multiple beaches and meet new people. Every morning we enjoy coffee on the patio, and our morning run/walks have breathtaking views. We often enjoy starry nights, and clearly saw the August Perseid meteor shower. The colors at sunset are almost always beautiful. We often wonder why we didn’t do it earlier.
By the way, we go past Ron’s new house under construction every day. There are always a lot of men working there, but it still isn’t done.
What all was entailed in the move from Escazú to Playa Flamingo? That is a topic (or two) for another post.
Remember, it's an adventure. 