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Is there a ‘best’ area to live in around Lake Arenal? North or South side? Is Lake Arenal a nice area? Lake Arenal or Grecia? and preference? please help!
linlsd1,
Suggest you try the northwest side of the lake, beautiful views available of the lake and Arenal volcano. Checkout the Tilaran/Tronadora area. After a number of exploratory trips to Costa Rica we decided on that general area. The people are great, both Gringos and Ticos. We can suggest a really nice reasonably priced B&B and an excellent real estate agent in the area if you are interested.
Ruth
We are going Aug. 15 for ten days and would like to know a little more about this B&B. Could you give us their website?
Lake Arenal – HOT, remote, very rural, has it’s own charm.
Grecia – Cooler, less remote, less rural, quintessential small-town Costa Rica.Senta
Am looking for my Costa Rica notebook, will get the info on the B&B posted to you later today. Re: Gr1ngOT1cO’s reply. It is interesting the difference in perception, in our various trips to CR we travelled border to border and both coasts spending time in various areas. The reason we chose the Arenal area is 1) It is far cooler than the surrounding lowlands, when it is a hot and humid 95 in Liberia it is a fresh 75 in Tilaran and 2) It is far away from the big city problems of traffic etc. of San Jose. Grecia is delightfully small town but the whole area is overcrowded with people and cars!
I plead guilty. I’m from the northern US. Ohio is too hot for me. When I lived in CR it was at 7,000 feet. Perfect! The only problem was I had to come down to shop.
The best parts of Costa Rica are far from San Jose, but like Rome, all roads lead there. So it would be hard to live too far away, having to go back & forth all the time.
Senta
As usual inefficiency rules around here, I cannot find my notebook with Willekes’ card so cannot give you their website but do have their email address. It is “casavoogd@hotmail.com”. Willeke and Kees (pronounced Will-e-key and Case) are a delightful Dutch couple and are charming hosts. The house is spotlessly clean and the grounds which over look the lake & volcano are beautiful. We paid $35 per night for the 2 of us.
If you are property shopping suggest you get in touch with Jim & Rene Aoki of Rico Realty – they have lived in the area a number of years, and besides being great people, will be honest about the properties they show you. Their website is ricorealty.com
Enjoy your trip.
I have to weigh in on the Lake Arenal/Tilaran side. The Central Valley is too big city and the north and west side of Lake Arenal seems to have the perfect climate. It’s partly sunny and breezy all day so that even if the temperature is 84, it feels cooler and the sun isn’t oppressive. The green is magnificent and the tranquility in there every day. Tilaran is big enough so that everyday shopping is done locally and Canas and Liberia aren’t that far away. Yes, some things need to be purchased in San Jose but the Pan American Highway makes it possible in a day trip. I haven’t spend a good deal of time in the central valley but even my Tico son-in-law gets lost every time he comes to San Jose so my guess is, If you’re thinging of being in a suburb, you’ll stay there and not venture into the city any more than necessary.
I also would contact Jim and Rene and Rico realty. They know the area and will hook you up with an honest attorney. A local contact can also be make through Ingrid Solano’s office. She is an attorney but speaks little english. I think her secretary speaks a little but her husband, Luis Diego Murillo, is knowledgeable about land available from Tico’s. Stop in Ingrid’s office and she can get hold of Diego.
Do not let anyone sell you on the northeast side of the lake. The climate is rainy, windy, and nasty.
Good luck
Ritahola, i enjoyed and appreciate your tips on arenal. i have written to the b&b in the hopes of staying with them in the future. however, rico realty was not available through the e-mail.any assistance would be appreciated.
jean
Try ricorealty@hotmail.com, I got through to Rene last week.
Jean,
If you cannot get through with the ricorealty@hotmail.com address try “jim@ricorealty.com”
Ruth
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