| Mardi Gras in Esterillos Oeste |
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On Valentine's Day this month everyone along a beautiful stretch of beach in Esterillos Oeste was out eating, having fun and celebrating...but not with candy, hearts, flowers and teddy bears – instead they were throwing beads, painting faces and watching a parade with floats, mermaids, motorcycles, horses, jugglers, costumed people and a marching band. It was the 2nd Annual Mardi Gras festival and it started at noon and lasted all day and into the wee hours of the next morning. CLICK HERE FOR FULL ARTICLE!
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| Beaches of Esterillos Association of Community Helpers
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 Costa Developers homeowner Nelle Nemecek is coordinating an effort on behalf of her new community in Costa Rica, Esterillos Oeste. The grassroots Not for Profit Organization is called B.E.A.C.H. for Beaches of Esterillos Association of Community Helpers. The organizations purpose is to provide funding for the Lifeguard Program that was organized and facilitated in the community initially by Costa Rican born, U.S. retiree Rosemary Chamberlain Bonilla. At 76 years young, Chamberlain Bonilla works tirelessly to make Esterillos Oeste a better place for all to enjoy. CLICK HERE FOR FULL ARTICLE!
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| Costa Rica Continues to Attract Large Multi-Nationals |
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Costa Rica’s economy continues to boom, despite last year's worldwide economic slowdown and many large multinational companies have relocated to Costa Rica throughout 2009. Among the companies that moved some or all of their operations to Costa Rica last year are computer giant Hewlett-Packard (HP) which now operates a research and development center in Heredia, a suburb just north of San José and the huge pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, which has announced plans to move all of its Central American and Caribbean operations to Heredia as well. CLICK HERE FOR FULL ARTICLE!
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| New Air Ambulance Now Serving Central Pacific
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 There is now a fully equipped air ambulance service available 24/7 to assist anyone needing quick medical attention and a trip to any hospital in Costa Rica, including the fully staffed CIMA in San José. The air ambulance company is called SARPA-CR and it has fully modern aircraft, including a Bell 212 helicopter and Jetstream 32 arirplane for use in patient transportation both inside and outside Costa Rica.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL ARTICLE!
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| Living the Dream with Mary and Dan Douglass |
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Mary and Dan Douglass are now living their retirement fantasies in a spectacular three thousand square foot Costa Developers dream home on the Central Pacific Coast in Costa Rica. Every day they're up at dawn, basking in the sun as they stroll the shores of unspoiled tropical beaches, snorkel with friends or lounge lazily by their pool, listening to the sounds of nature and rushing water from their own private waterfall. CLICK HERE FOR FULL ARTICLE!
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| Infrastructure Updates |
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| Largest Conference Center in Latin America Coming to San José |
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Despite economic slowdowns elsewhere, big investors continue to bet on Costa Rica. Plans are proceeding for the construction of a brand new $280 million/123,000 square meter convention center and fairgrounds near Juan Santamaria International Airport near San José. The proposed construction site is across from the Ramada Plaza Herradura, which already houses one of Costa Rica’s most sophisticated Convention and Conference Centers along with six exotic international restaurants, 10 tennis courts, a casino and tour agency. The new planned conference complex will be the largest of its kind in all of Latin America with two new hotels, ten restaurants, shops and a parking structure.
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| 35,000 Seat National Sports Stadium Nearing Completion |
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The new National Sports Stadium (Estadio Nacional) being built in western San José is now more than half completed. A gift from the Chinese government, construction on the new stadium began ten months ago and is expected to be finished in February of 2011. More than 800 Chinese nationals have been working around-the-clock constructing the new stadium that when complete, will seat some 35,000 sport fans. The Chinese government is expected to officially turn the project over to the government of Costa Rica some time within the next year and an opening match between the national teams of Costa Rica and China is expected among the week-long ceremonies planned for the grand opening in 2011.
>> Visit http://isaacmartinez.com/stadium/stadium.html to view construction updates
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| Bridge to Unite Costa Rica and Nicaragua |
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Nicaraguan authorities announced late last month that the government of Japan has donated $15 million dollars for the design of a new bridge to be constructed over the Río San Juan that borders with Costa Rica. The bridge will span 853 feet (260 meters) and will be constructed in the municipality of San Carlos in the southern portion of Nicaragua and Las Tabillas on the north shore of Costa Rica. Construction is expected to begin by late 2010.
The news was published by the Latin American news agency EFE. Costa Rican authorities confirmed that a commission has been analyzing such a possibility, with the objective of facilitating the movement of goods across the river. International investors have long been eyeing the Rio San Juan as a possible inter-oceanic trade route to replace or augment the antiquated Panama Canal.
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| New Immigration Law Takes Effect March 1st, 2010 |
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Foreigners living and working in Costa Rica will be required to contribute to the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social-CCSS) as of March 1st of this year when the new Immigration Law takes effect (Ley de Migración y Extranjería.) Foreign residents who do not contribute will no longer be able to obtain free medical services. Foreign residents are also required to pay a new $25 annual fee that will go into a special fund (Fondo Social Migratorio) that will raise about $12 million dollars per year from the estimated half a million foreign residents. The objective of the new law is to require foreigners living in Costa Rica to "formalize" their immigration status and contribute to the social system.
For those foreigners who are not residents and who simply visit often flying back and forth to enjoy their vacation homes, nothing changes except that the new law allows those overstaying their tourism visa to simply pay a $100 fine for each month past their legal visit. North Americans and Europeans can still stay legally for up to 90 days, while visitors from most other foreign countries are limited to just 30 days.
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| American Airlines Adding New Flights to Costa Rica |
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American Airlines plans to expand service to Costa Rica with a new flight between its JFK International Airport hub in New York City to Juan Santamaria International Airport in San José, Costa Rica, beginning April 6th this year. The enhanced schedule brings the number of international destinations American serves from New York to 31.
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The new San José – Caldera Highway is now open for business, cutting drive time to the coast in half! It opened officially in the early evening on January 27th, 2010, inaugurated almost four months ahead of schedule in a ceremony hosted by Costa Rica's president Oscar Arias in Orotina. The highway commenced collecting tolls at midnight that evening and drivers were ecstatic to finally get a chance to try out this new fast track to the coast.
Now that many stunning Costa Developers homes are built and occupied, many of our homeowners are marveling at the beauty of nature that surrounds them. Living in luxury within the seclusion of a tropical rainforest is a daily adventure in amazing, unusual and rare sights and sounds. Our homeowners are happy to share their experiences with you.