“Kathleen, I just read Scot Cave’s comments about beer and microbreweries in Costa Rica, and I would love to see a follow-up about local wines and wineries in Central America.”
–Rick C., United States
Not much to report on that front. No wines of note produced in Central America that I know of. South America is a different story. I’m a fan of Argentine wines in particular.
I’ll put a South American winery round-up on our editorial to-do list. Thanks for the suggestion.
“Kathleen, I have been reading both yours and your husband’s info releases for several months now, excellent work!
“However I have not seen any referral, either good or bad, about Costa Rica. It has for many years been at or near the top of the list for retirement. I am interested specifically in the lake area of CR.
“I am interested to hear your response.”
–Bob R., United States
I’m not a fan of Costa Rica…though I once was. I was among the first to promote the country as a retirement haven for North Americans. That was back in the 1980s and 1990s, when the country was, in fact, a top retirement haven for North Americans.
Then prices rose, infrastructure crumbled, and the powers that be decided to do away with most of the benefits of the country’s famed pensionado program. Bottom line, I think Costa Rica decided it had imported enough foreign retirees and wasn’t so interested in welcoming many more.
That last point is my own interpretation and could be debated. The other three points (about failing infrastructure, rising prices, and the discontinuation of the pensionado benefits that had attracted so many retirees for so long), those are all fact.
If you’re interested in what Costa Rica has built a reputation for offering, I’d suggest taking a look at Nicaragua instead. Nicaragua offers the same geography, the same Pacific coast, and the same diversity of flora and fauna…all at much, much lower prices for everything including property.
Furthermore, while Costa Rica has discontinued its pensionado program, Nicaragua has instituted a competitive one in terms of benefits that also comes with the lowest monthly income requirement of any such program currently on offer anywhere. You can qualify with guaranteed income of as little as US$600 per month.
The bloom is off the rose in Costa Rica. Meantime, Nicaragua, I’d say, is re-blossoming.
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