Escazu Costa Rica

Goodbye Grecia. Hello Escazú!

by Feb 21, 2011 15 Comments

Well, this is it. We’re leaving Grecia, which has been our home now for over a year. We’ve loved it here, and we’ll miss the beautiful scenery, slower pace of life, super-friendly people, and our fantastic view of the central valley. However, we’re only moving about an hour away, and since this is still Costa Rica, I’m sure we’ll continue to meet friendly, laid-back people, and have good weather and scenery.

Hills in Grecia

And as for the views, we found a great house in Escazú with its own fantastic views of the city. But this time we’ll only be 5 minutes from the town instead of 15. It’s a charming older house owned by a sweet European couple who’ve remodeled and decorated it with driftwood and their own unique artwork. It even has a pool and a pool table! We love it, and I’m sure we’ll be happy there.

The main reason for the move was to be closer to a good private hospital during the months surrounding our new baby’s birth, just in case we need it. But we’re also excited to be closer to so many fantastic restaurants with international cuisine, larger stores like Pricesmart/Costco, like-minded people, as well as fun and educational activities and classes. We’ll be less than an hour away from the beach, too.

Escazu house night view

Escazú is an upscale suburb of Costa Rica’s capital, San José, and has seen a huge influx of foreigners in recent years. It’s also one of the most expensive areas to live in Costa Rica, so we were lucky to find an excellent deal on the house we’re renting ($1200/month), especially since it’s on a street with some large multi-million dollar homes (including Mel Gibson’s). We plan to stay there for at least 8 months (that’s the minimum on our lease), and then possibly head out to an Asian country such as Japan for the next phase of our adventure.

One of our main reasons for choosing to move to Costa Rica was so we could all learn Spanish. I’m pleased to report that the girls are becoming more and more comfortable with the language. They’re no longer afraid to speak Spanish to people, and are therefore seeing some great improvement in their abilities. We’re hoping by the end of the year, they’ll have the language down really well. I’m also pleased at the level my Spanish has grown to. It’s certainly not perfect, but I can usually get my point across without halting too much, and can understand the other person well.

Well, goodbye Grecia. Maybe we’ll come back for a visit now and again. Here are some pictures of the new place, mixed in with some pictures of our current place in Grecia for comparison – the captions will spell the difference.


Brandon is a location independent entrepreneur, musician, worldschooling father, and the principal author of this blog. He's all about reaching his potential and enjoying life to the fullest in each moment.


Comments

  1. Jennifer Pearce Says: February 21, 2011 at 11:24 am

    Wow, time sure flies. What a relaxing and fun year it has been in Grecia. I have absolutely loved living here in this town and in this house. I will miss them both, and especially the lovely garden views.

    I am really looking forward to the new experiences we will be having in Escazu as well. I am so glad we found a new place to live there that we love so much.:)

    • Paul J Powell Says: June 26, 2013 at 1:54 pm

      Whatever makes you feel good for all of your personal needs of course is of the most importance. I personally prefer Grecia. Escazu scares me a little as it seems to be high on the list for home robberies, substantiated by police files. We live in El Cajon de Los Angeles actually 1 Km before the Cajon. We had our house custom built in 2008. The house is a tri level with 6,522 sq ft ( 606 M2 ). Our lot is 4087.70 M2 (44,000 sq. ft. ) We have a spectacular panorama which also consists of a view of central San Jose and the National soccar stadium in La Sabana. I wouldn’t exchange the climate here for anything. I have to admit if you are in for any night life forget Grecia they roll up the sidewalks after 6 PM. But when you are our age and retired it is a pretty agreeable lifestyle. My wife wants to buy something in San Antonio de Belen. But I told her I would find it too difficult to adjust to the hot climate there. I do truly hope you enjoy your new surroundings. I find it a little difficult to agree that Grecia is more expensive. Basically things in Costa Rica are pretty much expensive everywhere due to the excessive import fees. They don’t much adhere to free trade agreements as they do in other countries such as Panama but I do prefer Costa Rica for a multitude of reasons. Pura Vida de Grecia

  2. tu hermana Says: February 21, 2011 at 12:29 pm

    That is such a beautiful place. I’m excited for you guys to move in there! I’m sure you’ll love everything about it.
    So will you finally have an actual address…?

  3. the mom Says: February 21, 2011 at 4:03 pm

    I love the funky decor in the new place. Completely different feel than the Grecia home, but just as lovely. And a pool! I absolutely LOVE the starfish in the pool. I want to be in that pool right now…

    So glad you found something just perfect for you. And that you’ve already made some friends :)

    Yes, let me know your new address as soon as you get it…

  4. Eme Says: February 22, 2011 at 11:15 am

    Hey, best wishes on the new chapter of your family adventure and birth of your baby! We are in Honduras and in a year will be skipping off to Ecuador near Cuenca. We spent summers away between university semesters, creating internships just to have an adventure and the time away, living the minimalist life was so refreshing! I admire your travels and family experience. Thanks for sharing! I like reading it! Eme

  5. Kristin Says: February 22, 2011 at 5:06 pm

    Looks like a great place! You’ll have lots of fun in that swimming pool. Are you getting quite good at billiards?

  6. David Tilton Says: February 22, 2011 at 5:14 pm

    Brandon and Jennifer, congratulations on your move to Escazú.

    Two weeks ago, we were in the little town of Cotacachi, Ecuador, the much-touted landing strip for “savvy” expats, to check it out as a summer home. Three days is all it took for us to realize that we needed much more civilization. We returned to Quito and enjoyed the rest of our Ecuadorian stay in the capital.

    I imagine that your moving from Grecia to Escazú will have much the same feel.

    Thanks for continuing to share your adventure with us!

  7. David Says: March 4, 2011 at 11:32 pm

    Just saw you on Tim Ferriss’ blog! NICE!

    You’re a hero

  8. Michelle Says: March 5, 2011 at 9:12 am

    Wow beautiful! What fun adventures must await you.

    Brandon you inspire me to go after life, I have enjoyed reading about your adventures and the things that inspire you. Your mom and I were just discussing what wonderful, beautiful children we both have, and how blessed we are. As you know we are both turning the 1/2 century mark this month, and I think I can say for both of us it has been a pleasure watching our 4 brilliant children grow into 4 brilliant adults.

    You and your sister are tributes to your great Mother!

  9. The mom Says: March 5, 2011 at 8:05 pm

    Yes she is!

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