Real estate in the playas del Coco area is highly sought after due to the excellent quality of life residents enjoy. Playas del Coco lies 35 kilometers (22 miles) west of Liberia, Guanacaste’s main hub. Its close proximity to the Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia means you can get off the plane and be sipping a cold one in less than 30 minutes. You can’t beat that for location! The new CIMA Hospital is only 20 minutes away making this a great location for retirees, families with children and those looking for a cosmetic surgery holiday.
An Overview of Life in Playa del Coco
This former fishing village is a popular destination for Ticos and international travelers alike. It offers a variety of nightlife and restaurants. Some of the popular restaurants include Papagayo Seafood, Coco Palms, Casa Maria Bonita at Ladera del Mar, Las Olas Seafood, Citron in the Pacifico Retail mall, Jardines Tropicales, Soda Teresita and my favorite local joint for lunch and breakfast is Soda Los Pelones. Most evenings (and well into the night) you can hear plenty of music coming from the open air bars and night clubs in town - from the sounds of Latin America’s top musicians to Rock & Roll. A few of the famous (or should I say infamous) clubs are Zi Lounge, Beach Bums, Lizard Lounge and Coconutz Sports Bar. Happy hours range from noon to 7 pm depending on the establishment, so bar hopping is a common past time for all who want to enjoy the laid back atmosphere and energy of a beach town in action. For those looking for a snack on the run, you’ll find a Subway, Texas BBQ Burgers, Asia-Tica Chinese & Thai Cuisine and of course several pizza joints. For those with a sweet tooth, you don’t want to miss out on an ice cream or gelato at the Italian ice cream shop or POPS ice cream shop in the Auto-Mercado shopping center.
The bank, church, police station and new post office are located along Coco's main boulevard as are well-stocked supermarkets like the Auto-Mercado and Luperon, hardware stores, a variety of pharmacies, taxi services and of course fabulous souvenir shops. There are a number of medical clinics in town offering medical care in Spanish and English with a 24-hour emergency care complete with a new ambulance service.
Sailboats and fishing boats can be seen scattered throughout the bay offering a great opportunity to watch local fisherman at work. Playas del Coco is one of the most popular beaches in the country. It is best known for its sports fishing, surfing, scuba diving and snorkeling. Originally known as the main Costa Rican hub for surfers who want to take in surf spots like Ollie’s Point and Witches Rock, this busy beach has become a prime launch site for many dive shops. Local waters feature rich marine life with huge schools of fish and other marine animals. Many rock formations can be explored with good visibility. Humpback whales, dolphins, Olive Ridley and Leatherback turtles, eagle and manta rays as well as other wildlife can be spotted in the waters around Coco. The pirate ship “The Perla Negra” offers a great event venue where you can “walk the plank” and listen as Captain Richard Hook shoots off the cannon.
The soft volcanic sand of Playas del Coco provides a wonderful place to walk along the shoreline especially when the tide is out. Surrounded by steep hills, this horseshoe shaped bay area is the ideal place to have fun, relax, take in the view or spend the day people watching. In August 2011, the new boardwalk, affectionately called “Amor de Temporada” was complete and future plane are to expand it further along the shore line. The name comes from a song written by Guanacastecan Héctor Zúñiga Rovira in 1930. It’s a sad love story about an April romance that ends with him riding out of Coco on his horse with only the moon to accompany him and his sweetheart in love with another man.
The Weather in Playa del Coco is Exceptional
The weather in Guanacaste is the best in all of Costa Rica. The climate is perhaps Costa Rica's most temperate, averaging 85°F with only 55-65 inches of rainfall annually. Sunshine washes over the region most days even during the rainy season, making outdoor activities from hiking to windsurfing to sport fishing or lazing about on the beach a year-round possibility. The strong Papagayo winds blow in during the dry months to provide a wonderful cooling effect especially while you’re relaxing in the warm sun. With the dry season comes the busy tourist season, but here's a secret not everyone knows about: Guanacaste is a nice place to visit year round. Yes, the dry season is a nice reprieve from the Northern Hemisphere's cold winter, but during the months of May through November the area is thick and green from the almost daily rain showers. Characterized by sweeping savannas and rolling hills that turn dense and green in the rainy season the area around Coco provides an interesting change of scenery as the dry season leaves and the rainy season begins. The spectacular flowering trees herald the change of seasons and one knows that soon everything will be green and lush again.
Real Estate and Tourism Developments in Playa del Coco
Each year this bustling coastal town receives thousands of tourists looking to invest in a second home or vacation rental. It’s known as a gateway town to some of Costa Rica's best real estate developments. With a consistently dry climate, rich biodiversity and a quick 30 minute drive from the Liberia International Airport, the real estate in Playa del Coco has experienced spectacular growth within the past ten years. Surrounded by a variety of great beaches and international developments, such as the Four Seasons, The Riu Guanacaste and the soon to be built Paradisus Papagayo Bay has given Coco Beach increased popularity due to its location and affordable real estate. A growing number of vacationers and investors visiting Costa Rica have fallen in love with the country and in particular, Playas del Coco.
Developers have designed properties with resort living in mind. Many buyers have purchased real estate in this area because of the great amenities that the complexes offer such as private pools, great landscaping, high speed internet and cable, property maintenance, 12-24 hour security and property rental management services. With such great facilities, it is no wonder that so many tourists who visit end up buying residences to either use as a vacation rental or a permanent retirement home.
One of the major developments built by the Jack Parker Corporation, Pacifico is a master planned resort. It is centrally located in the heart of Playas del Coco. When completed, this development truly puts Playas del Coco on the map and continues to expand to this day. Their beach club, gym, restaurant and infinity ocean front pools make this a fabulous investment. Sombras, Ladera del Mar, Coco Bay Estates and Las Palmas Urbanization are all great developments offering condos and lots in prices ranging from $50,000 to $750,000. There’s something for everyone here.
Many tourists consider this area ideal because of its strategic location and cost-effective accommodation which has made Playas del Coco properties a solid investment opportunity. There are plenty of great property rental companies in town that provides investors with the opportunity to offset all or part of the costs of monthly mortgages or maintenance costs by renting their units for short or long term stays.
Indeed, most of what you need or could want is at your fingertips. This is the place baby boomers have dreamed about for years. The next 10 years will see many people finally fulfilling those dreams and we will be here to help and assist those that looking for the “Pura Vida” lifestyle.
