My husband and I have done some research and are interested in learning more about the Atenas area. We are hoping to visit in January/Febuary 2024, and would perhaps like to spend a few months down the road. Nice area for tourists? Expats?
Information needed about the Atenas area
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@brodgers125 Hello and welcome on board !
Please note that I have created a new thread from your post on the Costa Rica forum so that members can more easily get back to you.
All the best
Bhavna
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Downtown Atenas is perpetually too hot for us. Higher in the hills it's better. We live in Grecia where the necessities of life are a little more available. I'm talking about shopping, medical care, movies, etc. And it's cooler.
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Atenas bills itself as the world's best climate. An astute observer of things Costa Rican once wondered why, if Atenas has the best climate in the world, all the houses marketed to expats feature air conditioning.
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@daveandmarcia .....Good One !!.....Tragically,AARP in the U.S.and National Geographic got caught up in the hype/marketing......Nat-Geo also did wonders for the 'Blue Zone',the Nicoya Peninsula.....You pay a global premium for 3rd world deprivation...
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Agreed - Atenas is very hot and humid so you need to have air conditioning (expensive). We are in San Ramon - great downtown, shops, medical, etc. The downtown in Atenas is lacking. Atenas became the "hot spot" years ago and one person in particular raved about it all the time so it all came down to marketing (edwinemor hit the nail on the head). Lots of better places to settle for sure.
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@brodgers125 I have found that Uvita is a nice and upcoming area. If you want to enjoy a blend of ocean and mountain, it is a go to destination in my books. The only caveat is that you need a 4x4 to comfortably get around. I will be travelling during that period, i have one you can borrow if you want.
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After reading about Atenas, Grecia, and San Ramon, I'm wondering if there are similarly nice areas with less rain. We would want access to medical care, culture, food, and a variety of activities.
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The best thing about Atenas (unless you like it stifflingly hot), is the ready access to Route 27 which leads to Escazu and on to San Jose. If those destinations attract you, Atenas might be a good choice.
We've lived outside Grecia, on the side of Volcan Poas, for eighteen years and have no desire to live anywhere else in Costa Rica. Perfect? No. Mighty nice? You betcha.
The only practical option if you can't abide by Costa Rica's rainy season (roughly May through October) is to go somewhere else. The good news is that mornings are usually clear and the rains are warm.
So I would stop worrying about the rains and decide what else attracts you. Grecia and San Ramon are similar in many ways. Atenas not so much. But what else is important?
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