Costa Rica Insider Archives

Retiring to Costa Rica was an easy choice for me and my wife, Jackie since we had been vacationing there for several years and loved the simplicity and natural beauty of the country.

Misty, dream-like cloud forests…Olympian mountaintops with fertile river valleys…miles of pristine, empty beaches… Despite its small size, Costa Rica is one of the most beautiful and biodiverse countries in the world. It has everything a nature lover like me could want.

You look out from your terrace over a vast tropical garden. You’re surrounded by heliconias and bromeliads in shades of vivid red, bright yellow, orange, and combinations in between, along with orchid blooms.

I was born and raised in Michigan and lived in Chicago as an adult. Harsh winters have been the name of the game most of my life. When my husband and I decided to make a move abroad, warm weather and sunshine year-round were at the top of our list of criteria.

“It was the best move of my life,” says Michael Harris of his new life in Costa Rica. “I feel like I’m living in technicolor now.” Back in the States, Michael worked as a director for an IT company but was laid off in a corporate take-over.

When my husband Charles and I retired, even though we felt prepared, it was impossible for us to wrap our minds around all of the immediate and future lifestyle changes we would face.