Hi, my name is Brad Moodie and I live in Playas Del Coco in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. I am originally from Dundee in Scotland but I lived in Calgary, Alberta, Canada from 1997 to 2008. I enjoyed living in Calgary because I liked the weather there (sunny & warm during the summer, sunny & cold in the winter), beautiful mountains close by, very clean & safe with friendly people and lots of business opportunities & employment with the oil & gas industry.
My career has been in electrical wholesale sales & management. In Dundee, Scotland I worked for Ross Electrical/Newey & Eyre for ten years and when I moved to Calgary, Canada I worked mainly with two companies: Westburne Electric and Acklands Grainger.
However, my real ambition has always been to be a full-time professional musician. I play trumpet & bass and I specialize in jazz, swing & bossa nova but I also enjoy pop/light rock and latin music such as salsa, merengue & cumbia.
So in December 2008 I decided to take the plunge and move to Costa Rica, without visiting first. It was a bit scary at first but Costa Rica is an easy place to move to because of it’s friendly people. I’ve always had lots of locals eager to help & assist me without looking for anything in return.
Playas Del Coco is a nice little town of around 5000 people. There is a mix of North Americans, Europeans and locals (Ticos). The location is between Liberia and Tamarindo.
I would like to create this blog to help others who may be interested in visiting or moving to Costa Rica. As I spend more time here I learn more about how things work here and even now I’m sure I can help with any questions or concerns that you may have. So feel free to drop me a line and I’ll try my best to assist you!
You can email me at
¡Pura Vida!
Brad,
Thanks for the information provided on your blog. I found it to be very informative and to the point on each detail that you covered. I am retiring in 2011 and plan to relocate to Costa Rica. I would like to operate a small pub/B&B near the ocean. Can you give me some of your thoughts on this. I retired in 2005 from the US Military and will retire again from the state school systems in 2011.
I am 60 years old, but full of life and do not choose to sit and the porch and watch the days go by.
There are many sites that give information and sales, but just not sure which are above board.
I would appreciate any information you can share.
Thanks and regards,
Max
Hello Brad,
I am enjoying your blog, you are doing a great job. You mentioned being from Dundee, that brought back some great memories for me. I lived and worked in Aberdeen for 7 years in the oil industry. I have very fond memories of Scotland.
You sound like you enjoy CR. I am thinking about coming down as well. The US is going down and it looks like the usd will be devaluated soon and the economy may collapse. There’s alot of problems in the US now. The apartments look very nice. Are they furnished as well? If one doesn’t have a car, are taxi’s easy to get from the apartments?
Brad, have you applied for a resident visa or are you just leaving the country every 90 days? Again, thank you for the blog, your information is very helpful.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks,
Jerry
Hi Jerry,
Thanks for your comments! Yes, I am from Dundee but lived in Calgary, Alberta Canada for 12 years before moving to Costa Rica. In fact, I’ll be visiting both Calgary and Dundee over the next two months before returning to Playas Del Coco around the beginning of August.
My apartment in Cocomarindo is great! Quite small but it has everything that I need. I used to live in a fairly large house in Canada and down here I don’t need that. I get a kick out of living a quiet, modest life for a much reduced cost! Yes, the apartments are fully furnished with beds, sofas, kitchen table & chairs, TV, even forks & knives.
I haven’t applied for residency because I don’t feel like I need it. I enjoy leaving the country every 90 days. Usually I go to Nicaragua but next week of course I’m going to Canada.
I don’t have a car but I bought a scooter for $1500 brand new in December. It’s perfect for buzzing around town! I even go to Liberia with it regularly (takes about 40 minutes). Costs me $3 to fill it with gas! Cars are a bit of a problem here, mostly because of the expense to purchase and to maintain it and fill it with gas.
Thanks again for reading! I enjoy writing this blog and I hope people find it useful.
Hi Max,
Thanks for your comments! Well I think Costa Rica is a great place to retire to. Lower cost of living but a high quality of life, private healthcare that isn’t too expensive, happy smiling people everywhere. Costa Rica has a lot to offer. I think there are many other countries that are good too, but so far Costa Rica is the best for me.
I would say the two most common things that people want to do when they come to Costa Rica is to open a bar or to teach English. Lots of people have those ideas. Opening a bar could be good. You can find bars and other businesses for sale on Craigslist: http://costarica.en.craigslist.org/bfs/
One thing I would say is that people very often want to live in Costa Rica by the ocean. But after a few months here they feel it’s too hot and end up moving inland where the altitude is much higher and thus cooler, usually in the Central Valley towns such as Grecia, Escazu, San Ramon, Atenas etc. It often gets to 40 degrees here by the ocean. I find it OK as long as I have air conditioning in my apartment and a nice cool pool to dive into! Very few bars in Costa Rica have air conditioning. They are all open air. Sometimes I think if someone opened a bar with air conditioning then it would appeal to tourists and it could be successful. I tried to play pool in an open air bar in Playas Del Coco and we just sweated!
Keep in touch and let me know if you have any other questions or comments. I enjoy writing this blog and I hope it’s helpful for people.
Hey Brad Thanks for all the info . I live in Niagara Falls and would love to rent a small apt or studio and stay there for a few months and check it out . What are the rents like and do they rent for a 3 month stay ? Thanks again Keep up the good work !
Hi Vito,
The longer you stay in Costa Rica, the cheaper your rent will be. If you stay for three months I’m pretty sure you could rent a one bedroom apartment for $400-500 per month. Committing to six months or more would be $350-400 per month. Playas Del Coco is a good place to be based for traveling around. It’s beside Liberia airport and there are regular cheap buses available to take you all over the country. Accommodations are reasonable and it’s nice to be beside the beaches. Liberia is also a nice town to spend time in. It’s rainy season just now, which is still nice but it’ll be busier from November to May.
Hi Brad Nice blog. I am from The Uk also. Been here since 2005, love it here and fed up with all the negative “comments” on various sites from people who have NEVER been here. Like you I came here not having been before……
Thanks Adrian, glad you like it. I try to promote Costa Rica in a positive way but I think it’s important to be honest and tell it as it is. What part of Costa Rica are you in?
Over the hills from you Flamingo/Potrero. Oh yes i agree with promoting an honest view but then i look at the news from Miami , which we get here, where i lived for 7 years then 12 years in Key largo. and no comparision. Anything that happens to a tourist here becomes a Major inncident and blown well out of proportion. People need to come and see for themselves then they will see..
just wondered if your scooter is still for sale? i just got down here yesterday and staying in Ocotal for 6 months. I knew i needed a bike or scooter but waited until i got here to do anything.
thanks.
really like the blog
Dear Brad steven stein spoke to you about finding a rental in Costa Rica
I wanted to go and visit him and they are staying at cocomarindoplayadelcoco he told me to contact you
I can also go there for one week at 395 a week Do you know of any other place near them that would be a bit less expensive and within walking distance thanks for you time Paula Ruel
Brad
This year we will be coming to Costa Rica but not til April…probably the Third week
and stay for 10-14 days we will come to Playos Del Coco flying into Liberia.
Can you reccomond a higher end resort or a villla that we can cook in?
Dale
Hello Brad. I like your blog. There is lots of good information here. I will be moving to CR in August. I’ve been considering San Pedro or Jaco, but have recently been turned on to Playas Del Coco. The prices for a condo seem to be more reasonable and the town seems more laid-back. When I get to San Jose is it OK to get in touch? I plan to come to Playas Del Coco after this. I need someone to show me some places, and around. Is it possible to get dedicated Internet at the condos? I need it for my job. Is the Internet reliable, what percentage of the time does it stay up? THANKS! Jason