Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #63747 in Books
• Published on: 2007-08-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 424 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781598800074
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
If you're ready for a new life, consider Living Abroad in Costa Rica. This Moon book delivers indispensable advice for anyone contemplating planting roots in foreign soil or just purchasing a second home in an idyllic location. The author has homes in California and Costa Rica, so she can tell you what to expect when you wish to join the thousands of North Americans who have found new life in retirement here. -- 15 Minutes Magazine, January/February 2008

Customer Reviews

A Superb Travel and Living Guide to Costa Rica
Having traveled to Costa Rica several times over the last 15 years - for both pleasure and business - the idea of making The Move, of leaving yourself behind, is a reoccurring thought and increasingly dear to my heart.

In planning another trip this spring I came across Ms. Van Rheenen's splendid "Living Abroad in Costa Rica" doing a search on Amazon. Frankly, I expected one more of those endless travel book-of-lists, where one looks up a town or region only to find suspect hotel snap shots and questionable restaurant reviews.

Instead I found a wealth of very detailed information, thorough, logically laid out and well packaged. Further, the authors personal commentary is both insightful and often very funny. For example, her observation that the availability of single cigarettes at street kiosks allows you to "pretend you're not really a smoker" or in her discussion of the healthcare system; a fellow who had opted back into the state system and "was trying to schedule his operation within the next decade." Unlike most travel books, "Living Abroad in Costa Rica" is well worth reading cover to cover.

Finally, having actually read the book, I was struck by Mr. Taylor's odd review. He seems caught up in how much time the author does or doesn't spend in Costa Rico (how would he know?) declaring her not to be a "true" authority. Maybe he wishes he wrote his own book? I guess the drive by some folks to create a Social Register for the purpose of excluding others exists everywhere. I must say that in the specific areas in which I have experience, Ms. Van Rheenen was 100% on the mark, and I expect that holds true for the rest of the book.

Ms. Van Rheenen writes:

"If you want to sleepwalk trough life, don't come here. Being alert is the price you pay (or the reward) for not being told at every turn what to do. For those who adapt well to it, Costa Rica is the ideal place to live a rich independent life , and a great place to make a fresh start."

Best in Class
Having traveled over much of the world, I am not a newcomer to this type of book. I think this is the most comprehensive, best written book of its class that I have come across. My husband and have been considering retirement in Costa Rica (even more so since the recent election) and Ms. Van Rheenen answered every question we had thought of and some we hadn't. Her knowledge of the culture, history, geography, health care, etc. is obvious and I would recommend this as an essential read for anyone traveling to or thinking of living in Costa Rica

Easy to read and very entertaining
In short, if you are thinking of moving or retiring to Costa Rica, this book is a great place to start whether you have been to Costa Rica before, or know nothing at all.

This book is an easy read, and very entertaining. I am not one to read an entire work in a few sittings, but before I knew it I had devoured this book. If you are interested in living in or visiting Costa Rica, this is a must read.

I have been to Costa Rica several times, and besides being an easy read and an entertaining escape, the information is accurate at the time of writing.

The best thing that I liked about the book besides the great information is that it does what a book is supposed to do... Take you away from whatever is going on in the world while you are reading it and transport you somewhere else, in this case Costa Rica.

I have shared this book with a number of friends, and they all say the same thing, the book is an easy read, informative, entertaining. I have studied a great deal about Costa Rica, and this book highlights all the important information that I have found in numerous other disparate sources. In short, a great one stop shop for useful information on living in Costa Rica.

I have examined numerous travel books on Costa Rica, but this one ranks the highest of what I have found so far.