Like everywhere else in Costa Rica, crime in this area is on the rise, and you must always be on your guard. Development isn’t anywhere near the level of Northwestern Guanacaste, and crime rates are subsequently lower than there. However, petty theft is rampant in all the towns discussed in this section. Lately, residents have

Santa Teresa, Malpaís, Montezuma areas Already reasonably well-established tourist destinations, each area has several restaurants, bars, small hotels and other tourism-related businesses up and running. New commercial centers in Santa Teresa suggest demand exists for further retail options. There’s still no full-service supermarket in the area, though Cóbano is reasonably close. As the real estate

1. Private Schools The Santa Teresa area has two private schools, one that teaches according to the Canadian school system and takes pupils through to high school graduation, and another that teaches children up to the age of 8 or 9. The town also has two private kindergartens. Another private school that teaches children to

The southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula has been heavily deforested and the land used for raising cattle, similar to Northwest Guanacaste. Growth in tourism is providing an increasing source of employment and should only grow with the real estate market. Montezuma has been popular with expatriates for a very long time but for the

This beautiful part of the country is relatively inaccessible compared other parts of Costa Rica. This lack of access has, until now, kept development subdued. With its popularity growing fast, however, and other parts of Costa Rica now inaccessible because of their high prices, growth here may be on the way up. If you are

The southern part of the Nicoya Peninsula is actually in the province of Puntarenas. The area is more humid than further north in the peninsula, but still dryer than the Central Pacific zone across the Gulf of Nicoya and further to the south. The summer can be scorching and the unpaved roads extremely dusty, covering

The area around Jacó has been very much an investors market, but the gravy train is slowing and properties are starting to settle with end-users. Most of the market is focused around condos and gated communities. The Manuel Antonio market, meanwhile, remains concentrated for the moment on single-family homes, though some developers have their eye