Casa del Río
US$450,000
A riverside A-frame by the Nosara River, with a plunge pool, a two-storey wooden house and a dock on the river.
My story
Our family moved to Nosara in 1998
Nosara is my home, not a stop.
Over the years people have asked me the same few questions, so here are my answers. I came here as a kid and grew up here, and now I see it as an adult, and as someone who helps families decide whether Nosara is right for them. If you're a parent thinking about bringing your children here for a while, I hope my story might help.
What brought you here?
It started with my dad. After traveling around Costa Rica for a year, he drew two lines on the map: a rain-and-humidity line around Jacó and Playa Hermosa, just south of Jacó, and a wind line around Tamarindo, where strong winds come off Lake Nicaragua. He knew he wanted to be on the stretch of Pacific coast between those two lines.
How did you get here?
My dad brought us four boys down on a trip to find our next home. As we drove up the coast, we saw many places, but as soon as we reached the beach here in Nosara, it was unanimous, and we all told Dad to find a place here. That was 1997, and we officially moved to Nosara in 1998 to start a boutique hotel called the Harbor Reef.
What was it like going to school here?
This is the question parents ask me most, and I can answer it from both sides: as the kid who lived it, and as the adult who knows what that gave me. When I started school here, I spoke only English, so when we first arrived I did one year of homeschooling while I learned Spanish, and then I moved into the local high school. There were no private schools then, so I went to the public school. Private schools didn't come until much later, and they've been a great addition to Nosara. Realistically, I'm glad it worked out that way: it gave me the ability to learn the language and the town, and to meet the people. It gave me such good perspective, and there are so many more options here now than there used to be.
And now?
Today I'm a realtor here, and I work to help Nosara grow consciously and to make sure the people coming here understand it first, so its growth stays positive. I work in English and Spanish.
