Rental Vacancies, Playa Carrillo, Funny Stories

ISSUE #289: Feb. 7-13, 2010

2010-02-14

Rental Vacancies, Playa Carrillo, Funny Stories

» NOTES

When I started Residencias Los Jardines, I started writing a weekly news letter —determined to tell all the good, bad, and the ugly. I knew some readers would be interested in the construction process. I expected others might be interested in the lifestyle of two people who had decided to live outside the box. For others, the adventures of Lita, the parrot and the cat took on an entertainment saga all its own.

Residencias Los Jardines is finished. We periodically have resales and rental availability. Some readers may be interested in this information.

More and more, the content will be dominated by events of our new project, "El Dorado" for short. While the future is always uncertain, I again aim to tell it like it happens —the good, the bad, and the ugly, and that is what follows.

In an effort to make the format more interesting and visually appealing and to field inquiries re. El Dorado, the news letter is now being distributed by Jan Kozak, Marketing Manager, Hacienda El Dorado. I will remain the author.


Brian C. Timmons, Author
Residencias Los Jardines/Hacienda El Dorado - Developer
E-mail:
brian@eldoradocostarica.com

YOU CAN ALSO VIEW THE COMPLETE VERSION ONLINE AT:

https://www.eldoradocostarica.com/English/Newsletter/index.php

» CONSTRUCTION LOG

INVU - No info. on the status of our application.  We continue to wait;  we do not expect to hear anything until at least the end of February.

Marketing:  We have a client who is working with the architect to modify our design to fit their needs.

Website:  I haven't started making the changes.

» RESIDENCIAS LOS JARDINES

Sales Activity: The sale of 109 is progressing.  We still have 111 ($195,000) and 106A  ($155,000) to sell.

Rental Vacancies:  We have a number of vacancies coming up:  

      Unit 106C March 22  $1.150
      Unit 109:  April 1, (6 mo. lease),  $1,650
      Unit 115   March 16   $1,650
      Unit 121   March 23   $1,850

Units for Sale/Lease:

Residencia Los Jardines Site Plan

Unit #109 --For Rent $1,650 - FURNISHED - Available April 1, 2010 (6 months lease ONLY)

Total Area (Sq Ft): 1506
Total area (Sq M):140

Bedrooms:2
Bathrooms:2
Floor(s):1 Story
Type:Detached
Furnished:Yes

This single story home (1506 sf. + parking for one car) is detached, has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, home office, living room wall / entertainment center along with a built in office and a semi-private terrace. In addition, it has a vaulted ceiling in the “great” room and two skylights. The covered entrance way is suitable for two chairs located next to a covered garden area. Once through the impressive front door, you enter the “great room” which houses the kitchen, dining room, office and living room. Upon entering, there is a built in wooden hutch surfaced with granite—it matches all the built-in furniture in the great room. There is a clothes washer and dryer off the 2nd bedroom. It may also be used for storage.









Read More


Unit #111 --For Sale $195,000 SEMIFURNISHED

* INCLUDED ARE:  refrigerator, 6 burner gas range, built-in microwave/exhaust; stacked washer / dryer, curtains throughout, a king and queen bed if desired.

Total Area (Sq Ft):1738
Total area (Sq M):161
Bedrooms:2
Bathrooms:2
Floor(s):Single Floor
Type:Attached
Furnished:No
 
PRICE JUST GOT REDUCED FROM $200,000 TO $195,000. This corner home located in set of four homes, is very private. The entrance belies the 1,738 sf to be found on the other side of the entrance door. The short entrance hallway opens into a huge "great room" consisting of the kitchen, LR and DR. This room is truly of huge proportions including the 16' high vaulted ceiling. This vaulted ceiling has clear story windows for light and ventilation. Valance lighting surrounds the room and provides ambiance with its upward sighing lights as well as accent lighting with the recessed halogen lights. From the living room, a large sliding glass door leads onto a private covered terrace.





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Unit #106A -- For Sale $155,000 - FURNISHED (Leased at $1,000 pr month until January 2010)

Total Area (Sq Ft):1250
Total area (Sq M):120
Bedrooms:2
Bathrooms:2.5
Floor(s):Ground Floor
Type:Apartment
Furnished:Yes 

This is a fully furnished 2-bedroom unit situated in a 2-story building, which has two units on the ground floor and two units on the 2nd. floor. Each unit is the same size (1,250sf) divided into 800 sf of interior space and 450 sf of covered front and back terraces. UnitS 106 A and B are on the ground floor; Units 106 C and D are on the 2nd. Floor. The solid masonry demising wall (common wall) as well as the 5” concrete slab prevent sound transference.











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Unit #106C -- For Rent $1,150 - FURNISHED (Available March 22, 2010)

Total Area (Sq Ft):1250
Total area (Sq M):120
Bedrooms:2
Bathrooms:2.5
Floor(s):Second Floor
Type:Apartment
Furnished:Yes 

This is a fully furnished 2-bedroom unit situated in a 2-story building, which has two units on the ground floor and two units on the 2nd. floor. Each unit is the same size (1,250sf) divided into 800 sf of interior space and 450 sf of covered front and back terraces. UnitS 106 A and B are on the ground floor; Units 106 C and D are on the 2nd. Floor. The solid masonry demising wall (common wall) as well as the 5” concrete slab prevent sound transference.









Read More

Unit #115 - Available for Rent $1,650 (March 16, 2010)

Total Area (Sq Ft):1345
Total area (Sq M):124
Bedrooms:2
Bathrooms:2
Floor(s):1 Story
Type:Attached
Furnished:Yes
 
This 1,345 sf single floor home includes a 200 sf private terrace plus parking for one car. It is attached on two sides by a 6” solid concrete block wall which prevents sound transfer. This is an extremely well decorated home with lots of natural wood built ins.







Read More

Unit 121 - For Rent $1,850 (Available March 23, 2010)

Total Area (Sq Ft):1423
Total area (Sq M):131
Bedrooms:2
Bathrooms:2.5
Floor(s):2 Story
Type:Detached
Furnished:Yes
 
This two story, detached 1,423 sf home + parking for one car has two bedrooms, 2 ½ bathrooms and a 2nd. floor covered terrace.

The open railed wrought iron cement stair case leads to the 2nd. level where the master bedroom with en-suite master bathroom as well as 2nd. bedroom and en-suite bathroom are located. Also accessed from the 2nd. floor hallway is the covered terrace.

This is a very nicely furnished home with a good floor plan for those wanting two floors.







Read More

 

» NEWS FROM COSTA RICA

February 14, 2010
Few Cars On The San José - Caldera Highway This Weekend
It is the weekend, the sun is shining, the weather is hot and the Puntarenas Festival is in full swing. But where are the drivers on the new San José - caldera highway?
Read

February 14, 2010
HSBC Runs Out Of Quick Pass
Drivers who have been thinking of getting a "Quick Pass" to breeze through the toll of the San José - Caldera highway will have to wait a month or more as the HSBC bank, the only provider of the Quick Pass has run out of units.
Read

February 14, 2010
Costa Rica\'s Generational and Gender Changes
Can New President Laura Chinchilla Revitalize Costa Rica? Costa Rica has always been a progressive beacon on Central America\'s benighted street: the reliable democracy that makes a point of eschewing a military so it can spend more on schoolteachers.
Read

February 13, 2010
Costa Rica Exports to Drive Recovery From Slump, Gutierrez Says
(Bloomberg) - Costa Rica, Central America’s second-biggest economy, will recover this year from its first recession in 27 years as exports, tourism and foreign investment rise, central bank President Francisco de Paula Gutierrez said.
Read

February 13, 2010
Chinchilla Headed For Rio Group Summit
Costa Rica's president elect, Laura Chinchilla, will hit the road even before she takes office on May 8, to accompany president, Oscar Arias, in attending the Rio Group Summit in the Mexican resort of Cancun.
Read

February 13, 2010
Costa Rica Is A "Warehouse" For Drug Cartels
Costa Rica was one known as the bridge between the Colombian and Mexican drug cartels for running drugs into the United States. But, more and more evidence is found that Costa Rica has quickly become a warehousing centre.
Read

February 13, 2010
Quintavalle Could Lose His Freedom If He Doesn't Come With Bail Money By Next Week
Matteo Quintavalle, remember him, the Italian businessman got himself into a lot of hot water for his relationship with his investors and their investments? Well, he has been a free man since a judge of the Tribunal Penal del Tercer Circuito Judicial in Pavas let him out on bail.
Read

February 12, 2010
Obama Congratulates Chinchilla
US president Barack Obama called Costa Rica's president elect Laura Chinchilla to congratulate her on her election last Sunday.
Read

February 12, 2010
Reforms To The New Ley de Tránsito Expected Approved Before March 1 Deadline
The country's legislators are in a rush to approve the reforms to the reforms known as the new Ley de Tránsito, that applies stiff fines and sanctions to bad, reckless and drunk drivers. Although the law was passed by legislators and went into effect in December 2008, only the drunk driving provisions actually went into effect, with the balance of the law going into effect on September 23, 2009.
Read

February 11, 2010
KLM Offers Daily Flights To Europe From Costa Rica
KLM Royal Dutch airlines, in partnership with COPA airlines, is offering flight from the Juan Santamaría (San José) international airport to European destination with a stop in Panama and Schiphol, Amsterdam.
Read

February 11, 2010
Costa Rica's new president: Thriller for Chinchilla, Another woman president
FOR decades Costa Rica has been an oasis of stability in the troubled Central American isthmus. It is the only Latin American country to figure on a list of the world’s 22 “older democracies” compiled by Robert Dahl, an eminent political scientist. It rides high in regional rankings for health care, education, public safety and equality. For all that, its traditional social democracy has recently come under strain. The main job for Laura Chinchilla, who won a presidential election on February 7th with 47% of the vote, will be to retain her country’s unique strengths while trying to adapt it to a globalised world.
Read

February 11, 2010
Former Costa Rican President Trejos dies at 93
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica -- Jose Joaquin Trejos, who as Costa Rica's president pushed through reforms that prohibited presidential re-election, has died. He was 93.
Read

February 11, 2010
Costa Rica finds ton of cocaine, arrests Mexicans
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (Reuters) - Costa Rican police seized around a ton of cocaine and arrested two suspected Mexican traffickers on Friday in the latest sign Mexican gangs are stepping up their use of the country as a storage point.
Read

February 11, 2010
Catholics in Costa Rica outraged by disrespect toward Eucharist
Catholics in Costa Rica continue to express disgust following the actions of Deborah Formal, the girlfriend of presidential candidate Otto Guevara. Last Sunday, Formal broke off a piece of the Eucharist and placed it in her boyfriend's pocket.
Read

February 11, 2010
Costa Rica, China Seal Trade Deal
China and Costa Rica said Wednesday they had reached the framework of a free trade agreement, sealed within months after the Central American nation snapped longstanding ties with rival Taiwan.
Read

February 11, 2010
Three More Months of "Bus Free" On the New Highway
One of the best points of driving the hew San José - Caldera highway is the lack of buses on the road. This is due to the fact that the bus lines do not still have the concession routes to use the new highway.
Read

February 11, 2010
Chinchilla Pledges To Help Nicaraguan Migrants
Costa Rica's President-elect Laura Chinchilla said Wednesday she will "seek to improve" ties with Nicaragua, as migration will be one of her administration's top priorities.
Read

February 10, 2010
For Arias Laura's Election Is Like A Dream Come True
Costa Rican president, Oscar Arias, did not hide his great joy on the choice of Costa Ricans on Sunday electing his former vice-president, Laura Chinchilla, during her first visit to Casa Presidencial in Zapote, since leaving her post in 2008.
Read

February 09, 2010
Women Take Power In Costa Rica
In addition to the first woman president in the history of Costa Rica, the Legislature will have the greatest number of female representatives in its history.
Read

February 09, 2010
Chinchilla Headlines On The Internet
Read

» OUR LIVES

Weather:   Warm and wonderful with mostly sunny skies.

Residency:  After a bit of a hang up, they are now here in CR and I believe at the Dept. of Immigration.    

Playa Carrillo:  This is an undeveloped beach next to Samara.  It is our favorite but it is a bit of a long drive being in the middle of Guanacaste.  It's beautiful, undeveloped, not busy, coconut palm trees to the waters edge, gentle surf, wide, sandy beach....We stayed at the same hotel --Hotel Leyenda--as before.  Great service but their prices have gone up substantially.  We had been trying to get there for some months but just decided at the last minute to go with friends and to try out the new highway.  It is a delight to drive.  We saved a full hour on the return trip.  I can't praise the road enough certainly when compared to the two undesirable options we have had until now.  The signage at the lower end needs to be improved;  I found it very lacking.  I foolishly fried myself;  I thought I was covered enough under filtered light.....bad judgment on my part.

Funny Stories:

Careful with Words:  
A friend wants to sell his matrimonial bed and buy a queen because he is tall and a queen is longer.  He had me take a picture of it and print it.  He wanted to add a description in Spanish.  He doesn't speak Spanish so resorted to his dictionary.  His bed has drawers in it;  his dictionary translated that as --cajon-- (In CR the word used is "graveta"). Since he had more than one drawer, he made it plural--cajones--which refers to a mans balls.   Well his description now had him selling his bed, his mattress and his balls.  This was to be posted at the local grocery store.....  fortunately, he ran it by Lourdes who broke into convulsions and the problem was eventually explained to our guy who got a big laugh out of it himself. Obviously, one has to be careful with the language!!!!

Be Careful when You Sit on the Toilet:  When at the beach, the guy we were with had to go to the bathroom.  He immediately return from the bathroom asking for my "technical advice".  I had no idea what the issue was but I had been summond so I went.  He lifted the toilet set and there was an 18" long lizard inside the toilet bowl.   Not wanting to scare the women, he went to the office for some assistance and I diverted their attention.  How it got there and why, I don't know.  But what  could have been a scary scene for the women was, fortunately, avoided. 

Birthday Party:  On Saturday evening we were invited to a resident's 43 surprise birthday party held at the Intercontinental Hotel.  The food was incredible, sushi, emenanada, fresh bread, lobster bisque, Angus ribeye steak / salmon / surf and turf, etc.  wine, sparking cider, desert.....  it was really nice, excellent service and a a nice group of people.  We were glad to be invited and to be part of his celebration.

Misc:  Upon returning to Santa Ana, we immediately saw two rear end accidents.  The new road to Caldera is, in my opinion, going to need a lot of soil stabilization.  Rocks are now free falling onto the road and when the rains come, there will likely be major slides. Trucks still breakdown on the road;  we saw two disabled trucks and a couple which were likely to become disabled but which we passed.   A friend who once owned 4 units at Los Jardines built a gorgeous house on a bluff overlooking the beach.  He now wants to sell it.....In speaking with Jan, he's finding a number of wealth Venezuelans relocating here for obvious reasons.  It's nice to see they are coming to CR;  it's sad to know that with them, the take the future of Venezuela with them. We have a Norwegian man locating his business here in CR;  he makes or at least markets hydraulic power plants.  Jan is on a Google alert system and according to his assessment, about one international company a week is moving to CR--and most of those locate in the Central Valley.

Brian, Lita, Hugo, irreverent Vicka, the pigeon toed parrot, and the newbies — Chico and Chica.

Brian C. Timmons, Newsletter Author
Residencias Los Jardines/Hacienda El Dorado - Developer
Cell: (506) 8305-3965

E-mail: brian@eldoradocostarica.com


For inquiries about availability of residences at Hacienda El Dorado or Residencias Los Jardines, contact:

Jan Kozak, Marketing Manager
Hacienda El Dorado
Rio Oro, Santa Ana
Costa Rica

Web: www.eldoradocostarica.com
E-mail: info@eldoradocostarica.com
MSN: jan.kozak.jr@hotmail.com
Skype: jan.kozak.jr

Tel (US) (+1) 647-477-5825
Cell: (+506) 8345-8018

Tel (US) (+1) 647-477-5825
Cell: (+506) 8345-8018


 
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