ken27

Costa Rica has long been renowned among Central American countries for its stable politics and economy, geographic diversity, abundant tropical wildlife and “pura vida” attitude, a phrase roughly translated as “pure life” that connotes a content, unhurried and uncluttered lifestyle. The question prospective visitors then ask themselves is, exactly where in this country should I base myself to enjoy all these attributes?

The answer, as always, is: it depends on personal preference. Some visitors make a beeline for the beaches of the Pacific Coast, others seek out the rainforests of the north or the turtle preserves of the Atlantic coast. Valid choices all. However, the majority of expats who live permanently or for lengthy periods in Costa Rica end up in the Central Valley and for good reasons: a year-round moderate climate, good roads (for the most part) and easy access to first-world medical and shopping facilities. If you’re looking for a base from which to explore the rest of the country or simply an area to enjoy on its own, the Central Valley should be on your short list.

My wife and I made two trips to the Central Valley in 2014, both of a week-and-a-half duration, to towns our research had identified as scenic and popular with expats: Atenas and Grecia. We also traveled in both of Costa Rica’s two seasons: dry (in January, to Atenas) and wet (in August, to Grecia). We found similarities in both places but also subtle differences.

The similarities begin with the names. Atenas (“Athens”) and Grecia (“Greece”) were both christened in support of the Greek war of independence from the Turks in the 19th century. The spot where the road to Grecia splits off from the highway to San Jose airport, in fact, is heralded by a small park featuring faux ancient Greek columns. Their elevations from sea level are similar, 2,290 feet for Atenas and 3,278 feet for Grecia. Both feature relatively clean and tidy towns built around central squares and a church with the best vacation housing to be found on higher ridges in the outlying areas. Costa Rica is famous for its microclimates, where one spot can be hot at midday and another, a couple of miles away, noticeably cooler.

Among the differences, Grecia is three times larger than Atenas, with 15,000 residents compared to 5,000, and features a better selection of medical and shopping facilities. The slightly higher elevation of Grecia also makes it cooler and less buggy. My wife, who is very prone to mosquito attacks, came back with multiple bites from Atenas but nary a one from Grecia.

For those whose Spanish is limited, Atenas could be considered more “foreigner-friendly.” Just off the main square is a small café called Kay’s Gringo Postres (“treats”), which is a well-known gathering place for English-speaking visitors and expats. If you ever feel yourself in need of a coffee and pastry in an environment where you can understand every word spoken, Kay’s is the place. Perhaps it’s related to the heavy expat concentration, but in general we found that the restaurants in Atenas offered a more varied cuisine than those in Grecia, which hewed more tightly to the traditional Costa Rican emphasis on beans and rice.

When we visited Kay’s in January, the café also featured a large lending library that served as a major cultural amenity for the town’s expats. Subsequently, a change in ownership resulted in the removal of these thousands of books, puzzles and magazines to a new location at Restaurante La Carreta. The latest news is that Kay’s has begun stocking its own library again so English speakers will soon enjoy two places in which to refresh any reading material they brought along for the trip.

While Grecia does not host a gringo hangout such as Kay’s, a church for English speakers does meet every Sunday morning (same as in Atenas) and a women’s group gathers at various locations every week. In both towns, you are likely to bump into fellow foreigners during trips to the grocery stores or weekly feria (market). Note that Grecia’s market is larger than the one in Atenas, offering you a better selection of fresh vegetable, fruits and meats/seafood.

In terms of accommodations, we found our quest for the Perfect View well satisfied in both places. In Atenas, we stayed in a small resort called Poco Cielo (“little piece of heaven”) which, by and large, lived up to its name. The property consists of five small cabins clustered on a hillside that overlooks a steep ravine beyond which stretch several mountain valleys. Brooding over the horizon is the Poas Volcano, whose peak is frequently obscured by clouds, particularly in the afternoon. At night, the valleys flicker with lights from neighboring Grecia. All of this can be seen to best advantage from Poco Cielo’s “rancho,” a roofed terrace with an infinity pool.

Gary and Josanne Flemming, the Canadian couple who own Poco Cielo, almost missed attaining this view. Gary said that he had originally purchased this plot with the idea of building at the top of the hill. Since the area was covered by thick jungle, he couldn’t ascertain the topography lower down on the hillside. But as his bulldozers kept clearing away good land as they descended further down the hill he told them to keep going and eventually they reached the edge of the ravine and that marvelous view.

We thought that view couldn’t be beaten – until we reached Grecia and its barrio of El Cajon Arriba. Our landlord, an entrepreneurial Pole who has worked in both Germany and the U.S., built a large house subdivided into apartments on the edge of a mountain ridge with a panoramic view of both Grecia and the skyscrapers of San Jose, over in the next valley. We also enjoyed a closer view of Poas Volcano.

Both Poco Cielo and our Grecia apartment also featured good birdwatching, but the latter’s balcony provided the best spot for setting up our camera to capture parrots, flycatchers, tanagers and the elusive mot-mot alighting in the garden below. In Grecia, we also had access to some good hiking trails that took us through coffee farms in the area.

With only a 45-minute drive between them, both Atenas and Grecia provide good bases for visiting the major attractions in the area, which include the Poas Volcano, La Paz Waterfall Gardens, Zoo Ave bird rescue sanctuary in La Garita and the El Toledo coffee plantation outside of Atenas. We also used the buses based in both towns to visit the neighboring cities of Alajuela (site of the region’s largest feria) and Sarchi, known for its furniture making and skilled woodwork. Be sure to check out the beautifully carved pews and representations of saints in the main Sarchi church.

So, whether Atenas or Grecia, it’s all a matter of personal preference; the pura vida lifestyle can be enjoyed in either.