Candice and Paul visited Costa Rica on vacation in March 2014 and were smitten. Less than a year later they decided to make it their new home. Then, only a few months after they made that decision, they had a child born in Costa Rica and were owners of a Costa Rican business.
Wow! How life has changed for them.
Candice recently contacted me to share their new beachfront hotel in Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. Of course, I couldn’t resist asking her to share her story with FamilyFreedomProject.com.
Paul and I came to Puerto Viejo March 2014 on vacation. This was our vacation from our vacation through Peru where we simultaneously enjoyed and endured a grueling schedule in an effort to cram in as many sights as possible in a mere three weeks. When we arrived in Costa Rica, it was love at first sight. After our first day of playing in the ocean and walking the streets of Puerto Viejo, we knew we wanted to live here someday. Who knew that someday was only one year later?
Fast forward to March 2015. After attempting to purchase property on the coast of California, we decided to nix the red tape and move to Costa Rica instead. I was pregnant with our first child at the time, so this adventure was exciting in more ways than one. In three adrenaline-fueled-jam-packed days on the Caribbean coast, we looked at every property we could find and decided to purchase a beach hotel.
By the beginning of May, we had sold everything and taken the plunge. I can’t really say it was a fairytale. I was alternately hungry, cranky, exhausted and hot. Always hot. Sticky, sweaty, a-celing-fan-ain’t-gonna-cut-it hot. Instead of feeling like Cinderella, I was an elephant lumbering into the third trimester.
Then, on July 15th 2015, our son Kevian was born at the St. Vincent de Paul Hospital in Heredia Costa Rica. Our little bundle of joy has put us on the fast track toward residency with his automatic citizenship. We are now renovating the hotel, hiring staff, building websites and changing diapers. It’s a whirlwind of activity with zero downtime. I love it.
Every day feels like a new adventure from learning how to run a hotel to raising a baby, finding where to buy what and learning Spanish. Fortunately, Paul and I are not alone here. We have many wonderful friends looking out for us while steering us away from any major pitfalls. Also, I’m incredibly blessed with a fearless and supportive family. My parents are planning to move out here at least part-time, and my sisters with their husbands are considering relocation as well.
I miss coffee shops, movie theaters, sidewalks, parking lots, good wine and punctuality, but I wouldn’t trade it for what we’ve found here. The walks on the beach and the sound of the ocean at night, the jungle with its captivating beauty and endless shades of green, the excellent seafood, fruit and veggies to die for, friendly strangers and the laid back ambiance of the Caribbean.
We plan on staying for a long time. Who knows exactly how long. Our lives have taken too many twists and turns for me to say with any certainty what the future holds, but for now, we are experiencing every moment to the fullest in beautiful Costa Rica, and I can’t think of any place I’d rather be.
Thanks for sharing Candice and best wishes on your first year as a parent and as a business owner. If you would like to find Candice and her hotel, La Perla Negra – The Black Pearl, you can find her below. She is just getting started so I am sure she would love the support that a ‘like’ or a ‘follow’ provides.
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