Customer Reviews

The New Golden Door to Retirement and Living in Costa Rica 14th Edition

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My wife and I read Christopher Howard's book (2X each), and found that it is overly commercial (with local CR advertising), poorly organized, has an over-emphasis on purchasing property and housing in Costa Rica without prioritizing renting first to see if you can, as an ex-pat, handle living in the culture of a foreign country. Howard's claim that you can "Live for less than you ever dreamed possible and enjoy all of the amenities of home." is vague and misleading, albeit repetitiously stated by most promoters of Costa Rica from authors to list-owners on CR blogs. Howard's claim that "Central Valley...Decent affordable housing ranges from $50,000 to $100,00..." is more often than not in "Gringoville" areas. American-built and developed housing is definitely emphasized. Tico neighborhoods are not. In fact, the statement that CR is such a cheap place to live is a plainly false, and unfortunately, a myth that represents most of what makes up Costa Rica today. The fact is that CR is fast losing it's luster (which it certainly once had) for being a lower cost of living country compared to the US. Americanized Housing and property developments are going up almost daily, promoted mostly by Americans and the prices are increasing all of the time. In areas like Escazu, Santa Ana, San Rafael, Tamarindo and many others, prices often exceed property values in the US. These "Gringoville" areas are promoted by Howard. Alternatively, what happened to the small 2 bedroom 1 bath or 2 bath houses in a middle class Tico neighborhood? These little homes are rich with Tico culture and are often safer crime-wise than the American, gated enclaves. Many Tico houses are well built and established with beautiful yards, plants and flowers.
Howard's book has good points. There are valuable listings in the midst of of the commercial advertising. Information about immigration and legal matters for obtaining residency is overly simplified, but certainly worth reading. The book is good, it's got a lot in it, but if you plan to live in Costa Rica, you need to read more. You need to get the skinny on the real Costa Rica which is the land of Ticos and not Americans.

"Never before have I been so thoroughly prepared for moving to a new location as I was after reading "The New Golden Door to Retirement and Living In Costa Rica". In fact, after arriving here, I was utterly and continuously amazed at how much valuable knowledge I had previously obtained through reading this book. Furthermore, I find it indispensable as a constant reference source for day-to-day operations. Subsequently I had purchased two similar, popular guide books and after several attempts at trying to read them, I find that they are incapable of holding my attention."

I found this guide to be just what I needed to prepare for the move to Costa Rica. However, the most valuable part of the book was the information about the relocation-retirement tours the author offers. I took the tour and it change my life and convinced me to move to Costa Rica. It enabled me to make valuable contacts, meet others who had moved to Costa Rica and provided me with information to supplement the book.

If I had not purchased the book I would have never found out about the fabulous tour.

With an eye to retirement in a tropical country, we begged, borrowed and bought a half-dozen books about relocating to the country that appeared to be the perfect choice for Americans -- Costa Rica.

Christopher Howard's "The New Golden Door to Retirement and Living in Costa Rica" was one of the batch, and it proved to be head and shoulders above any other reference. Indeed, we were so taken with his thorough, straightforward account, we signed on for one of his tours to the Central Pacific and San Jose/Central Highlands areas.

Chris is gifted in being able to quickly cover a lot of ground with precision, not only in his no-nonsense book but in person, showing off the very best opportunities in his beautiful country to wannabe expats. His expertise in all Tico topics comes from long residence in the heart of Costa Rica, wide acquaintance with both natives and newcomers throughout the region, fluency in the charming local Spanish idiom and genuine love for this small paradise.

Thinking of moving to this delightful country? The trip starts with Christopher Howard's book. And taking one of his fantastic tours assures you'll make the right move in the right way.

I have read the last five editions and everyone of them has been worth its weight in gold to me here in Costa Rica. However, this edition is the best ever. I recommend it to anyone who is going to make the move or invest here. Words can't say enough about this time proven product.

I've also been on two of Mr. Howard's retirement tours and found them to be very helpful.

This is the best book that I have read regarding retirement and living in this beautiful country named Costa Rica. The fact that it is updated yearly, by someone who lives in Costa Rica full time, keeps me up to date and helps me avoid potential costly mistakes. It's almost like having Christopher Howard, who wrote this fantastic guide, as a personal friend and advisor.

Lots of good info, but cheaply published with some poorly-written sections. Some things are clearly biased toward particular busineses but they seem like they are probably good ones anyway. An essential part of your Costa Rica research, but check other sources too.

There was a lot of great information in this book, but the grammatical and spelling errors got a little annoying. Every second or third page had an error of some sort. There were also quite a few ads in the book...didn't bother me too much, but some people may be annoyed by it.

This is a good read, and excellent information about living in Costa Rica. Even for the traveler or first time scouting out a place to live. Mr. Howard is very knowledgeable and has lived in CR for a long time. Recently, the book was updated and reflects current information. Highly recommend buying it as one of your first books of information on Costa Rica.

Not sure if we're ready to move to Costa Rica yet, but the book sure gives us lots of "food for thought." It covers lots of subjects that a person wouldn't normally think of.