SPUR OF THE MOMENT TRIPS

Costa Rica Cost of Living Update:  16 pound Thanksgiving Day turkey- $92 (I’ll be having chicken)

New Costa Rica Business Idea- Turkey Farm

The best thing about living in Costa Rica is at any moment you can get in your car and be at a beautiful destination in a couple hours. It feels like taking a vacation…from our vacation.

One day we threw a backpack of clothes into the car and headed out to the coast.  We ended up in Dominical, a surfing town on the Pacific side of the country. I didn’t bring any guide books and didn’t have a clue where to stay.  My husband came up with an idea to stop at a realtor’s office, since who would know better? And that’s when we heard of a luxury home so lovely it made my husband determined to get a room.  The only problem was you needed to rent the entire home for $4500 a week.  A little Brooklyn Razzle/Dazzle was in order.The house was up an incredibly steep, gravel lined road.  This is the main reason I tell tourists to rent an SUV when visiting.  Some of the best adventures, and the best deals, tend to always be at the end of a dangerous side road. We park at the entrance of the gate and ring the bell.  A pleasant Tica named Maria walks out and invites us in.  We question her about the rates, but her English is not that good and our Spanish is even worse, so we wait for the owner to get back from the store.

Maria brings over coffee and sits down with us.  I love when these exchanges occur, sitting in an environment where everyone struggles to understand each other.  But somehow it works.  Small bits of information gets exchanged and we learn Maria manages the house while raising two sons. She makes wide gestures as her long black hair bounces across her shoulder. When she turns to the side she looks a lot like Penelope Cruz.

The owner of the house comes back and my husband explains that we would like to stay and asks if there is anyway she can accommodate us.  She said her last guests just left and she was closing down the house in three days to go on vacation. I could see the sparkle in my husband’s eye.  She didn’t say yes…she didn’t say no.  There was an opportunity to make a play.  My husband started devising a strategy, the delicate area of negotiating where you don’t want to go over your budget, but don’t want to insult the lady.  $75 a night sounds to cheap…she will get offended and tell us to split.  $150 is to much for us… so my husband settles on $100.  He throws that out like a pitcher throws out the last ball in the ninth inning with the bases loaded.  His suggestion floats in the air for a while, not quite landing but not quite being dismissed.

“I’ll make you a deal, stay three nights, for a total of $300.  You will  have the whole place to yourself. Then you just payed for my plane ticket.” And with that, our one day excursion turned into three, and for the first time in my life, I stayed in a luxurious house overlooking the ocean.  My husband’s Razzle/Dazzle came through.

If it wasn’t for my husband I probably would never have stopped to speak with a realtor, would never would have driven up the steep road, and most definitely never have offered to pay $100 a night for a $4500 week house.  But I learned a valuable lesson with this experience.  You have got to ask for what you want, even if you don’t speak the language, even if all you are carrying is a dusty backpack.  It might not always work but you never know when you will come across someone at the right time who is willing to make a deal. It just so happened my deal came with complimentary breakfast overlooking the sea.

By | 2018-04-15T18:20:01-04:00 November 25th, 2010|Categories: Tourism|Tags: |9 Comments

About the Author:

Nadine is the author of the best-selling series, Happier Than A Billionaire. Join her as she navigates living as an expat in the sometimes confusing, always beautiful, country of Costa Rica.

9 Comments

  1. Exactly my motto…If you don’t ask you don’t get! I’m quite happy to go to bat for a travel client when they ask for something not usually part of the vacation package or booking. On the other hand, as an accredited travel industry specialist I always ask for the room upgrade or the travel agent rate which may not be extended unless you ask someone!

    Cheers from beautiful BC

    Caryn

    • admin October 28, 2012 at 2:15 pm - Reply

      You are so right! My husband is that type of guy to ALWAYS ask for something. And he does it in a nice way and we never want to take advantage of a business. So many places will let you swim in their pool if you buy lunch there. You just have to be nice and ask!!

  2. Anita Madore Fuller December 11, 2011 at 7:33 pm - Reply

    Awesome story , just goes to show that anything is possile in Paradise……lol

    • admin December 15, 2011 at 1:43 pm - Reply

      It’s so much fun driving around here, always something fun to do!!

  3. maria@oahuchef.com May 14, 2011 at 7:27 pm - Reply

    Hi again
    So did you start a turkey farm yet?

    • admin May 14, 2011 at 8:35 pm - Reply

      I’m still considering it. Just saw a backyard with two turkeys in it… I know where they will be on Thanksgiving!!

  4. maria May 14, 2011 at 7:25 pm - Reply

    Hi
    Sounds like a wonderful time. Appreciate life!
    that’s what it’s all about.

    • admin May 14, 2011 at 8:37 pm - Reply

      Thanks for stopping by. There are so many great things to do here. Especially if you are polite to the owner, you can negotiate a good deal.

  5. ronniesabol@yahoo.com November 29, 2010 at 5:08 pm - Reply

    Cool story. It’s true no fear and just ask for what you want, your already at no so who cares.

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