Why did I choose La Fortuna out of all of the amazing places in Costa Rica to invest?
It all started when I was 17 years old. I graduated high school a semester early and came to Costa Rica with my mom to learn Spanish. That is the first time I saw the breathtaking Arenal volcano in all of her glory. I remember my mom and I would go to the nearby hot springs and hear the thunderous roars of Arenal’s eruption while watching red hot lava flow down the volcano while sipping on tropical fruit juices in the warm waters. That memory has been etched on my mind along with my desire to return for the past twenty years.
Finally, at age 38, I came back to Costa Rica with the goal of buying my own piece of paradise. For the past year, I have backpacked once again throughout Costa Rica looking for land to buy. I knew that when I found my place, it would be a clear knowing. I am also a strong believer in following my intuition, and my intuition has led me once again to La Fortuna.
The journey back to La Fortuna began when I was volunteering at a retreat center for 6 weeks when I strongly felt the need to visit La Fortuna for a much-needed break and hot spring vacation. I took a shuttle bus from the busy beach town of Jaco in the morning and finally arrived in the early afternoon to La Fortuna. I was hungry but got a strong sense to go to my favorite hot springs immediately, one that is not very known to tourists. When I arrived, I decided to have an early supper and went straight to their outdoor restaurant. I remember walking up to the restaurant and saying to myself, “I wonder whom I am going to run into today.” Literally five minutes after saying that, I had already ordered my food and found a quiet spot in the corner of the restaurant over looking a river. As I sat down, I noticed a familiar face of someone I met at a festival in Canada in the summer. She picked up her computer and coincidently came over and sat beside me. I couldn’t help but strike up a conversation. She of course remembered me and shared that she just recently purchased a home in La Fortuna to rent on Airbnb®. She told me how lucrative her decision has been and told me the capacity is on average 80-90% in La Fortuna, even in off season. I couldn’t believe my ears, so I looked at her live listing with here and saw that yes, indeed, the calendar was full for months to come. I never actually considered La Fortuna to be a viable investment option before, until she planted that seed in my mind. I naturally wanted to spend more time with her, but she was flying out the very next day. She intuitively wanted to stay 2 extra days “to meet me again” as she put it. Wow, I was beyond grateful for this synchronistic reunion.
The next day, while having lunch, I started looking online for land for sale. I sent a couple messages via WhatsApp and immediately had a reply from Carlos Arana with La Fortuna Homes. He told me he could pick me up at 9 a.m. the very next morning. Perfect, I thought since I was only going to be in La Fortuna for a week.
The next morning, he arrived at 8:55 a.m. and spent the next 4 hours with me showing me land and Real Estate development projects in the area. He treated with the utmost respect and was patient with my never-ending questions. When I finally saw the new GAIA Condominium project, only a 5-minute walk to the central park in La Fortuna it was an immediate and clear “YES!”. If I had more money, I would have bought all of the remaining lots available. Even thought the m2 was much more expensive than if I bought a larger piece of land outside the city, it was a no-brainer for me with its stunning view and central location appeal.
Not only can you see the volcano on a clear day, but there is one of the most beautiful waterfalls only 5.5 km away. Costa Rica Travel Life says, “As one of Costa Rica’s most spectacular waterfalls, La Fortuna Waterfall emerges from the Fortuna River and plummets an impressive 246 feet (76 meters) into a pool below! On a visit to La Fortuna Waterfall, you will see why more than 100,000 visitors make the trip to the pristine jungle waterfall each year. La Fortuna Waterfall is located in the Ecological Reserve Fortuna Waterfall near Arenal Volcano National Park – one of the best volcanoes in Costa Rica.”
The lonely planet confirms what I already knew, “La Fortuna remains one of the top destinations for travelers in Costa Rica, even though the great mountain stopped spewing its molten discharge in 2010.” Ana M. López from Statista writes, “Costa Rica’s inbound tourism volume grew by 74.4 percent in 2022, reaching nearly 2.35 million arrivals in total. However, this figure was still around 25 below the peak reached in 2019, when more than 3.1 million arrivals were registered in the Central American country.” (Number of international tourist arrivals in Costa Rica from 2010 to 2022. February 28, 2023. https://www.statista.com/statistics/816547/costa-rica-number-of-tourist-arrivals/) From this website you can visibly notice the increase in tourism year after year until 2020.
In the near future, I envision building boutique-style tiny houses for travellers looking for a comfortable and quiet haven while in La Fortuna. Guests will be walking distance to the bus stop, central park, dozens of tour agencies, restaurants, massage parlours, rope swing, taxi stand to go to dozens of hot springs, waterfall, and National Park on their own.
Today, on March 8, which is International Women’s Day, I am especially grateful to send my first installment to pay for my very own piece of land in paradise and take my financial freedom in my own hands.
“Women’s access to land and property is central to women’s economic empowerment, as land can serve as a base for food production and income generation, as collateral for credit and as a means of holding savings for the future.” OECD
I am so grateful I met Carlos and Willy with La Fortuna Homes where they have helped me fulfill my childhood dream of having land in La Fortuna.
Jadi Kindred from Canada
