The time has come!  I'm going to Costa Rica to buy an investment property!  This is exciting to me on so many levels.  One of my passions is traveling, and the other is real estate.  What better way to combine these two loves of mine.

Of course, I first have to get there - to Jaco Beach, where I'll be looking at some fantastic developments:  beachfront condos, cozy community single family homes, and hillside condos with a breathtaking, ocean view.

Due to a prior engagement, my husband and I were forced to make this a very short trip - 3 days!  So, we had to make the most of it.  We decided to fly from Los Angeles to San Jose, Costa Rica, on a red-eye flight.  On one of my colleague's recommendations, we took a Taca flight.

The flight from Los Angeles to San Jose, Costa Rica takes a little over 5 hours - about the same as flying to Hawaii.  These days, I don't expect much from the airlines, but I must say that I was very impressed with Taca's service.  They were on time, pleasant, served wonderful meals, offered free headphones and movies, and came by frequently to offer beverages.

Once we reached the International airport in San Jose, Costa Rica, we then met up with our driver that we had pre-arranged.  The next leg of our trip would be on windy, mountain, two-way roads, and would last 2 hours to get to Jaco Beach.  I highly recommend that first time visitors hire a driver to take you there, as these roads can be a little intimidating for those driving in Costa Rica for the first time.  Besides, this will give you a chance to look around and absorb the beauty of Costa Rica.

Around noon, we arrived at our hotel Docelunas, which means 12 Moons.  What an amazing place to stay for a first visit to Costa Rica.  This hotel doesn't have a lot of rooms, as they prefer to preserve the majority of the land that the hotel sits on.  You're surrounded by a lush, green cornucopia of trees, plants, grasses, and flowers.  Tropical flowers that we see in our flower shops grow on the side of the road in Costa Rica!

Docelunas is very conducive to a restful visit, but we had work to do!  We checked in, dropped off our bags in our room, and made our way into town for lunch and the first half of our tour.  My colleague Tim at Compass Properties was going to be one of our tour guides that day, to view several beachfront condominium developments right in Jaco Beach.  He said that this part of the tour would take around a couple hours.

Stay tuned for the next part of this exciting experience, where you'll hear about breathtaking Costa Rica properties, starting in the high-$100's!

Tiffany Wilson is a real estate investor and an International Real Estate Consultant for Compass Properties, with offices in US and Costa Rica locations.  She is passionate about Costa Rica and loves telling people all about it!  She can be reached at mailto:twilson@compasscostarica.net?subject=Costa%20Rica%20Information.  Check out Compass Properties website at http://www.compassproperties.net/ for more information on Costa Rica real estate opportunities.