A USEFUL PLACE TO BEGIN
Start with the everyday life you want: your community, your time outside, and the kind of home you want to care for.
I know Costa Rica by heart. But the Nicoya Peninsula still gets me every time.
I’m Costa Rican, born and raised here, and I’ve lived in different parts of this beautiful country. Yet this corner of the Pacific has always held a very particular place in my life. I lived here, built a home here with my husband, and recently returned to celebrate my 40th birthday and my daughter’s 15th.
It reminded me why the idea of living on the Nicoya Peninsula has never really left me.
Costa Rica’s Nicoya region is recognized as one of the world’s original Blue Zones, places studied for the exceptional longevity of their older residents. For someone dreaming of moving to Costa Rica, that history is fascinating. For me, the connection is also deeply personal.
Where is Costa Rica’s Blue Zone?
The recognized Nicoya Blue Zone is associated with five cantons in Guanacaste: Nicoya, Santa Cruz, Carrillo, Hojancha, and Nandayure.
The Nicoya Peninsula also includes destinations such as Santa Teresa, Malpaís, and Montezuma, places that helped make this part of Costa Rica so special to me.
These communities are part of the wider peninsula, beyond the five cantons identified with the Nicoya Blue Zone.
You can read more about the region through the Costa Rica Tourism Board’s Blue Zone guide.
What the Blue Zone lifestyle means to me
Blue Zones are known for populations that have historically reached unusually old ages. In Nicoya, accounts of those older generations often highlight everyday movement, traditional food, family connections, and a sense of purpose.
What stays with me is how ordinary those things can look in daily life.
Spending time outside. Making room for a conversation. Moving through your day instead of spending all of it sitting. Being close enough to the people you love to actually see them.
During my time on the peninsula, life felt less hurried. The days somehow seemed longer, even when we had plenty to do.
And building a house certainly gave us plenty to do.
My experience living and building on the Nicoya Peninsula
Besides working in real estate, my husband and I occasionally build homes. Years ago, we built a beautiful home on the peninsula from the ground up and later sold it.
That experience gave us a connection to the area beyond a vacation itinerary. We got to experience life there while taking a project from an idea to a finished home.
It also left us with local relationships that I still value today.
I remember the natural tide pools of Malpaís, Montezuma’s bohemian personality, and Santa Teresa’s energy. I remember beaches, waterfalls, and wildlife that could make an ordinary morning feel like something you should have brought a camera for.
Sometimes before breakfast.
The Costa Rica I love is raw, imperfect, and beautiful. The peninsula has always captured that feeling for me.
Could I retire on the Nicoya Peninsula?
Absolutely. I fully intend to retire somewhere around here one day.
Hopefully while I can still climb the hills without requiring emergency assistance.
Returning for our birthdays brought that dream back into focus. At 40, I find myself thinking more about what I want an ordinary Tuesday to feel like. Where I want to spend my mornings. Who I want nearby. How much of my life I want to spend rushing.
For me, the appeal of retiring on the Nicoya Peninsula is having more room for the things I already know I enjoy: nature, movement, family, and time outside.
Turning a Costa Rica lifestyle dream into a property search
And here comes the real estate part, because of course I’m still me.
If you have been imagining a home on the Nicoya Peninsula, I would start with your everyday life. What do you want to be close to? What kind of community feels comfortable? Would you enjoy maintaining land, or would you prefer a home that is easier to look after?
Those answers help me understand what to look for, whether your idea is a home near the beach or land where you can build something of your own.
My experience living and building here, together with the local contacts I have maintained, gives me a personal connection to that conversation.
If you are exploring a move, a second home, or a future retirement in Costa Rica, I would love to hear what you have in mind.
Questions about life on the Nicoya Peninsula
What is Costa Rica’s Nicoya Blue Zone known for?
The Nicoya Blue Zone is known for the exceptional longevity historically documented among its older residents, along with traditions centered on family, everyday movement, and a sense of purpose.
What do I love about Santa Teresa, Malpaís, and Montezuma?
For me, it is the combination of Santa Teresa’s energy, the natural tide pools of Malpaís, and Montezuma’s bohemian personality. Each is part of what makes the peninsula feel so special.
Can Evelyn help me explore property on the peninsula?
Yes. I can help you start the conversation, understand your priorities, and explore opportunities with the support of my local contacts.
Sometimes you visit a place and think, this is beautiful.
And sometimes you know a country your entire life, live in different parts of it, and still find one corner that hits differently.
For me, Nicoya is that place.
Further reading
Costa Rica Tourism Board: the Nicoya Blue ZoneBlue Zones: Nicoya’s traditions and lifestyleCosta Rica Tourism Board: Santa Teresa and MalpaísLocal experiences reflect Evelyn’s time living and building on the peninsula.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Evelyn Bulakar
A Costa Rican perspective with more than 15 years of experience in property investment, development, construction, and real estate marketing.
Meet Evelyn ebulakar@sircostarica.comYOUR NEXT CHAPTER
Find your own corner of Nicoya.
A second home, a move, or a future retirement begins with the life you want to lead. Share your preferred communities, budget, and everyday priorities.
