Casa Coco Bay: The Perfect Gift

Alone, with only his two hands, Coco Bay Estates lot owner Anthony is building his dream house from the bottom up. On day 5 of the project, the landscaping and foundation is finished, most of the walls have been constructed, and, with his wife Jill, Anthony has had time to relax by the pool.


OK, I know it seems like we are exaggerating, and we are, a little bit. Jill, Anthony's wife, bought him an amazing gift for his birthday. It's a LEGO KIT REPLICA of the exact house they are building at Coco Bay. Jill has spent hours providing Lego with the dimensions, measurements, and dollars needed to let Anthony lose himself in building a miniature model of his dream home in Costa Rica.



Anthony and Jill hope to break ground on their actual Coco Bay home this spring.

---

My name is Gina Correll, and my passion for the Costa Rican lifestyle has no limits! In fact, 6 years ago, my family and I packed up everything and decided to live and work in Ocotal, Costa Rica. After graduating from the University of Redlands, and spending 20 years working in sales, target marketing, and client relations, I now help others enjoy the Costa Rica lifestyle through my position working at CR Development Group.

Smiles.

It is something I see no matter where I go – whether it is shopping in the markets or strolling on the beaches - in this little world I know as Costa Rica.

I know why I smile when I am here. Being here, surrounded by the natural beauty that only a handful of places on the planet can offer, it truly is an escape from my everyday life. But, the people that live here are in this paradise all the time. Surely, when paradise is your reality, it can’t be the same, can it?

As I was sitting in my villa at Vista Ocotal one evening, I decided to do some research on this thesis. As it turns out, my analysis was a bit off. There has actually been reputable, country-by-country research of, among other things, the happiness of populations, and Costa Rica (and its people) ranked in the top spot in 2009 as the happiest country in the world..

Among the many reasons they are the gold standard is due to an average life expectancy of nearly 79 years and 85 percent of the country's residents saying they are happy and satisfied with their lives. Cynics would say it is because Costa Ricans don’t know what they are missing in a more developed setting. But, as someone that does know what they are missing, I can definitely say that when you are here, the amenities that it does have more than make up for it.

The happiness I feel when I am here is one of the main reasons I chose Costa Rica over every other locale in the world to have a residence in, and why I have helped dozens of people make Costa Rica their second home. It is the perfect way to get your smile back.

Until next time,

Gina