Costa Esterillos Estates Homeowners Blog

Looking up you Corporate Taxes and Title on the National Registry

2014-03-26T11:56:00.002-04:00

Everyone should check the status of their corporation taxes and titles:

National Registry of Costa Rica:

https://www.rnpdigital.com/

Instructions for Taxes:

http://www.costaricalaw.com/video/latest/costa-rica-corportion-annual-tax-how-much-do-you-owe

Instructions for Title:

http://www.costaricalaw.com/video/latest/costa-rica-property-title-search-online

Epoch Times » The Enigmatic Stone Spheres of Costa Rica

2012-08-12T07:55:00.001-04:00

The Enigmatic Stone Spheres of Costa Rica

By Louis Makiello On August 12, 2012 @ 7:00 am In Beyond Science

John Hoopes, University of Kansas associate professor of anthropology and director of the Global Indigenous Nations Studies Program, with a stone sphere. (Courtesy of John Hoopes)

When workers from the United Fruit Company began clearing the jungles of Costa Rica for banana plantations in the 1930s, they made a strange discovery.

They came upon numerous stone spheres—some very large—sitting in the middle of the jungle. Explorers had first reported their existence in the 19th century. Several hundred have since been discovered. The smallest are baseball-sized, while the largest are the size of a small car, weighing 16 tons.

Trying to find out who made the spheres and how, as well as their purpose, has proven difficult.

John Hoopes of the University of Kansas, who has studied the stones, holds that virtually all known spheres have been moved from their original locations or even blown up by treasure hunters. The only way of dating the spheres is by stratigraphic context (determining which layer of soil they are from), since no written or pictorial records exist.

Some have been found alongside pottery of the Aguas Buenas culture (200 B.C. to A.D. 800). Others were reportedly found at burial sites with gold ornaments dated to after A.D. 1000.

Hoopes wrote on his website that “the balls could have been made anytime during an 1,800-year period. The first balls that were made probably lasted for several generations, during which time they could have been moved and modified.

“Many of the balls were found to be in alignments, consisting of straight and curved lines, as well as triangles and parallelograms.

“One group of four balls was found to be arranged in a line oriented to magnetic north. This has led to speculation that they may have been arranged by people familiar with the use of magnetic compasses, or astronomical alignments.

“Unfortunately, all but a few of these alignments were destroyed when the balls were moved from their original locations, so measurements made almost 50 years ago cannot be checked for accuracy,” Hoopes stated on his website.

This lack of data has led to a variety of speculations. Local legends reportedly state that people had a potion to soften stone. Some authors suggest the spheres came from Atlantis or were made by aliens.

Barring a major archeological breakthrough with the discovery of more spheres, they will remain a mystery for the time being.

Costa Rica Architectural Firm Is Building Energy Efficient Homes To Combat Rising Electricity Rates

2012-05-17T08:36:00.001-04:00

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

As electricity rates are rising in Costa Rica, luxury design build firm, Sarco Architects, is building "Green" homes. Their concern for the clients' electricity bill is only matched by their desire to protect the environment.

(PRWEB) May 16, 2012

Anyone living in Costa Rica will tell you that the cost of electricity is high. The Costa Rica Star recently reported that CNFL customers can expect to see their electric bills go up 4.7% in May. This means that anyone thinking about building a new home there will want to optimize their energy usage. That is why there are now people in Costa Rica who are seeking out alternative energy systems when building a luxury vacation home.
Roderick Anderson of Sarco Architects says, "Our clients tell us that part of the experience of enjoying their luxury vacation home in Costa Rica is keeping the electricity price tag at a reasonable level. Many people start thinking of a fully enclosed air-conditioned home, but when they get the energy bill they start thinking outside the box."
Anderson's architectural firm in Costa Rica is deeply concerned about the rising cost of electricity and really feels that the environmental impact of it all comes at a much higher price tag. Not only is his company is leading the way in designing and building energy efficient homes, but they are also highly skilled in creating environmentally responsible luxury vacation homes.
One way that his custom design build firm is doing this is by using a technology that can perform a Building Energy Analysis while still in the architectural design process. This allows for efficient building energy performance calculations right from the design model. That is very important because about 80% of the important decisions that determine a building's energy performance are made during the design process.
Having the ability to perform energy calculations allows the architects at Sarco to evaluate different design alternatives. They then complete the design by adding energy efficient systems, equipment, and lighting. This allows the architects to present a complete and integrated solution for energy efficiency in the future custom luxury homes of their clients.
The service that Sarco Architects offers lets people who are thinking of having a vacation home built in Costa Rica to do so knowing that it will be designed with utmost concern for all environmental and energy efficiency standards.

About Sarco Architects

Sarco Architects is a full-service architectural design-build firm in San Jose, Costa Rica. Sarco is driven by the desire to always be at the forefront of technology and its application to their architectural designs and their services, so they can provide the best solutions for architectural services oriented at foreign clients in Costa Rica. They will soon be opening up services in Panama.

For further information about Sarco Architects Costa Rica and their services contact:
Roderick Anderson, Intl. Assoc. AIA, Firm Principal
Sarco Architects Costa Rica
506.2283.4107
www.sarcoarchitects.com

Costa Rica Introduces New Corporate Tax

2012-04-09T09:01:00.001-04:00

by Mike Godfrey, Tax-News.com, Washington

09 April 2012

Costa Rica has introduced a new annual tax on all corporate structures, pegged to average public sector salaries.

For 'active companies' registered in Costa Rica, i.e. those undertaking commercial activities, the tax is equal to half the average monthly base salary of a public sector employee. For 'inactive companies', those used to house personal assets but which do not undertake commercial activities, the tax is half this amount, or 25% of the base salary. For 2012, the base salary has been confirmed as CRC360,600 (USD714), meaning the tax for each active company is CRC180,300, and CRC90,150 for each inactive corporate structure.

The law provides for exemptions for not-for-profit corporations, and for small- and micro-businesses, providing they are registered as such with the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce.

With the tax payable by April 30, 2012, the government has introduced transitional measures to allow tax breaks for those seeking to restructure their tax affairs. Taxpayers wishing to dissolve corporate structures by July 2012 may receive exemption from the payment of the tax, and transfers from one corporate to another, or to an individual, will be exempt from transfer taxes otherwise due on this transaction, until October 2012, providing the company has been inactive for at least 24 months prior to the enactment of the law.

The tax has been introduced to fund enforcement projects to tackle organised crime, with proceeds going to the nation's security ministry, “Ministerio de Seguridad Publica”.

11 Costa Rica Hotels In Top 25 In Central America

2012-02-22T14:18:00.000-05:00

Eleven hotels in Costa Rica are among the top 25 best in Central America for 2012, according to Trip Advisor Traveler's Choice 2012.

Among the hotels listed by the online travel service are: La Paloma Lodge, Drake Bay (8); Hotel El Silencio del Campo, La Fortuna de San Carlos (9); Doce Lunas Hotel,Jacó (11); Rancho Pacifico in Uvita (14); Four Seasons, Papagayo (15), Guanacaste; Pranamar villas, Santa Teresa (16); Arenas del Mar Beachfront and Rainforest Resort, Manuel Antonio (17); Hotel Royal Corin, La Fortuna de San Carlos (18); Oxygen Jungle Villas, Uvita (19); Manatus Hotel, Tortuguero (21); and Lodge Las Ranas, Playa Samara (22).

The number one hotel in Central America, according to Trip Advisor is The Phoenix Resort in San Pedro, Belize. The service describes it as "The best of both worlds: island life and modern conveniences. An exceptionally clean property, perfect location, superb staff".

Trip Advisor is used by many to find recommendations on hotels, vacation packages, resorts ad travel guides to over 400.000 destinations around the world.

The site has more than 50 million visitors monthly and over 60 million traveler reviews and opinions.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Hotels-cTop25-g291958.

Post from Costa Developers about Costa Reserva

2011-12-28T13:33:00.004-05:00

This was posted on the owners forum by Mauricio Roman:
"We are planning on resuming the development in Costa Reserva, unfortunately the project was interrupted. Right now we are doing an assessment of the work performed and the scope left. If any lot owner wants to join us on visits to the site (while in Costa Rica) or wants more information, please feel free to call us at 1-305-396-4058."

Costa Rica's Telecom Market Now Officially Competitive

2011-11-10T10:30:00.000-05:00

Movistar opened its doors on Tuesday, Claro is doing business on the hush hush until Friday

From: http://www.insidecostarica.com/dailynews/2011/november/09/costarica11110902.htm

The start of operations of Movistar and Claro this week ends the monopoly in cellular telecommunications held by the state telecom, the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE).

Although Spain's Movistar opened its doors to the public on Tuesday, signing up customers for prepaid and postpaid cellular service, Mexico's Claro is doing business on the hush hush and behind closed doors, at least until Friday when it opens its doors officially.

At Multiplaza the storefront windows to Claro are still boarded up with a hostess at the door allowing in only a select number of people. Inside, potential customers are greeted by a large selection of cellular telephones and plans and pricing, customers still have to take a number in an virtually empty store to be served.

At Movistar a photo captures the irony of the situation, no matter what one still need ICE. The photo posted on Facebook shows a Movistar display with a ICE sign of pending service connection. To be fair, the service request is for fixed line telecommunications, which still ICE is the only service provider.

The question is why would a cellular telecom like Movistar need a fixed line? Don't they have 1 million lines available and quite sure some locked up in the back room for their own use? And if for a credit card processing machine, there are now wireless units that use a cellular chip. Didn't anyone tell Movistar

"Who's your daddy", Movistar?

For the most part, the major complaint of the new customers of the new operators is coverage and connection.

For instance, Inside Costa Rica purchased a data SIM chip from Claro, but will not send or receive text messages to and from numbers of other operators. Works great within the Claro network, so does the data connection of 1.5 mbps we tried.

Claro, like Movistar are offering voice and date packages to suit all types of needs, both in prepaid and postpaid (subscription) services.

The prepaid services can be recharged with as little as ¢100 colones and each operator offers bonus recharges for customers, depending on the amount of the recharge.

Postpaid services include plans with cellular phones are reduced prices and even free, for units like Blackberry, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Nokia, to name a few.

Although anyone can obtain prepaid service, only nationals and legal residents (residency cedula required) can subscribe to the postpaid and obtain plan packages with telephones.

It is expected that in the coming weeks both Movistar and Claro will sort out their start of operations problems and give ICE some serious competition.

Jorge Abadía, the Telefonica (parent company of Movistar) spokesman, stated that "Movistar is proud to be the first private operator to begin operations in Costa Rica. We are proud of our phone selection, and are in negotiations with Apple to offer their phones, we should have news within the next few weeks. We have a technologically advanced network, which is completely backwards compatible, so 2G (GSM) and 3G users may use our network, which offers data speeds of up to 1 megabyte per second. We will differentiate ourselves through customer service and technical support."

Another market Movistar is seeking to please is the small and medium business market. Movistar will give special rates on regular calls and long distance calls.

In addition they offer a cost control system, which means that companies may give their employees a phone with a preset limit. If the employee goes over the limit, the phone converts to post-pay mode and the employee may reload it at one of the service points throughout the country.

Commentary: With the opening of the telecom sector, foreigners who are not "legal" residents (ie. tourists, visitors, etc) in Costa Rica can now obtain cellular service and purchase technology (a cellular phone, smartphone, tab, etc) from operators, including ICE, without the residency requirements. BUT this applies only to PREPAID and CASH purchases. For postpaid (subscription) and finances packages, ie equipment and a minutes plan, residency is still required. Don't believe anything to the contrary.

Arnaldo Bonilla has his own show? Business 720 º

2011-10-26T16:12:00.000-04:00

Saw this on his site:

Business 720 º:

Nice HD Video of Costa Rica

2011-10-20T13:52:00.001-04:00

Go full screen and select HD!

Agenda Sent for Annual Meeting of HOA

2011-10-18T21:23:00.002-04:00

If you've not received the agenda, I've put it in the Files library on the owner's forum:

http://costaesterillos.org

I'd rather be here...

Costa Developers New Campaign

2011-10-14T12:45:00.003-04:00

Here is a new advertising campaign I've seen:

http://www.costadevelopers.com/977/?gclid=CMC--7HP6KsCFY1S7AodGTnPJg

..

Costa Rica: Rains To Continue Into Long Weekend

2011-10-14T12:39:00.000-04:00

If you were expecting a break in the rains this weekend, forget it, the national weather service says the intense rains of the past days will continue for a few days more.

Gabrieal Chinchilla, meteriologist for the Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN), says the low pressure system that dumped on Costa Rica this week, causing more than 100 people to be moved to shelters, landslides in many areas and the closure of important roads, will continue into the weekend.

The average rainfall since last Sunday to Thursday is 550 litres per square metre, which is the average rain fall for the entire month of October.

Chinchilla recommends caution, especially in the Pacific coastal areas, as many will head out for the beaches and mountains for the long weekend.

As for the Caribbean coast, rain is expected only in the mountainous areas. The city of Limón, which is hosting the annual festival, will be dry, though experts warn of rising water levels in the rivers and to extremely cautious in remote areas.

I wonder how our communities are holding up?

Costa Rica Tourism Board's New Campaign

2011-10-12T11:14:00.000-04:00

In 2010, an estimated 2,099,829 tourists came to Costa Rica, the highest recorded number so far! That is a good sign for property owners.

Low Pressure System Wreaks Havoc On Costa Rica's Pacific Coast

2011-10-11T12:15:00.000-04:00

From InsideCostaRica.com

Main road around Playa Jacó closed this morning due to landslides

A low pressure system hanging over Costa Rica is the cause for the continuing rain since Sunday night and the cause of a number of emergencies in some areas, especially the Pacific coast.

In La Gloria de Puriscal the Gamalolito river overflowed its banks causing a number of landslides, trapping a school bus carrying some 40 students. All the youths were rescued and moved to a shelter.

A landslide between Playa Herradura and Chiquero has blocked traffic on the main road to Jacó, which is also suffering from flooding in various points.

Further south to Parrita flooding has affected at least 30 homes.

In Paquera, Puntarenas, the road that leads to Playa Naranjo is with serious damage in various areas and flooding in he area of Rio Grande, where 25 people have been moved to shelters.The road between Paquera and Cobano is also affected by landslides, damaged sewers and serious damage to the asphalt.The Comisión Nacional de Emergencias (CNE) is maintaining a GREEN ALERT (low level alert) for the Central Valley, Northern Zone and the entire Pacific coastIf you live in low lying areas keep an eye on the rivers, ravines and creeks. If you live in areas known for problems with landslides take precautionary action, even evacuating the area until the rainy season is over, if possible.

Del Monte Fresh Produce Greenhouses Take Root in Costa Rica

2011-10-10T13:31:00.000-04:00

A hydroponic greenhouse project in Buenos Aires, Costa Rica, is the latest step in Del Monte Fresh Produce’s quest to deliver premium quality produce and to implement sustainable agricultural practices at its operations worldwide.

Scheduled for completion this December, the project’s 17 greenhouses, packing house and supporting facilities expand Del Monte’s greenhouse product line, which includes recently completed, state-of-the-art greenhouses in Guatemala. The first harvest of Del Monte greenhouse bell peppers is projected for February 2011.

The Costa Rican greenhouses boast sophisticated food safety and quality assurance systems, an integrated pest management system, an automatic irrigation system to capture and recycle residual water, and internal drainage to help protect surrounding water reservoirs and prevent greenhouse run-off.

The project is good not only for the environment, but for the local economy, too. It will create 120 permanent jobs in the Buenos Aires area.

For more information about Del Monte and the company’s sustainability efforts, visit www.freshdelmonte.com.

Annual Meeting in Escazu on Oct. 27th

2011-10-05T14:19:00.001-04:00

The annual meeting for Costa Esterillos Estates will be on Oct. 27th in Escazu.

If you won't be attending make sure and send in your Power of Attorney so you will be represented!

Contact Rebeca at Naret if you need this form...

www.naret.cr

Costa Rica hosts World Rafting Championship

2011-10-04T12:35:00.000-04:00

From the Tico Times:

Hundreds of athletes from all over the world are set to descend on the white water of Costa Rica’s famous Río Pacuare this week for the 2011 World Rafting Championship. More than 50 teams from as far away as Chile, South Africa, the United States, Europe, Japan and New Zealand will challenge team Costa Rica on its home waters Oct. 4-10.

The biannual tournament represents the pinnacle of the rafting competition calendar. This will be the largest tournament in the 20-year history of the event – a reflection of the growing popularity of the sport worldwide. The four-race schedule is designed to test athletes’ rafting endurance and technical abilities. Previous world champions Brazil, Slovenia and Australia will be regarded as favorites, with serious contenders like Japan and Costa Rica out to challenge them for the trophy.

Costa Rica hosted the first World Rafting Championship in 1991, and played host again in 1998. Since then, host countries have included the U.S. in 2001, the Czech Republic in 2003, Ecuador in 2005, South Korea in 2007 and Bosnia in 2009. The International Rafting Federation, the world governing body for the sport of white-water rafting, chose the Río Pacuare on Costa Rica’s Caribbean slope for this year’s tournament in commemoration of the inaugural championship in 1991, and to promote sustainable ecotourism worthy of a world-class competition in a country noted for its green credentials.

Rafael Gallo, president of the International Rafting Federation, said he hopes this event in his native Costa Rica will set the standard for future rafting competitions.

“To me it’s a pleasure to adapt what I’ve learned in adventure tourism and sustainability, and as event director it gives me great pride to incorporate these methods into the World Rafting Championship,” he said. “The pristine nature of the site allows me to promote a carbon-neutral event that will be a first in world championship races.”

Costa Rica is known for being the paddling mecca of Central America. The country boasts one of the highest ratios of rivers per square kilometer in the world, and the rafting industry supports a vast number of river professionals and commercial rafting operations. More than 60 competitors participated recently in the Costa Rican National Rafting Series to select the teams that would represent the country in the world championship.

“You learn a lot in other places, but we have world-class rivers here in Costa Rica that made for a very challenging series,” Manuel Segura, captain of the national men’s team, said of the national championship series. “We hope to continue to develop our training resources into the future.”

It has been a long road for Segura, who has represented Costa Rica in six world championships over 13 years. He is familiar with the course and the standard required for success.

“This team has been preparing for more than 12 months now. We have the home-ground advantage and the support of family and friends here. This gives us the platform to be at our best,” Segura said.

The white water of the Río Pacuare will play host to the World Rafting Championship Oct. 4-10. More than 50 teams from all over the world are expected to compete in the equivalent of the rafting Olympics. The Costa Rican men’s national team, pictured here, will have the home-river advantage. Courtesy of Eve Morton

Among the teams to beat will be the Japanese men’s team, one of the few professional rafting teams in the world. Team captain Takuya Ikeda told The Tico Times from his home near Tokyo, Japan, “These championships represent an opportunity to help restore Japanese confidence that was shattered by the earthquake. We are very focused on achieving the best result.”

Team Australia captain Graham Maifredi expressed a similar sentiment when summing up the significance of the event for his team during a phone interview from Queensland, Australia: “This is the opportunity of a lifetime. The cyclone destroyed our homes in February, and the support we have received from the community helps to boost our morale at a time when we need it most. We are going to make sure we give them something in return.”

In the women’s event, competition is expected to be fierce, but team Costa Rica remains undaunted.

“Right now we are just focused on training,” said team member Catalina Elizondo. “We know we will need to be consistent over all the races in order to achieve our goal of a podium place.”

Elizondo hopes success will provide a foundation of awareness for the team in Costa Rica that will inspire people to get involved.

“If we can show the nation the rewards of participating in the wonderful sport of rafting, then Costa Rica will only become stronger at the international level,” she said.

The stage is set. The eyes of the adventure rafting industry will be on Costa Rica this month to see if the country can produce a memorable competition and define the direction of rafting championships into the future. For those involved, the anticipation is building and expectations are high.

“With so many strong teams, I see it as one of the closest competitions in the history of the championships,” Gallo said. “It will depend on who adapts better to the terrain.”

For team Costa Rica, the chances of success have never be better, as the 20-year anniversary of the inaugural World Rafting Championship affords them the opportunity to perform their best against the world, at home on the mighty Río Pacuare.

For information on the 2011 World Rafting Championship, visit the event’s official website at www.costarica2011wrc.com.

Awesome video diary of 10 day trip - Dec. 2010

2011-10-03T11:18:00.000-04:00

Awesome video diary of 10 day trip - Dec. 2010

Newsworthy items from the Costa Rica Tourist Board

2011-10-02T20:07:00.000-04:00

There are several new flight options to get to Costa Rica:

Newsworthy items from the Costa Rica Tourist Board

World's Sexiest Beaches

2011-09-28T16:58:00.000-04:00

Costa Rica made the list:

World's Sexiest Beaches

The Villas at Costa Esterillos

2011-09-23T16:28:00.000-04:00

If you haven't already check out the Villa offerings from Costa Developers:
The Villas at Costa Esterillos:

Tempisque Arenal Conservation Area - Rio Celeste

2011-09-23T12:52:00.000-04:00

The river is aptly named because of it's incredible blue waters:

For more information:

Tempisque Arenal Conservation Area

The Celebrity Guide to Costa Rica Hideaways | Costa Rica Travel News

2011-09-22T12:39:00.000-04:00

The Celebrity Guide to Costa Rica Hideaways

Getting to know Costa Rica

2011-09-22T12:12:00.000-04:00

Irazú Volcano

The Irazú Volcano is an active volcano close to the city of Cartago. From the top on clear days, it is possible to see both the Atanltic and Pacific Oceans. It's summit has an elevation of 3432 meters (11,259 feet). There are actually 5 separate craters.

Bring a jacket! It can get a bit chilly up there!

Click me to see a panorama view!

VisitCostaRicaVideos's Channel - YouTube

2011-09-21T16:44:00.000-04:00

Makes me want to pack my bags and go right now! Great video...

Costa Esterillos Estates Homeowners Blog

Looking up you Corporate Taxes and Title on the National Registry

Epoch Times » The Enigmatic Stone Spheres of Costa Rica

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