Aside from being a tight-knit and safe community that is full of wonderful and relatively likeminded people, Playa Grande is also a place where families can really enjoy life to the fullest. There are certain key factors that all families can agree on that play into what defines a family-friendly town in Costa Rica. For example, safety is a major one, as well as a population that includes other families and children.
You’ve already learned from part one last week that Playa Grande has a delectable selection of family-friendly restaurants, so now you are probably wondering what else does Playa Grande have to offer a family like yours?
AN IMPRESSIVE SELECTION OF SCHOOLS
Playa Grande is perfectly positioned within an easy commute to multiple private schools, including La Paz Community School, Costa Rica International Academy, Educarte, Guanacaste Waldorf School, and TIDE Academy. The schools are so exceptional in this part of Guanacaste that even Costa Rican families from other parts of Costa Rica move here so that their children can attend these top-notch schools. What’s great about the schools near Playa Grande is that each one has a different philosophy and approach to education, so there is nearly something for every type of family and student.
COSTA RICA IS AN AMAZING CLASSROOM | LA PAZ COMMUNITY SCHOOL
PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES GALORE
A life in Playa Grande can definitely be an active one, if that is the lifestyle that you are seeking. First and foremost, Playa Grande is a phenomenal surf beach with consistent waves all year.. There are also regular yoga classes and beach fitness classes offered in Playa Grande, as well as a fitness studio that includes circuit training and CrossFit just outside of town.
There are opportunities for children and teenagers to join a soccer, volleyball, flag football, or basketball team, take dance classes, play tennis or golf, or join a surf club, just to name a few popular activities. Riding bikes, walking the beach, and paddle boarding in some of the more protected bays around Playa Grande are also wonderful ways to stay fit and active.
WAVES FOR DAYS IN PLAYA GRANDE | RIP JACK INN
A BLEND OF CULTURES AND LANGUAGES
The local population in and around Playa Grande is beautifully eclectic. There is a mix of Costa Ricans, North Americans, South Americans, and Europeans who call this part of Costa Rica home. With such diversity comes a mixture of languages, cultures, and familial, educational, and socioeconomic backgrounds, as well as life stories and personal experiences. Playa Grande is anything but homogenous, which makes living here infinitely interesting and enriching.
While it is very important to learn the local language, English is frequently spoken and widely understood amongst the Costa Rican and international residents in Playa Grande. As an English-speaking and non-Spanish speaking family who is relocating to Playa Grande, there will be comfort in knowing that you will be able to communicate and become part of the community before you master the Spanish language.
There are opportunities to enroll in private or group Spanish classes and the private schools are bilingual and include Spanish classes for non-native speakers as part of the curriculum. Learning a second language as a family is a bonding experience and one that will only connect you deeper to your new home country.
REPRESENTING COSTA RICA, HONDURAS, CANADA, ENGLAND, ARGENTINA, AND THE UNITED STATES IN PLAYA GRANDE
AND THE LIST COULD GO ON AND ON…
A life in Costa Rica isn’t everyone’s idea of paradise and the reality of life in Costa Rica isn’t a perfect match for all families. However, if you and your family are looking to make a lifestyle change, learn Spanish, reconnect with each other and with nature, spend more time outdoors and in the sea, become part of a communal family, and embrace a life where you actually have time to really live, Playa Grande might be the space and the place that you have been dreaming of. There’s only one true way to find out though…