The   Bella  Blog

Ok y'all, I'm back with a new video! Finally got access to my editing tools. This video is from our last visit to Puerto Viejo (June 2021). We went to Puerto Viejo to attend a wedding and stayed at the beautiful (new) Umami Hotel Garden Spa. In today's video we are on a walk to find breakfast on the beach and ran into a very knowledgeable local who taught us a thing or 2 about medical plants! Many of the them just looked like weeds growing along the road but turns out that th

Hope you are all doing well. Have you been, wondering where I've Been? The answer is, nowhere, yet. But, I have been working on a couple of exciting projects. 1. First project is - a "Jammin" trip to Morocco Morocco Jammin 2022 The Morocco Grand Tour An 11 day group trip to Morocco which we are planning for Sept 2022 The trip is to 5 cities, as well as an overnight stay @ a luxury camp in the Sahara Desert More to follow - *If you are interested please drop me an email and I

When we decided to move to Costa Rica, our original plan was for 6 of us (known then as The Aspiring Expats), to settle on the Caribbean Coast. We were to buy land, build and live in 4 sustainable living, self-sufficient off-the-grid container homes with a common area hub in the center, with plans to expand into a larger container community at a later date! Five Year Look Back August 3, 2015 At our last several weekly meetings, we have been discussing housing options using al

We (Lavanson, Verdette and I) finally felt it was safe enough to venture out and make a visit to Jaco, where Lavanson's brother (Charles) lives. Jaco is about an hour and 15 mins from Escazú. Charles moved to a new condo about 6 months ago and we had not yet had an opportunity to see it. We spent 7 relaxing days there and had the opportunity to enjoy some of the beaches, meet up with some friends and also sample some of the restaurants. Sadly during Covid, many businesses, (i

Please join us in beautiful Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica on May 13 - 16th for the 1st Annual Black Expats in Costa Rica Meet Up Bridging the Cultures is our Theme for this year All the info is below Please Click #thatbellalife #blackexpatsincostarica #retiredblackexpats #retiredblackexpatsincostarica #blackincostarica #bridgingcultures #blackexpatslivinglifeabroad

In an effort to begin moving around Costa Rica again (on a limited basis) we have been researching some of the restaurants in the area. All are following social distancing guidelines and are open air locations In today's video review Located - Just 20 minutes from San José! Located in the beautiful mountains of Escazú, San José's upscale suburb. In a farmhouse setting you can experience an authentic traditional Costa Rican ambience. The Views are Awesome!!! #thatbellalife #b

Just a quick post to say that the wrap up for our 4 day trip to Tamamrindo has been uploaded to Youtube Please check it out if you haven't already #thatbellalife #tamarindocostarica #blackexpatsabroad #blackincostarica #blackexpatslivinglifeabroad

LIVE in The Clubhouse Monday March 8. Please join us. Let me know if you need an invite or if any men would like to participate. Remember you need to have an iPhone. #thatbellalife #blackincostarica #blackexpatsabroad #retiredblackexpatsabroad #retiredblackexpatsincostarica #blackexpatsdatingabroad

We did it! We finally left our condo and ventured out on a trip! Four glorious days in Tamarindo. This was our first trip but will definitely not be our last! The weather cooperated and we have 4 very pleasant days. I was prepared for the oppressive heat and humidity but instead we had fairly hot days but cooling a bit toward the evening and a refreshing ocean breeze. Our condo had air (of course) but during the time we were inside I found it freeezing @ 72 and had to turn it

Hey everyone! I know it's been a minute but it's been pretty quiet in our life and since we are staying home most of the time, I haven't had much to report -- but I'm back today with a few pics. Still loving our new city even if we rarely get out! The rainy season ended around the end of November and with it came the "dry" season and the wind! The winds can really get gusty during this time of year. Time to secure your plants and patio furniture!!! Its now offically summer

*Special Post Today's post is directed to those women (black & brown - w/curly/kinky/tightly coiled hair) currently living n Costa Rica and/or relocating to Costa. When i set out to research the availability of products and services in Costa Rica specifically designed to address the needs of hair care for the black community, I was cautiously optimistic. After having lived in Grecia, (a small agricultural town in Costa Rica's Central Valley), for 4 years I was aware of the d

Below is a recent interview we had with expats, Penny & Paul McPherson, as we sat down to discuss their travels and their life in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica!! Be sure to check Penny out on IG #plantbasedpennylife Big Thanks to Paul & Penny!!! #ThatBellaLife #BlackInCostaRica #BlackExpatsinCostaRica #BlackExpatsLivingLifeAbroad #PlantBasedPennyLife

Blaxit: 5 Black American Expats Share Their Experiences Living Overseas BTW - After the article was published we discovered that we happen to know 2 of the other couples who were interviewed for the article. Riley & His wife who live in Grecia and Michelle and her husband who we visited on our trip to San Miguel de Allende - Congrats to both!!! Please check us out (small error - Some of you may know, but the above photo is actually in Escazu) #ThatBellaLife #BlackExpatsLiving

Hey guys, This is a short video of our house in Grecia. For security reasons we've never filmed our exact location, but since we no longer live there... Here it is! It was our 1st home in Costa Rica. We called it Casa de Coffey (a play on words using Lavanson's last name) and we lived there for 4 years, so we will definitely miss it. The views and the sounds of nature were a perfect introduction to this beautiful country. We also enjoyed the peace and tranquility of being sur

We are finally in our new home!! In the midst of a "pandemic" With the number of Covid cases on the rise and both our city locations on "orange alert", I figured I better change our move date while things were still partially open. I moved the date from Sunday July 12 to Friday July 10. Very happy I did, because on Saturday July 11th, Costa Rica instituted the strictest Covid measures to date! The new restrictions for areas on orange alert cut driving down to one day during t

I shared this video on one of my Facebook groups but thought you all might enjoy it as well. The TOPIC -- HOUSING - Where should we live? This is always a HUGE decision as we discussed in the real estate series. I think the decision is also complicated by the fact that Costa Rica is different from the US in many ways. First - It's not connected by "freeways" - as we know them in the US - "freeways" that take you up and down and across the country with well lit signs and offra

We're back with an update on which property we chose! It was a difficult decision but we finally made up our minds. In the video below we will discuss the pros and cons of each location which led up to our final decision. While we were in the selection process I thought this might also be a good time to educate people on exactly how real estate works in Costa Rica as it is different in so many ways from real estate in the states, and I figured...you all just might want to kno

We'll be posting our next video very soon - In it, we are announcing WHICH rental we decided to take and why. In that same video we'll have our Real Estate Agent on to discuss buying/selling/renting in Costa Rica. Many of you have sent me messages with questions about real estate in CR (which I cannot answer), this is your opportunity to get answers from a professional. Comment below or send me a message with questions or comments. Deadline is this Wednesday May 27th. Thanks

Note - WARNING -This is an opinion post. If you are currently satisfied/happy with the situation in the states you might want to pass up reading this post. One reason that I am writing this post today is because lately, I have been deluged with incoming requests from people in the states, begging for help as to how to "get out" of the US! I'm serious! Since I moderate and administer at least 3 different sites on FB I am getting their desperate pleas! I think the constant 24/

Since we have put our move to Mexico on indefinite hold, it's time to find a new home in Costa Rica! I've found at least one positive result of the Corona Virus, and that is - it's a pretty good time to look for a new place to live if you are interested in a good deal on a rental. Since there will be a new normal once we are lifted from quarantine, people will more than likely not be doing as much travel. And in a country like Cosat Rica where... Tourism has been one of the f