When Ricardo Caceres first set foot on Conchal Beach as a baby, it was little greater than a quiet stretch of white sand where locals camped and played within the crystal-clear waters.
“That’s been my favorite beach for a really very long time,” he told The Post, recalling his family’s move to Costa Rica within the Seventies. “That’s what drew me to eventually come full circle and spend a very good chunk of the 12 months there.”
Now 54, Caceres is a component of a growing wave of Americans trading red, white and blue for Nicoya’s Zona Azul — where locals enjoy a number of the longest, healthiest lives on Earth.
The 80-mile peninsula, situated just south of the Nicaraguan border, is one in every of the world’s five original Blue Zones. Its residents are greater than twice as likely as Americans to achieve their 90s in good health.
Expats chasing the Blue Zone lifestyle have flocked to Costa Rica in recent times, fueling a boom in luxury tourism and hotel-branded private residences across the region.
Amongst them: The W Residences Costa Rica, a high-end enclave tucked contained in the gated Reserva Conchal community within the Guanacaste Province — where Caceres snapped up a plot of land in March 2020.
“At Reserva Conchal, we’re a community that embraces wellness, a reference to nature and a slower and more intentional pace of life,” Fabián Fernandez, the property’s business manager, told The Post.
“Being in a Blue Zone is part of our DNA, and many of the folks that come and put money into Reserva Conchal are definitely taking that into consideration.”
“Your exercise routine is so much different. You eat healthier. I normally shed extra pounds after I’m there.”
Ricardo Caceres
in 2020.
From fast food to slow living
Before constructing his tropical retreat, Caceres spent a long time working within the restaurant industry.
At 21, he left Costa Rica for Los Angeles, working as a McDonald’s crew member while putting himself through college.
Over the subsequent 20 years, Caceres rose through the ranks to turn out to be the director of operations for a serious franchisee, eventually opening several McDonald’s of his own before relocating to the Phoenix area.
When he grew bored with the grind, Caceres circled back to the beach of his childhood — now home to a sleek, sustainable community.
He broke ground on a five-bedroom home just because the pandemic began. By late 2021, it was ready. Now, he and his wife Melissa bounce between Arizona and Costa Rica while their daughter finishes highschool within the States.
“Being on-site changes your routine completely,” he said. “You actually feel such as you’re on vacation, regardless that you’re at your individual house.”
And this isn’t any sleepy surf shack.
Private owners of homes in The W Residences enjoy access to all the amenities offered on the W Hotel on-site, including a fitness center, golf course, tennis courts, a spa, two pools and miles of personal trails winding through lush rainforest.
Caceres starts every day with a workout, then hits the beach for a walk or paddleboard session within the calm Pacific waters.
“Your exercise routine is so much different,” he said. “You eat healthier. I normally shed extra pounds after I’m there.”
The fee of moving to paradise
Reserva Conchal is now developing its seventeenth residential community. Buyers can select undeveloped lots to construct their dream home or go for move-in ready private residences.
Options include single-family homes, condominiums, and branded rentals that owners can lease out when away.
“Many of the Blue Zone is inside yourself, it’s the best way you act, the best way you behave and the best way you reside. If you’re there, you turn out to be an element of it.”
Ricardo Caceres
Private forest-view lots in the brand new Laurel community start at $645,000, while pre-built properties currently available at The W Residences range from $4.35 million to $5.45 million.
Most buyers hail from North America and Europe, though Fernandez said more native Costa Ricans are moving in, too.
“Everyone that involves Reserva Conchal — especially folks that are from the States but additionally Costa Ricans which can be currently living within the central valley or San Jose — are on the lookout for a more balanced and healthier lifestyle,” he said.
Not waiting for retirement
While Caceres has mostly stepped back from the restaurant world, he still consults on large projects and juggles just a few ventures — often from his breezy Costa Rican home office as an alternative of Arizona.
“It’s really no different, except the view is best. The entire vibe is so much more relaxed and also you’re less stressed,” Caceres said. “I never wear shoes there — that tells you all the pieces.”
And the longer he stays, the more he embraces the local mindset.
“Many of the Blue Zone is inside yourself, it’s the best way you act, the best way you behave and the best way you reside,” Caceres said. “If you’re there, you turn out to be an element of it.”
Park City meets pura vida
Nils Thorjussen can be on a mission to search out a brand new rhythm of life in Costa Rica.
A self-described “serial entrepreneur,” the 59-year-old most recently spent a decade on the helm of Verge Aero, a startup that creates choreographed light shows using drones.
“It’s been a very cool, fun ride, but I’m able to work less,” said Thorjussen, who admitted he’d been grappling with feelings of burnout before handing over the reins and entering into a part-time role earlier this 12 months.
When Thorjussen began trying to find a second home, Costa Rica’s accessibility quickly became a serious draw.
“It’s easier to embrace it versus being in an environment where there’s a Kentucky Fried Chicken on every corner.”
Nils Thorjussen
“It’s inside reasonable striking range of the US — it’s like a three-hour flight from Houston — so it’s easy to access versus a number of the other Blue Zones, like within the Mediterranean,” he said. “That was really essential to me.”
Thorjussen and his wife, Rebecca, now travel backwards and forwards between their home in Park City, Utah, and a five-bedroom, fully-staffed eco villa perched high above the coastline inside Reserva Conchal.
“After I’m here, I’m completely happy as a clam,” the father-of-two said. “It’s definitely good for my mental health, because you may really try and relax and luxuriate in life. It’s very easy to transition to a distinct speed.”
The Nicoya Peninsula’s repute as a Blue Zone also intrigued Thorjussen, who was curious how the region’s lifestyle might influence his own well-being.
“For essentially the most part, people here live more simply and closer to nature,” he said. “If you’re surrounded by that, it’s easier to embrace it versus being in an environment where there’s a Kentucky Fried Chicken on every corner.”
That connection to nature is now woven into his every day routine. Thorjussen starts each morning with a stroll across the property, taking in the plush greenery, flitting parakeets and the calls of howler monkeys echoing through the guanacaste trees.
He’s already planning to relocate his sailboat once he and Rebecca make the move full-time.
Thorjussen’s habits have shifted in other ways, too — particularly relating to food.
“Being a bit of bit older, I’m attempting to be more health-conscious,” he said. “If you ought to avoid processed foods, it’s much easier to get fresh ingredients here than it’s in many of the US.”
The normal Nicoyan weight loss plan is primarily plant-based and centers around beans, corn and squash, together with rice, fresh vegetables and antioxidant-rich tropical fruits. They eat a substantial amount of dairy and luxuriate in lean proteins like fish, chicken and eggs moderately.
The water within the Nicoya Peninsula can be filled with calcium and magnesium, which wards off heart disease and promotes strong bones.
Couple that with the vitamin D Costa Ricans take in by spending a variety of time outdoors, and it promotes an extended, healthier lifestyle.
“Although I’m sure I’d have the opportunity to be reasonably healthy in Park City, it’s definitely easier to execute here,” Thorjussen said.
Living longer, together
Community and social responsibility are also at the center of the Blue Zone lifestyle, in line with Fernandez.
The Nicoyan motto “plan de vida,” meaning a reason to live, fuels elders’ positive outlook, energetic routines and powerful sense of purpose of their community.
Locals credit this mindset for his or her extraordinary longevity — and Reserva Conchal is bringing that spirit to life on-site.
“Having a way of community has been very, very essential for residents,” Fernandez said. “They desire a deeper reference to the community around where they live.”
At Reserva Conchal, each residents and staff roll up their sleeves for local volunteer projects, including painting schools, planting trees, cleansing beaches and even scuba diving to remove debris from coral reefs.
Sustainability can be on the forefront. Greater than 85% of on-site waste is recycled, composted or reused. The community runs two wastewater treatment plants plus Costa Rica’s first sea-water desalination plant. Impressively, it offsets 20% more carbon emissions than it produces.
“Residents need to be more connected with nature, to have a purpose of their lives, to be an element of a more supportive community, so I do hope that in the long run it would help them live an extended life,” Fernandez said. “I do know that it would be a more fulfilling one.”
When Ricardo Caceres first set foot on Conchal Beach as a baby, it was little greater than a quiet stretch of white sand where locals camped and played within the crystal-clear waters.
“That’s been my favorite beach for a really very long time,” he told The Post, recalling his family’s move to Costa Rica within the Seventies. “That’s what drew me to eventually come full circle and spend a very good chunk of the 12 months there.”
Now 54, Caceres is a component of a growing wave of Americans trading red, white and blue for Nicoya’s Zona Azul — where locals enjoy a number of the longest, healthiest lives on Earth.
The 80-mile peninsula, situated just south of the Nicaraguan border, is one in every of the world’s five original Blue Zones. Its residents are greater than twice as likely as Americans to achieve their 90s in good health.
Expats chasing the Blue Zone lifestyle have flocked to Costa Rica in recent times, fueling a boom in luxury tourism and hotel-branded private residences across the region.
Amongst them: The W Residences Costa Rica, a high-end enclave tucked contained in the gated Reserva Conchal community within the Guanacaste Province — where Caceres snapped up a plot of land in March 2020.
“At Reserva Conchal, we’re a community that embraces wellness, a reference to nature and a slower and more intentional pace of life,” Fabián Fernandez, the property’s business manager, told The Post.
“Being in a Blue Zone is part of our DNA, and many of the folks that come and put money into Reserva Conchal are definitely taking that into consideration.”
“Your exercise routine is so much different. You eat healthier. I normally shed extra pounds after I’m there.”
Ricardo Caceres
in 2020.
From fast food to slow living
Before constructing his tropical retreat, Caceres spent a long time working within the restaurant industry.
At 21, he left Costa Rica for Los Angeles, working as a McDonald’s crew member while putting himself through college.
Over the subsequent 20 years, Caceres rose through the ranks to turn out to be the director of operations for a serious franchisee, eventually opening several McDonald’s of his own before relocating to the Phoenix area.
When he grew bored with the grind, Caceres circled back to the beach of his childhood — now home to a sleek, sustainable community.
He broke ground on a five-bedroom home just because the pandemic began. By late 2021, it was ready. Now, he and his wife Melissa bounce between Arizona and Costa Rica while their daughter finishes highschool within the States.
“Being on-site changes your routine completely,” he said. “You actually feel such as you’re on vacation, regardless that you’re at your individual house.”
And this isn’t any sleepy surf shack.
Private owners of homes in The W Residences enjoy access to all the amenities offered on the W Hotel on-site, including a fitness center, golf course, tennis courts, a spa, two pools and miles of personal trails winding through lush rainforest.
Caceres starts every day with a workout, then hits the beach for a walk or paddleboard session within the calm Pacific waters.
“Your exercise routine is so much different,” he said. “You eat healthier. I normally shed extra pounds after I’m there.”
The fee of moving to paradise
Reserva Conchal is now developing its seventeenth residential community. Buyers can select undeveloped lots to construct their dream home or go for move-in ready private residences.
Options include single-family homes, condominiums, and branded rentals that owners can lease out when away.
“Many of the Blue Zone is inside yourself, it’s the best way you act, the best way you behave and the best way you reside. If you’re there, you turn out to be an element of it.”
Ricardo Caceres
Private forest-view lots in the brand new Laurel community start at $645,000, while pre-built properties currently available at The W Residences range from $4.35 million to $5.45 million.
Most buyers hail from North America and Europe, though Fernandez said more native Costa Ricans are moving in, too.
“Everyone that involves Reserva Conchal — especially folks that are from the States but additionally Costa Ricans which can be currently living within the central valley or San Jose — are on the lookout for a more balanced and healthier lifestyle,” he said.
Not waiting for retirement
While Caceres has mostly stepped back from the restaurant world, he still consults on large projects and juggles just a few ventures — often from his breezy Costa Rican home office as an alternative of Arizona.
“It’s really no different, except the view is best. The entire vibe is so much more relaxed and also you’re less stressed,” Caceres said. “I never wear shoes there — that tells you all the pieces.”
And the longer he stays, the more he embraces the local mindset.
“Many of the Blue Zone is inside yourself, it’s the best way you act, the best way you behave and the best way you reside,” Caceres said. “If you’re there, you turn out to be an element of it.”
Park City meets pura vida
Nils Thorjussen can be on a mission to search out a brand new rhythm of life in Costa Rica.
A self-described “serial entrepreneur,” the 59-year-old most recently spent a decade on the helm of Verge Aero, a startup that creates choreographed light shows using drones.
“It’s been a very cool, fun ride, but I’m able to work less,” said Thorjussen, who admitted he’d been grappling with feelings of burnout before handing over the reins and entering into a part-time role earlier this 12 months.
When Thorjussen began trying to find a second home, Costa Rica’s accessibility quickly became a serious draw.
“It’s easier to embrace it versus being in an environment where there’s a Kentucky Fried Chicken on every corner.”
Nils Thorjussen
“It’s inside reasonable striking range of the US — it’s like a three-hour flight from Houston — so it’s easy to access versus a number of the other Blue Zones, like within the Mediterranean,” he said. “That was really essential to me.”
Thorjussen and his wife, Rebecca, now travel backwards and forwards between their home in Park City, Utah, and a five-bedroom, fully-staffed eco villa perched high above the coastline inside Reserva Conchal.
“After I’m here, I’m completely happy as a clam,” the father-of-two said. “It’s definitely good for my mental health, because you may really try and relax and luxuriate in life. It’s very easy to transition to a distinct speed.”
The Nicoya Peninsula’s repute as a Blue Zone also intrigued Thorjussen, who was curious how the region’s lifestyle might influence his own well-being.
“For essentially the most part, people here live more simply and closer to nature,” he said. “If you’re surrounded by that, it’s easier to embrace it versus being in an environment where there’s a Kentucky Fried Chicken on every corner.”
That connection to nature is now woven into his every day routine. Thorjussen starts each morning with a stroll across the property, taking in the plush greenery, flitting parakeets and the calls of howler monkeys echoing through the guanacaste trees.
He’s already planning to relocate his sailboat once he and Rebecca make the move full-time.
Thorjussen’s habits have shifted in other ways, too — particularly relating to food.
“Being a bit of bit older, I’m attempting to be more health-conscious,” he said. “If you ought to avoid processed foods, it’s much easier to get fresh ingredients here than it’s in many of the US.”
The normal Nicoyan weight loss plan is primarily plant-based and centers around beans, corn and squash, together with rice, fresh vegetables and antioxidant-rich tropical fruits. They eat a substantial amount of dairy and luxuriate in lean proteins like fish, chicken and eggs moderately.
The water within the Nicoya Peninsula can be filled with calcium and magnesium, which wards off heart disease and promotes strong bones.
Couple that with the vitamin D Costa Ricans take in by spending a variety of time outdoors, and it promotes an extended, healthier lifestyle.
“Although I’m sure I’d have the opportunity to be reasonably healthy in Park City, it’s definitely easier to execute here,” Thorjussen said.
Living longer, together
Community and social responsibility are also at the center of the Blue Zone lifestyle, in line with Fernandez.
The Nicoyan motto “plan de vida,” meaning a reason to live, fuels elders’ positive outlook, energetic routines and powerful sense of purpose of their community.
Locals credit this mindset for his or her extraordinary longevity — and Reserva Conchal is bringing that spirit to life on-site.
“Having a way of community has been very, very essential for residents,” Fernandez said. “They desire a deeper reference to the community around where they live.”
At Reserva Conchal, each residents and staff roll up their sleeves for local volunteer projects, including painting schools, planting trees, cleansing beaches and even scuba diving to remove debris from coral reefs.
Sustainability can be on the forefront. Greater than 85% of on-site waste is recycled, composted or reused. The community runs two wastewater treatment plants plus Costa Rica’s first sea-water desalination plant. Impressively, it offsets 20% more carbon emissions than it produces.
“Residents need to be more connected with nature, to have a purpose of their lives, to be an element of a more supportive community, so I do hope that in the long run it would help them live an extended life,” Fernandez said. “I do know that it would be a more fulfilling one.”
