Original subtitles

Here comes a big one! Aah!

Narrator: Dazzling blue waters,

pristine sands, spectacular sunrises.

This is so beautiful. It's like it's not even real.

A getaway for some, for others, just another day in paradise.

Are you guys ready? All: Yeah.

Narrator: Somewhere out there, the perfect beach home awaits.

Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow.

That's the million-dollar view.

This is our new life in paradise in costa rica.

That's pretty amazing, right guys?

We've known each other for probably about 20 years now. Yeah.

We were working in the same veterinary hospital

where I was a doctor, and she was the office manager.

And he fell in love with me immediately.

[ both chuckle ]

we got together, we traveled for a bit for about a year,

and then we started having children of our own.

Oh, nice job noah!

Andy has two older boys,

but I didn't have any children so we have now a family of four.

Are you excited? Yeah.

Allyson: In ridgefield, connecticut,

where we're moving from, things are just a lot different

than they are here. It's a much faster pace of life.

I've had an offer to purchase the business.

I've been practicing for a lot of years.

When I had my second child,

I became an online health- and-fitness coach,

and I think we both just decided,

this is the right time now.

Hi!

We've been to costa rica a number of times,

every time we come we say, "wow. We should live down here."

yeah, that's true. Now it's going to be a reality.

Yeah. [ chuckles ]

narrator: The republic of costa rica

lies near the southern end of central america,

bordered by the caribbean sea to the east

and the pacific ocean to the west.

While largely known for the dense forest and lush vegetation

which dominate much of the landscape,

the guanacaste province in costa rica's northwest corner

stays hot and dry throughout the year,

creating the perfect conditions

for some of the region's best beaches.

♪♪

so, this, potentially, will be our life every day.

I think I could definitely get used to this,

getting rid of the winters back home.

This is pretty phenomenal.

It's going to be amazing.

But, of course, first, we have to find a house.

For me it would be four bedrooms, four bathrooms,

something that's close to the international school.

Maybe a community where the kids can play with other kids.

And if I could see this every morning,

I'd be a happy guy.

So, how much do you think we should spend?

Maybe go up to $800,000 or so.

Would you be willing to go up to more for the right house?

It would have to be pretty spectacular.

Yeah, but I think we could probably go a little higher.

I think we could probably go up to a million.

[ laughs ] I'm sure you do. Ready?

Let's go. Let's get going.

Costa rica's an amazing place to live

because we have so many different microclimates.

We have over 300 days of sunshine per year.

We get to live in a place where the people are super welcoming,

and there's people from all over the world.

Narrator: Las catalinas is one of the most distinctive places

in all of costa rica.

Built to resemble a medieval european town,

this community, which doesn't allow cars,

offers everything all within easy walking distance.

The house we're going to see is called "casa la urraca."

allyson: What does that mean?

It's a blue jay in costa rica.

It's a beautiful three-story home here,

and it has four bedrooms, four and a half baths.

And it's only a one minute walk from the beach...

That's nice.

...And a 20-minute drive from the international school.

That's a little far. Okay, a little far.

Yeah, and it has a price tag of $1.2 million.

Yeesh. Yeah.

That's a bit steep.

It's a little bit more than, I think what you want to spend.

But I have been told that the seller

is open to all offers,

so I think the community amenities

will make up for itself.

It's certainly worth taking a look at.

Wow.

Whoa. Now this is different.

Very. Oh, my goodness.

A little tiny pool.

A little storage area where our friends, the hobbits, live.

We could lock the children in there.

Yeah. Always can use some storage.

Let's see what else. Let's see the inside.

♪♪

it's a little dark, but nice.

Yeah. Yes. A lot of doors.

A lot of doors. Bedroom.

Bedroom number one. Yeah, it's actually nice.

Is this the master?

I don't know. It has a balcony.

It does have that beautiful balcony.

Thank you. Wow.

Look at this little courtyard here.

It's an awesome courtyard.

It's like a little mediterranean village.

But there's no ocean view here.

No, and, hopefully, this is not what she meant

by an ocean view, 'cause I don't see it.

I wonder what this is over here.

Hmm, that's strange.

Oh, it's a bathroom.

Oh, wow. How cool is that?

Full bath. Yeah, big full bath.

I like it. Let's head out.

Alright, so it does lead back into the bedroom.

I want to see what's through here.

Yeah.

Another bedroom.

It has a storage closet in this one, which is good.

Yeah, it's small, though...

Yeah. ...But nice.

For a guest room, it's okay I guess.

I really want to see what's upstairs.

Me, too.

Wow. This is pretty amazing.

Oh, my gosh. And look at that view.

I guess that's the ocean view.

That must be. Wow. This is beautiful.

Walk out of here. Wow. That's awesome.

Oh, wait. Does that open?

Whoa! Wow!

That's open-air living.

So, this actually adds space to this whole living area.

Yeah. Yeah. Wow. That's awesome.

And look at this view. It's just phenomenal.

Oh, my goodness. Just breath taking.

Oh, the sun feels good.

I have to say, though, I don't like any of this furniture,

and these chairs are hideous.

[ chuckles ] it doesn't surprise me.

But the kitchen is amazing.

Yeah, it's nice, but it's small.

There's not much counter space.

No, but I love the style, and I love the blue cabinets,

and I love the architecture -- the arches.

It's beautiful. Just a lot of style,

a lot of interesting touches to the house.

We have the living room over here.

Allyson: Without that beautiful view,

there's really not much to say about here.

Yeah, a very small room.

Oh, wow, look up.

That's pretty amazing.

It's like an old medieval church or something.

It is. Look at all these stairs.

I feel like I'm at home with all these levels.

It'll keep us in good shape. For sure.

Why don't we see what's over here?

A bedroom probably.

Wow. Look at these awesome ceilings.

The woodwork is amazing in here.

And the beautiful windows.

Do you think the kids are going to want to share a bedroom?

I mean, at home they have their own room,

and they fight about keeping each other out.

I don't know if this is going to work.

And nobody's going to want to stay

on the bottom level by themselves.

I mean, as you know, at home, the kids sleep with us.

So, this must be the master. I suspect it is.

Yeah.

Wow.

It's not a huge master, but tasteful.

No, but look at that view.

That is something.

Let's save that for last.

Okay. Maybe some storage here.

Oh, wow -- nice big walk-in closet.

Oh, yeah. Yeah, this will work.

And now let's see the master bath.

Wow. Nice bathroom.

Yeah, double vanities, giant mirror.

Big walk-in shower, but no bath.

Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow.

Oh, my goodness.

That's the million- dollar view.

This is why this house is so expensive.

I mean you just cannot beat that view.

The only thing I don't like is that our neighbors

are so incredibly close. I mean, you have no privacy.

It's something to consider for sure.

The houses are close together, we get the community,

but you don't get the privacy.

You have no privacy. Well what do you say?

Do you want to go down to the beach?

Yeah, let's go check out the beach.

Okay, I want to see how long of a walk it is.

See how far it is.

♪♪

wow. That really was a one-minute walk to the beach.

Yeah, I know. It definitely was. It's pretty beautiful.

Now that we've looked at the house, what did you think?

I love the house, but I didn't love the furniture.

The fact that there's two bedrooms on the top level,

two bedrooms on the bottom level

is a problem for me, too, just because the kids,

I don't think they're going to want to share a bedroom.

It's a long way from the school.

It's certainly not perfect, but I love the community.

I know. I do, too.

I love the walkability.

It's pretty tempting, it's just that price point --

I'm just not sure it's something that we can stretch to manage.

♪♪

narrator: Andy and allyson head to mar vista,

a beautiful gated community with a modern feel

overlooking the pacific ocean and conchal bay.

Yeah, so, tell us a little bit about this place.

Well, mar vista is one of the few gated communities.

There's hiking and biking trails, there's a playground.

Oh, nice.

I noticed it's really close to the school.

Oh, there's the tennis court.

Yeah, and you see a lot of wildlife here, as well.

Oh, I love that.

This house is a brand-new build.

It is three bedrooms, three and a half baths,

and the price is great at $749,000.

$749,000 is a good price.

I'm sure our kids will be complaining about these steps.

Oh, yeah, when they have to carry

the groceries from the car.

♪♪

wow! Very nice!

♪♪

wow! Very nice!

Andy: Big room. It's so open.

It looks brand-new. It does look brand-new.

[ gasps ] look outside!

That's pretty amazing, too.

There's the pacific ocean.

I don't love the dirt,

under-construction aspect of this,

but you know, sitting in the pool,

looking out over the ocean.

Definitely. I mean, and then you have a grill over here

and a great seating area, which is awesome.

Really, really nicely done.

Wow. This I love, love, love, love.

This giant kitchen -- so much counter space,

so much prep area, so much storage.

Giant island here for eating breakfast.

Yes, you know I love us making breakfast

with the kids in the morning.

I love this kitchen. Yeah.

Okay, so, this is your living room, I guess.

Yeah, they concentrated on the kitchen, for sure,

and did a great job with it. And I love it.

It's just weird because it's so grand,

and then you have, eh, itty-bitty living space.

Got ya.

Okay.

Let's see what's behind this door.

Okay, so, this is the first bedroom?

Yeah, it's a nice room. Good size, good-sized bed.

Mm-hmm, so, this would be one of the boys rooms. Yes.

Let's see what's in here.

Bathroom.

Nice, very nice. Full bath.

It's convenient for them to have their own bathroom

right off the bedroom. Yeah, sure.

I want to see what's behind here.

Sorry.

Oh, nice closet.

That'll actually work really well.

-Thank you. -After you.

So, this is...

Something. ...Something.

I'm not sure what you would use this space for.

I don't know. I mean, it's just outside the bedroom.

Yeah, and then you have to look

at the ugly air-conditioning unit

and whatever that thing is.

Not a very nice view from here.

No, not a very nice view at all.

Okay.

Probably another bedroom or two down here.

Yeah, mm-hmm.

It's very bright, which I really like

about all of the rooms. They're really bright.

Very similar to the one we just looked at.

Yeah.

Alright, so, this must be the master bedroom.

No. Maybe the master closet.

Maybe. Maybe we can use it as a workout room.

For sure, you do, like, little exercises like this.

Maybe I can like, shuffle, see if there's enough room

to shuffle back and forth. Not really.

Okay, so, the master must be the other end of the house.

Yeah, probably. Alright.

Still that beautiful view.

Andy: Mm-hmm, still that beautiful kitchen.

Still this beautiful kitchen.

Okay, exploring, exploring.

Okay, this is definitely the master.

That view is amazing.

That is a nice view for a bedroom.

For sure. For sure.

But I want to see what's in here first.

Okay, must be the bathroom, closet.

Allyson: Bathroom. Okay, full bath.

Yeah but, a little bit disappointing for the master.

A little small, single vanity. Yeah.

Yeah, I was expecting something a little more grand.

Me, too. Okay.

And what, a closet? Must be.

Wow. Now this is a master closet.

Total walk in. My side, your side.

Yeah, this would definitely work. I love it.

Cool. Okay. Now...

Now the master. Now the master.

It's quite stunning.

I mean, the views and the light.

Yeah, windows everywhere.

And you have the pool right out here.

I could totally see you running out in the morning

and doing a cannonball.

[ both chuckle ] I might try that.

Nice king-size bed. Yeah, certainly.

But...It is a little small.

It is a little small, yeah.

I can't get over this beautiful pool.

Very inviting.

And this is so beautiful, too,

this patio here. Yeah, overlooking.

Yeah, overlooking, and that view

is just really, really, really pretty.

So, overall, what did you think of the home?

I love the house, actually.

I love the kitchen.

The kitchen is, by far, my favorite part.

It's really nice that it's just so close

to the school right down the hill.

Yeah, I mean, the kids can almost ride their bikes there.

Gated community. But it is only three bedroom.

You know, when we have guests or family,

when the older boys come to visit,

it's gonna be tight.

That's going to be a problem for sure.

I do like that the price is very reasonable.

So, that's a big consideration for sure.

We'll see. Okay.

Okay.

♪♪

alright, what shall we start with?

You want to look at the crocodiles over here?

Yeah, you love crocodiles, noah, that's right?

I won't be practicing as a veterinarian there

because I won't have licensure here.

I would like to write a book.

[ chuckles ] alright.

I'd like to have some time to play my guitar more,

learn to be a better surfer.

I don't think I'll have any trouble

finding things to do.

Costa rica is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet.

What the heck does that mean?

That means more species of different animals

than anywhere else.

I will be bringing animals.

I'm always the one who brings all of the animals home.

I'm the one who says no more animals.

[ both laugh ]

hi, little ducklings.

Hello, duckies. You know mommy loves ducks, right?

I think we're really looking forward

to being outside more and all year long,

and getting the kids more active,

which they're not in the winter.

Look at the one. He's blue!

I think it'll be good for all of us.

I agree.

Narrator: Rebecca brings allyson and andy

to a home near playa prieta

overlooking the clear waters of flamingo bay.

This small, local beach is a popular spot for families

who enjoy swimming, surfing, or just relaxing in the sun.

This is casa vista prieta, it's a five-bedroom,

five-bath, two-story home with an infinity-edge pool.

Allyson: The pool is amazing.

It has amazing ocean views, as you can see.

And we're pretty close to the beach,

like a two-minute drive.

And how far from the school is it?

Oh, it's about 15 minutes.

And I think the price is great at $889,000.

Wow. I bet you love that.

That is good. I do love that.

Whoa. Look at this.

This is amazing.

♪♪

wow. This is pretty nice.

It's a great entry way. Andy: It is.

Lots of light in here.

Yeah, this is really quite beautiful.

So, let's see what's in this first room over here.

It's weird, all these doors. I know.

Wow. This is a nice room.

Andy: Big bed.

Do you think that's a king-size bed?

Maybe. Comfy memory foam.

Wow. Look at that view out of the window.

Beautiful view. Let's see -- bathroom?

Maybe.

Full bath, yeah.

Sink, toilet, shower.

How about this one? Closet maybe?

Yeah. Closet -- a walk-in closet.

Wow. Nice-size closet, yeah.

Okay, there's room number two.

Very interesting.

I love this bunk beds for the kids

and their friends when their friends come over.

And I love the extra storage in here, which is amazing.

It's a huge room. It'd be a great play room, too, maybe.

When the kids come, they have their friends

and their toys will be in here.

And another bathroom, I guess.

Yeah, another bathroom.

Rebecca said there were five.

No tub though, but that's maybe not such a problem/

maybe there is a bathroom with a tub.

Okay, let's see what's in the next room.

Yes.

Wow. Another big king-size bed in here.

Yeah, the rooms are all a good size.

Yeah, they are.

Not a great view out of this window here.

No, but you can still go outside, which is nice.

And more storage again, which is nice.

Yeah.

Wow. This is a nice big bathroom, though.

Double vanities. Definitely would work well.

Yeah. Very functional.

Let's see if we can find the master.

I love this staircase. It's just phenomenal.

Whoa! Look at this.

This is amazing.

This is a giant room.

Oh, my god! Look at that view!

After you. Wow. This is just amazing.

It's a little different than connecticut.

Yeah. Fantastic.

Wow, look at this absolutely phenomenal kitchen.

Mm-hmm, extra seating here. I love this island.

Perfect breakfast area.

Perfect. We have tons of cabinets.

All the comforts of home, but with a spectacular view.

Allyson: I just love the space.

Let's see -- that looks like it's probably the master.

Wow. I'm not very impressed with this master.

It's small.

No, I was expecting something a bit more...Impressive.

Me, too. I mean, it's nice.

There's still a huge king-size bed in here,

which is nice and the four poster's beautiful.

Not a great view from the master.

Yeah, with the garbage. Except for that hill.

Closet.

Yeah, not terribly large.

No, I agree.

And here? Master bath.

Wow. This is still very, very nice.

But, again, no bath tub,

so I guess there's no bath tub in the house.

I don't think they have bath tubs in costa rica.

I don't think that's a costa rica thing.

Alright, why don't we have a look at the terrace out here?

Well, this is nice.

I guess you could sort of see the ocean from here.

Nice view of the jungle. Yeah, nice.

You could have your dinner out here if you want to.

Yeah, I'm over here making hamburgers.

Yeah. Flipping them around.

Oh, so, this is the path that goes down to the pool.

Sit in the pool, listen to the birds.

Yeah. Oh, I love this pool.

Oh, the ol' infinity edge.

Oh, yeah. Oh, it's nice, right?

Hey, there's rebecca. This pool is absolutely amazing.

Yeah, I think that this is definitely

one of the best features of the house,

other than the obvious, which is the view.

Yeah, the view. Yes, definitely.

The kitchen is beautiful.

I love that the cabinets match throughout the house.

My only concern was that there was a master,

but it wasn't an impressive master -- it wasn't big.

It didn't have any great view.

Just the property itself you know,

with the kids, a place to play.

It's just sort of on a hill.

But it's a beautiful home, for sure.

It is, and I love that there's also a jungle and oceans,

and, so, there will be birds and monkeys,

and I love that aspect of it.

♪♪

when I move to costa rica, I am hoping

that the kids become more connected to nature

and more connected to the family,

and they become less dependent on their devices

and consumption and really focus on

what is the most important things in life.

Say cheese!

Andy: You know, being able to do a lot of fun things together

that we never have time for when I'm working full time

and all the stuff that goes on back home.

So, guys, this is pretty exciting, right?

Yeah.

How about you guys stay here,

and you build the perfect house that you want to live in?

Let mom and I talk about the houses a little bit.

♪♪

allyson: Okay, so, let's start with the beige house with a view.

Right. That was the biggest house.

It was, and that one was a 15-minute ride to the school.

Right. Not in a gated community.

But I loved that when you walked outside,

that was my favorite part of that house, that view.

You could just see, it seems like,

all of costa rica from there.

Okay. And how about the new-construction house?

I love that kitchen. It had a really nice pool.

And although the houses weren't,

you know, super close together,

there was a community there. It was a gated community.

Yeah. It was the lowest priced one.

I did like that. And then the blue jay house.

I loved that there was just this amazing view

from the master bedroom.

I could see waking up in the morning

and looking out at that view.

I liked that view the best.

But it was only two bedrooms on the top

and two bedrooms on the bottom,

so the kids would have to share a room.

Yeah. It's going to be a stretch financially,

you know, for that house.

But the feel of that community was spectacular,

and it's a one-minute walk to the beach.

Alright, so, in the end, if you have to make a choice,

which you do, what would you say?

I think I would decide on...

Casa la urraca, the blue jay house.

I figured you'd pick the most expensive one.

We're going to have to see if we can get rebecca

to work some magic for us. I know. I know.

Otherwise, we'll be eating rice and beans for a while.

Yeah, for sure. I agree.

But I do agree with you. Oh, thank god.

That was my favorite, for sure.

Hopefully, she can make it happen.

♪♪

so, you're working on your book today?

I am. I'm in the formative stages.

Are you going to let me read it?

No, not for a while yet.

Andy: Rebecca went to bat for us,

and after some back and forth negotiation,

we settled on $975,000.

The lack of not having a yard has not been a big deal for us,

because the kids end up using the streets as their playground.

Hey, guys, come up for lunch!

And them sharing a room has actually worked out really well.

None of the negatives ended up being that big.

No, none at all.

Not a bad backyard. No, this is just --

it's much simpler.

We don't rush around so much.

We feel much healthier. It's awesome.

It is awesome. This was the right house, for sure.

♪♪