San Rafael

About San Rafael:

San Rafael lies east of the town of Esparza and covers 34 square kilometres at an average height of 247 metres, rising toward the ridge of Alto Corteza at close to 480 metres. Ruta 131, the road between Esparza and San Mateo, runs through the district, and Ruta 756 branches off toward San Ramón. People live in a handful of villages: San Rafael itself, Salitral, El Barón, Facio, Llanada del Cacao, Maratón and Alto Corteza. For permits, land-use certificates and municipal taxes, you deal with the Municipalidad de Esparza in Espíritu Santo, the canton seat to the west.

The village of San Rafael holds the services the district relies on, with the EBAIS clinic, the community hall and the police post grouped across the road from Bendinat’s commercial strip. Beyond that, life runs on the land. Farms here mix cattle pasture with teak and with orchards of mango, citrus, guava, cashew and pejibaye, and Llanada del Cacao has its own grocery on Ruta 131. Some of the port’s money reaches these hills as well: in 2023 the municipality laid new sidewalks in El Barón with funds from the Ley Caldera, which passes part of Puerto Caldera’s income to local government.

Away from the main road, San Rafael is hill country. Forest holds on along the steeper ground, and the Bendinat project’s land alone takes in more than ten hectares of protected woodland. The best-known spot is Catarata El Encanto, in the Parcelas El Barón, where the water drops 23 metres down a sheer rock face. The way in leaves the paved road toward Labrador de San Mateo for a gravel track and ends on a steep stairway, and the last stretch suits only high-clearance vehicles. Keep that in mind on any rural parcel: the final few hundred metres decide how you get in and out.

The population has barely changed since the 2011 census, which counted 1,294 people. They live in the villages above and on the farms between them. The newcomers are in the condominiums, built by a developer with Spanish capital and sold to families building their own home, to retirees and to investors. Gated streets, shared green areas and a monthly fee make them a very different purchase from a village plot, and in San Rafael that is usually the first choice a buyer makes.

Houses in San Rafael:

Houses here come in two kinds. Village and farm homes tend to sit on plenty of ground: a four-bedroom house with garden and pergola on 5,000 square metres, or a three-bedroom house on a sloping lot of just over 1,000 square metres, terraced into three levels. Inside Bendinat the houses are new, from two-bedroom homes on lots of around 900 square metres to four-bedroom family houses, and owners share the pool and clubhouse. When you compare houses for sale in San Rafael de Esparza, work out whether you are paying for a condominium unit with monthly fees or a stand-alone titled lot with no shared costs.

Rentals in San Rafael:

Renting here is a small, local business. Monthly rentals are mostly modest village houses, such as a two-bedroom home facing the main road or a newly built house a few hundred metres from the entrance to El Barón. A few houses with pools are let to holiday guests by the night or the weekend. If you want to rent while you build on a lot in the district, start in the villages along Ruta 131.

Land and Lots in San Rafael:

Land is the heart of this market. Farms run from a hectare and a half at Llanada del Cacao to more than eight hectares beside Ruta 131, often with fruit trees, pasture or teak already growing, and the larger tracts on the road are offered for residential communities, tourism or retirement housing. In the condominiums, lots for sale in San Rafael de Esparza run from about 700 to 1,450 square metres, ready to build, with water and power already brought in. A rural parcel outside them costs less per square metre, but it will need its own water letter, a land-use certificate and, often, a better road.

New Developments in San Rafael:

Two gated condominiums of lots, both from the same developer, have changed what this district sells. La Mallorquina, at El Barón, came first: lots start at about 960 square metres, more than six hectares are kept as green space, and the project has held the Bandera Azul Ecológica. Bendinat followed in 2020, with more than 120 residential lots in its first stage, underground power and water from its own source through the local ASADA. Its second project, Bendinat Natura, is meant to take the total past 270 home sites, and a commercial plaza of 13 premises is planned to serve both condominiums and the village around them.

FAQ:

• How do I know a property is in San Rafael de Esparza and not another San Rafael?

  Go by the survey plan and the title, not the name in an advert. Costa Rica has several districts called San Rafael, in Escazú, Poás and other cantons; this one belongs to Esparza, in Puntarenas, postal code 60204. A property registered in Puntarenas has a folio real number beginning with 6. Ask the seller for the finca number and look it up in the Registro Nacional (Registro Inmobiliario) before you go further.

• How do you get to San Rafael from San José?

  From the Central Valley, take Ruta 27 to Orotina and carry on toward San Mateo and Esparza, which brings you onto Ruta 131. From the coast, come in from the town of Esparza on the same road. Ruta 756 links the district directly with Santiago de San Ramón. Drive the route at the hour you would really travel before you decide whether the distance works for you.

• What am I buying with a lot in Bendinat or La Mallorquina?

  You buy a titled unit, a finca filial, inside a condominium, together with a share of the common areas and a monthly maintenance fee. The condominium rules set what you can build and how, so read them, along with the fee and the budget, before you sign. Ask for the water availability letter for your specific lot, and check the unit and any liens at the national registry. If you plan to build soon, ask the developer which permits are already in place.

• What should I check before buying a farm in the hills of San Rafael?

  Start with the way in and the water. If the farm is reached over gravel, drive that stretch yourself, in a normal car, before you agree a price. Ask the local ASADA for a water availability letter, since you will need it for a building permit, and ask the Municipalidad de Esparza for a land-use certificate. Find out whether part of the farm is forest that cannot be cleared, and walk the boundaries on the plano catastrado against the fences on the ground. Then confirm who owns it in the Registro Nacional.