San Sebastián

About San Sebastián:

The district covers about four square kilometres at 1,125 metres. Hospital and Catedral lie to the north, Hatillo to the west and San Francisco de Dos Ríos to the east, while the cantons of Alajuelita and Desamparados begin along its southern edge. Route 39, the Circunvalación, cuts across it, and routes 175, 209, 213 and 214 run through as well. The junction everyone knows is the Paso Ancho roundabout, called La Guacamaya; since a grade separation opened there in August 2016, ring-road traffic no longer has to stop at the circle. From the northern barrios, the city centre is just across the María Aguilar river.

In the mid-19th century the area was called La Isla, the island, because it was hemmed in by the María Aguilar and Tiribí rivers. It was split into two sectors, Paso Ancho and San Sebastián, and both names still turn up in addresses and listings today. The district dates from December 1848 and opened its first school in 1886, but growth was slow: 650 residents in 1883 and fewer than 6,000 in 1950. Thirteen years later the count had passed 23,000, and today it is estimated at about 50,000. Paso Ancho also holds the Seminario Nacional, whose building, championed by Archbishop Víctor Manuel Sanabria, went up between 1946 and 1950.

Shops followed the houses. In 1998 the country’s first hypermarket, Hipermás, opened here; it trades as a Walmart now and remains the landmark people use when giving directions. Next to the Bambú Eco Urbano towers, Bambú Eco Plaza brings together a theatre, a gym, clinics, a market and a food court. For open space there is the Parque de la Paz, paid for with government bonds bought by the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social and opened in its first stage in 1989. It has a velodrome, a hockey rink, football and basketball courts, lakes and a concert area.

San Sebastián is the third most populous district in the canton and the second most densely populated. Its barrios include Paso Ancho, Colonia Kennedy, Luna Park, Zorobarú, Presidentes, Monte Azul, Cerro Azul, Bengala, Hogar Propio, Santa Rosa and Seminario. Buyers are mainly Costa Rican families and first-time owners who want to stay in the central canton, plus small investors picking up houses with a separate unit or small apartment buildings. Tenants are largely people who work downtown or along the ring road, and families who need a whole house within reach of the park.

Houses in San Sebastián:

Most of the housing is one- and two-storey family homes on compact lots, in barrios that filled up from the 1950s onwards. Over the decades many gained a second floor, a garage turned into a shop or a separate apartment, so two houses on the same block can be very different purchases. Houses for sale in San Sebastián are priced in colones or dollars depending on the seller; convert everything to one currency before you compare. Where in the district matters too: near the Parque de la Paz you have green space on the doorstep, while next to the Circunvalación and La Guacamaya you trade quiet for speed.

Apartments in San Sebastián:

Bambú Eco Urbano is the best-known apartment complex here: five towers by RC Inmobiliaria with their own shopping plaza, a pool, gym, clubhouse, play areas and controlled access. It won the Costa Rican Chamber of Construction’s sustainable building award for its bioclimatic design, energy savings and wastewater treatment. Some upper-floor units look out toward Alajuelita. Smaller condominiums include Casa Real near La Guacamaya, Oasis de San José and Vistas de la Cruz in Paso Ancho. Before you commit to one of the apartments in San Sebastián, find out what the monthly condominium fee covers and whether the rules allow letting the unit, which matters if you are buying to rent.

Rentals in San Sebastián:

The rental offer runs from furnished three-bedroom apartments in the towers to whole houses and units in small buildings in barrios like Colonia Kennedy. Rents are quoted in colones or dollars, so check which currency the contract uses and what happens to the rent if the exchange rate moves. Most people looking for apartments for rent in San Sebastián want a short trip into central San José. Ask whether water, condominium fees and parking are included before you sign.

FAQ:

• Is Paso Ancho part of San Sebastián?

  Yes. The area has been divided into two sectors, Paso Ancho and San Sebastián, since the 19th century, and sellers use either name. Both share postal code 10111 and are governed by the Municipalidad de San José, but the district shown on the cadastral plan is what settles it.

• What should I check if a house or lot backs onto the María Aguilar or the Tiribí?

  Riverbanks carry a protected strip where you cannot build, and some lots near the rivers sit on steep ground. Get the land-use certificate from the Municipalidad de San José, then match the cadastral plan against the title at the Registro Nacional (Registro Inmobiliario) to confirm the owner, the boundaries and any liens. On a sloping lot, look at retaining walls, cracks and where storm water goes in the rainy season.

• How did the La Guacamaya overpass change things?

  Through traffic on the ring road has flowed past the Paso Ancho roundabout without stopping since 2016, which made trips east and west across the capital quicker. Houses facing the ring road live with heavy traffic all day, so visit at rush hour before you decide.

• What is it like to live beside the Parque de la Paz?

  You get 53 hectares with a velodrome, sports courts and lakes within walking distance. When concerts or sporting events are on, cars fill the surrounding streets, and the park feels different at different hours, so walk it by day and after dark before picking a house on its edge.

• Is a tower apartment or a house the better buy here?

  It depends on what you need. A tower like Bambú Eco Urbano gives you security, a pool and a gym for a monthly fee; a house gives you more room and the option of a rental unit, with all the upkeep on you. If you are buying to rent, weigh the fee against the rent the unit can realistically earn.