The third episode of the www.centralamerica.com podcast where we speak to Aaron Atkey, one of the great champions of life in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica about beach life and turning various passions into a lifestyle and a living. This article contains some affiliate links, where we make a small commission if you buy anything after clicking, at no extra cost to you.
You might know this already by now, but we’ve jumped on the bandwagon and started a podcast.
The idea is to talk to interesting people in Central America doing interesting stuff, whether they’re a local, an expat, or a visitor.
Our latest guest is Aaron Atkey, one of my favorite people in Central America.
Aaron’s been in Costa Rica forever. It’s probably not really fair to call him an “expat”… the guy’s a true local. His parents came to Costa Rica from Canada years ago, back in the 70s, when this part of the world was a wholely different place, way off the beaten track.
This means Aaron’s spent his life in Costa Rica, since he was a young child, most of the time in the beach community of Santa Teresa on the Nicoya Peninsula. Santa Teresa is one of Costa Rica’s most up and coming areas, and in his own words, Aaron is an ambassador for the community.
I have to say, if I was the jealous type, it’d be easy to be jealous of this guy.
He’s a man who’s always living his best life, always living life to the max. He’s a restaurant owner. He’s a kayak fisherman/fishing guide. Surfer/surf guide. Private chef. General tour guide.
Aaron’s a faciliator and good man to know. He helps others set up their lives, businesses, and homes on the southern Nicoya Peninsula while juggling various balls in the air himself.
Like I say, when I think of someone living life to the max in Costa Rica, I think of Aaron, and I genuinely admire him.
In our chat, Aaron and I talk about life in Santa Teresa and the changes to the town he’s seen over the years.
He offers some extraordinary insight into how Santa Teresa’s special community spirit helped the region through the worst of the pandemic last year when the borders closed and tourism evaporated.
For Aaron, and for everyone who relies on tourism for a living, the past year’s been excruciating. Aaron has only just reopened his fish restaurant, La Cervicheria – a “gourmet version of Subway except with fresh fish” – and restarted his fishing tours again with Peninsula Fishing, where he tailors kayak fishing trips with whatever his clients want.
Whatever he catches with his clients he’ll prepare for them in his capacity as a private chef.
Aaron also offers insight for anyone looking to move to Santa Teresa, Costa Rica.
He talks about all the little communities and subcultures that exist – people from all over the world move to Santa Teresa – and some of the downsides of living in a jungle beach town at the end of the road.
If you’re interested in coming to Santa Teresa, Costa Rica on vacation or to live, it’s worth watching or listening to this chat. And my recommendation is listen to Aaron’s recommendations, especially for restaurants.
When he says Playa de los Artistas in Montezuma is one of the best restaurants in the world, believe him. When he recommends Kooks Smokehouse & Bar, go there.
The point of this podcast was to highlight the community of Santa Teresa and the work Aaron does promoting his community on a business and personal level.
I don’t think there are many people out there who love Santa Teresa and who does as much for the community as Aaron. Keep on keeping on, man!
If you have any questions about life in Santa Teresa, reach out to Aaron on Facebook, or follow his various enterprises on social media. Find them listed below:
La Cervicheria Facebook
La Cervicheria Instagram
Peninsula Fishing Facebook
Peninsula Fishing Instagram
Cooking Around Facebook
Cooking Around Instagram
Please find the podcast at the top of this page (in video format) and again below (in audio format to listen to in the car or whatever).
Related:
- Nicholas Corea from The Bocas Breeze in Bocas del Toro, Panama
- Rob Stirr, “The Sausage Guy” in Costa Rica
- Aaron Atkey – Chef, Restaurateur, Fisherman, Surfer, and All-Round Facilitator/Nice Guy in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica (this page)
- Talking COVID in Guatemala with Nestor Quixtan
- Keara Mahoney in Bocas del Toro, Panama
- The www.centralamerica.com Podcast: Responsible Hiring in Costa Rica for Expats
- Lawrence Cohen, the Expat Musician in Costa Rica