San Jose - Hotel Recommendations

[Superman06]

It does appear I have blundered in my search of Santo Tomas. My spelling was right but I did not use the search engine correctly. I do apologize for not checking more thoroughly before posting. I'm a senior member on the USA Sex Guide and regulary thump newbies for what I did here. Thank you for the heads up on the Santo Tomas and for your reccomendations.

How did you read the forum? Did you just scan back over recent posts looking for the name of that hotel or do you use the search feature? And if you used the search feature did you spell it as Santo Tomas or Santo THomas, as other guys sometimes do?

[D Panda]

Try comparing it to places like Motel 6 or Budget Inn in the US, places I'm guessing you don't stay in too often, where you can get rooms for $35/nt and where the walls are equally thin. Or, if you're going to complain about the sounds of "Aye, Papi" coming through the walls, try comparing it to the type of hotels that are primarily used for trysts with hookers in the US

Someday I will learn the damn "quote" procedure!

I am in agreement with you on the Motel 6 / Budget Inn comparison....and you are correct I do not stay in those motels here in the states (but at least they have ice machines and vending machines). As I have gotten older I find either an upscale Hotel or a condo are more to my liking. CR seems like camping!! LOL but hey roughing it once in a while is fun.

I stayed in the Holiday Inn in July 2005. The Morazan in 06 & 07. So as you can see I was not THAT put off by the rooms. I like the location as I enjoy eating in the stained glass window room of the Key Largo, and the HDR is right there.

I shudder to think of running a black light over the rooms in CR. I always shuck the bedspread first thing and leave it on the floor in the corner telling the maids to leave it there.

So hopefully I will return to paradise in the spring and reaquaint myself with the locals.

Merry Christmas to all,

Panda

[Prolijo]

Prolijo, he isn't talking about just paying the $10 chica fee at the Del Rey, but the entire cost of a room at the Del Rey PLUS the ten dollars just to have sex in it.

Yeah, I understood that, which is why I said in that same paragraph that the shortterm price at the Morazon is less than half the price at the HDR (chica fee included).

There are situations where for one reason or another guy has to stay at a place that doesn't allow guests. Maybe it is because his company is paying for it or maybe it is because he is with other people who he can't allow see him bringing back chicas. That said there are a LOT more practical ways of dealing with it than paying for an extra room PLUS a chica fee.

One time I was in that situation and I just limited myself to on-site places like the MP's during the afternoon and IDEM later at night (had to be back to my hotel by midnight anyway so I could get up for my ECO-TOUR the next day anyway).

There is also the Hotel Asia right around the corner, which admittedly is not particularly nice but whose cost for the whole night is no more than the chica fee alone at the Del Rey.

I think the Morazon only charges $20-25 for short time when they have the rooms available, which is no more than the guest fees at some places, and even Panda admits that their rooms are "ok" as long as you don't plan to do any sleeping there .

And there is also always a "love motel" like the Motel Eden (in Central America Motels as opposed to Hotels are always places for trysts). I haven't been there myself but I hear their rooms are very nice, with jacuzzis, streaming porn and the whole works and even they would be less

But, barring HAVING to stay at some place that doesn't allow guests for some reason, there really isn't any justification for having to get a second room, certainly not security concerns.

Seriously, the talk of crime here is completely overblown. Of course, you should be careful. Of course, bad things can happen. But don't go crazy with your fears.

I agree nearly 100% with not only this but the rest of your post, but I'll have to "blast" you or at least "call you to the carpet so to speak" on a couple of points:

1) I've also been hanging out in San Jose many times (since '99 for me) and, like you, I also walk all over the place at night, not just around the corner to the Presidente but as far north as the SL (not counting the Calle Blanco area near Linda Vista), as far south as Idem and as far west as Paseo Colon (and, of course, even further during the day). The closest thing to an incident for me was walking back one night from the old Park Hotel Oil Show I had a group of young thugs call out to me from a block away and start to walk towards me. I just went into a little jog down the then empty Pedestrian Mall to put some greater distance between us looking over my shoulder to see if they were continuing in my direction (which they weren't). A cab even screeched to a halt beside me (on the mall!) and warned me to watch out for those guys (and of course offered to give me a ride to my hotel, which I politely declined) and that freaked me out as much as the distant young thugs. Aside from that one time, nada. Even the trannies in Morazon Park won't seem to give me the time of day, or night rather.

2) It seems a little silly to me too to imagine taking a taxi two blocks to the Presidente. At least, for me personally. But I never drink heavily, carry any large sums of cash from gambling, am fit enough to dissuade most unarmed assailants and to run if I have to and I'm fairly street savvy. However, I can recognize how not everyone always fits that profile, particularly new bie mongers unfamiliar with poor urban streets. And so I always hesitate to advise others not to take that fairly cheap, albeit semmingly silly precaution. BTW, having to walk as far as the Presidente to find a reasonably priced cab is a bit of an exaggeration. The ones by the curb are all ridiculous rip-offs, but there are always cabs on the street passing by which you can flag down without taking more than 10 steps from the HDR front doors.

3) I was going to call Panda to the carpet on Sudamer not really being as
close as he made it sound, but I decided to let that go. I'm glad you mentioned it, however, while it is certainly within physical walking distance and COULD be done at night. I wouldn't recommend it to most newbies on this board with out knowing their particular situation. And if you have a chica in tow, for godsake man, don't be a cheapskate and get a cab. Have you ever tried walking on SJ sidewalks in high heels? Hell, I've twisted my ankle more times than I can count on them and I wear regular shoes (most of the time)

4) Okay, you're no Steven Segal (he's an asshole), but you're not exactly a small guy (okay you could stand to hit the gym, but how many of us couldn't). You're certainly a lot bigger than most Ticos and not the most tempting target.

5) I don't know how many guys have been robbed in SJ either, but I'm guessing it is much closer to 1 in a 1000 than 1 in 10. However, while I've never been robbed I DO know several guys that have. In most cases, I suspect there were contributing factors, particularly having too much to drink. Follow basic common sense, short of taking a cab, and you can reduce your odds further still. Taking a cab may reduce your odds even further than that. But the way I figure it, even say it has happened to 1 in 10 guys, how many trips have those guys taken before (or since) it happened without incident. Let's say it happens even once every 10 trips on average. In that case, the overall odds of being mugged on any one trip would be only 1 in 100 (and, again, I strongly doubt they're even that high). But let's say they are. If I take a cab 100 times it would cost me $100-200. If I walk and eventually get mugged, I'll quickly hand over the $20 or so dollars I'm carrying and at worst get a bump on the head or pushed to the ground (and then have a good war story to tell my friends about back at the bar while I have a drink to settle my nerves). Getting killed? Forget about it unless perhaps you stupidly resist. Very few muggings even require a trip to the hospital. Fortunately, with all my walking it has never even come to a scratch. Maybe I'm just lucky or maybe knowing how to conduct myself on the streets is the critical difference.

6) The idea that you'll definitely be mugged as soon as you step out of the door of the HDR certainly IS insane, however I still think that the area immediately outside the HDR (between the door and the curb) and the surrounding block (particularly between the HDR and the Prez) is about the most "dangerous" night-time area RELATIVELY speaking that most mongers will encounter. For muggers that is a "target rich" environment, what with all the rich and drunk gringos stumbling around or distracted by the chica in their arm and with lots of money in their pockets. There are grabby pushy people that MIGHT pickpocket you before you even step into the street to get a cab. Personally, I try never to let anyone get that close, but at the very least it can be distracting thus making you more susceptible to someone else. I know some of them scout for likely targets and then signal others when they're heading their way so they can accost them as soon as they're some "safe" distance away from the building. Frankly, the short distances from the HDR bother me the most. Once I'm out of that neighborhood and know I'm not being followed, the streets are usually empty enough so that I can easily see any possible danger heading my way.

I don't mean to make it sound like getting mugged on the sidewalk in front of the HDR is a sure thing or even a likelihood, but I do think that relatively speaking that immediate area is relatively more dangerous than other areas just by virtue of all the riffraff hanging around and unless you plan to be a completely degenerate monger and coccoon yourself in the HDR, never going out, you're going to have to run that gauntlet more frequently if you actually stay at that hotel than if you just visit it occasionally while staying somewhere else in a safer quieter neighborhood.

7) One definitely has to put one's concerns in perspective. Like you I have often said that the worries about street crime that so many guys seem to have pales in comparison (and frequency) to the risk that most guys take bringing strange chicas back to their rooms. And, just as some seem to have enough street sense to be handle walking SJ after dark and others don't, some guys can do a reasonable job of screening their chicas (AND not allowing them any opportunities to rip them off back at the room) while others can't. However, over all if you're going to stress about anything, stress about that.

[Prolijo]

Panda, my brother,

You ARE part of the family, the ISG family. I didn't mean to seem like I was blasting you or even calling you to the carpet. We're just 2 guys having an honest, open and civil difference of opinion on something. You should note that I said that your review of the Morazon was not far off the mark. Your summation listed 5 basic points and I was just disagreeing with a couple of them.

You haven't disputed what I said about the chica fee and to be honest I'm not really sure what their policy is. Some guys, like you evidently, don't get charged anything while others get charged $3. Maybe it has to do with when you were there (in August) when they were probably hungrier for business and were willing to let things slide. Maybe you had been there before and/or had tipped the guy well, so he was willing to let it slide. Whatever it was, $3 is not a lot of money. It is more the inconsistency and unpredictability of it all that makes me question how they run their hotel (sort of like the complaints that some guys have about their reservation system). If that is what you mean about failing to meet US hotel standards, then I'd tend to agree with you, but then I've had mismanagement issues like reservation screwups at some places in the US (though I've never been charged a chica fee ). So, like I said before even many hotels in the US won't be up to your US standards.

My other point about the noise, maybe we should leave as an honest difference of opinion. I won't (and didn't) say the Morazon isn't noisy (or at least can be). I've stayed there several times and never really had a problem with it. Okay, I was wrong in my speculation that your problems were due to you're being on a lower floor. I'll risk speculating again and guess that maybe your problems were due to you're being a light sleeper (or I'm a heavy one). That is the only thing I can figure. Or maybe it is due to you're being used to places like the Ritz, which the Morazon is definitely NOT. Even forgetting top tier hotels, you mentioned US chains like the Holiday Inn, but those are really mid tier and not really comparable. Try comparing it to places like Motel 6 or Budget Inn in the US, places I'm guessing you don't stay in too often, where you can get rooms for $35/nt and where the walls are equally thin. Or, if you're going to complain about the sounds of "Aye, Papi" coming through the walls, try comparing it to the type of hotels that are primarily used for trysts with hookers in the US. And try comparing it to equally cheap hotels in the US in active downtown entertainment districts where the street noise is as much a problem of the area as it is of the hotel's.

There are certainly cultural differences in hotels (between the Tico ones in CR and the Indian run ones in the US). I've already mentioned, the differences in how security is handled (BTW, my "blast" was really directed at BlkPanther as much as you). Due to different attitudes about time, ticos are probably much less apt to respond to complaints with the alacrity that gringos muight expect. And if you have a problem or complaint that is handled quickly or sufficiently by your perspective, dealing with it confrontationally and aggressively is liable to backfire on you since ticos do not like to admit mistakes or show ignorance and don't like to lose face. For another thing, I think Ticos seem much more apt to blow their car horns than are most americans and so outside traffic noise downtown will be of a different nature. Standards of cleanliness are no different as its usually third world latinas cleaning the rooms in both countries. If anything, I have found CR hotel rooms tend to be much cleaner than those at comparable hotels in the US (sometimes even to the point where the industrial cleaner they seem to use leaves overpowering fumes). However, to be completely honest, I'd be scared to run a blacklight over the bedspread of any hotel that regularly allows hookers up to their rooms. Again my one complaint about the Morazon, which you didn't really mention, is sort of culturally related. A culture in CR seems to be developing of playing "how much can we soak the gringo for". At the Morazon, this seems to be reflected in the way they handle chica fees.

Last comment for you: when did you stay at the Holiday Inn? The rooms used to be fairly run down and they actually DID improve them with a long overdue makeover not that long ago, although maybe it has been 2-3 years already. Anyway, I'd agree with you, the upper floor rooms may afford excellent views and protection from street noise, but a $25 chica which is now, what?, $47!?!? is simply ridiculous. They might as well have put a sign on the building that says "Mongers, fuck off!", though I'm sure they're still more than happy to take the money of any monger who is unfortunate enough to make the 1st trip mistake that you did (see my comment in the last paragraph).

[Prolijo]

I'm planning a San Jose trip for early in June. I've been RTFF but can't find anything recent on Hotel Santo Tomas at AVENUE 7TH STREET 3 AND 5. Seems like a decent price for the money and gets good reviews on various travel sites. But of course I'm wondering if they are chica friendly or any other useful information. This would be my first foriegn mongering trip.

How did you read the forum? Did you just scan back over recent posts looking for the name of that hotel or do you use the search feature? And if you used the search feature did you spell it as Santo Tomas or Santo THomas, as other guys sometimes do? If you spelled correctly, you would have found 7 mentions (inlcuding 1 by me) though most are admittedly not that recent. Here are a couple:

You made a classic mistake of staying in a far away hotel which really does not like guests. Most other hotels in the central area do not permit guests such as the Hotel Santo Tomas, Hemmingway, Hotel Costa Rica and other little charming places.

Consider the Castillo.

Santo Tomas - B&B tourist type place not normally thought of as a monger place, about halfway between the Amon and the plaza.

I don't really know if Santo Tomas allows guests at all or if they do what their fee might be, but I can't imagine thay they're particularly chica friendly or that they've changed at all for the positive in that regard in the year and a half since I made that post. Also, while it is certainly relatively cheap and gets decent reviews on other sites, it doesn't get great reviews and there are other equally cheap places that I would stay first if wanted to be able to bring chicas back to my room regularly and without much hassle. I'd suggest either the Morazon which is not the most charming but is within a short walk of the BM and DEFINITELY chica friendly OR the Castillo which offers good discounts if you pay cash or pay for a whole week (or even better discounts if you have a CRT VIP card) and with absolutely no chica fee. The Castillo also has, I'm sure, nicer rooms than Santo Tomas and is in a nicer (and safer) area going up towards the SL (and still only 1 block from NF and 3 blocks from ZB MP's). They're both several blocks from the BM so you'll probably want to take a cab back to those hotels late at night (particularly if you have a chica with you) (and particularly since this is your 1st foreign mongering trip and you're probably not accustomed to what urban streets in a poor country can be like).

I don't mean to blast you as, even if you had read my older post, I didn't make it exactly clear about what the Santo Tomas is like (and I'm still mostly speculating). You might also want to PM my buddy SteveWxly, who HAS actually stayed there. Anyway, now you know and I hope you found this info useful.

[Superman06]

I'm planning a San Jose trip for early in June. I've been RTFF but can't find anything recent on Hotel Santo Tomas at AVENUE 7TH STREET 3 AND 5. Seems like a decent price for the money and gets good reviews on various travel sites. But of course I'm wondering if they are chica friendly or any other useful information. This would be my first foriegn mongering trip.

[D Panda]

While not getting blasted, but rather called to the carpet so to speak by Mr. Projilo, I now feel accepted into the frat that is this page.

But to take exception with his obvious assumptions and misunderstanding, I feel I must.

In my comparison of hotels in CR to US hotels I was merely stating that the mongering spots were less than equal to US main stream hotels that one might be accustom to. Whether it is a Holiday Inn or a Sleep 8 there are differences between the two countries. I did not mean to suggest that upper teer Hotels were not the same, just those used by the majority of the mongers ( chica friendly and all ). I prefer the Ritz ((as we probably all do)) but even staying in a Chain Motel in the states is better than the majority of the gulch hotels. While I understand other countries do not operate under the same principles as the US, I am spoiled. I LIKE an ice machine, vending machine, or coffee/drink station that many US hotels have or a continental breakfast. Not saying that some do not have these amenities but for the most part they do not.

Moving on.

The Morazan, while close to the action, is cheap...and dirty....and NOISY! I stayed on the 5th floor and was kept up all night by the street noise, horn honking, and less we forget the paper thin walls and being lulled to sleep by "whose your daddy!" eminating from the next room. I have stayed there twice, the employees were always polite, never a chica fee, and it is inexpensive.

The Holiday Inn (first trip mistake) with its $25+ chica fee (which turned me on to the MP's) and over priced rooms is probably the nicest "close to the action" hotel. I understand the chica fee has gone up, but I can't imagine they improved the rooms. I stayed on the 12th floor so noise was not an issue, the view was fantastic, and it has an indoor pool.

Panda and MCruddy

I don't get how you suggest that in general CR hotels are not up to "US standards" - whatever those are. Like the US, you have hotels in CR at every level of quality, from dives like the Hotel Asia to really fancy (and expensive) ones, though the latter tend not to be located in the Gulch or even in the downtown area. You have relatively upscale american chain hotels like Marriot, spanish chains such as Barcelo, and tico independents like the Grano de Oro downtown or Herradura Resort out by the airport, just to name a few of the better places. Unfortunately, for those that are going to CR to monger, the upscale places often aren't too keen on their guests parading obvious hookers through the lobby and charge hefty fees for the privelege of allowing it if they allow it at all - again just like BETTER hotels in the US.

Panda -The Morazon charges $35/nt. Try comparing that to a $35 hotel in the US and then complain about the relative quality. BTW, your review of the Morazon was not far off the mark but it did have a few other things I disagree with.

1) They do often charge a chica fee but the inconsistency in their policy is more the issue than anything else since at worst the fee is only $3.

2) The Presidente can be every bit as noisy as the Morazon if not more so. First, there is the issue of internal noise (the Presidente is all tiled while the Morazon is carpeted). OTOH, the Morazon has a casino in the lobby so if you stay on the first couple of floors that could be a source of noise. Secondly, street noise is a problem at any Gulch hotel. The Presidente may not get as much traffic noise but the street vendors out on the Pedestrian Mall out front can be just as bad and start early in the morning. If you're a light sleeper it is best at both hotels to stay on an upper floor and away from the street if at all possible.

[Dodger Bulldog]

no chances of anyone getting robbed or killed. Is my best bet to just rent some rooms at hotel del ray for sex when I go there to pick up chicks and still book rooms at a better hotel where I will spend the night.

Rent out two hotel rooms - one to sleep in, and another at the Del Rey for sex? That is TOTAL overkill!

Prolijo, he isn't talking about just paying the $10 chica fee at the Del Rey, but the entire cost of a room
at the Del Rey PLUS the ten dollars just to have sex in it.

It would probably be cheaper to hire a body guard for the night!

Seriously, the talk of crime here is completely overblown. Of course, you should be careful. Of course,
bad things can happen. But don't go crazy with your fears.

I have been hanging out in San Jose many times since '04, and nothing, I mean NOTHING, has ever
happened to me. And I not only walk over to the Presidente at night but also up and down the pedestrian
mall on a regular basis.

Quite frankly, it cracks me up to imagine taking a taxi two blocks to the Presidente. Hell, that's how
far I'm willing to walk to just to get away from the Del Rey if need be so that I can FIND an honest taxi
that won't charge me four times the going rate!

I have even walked the nine blocks to Apartamentos Sudamer that D.Panda mentioned (it is not really as
close as he makes it sound). And I've done it at night, with and without a chica in tow.

Now, I look a lot more like Jonathan Livingston Seagull than Steven Segal, but still, I've had no
problems whatsoever.

I am not saying you should do that. If you are going that far, please do as I say, not as I do. Certainly
you should take a taxi.

BTW, I always stay at the Sudamer. $30 per night or $180 for the week, with a separate living/dining room
combo, a full kitchen, even a laundry room. You get free local calls, too.ANd Carlos really is a great guy.

Plus, there is a double-locked security gate and a night time security guard who walks the block and
comes over to greet you and your chica when your taxi pulls up.

Seriously, how many guys here have been robbed in San Jose? One in two? One it ten? Or is it more like
one in a hundred? One in a thousand? I can't say. But I do not personally know anyone who has.

The idea that if you step foot outside the HDR someone is probably going to get you is completely insane.

The biggest risk of getting robbed is a bad performance by a chica. Which really doesn't even happen
all that often if you make an effort to judge the their personalites before pulling them from the bar.

Oh, I admit I did have one who snuck and extra bottle of perfume into her purse once. That is the
worst thing that has happened to me in four years.

Rent one room to sleep and another for sex? Really, there is no reason to do that at all.

DB

[BlkPanther]

Thanks for the info. I think that I'll try the Sleep Inn as I like that casino and from staying at the DR and SL several times, I'm moreor lessfamiliar with the surrounding neighborhood.

BlkPanther,

I believe the Colonial is now associated with the Sleep Inn even though it was there long before the Sleep Inn was built. The Sleep Inn is normally not what I'd call chica friendly since they charge a $20 guest fee, however if you register a chica with you as regular guest rather than bringing a different one back every night, you shouldn't have any problem. And for those who contend that some CR hotels are "not quite [up to] US hotel standards", the Sleep Inn (like the Amon Plaza) is part of the US-based Choice hotel chain and thus should be perfectly fine for the more particular gringos. BTW, the Clarion Amon Plaza would probably be another good option for someone in your position (plus it also has a casino, which you should book through if you decide to stay there).

[Prolijo]

BlkPanther,
I believe the Colonial is now associated with the Sleep Inn even though it was there long before the Sleep Inn was built. The Sleep Inn is normally not what I'd call chica friendly since they charge a $20 guest fee, however if you register a chica with you as regular guest rather than bringing a different one back every night, you shouldn't have any problem. And for those who contend that some CR hotels are "not quite [up to] US hotel standards", the Sleep Inn (like the Amon Plaza) is part of the US-based Choice hotel chain and thus should be perfectly fine for the more particular gringos. BTW, the Clarion Amon Plaza would probably be another good option for someone in your position (plus it also has a casino, which you should book through if you decide to stay there).

Lastly, DrBrew mentioned the Presidente. I'm not so sure that its rooms are any nicer or more quiet than any other hotel in its class without a casino in the lobby. It is tiled rather than carpeted through out and thus can get fairly noisy itself. The real problem that I'd have recommending it for you is that their policy towards chica guests seems very conflicted at best. On the one hand, they don't charge chica fees but they do limit you to 1 chica at a time. However, since you'll be checking in with a chica rather than bringing different ones back that should not be a factor. On the other hand, they have a chica dress code that ostensibly is directed at the chica hookers that guys used to take back there but has on a few occasions been mistakenly directed at regular chicas that happened to be around. DrBrew is right that this would be an option, but I think for your purposes the Sleep In would be just as good or better.


Vincity,
I think DrBrew gave you really good advice AND short and to-the-point. I don't do short and to-the-point and would like to expand on that a little.

The Del Rey IS a shithole and not "up to US standards of quality". They can be that way and still charge the premium that they do because they're so famous among would-be mongers throughout the US (who don't know about all the better nearby options) and by guys who just prefer the perceived convenience and excitement of staying in the "Belly of the Beast". Aside from spotty shoddy quality and worn out rooms, IMHO, the service there often seems lacsadaisical if not downright rude, like they feel they can just take your business for granted because, even if you choose never to stay there again, there are so many other newbies that will take your place. And, despite all that, they charge for every little thing like they were a 4 star hotel (which they're not). For example, it amazes me that they can charge a $10 chica fee every time a guy takes a girl upstairs (which, as you can imagine, is quite often), and yet for some reason, guys still consider the place "chica-friendly".

Enough of my anti-Del Rey rant. All that being said, I don't think it is necessarily a bad place for newbies to stay on their first trip, only not quite for the reasons you say. Staying in the Del Rey is an experience that every monger should go through, once anyway. Not because of the security thing that you mentioned, but because it is such a novel and immersive jaw-dropping kind of experience. Of course, you can experience much the same thing just visiting the Blue Marlin, but there is something about knowing it is all going on just a few floors below waiting for you whenever you want to walk down the stairs. Unfortunately, I think for most guys that novelty wears off fairly quickly and they find better places to stay, but it is still good for a first trip or the first few days of it anyway.

A lot of guys, well not a lot but some like you, say they like it because of the security thing. They say things like "I could go to CR and never have to step outside the Del Rey building" and when they say that MY jaw drops and I'm flabbergasted by their blasphemy, as I think THAT would be the only real crime. Yes, you don't have to worry about getting mugged walking back to your room with a chica (unless you count the $10 chica fee), but how many times a day would you have to do that? Now think how many times a day you'd have to step outside the Del Rey if you wanted to experience at least a little of the rest of the country, besides that highly limited (and warped) one, or even just eat out at a restaurant that isn't ridiculously overpriced. Besides, the worst risk you'll probably face out on the street is right in the area around the Del Rey itself. The area around the SL, for example, is tame by comparison.

That part about not wanting to take separate cabs than your buddies, I just don't get. You'd rather pay a $10 chica fee than take a $2 cab ride? If you feel you HAVE to share a cab with your buddies for some sort of security reason, you could still probably do that without too much difficulty. Most guys schmooze the ladies a bit or even take them over to the KL for some dancing before they pull the trigger. Even if they don't, most ladies are pretty much standing around waiting for the guys to ask them out. If you all have to leave at the same time, one or the other of you can either wait to cast your line or delay once they've set the hook until the other is ready to go. Besides, if your chica isn't willing to wait a few extra minutes and have a drink with you while you wait for your friend to make his pick, then she'll probably be in a real rush back at your room.

Yes, you should probably take a cab most of the time most places after dark because it can be dangerous. However, worrying about getting "robbed or killed" if you step outside the Del Rey is kinda overstating it. Robbed maybe, but killed pretty unlikely. And, personally, I think you probably have just as good or more of a chance of being somehow ripped off by the CHICA up in your room as you do stepping into a cab outside the Del Rey. If you have even an ounce of street savvy and haven't gone overboard with your drinking, walking to the Morazon even at night is reasonably safe. Going to the Prez is a bit more dicey, but there are always cheap cabs.

Finally, if the Del Rey is too much of a shithole for you to actually stay at and you'd only be using it for a convenient place other than your more distant hotel to bring chicas back to, there are much more affordable and only slightly less convenient options. For example, the Morazon is not much further from the Del Rey than is the Key Largo. Its rooms are nearly as nice as the Del Rey's for not much more than half the price and they'll rent them out for short-term for even less than that if they have any vacancies. So, if you had to stay some place that didn't allow guests, that would be a better alternative than the Del Rey. But why even stay at a place that doesn't allow guests? Even if the place you stay charged $20 guest fees that would still be much cheaper than keeping a 2nd room at the Del Rey. So I just don't get that idea either.


Panda and MCruddy
I don't get how you suggest that in general CR hotels are not up to "US standards" - whatever those are. Like the US, you have hotels in CR at every level of quality, from dives like the Hotel Asia to really fancy (and expensive) ones, though the latter tend not to be located in the Gulch or even in the downtown area. You have relatively upscale american chain hotels like Marriot, spanish chains such as Barcelo, and tico independents like the Grano de Oro downtown or Herradura Resort out by the airport, just to name a few of the better places. Unfortunately, for those that are going to CR to monger, the upscale places often aren't too keen on their guests parading obvious hookers through the lobby and charge hefty fees for the privelege of allowing it if they allow it at all - again just like BETTER hotels in the US.

Panda -The Morazon charges $35/nt. Try comparing that to a $35 hotel in the US and then complain about the relative quality. BTW, your review of the Morazon was not far off the mark but it did have a few other things I disagree with.

1) They do often charge a chica fee but the inconsistency in their policy is more the issue than anything else since at worst the fee is only $3.

2) The Presidente can be every bit as noisy as the Morazon if not more so. First, there is the issue of internal noise (the Presidente is all tiled while the Morazon is carpeted). OTOH, the Morazon has a casino in the lobby so if you stay on the first couple of floors that could be a source of noise. Secondly, street noise is a problem at any Gulch hotel. The Presidente may not get as much traffic noise but the street vendors out on the Pedestrian Mall out front can be just as bad and start early in the morning. If you're a light sleeper it is best at both hotels to stay on an upper floor and away from the street if at all possible.

MCruddy
I don't know much about the Europa other than where it is located. Its not a particularly good neighborhood and so its probably a good thing that the "hotel guard had a pistol on his hip". Keep in mind this is a city where the police can not be relied upon and so most of the security is handled privately for that reason. That is why you might not see that in the US. So what? Don't be ethnocentric. There are fast food restaurants and convenience stores in the US in bad neighborhoods where the clerks and servers hide behind bulletproof glass, schools even in the suburbs with metal detectors at the entrances and alarms systems and surveilence cameras everywhere. In Latin America, labor is cheap and low tech works better so private guards are no big deal. So, I wouldn't judge the hotel based on just that. Besides, it reflects more on the neighborhood than the hotel itself.

[DrBrew1]

I'm not a newbie to CR but I'm trying something new. I usually stay at the DR or SL and sample the chicas at my leisure. This time I'm going to shack-up with a chica (GFE) for a couple of days and wanted to find a decent hotel in the same area that won't give her a hassle. From the recent posts it looks like I'm leaning toward the Presidente, but I have a question if anyone can help. There's a casino that I frequent that's directly behind the DR. I think it's called the Colonial (? ). Really nice casino. But is it just a casino or is it part of a hotel? If so, which hotel is it and are they chica friendly. I've never bothered to check while I was there as I just enjoyed the casino and was staying elsewhere. Any help will be appreciated.

If your staying with a chica then the Presidente is a good choice because the rooms are very nice and it's fairly quiet.

[BlkPanther]

I'm not a newbie to CR but I'm trying something new. I usually stay at the DR or SL and sample the chicas at my leisure. This time I'm going to shack-up with a chica (GFE) for a couple of days and wanted to find a decent hotel in the same area that won't give her a hassle. From the recent posts it looks like I'm leaning toward the Presidente, but I have a question if anyone can help. There's a casino that I frequent that's directly behind the DR. I think it's called the Colonial (? ). Really nice casino. But is it just a casino or is it part of a hotel? If so, which hotel is it and are they chica friendly. I've never bothered to check while I was there as I just enjoyed the casino and was staying elsewhere. Any help will be appreciated.

[DrBrew1]

I am a newbie planning for my first mongering trip ever. We have decided on Costa Rica. I am going with three friends. I hear the hotel del ray is shitty but it seems it would be the best place to stay for newbies. I just don't like the fact that if my friend finds a girl then he has to leave the place by himself and take a cab to go back to another hotel. I hear you should take a cab everywhere because it is dangerous. I like the fact that with the hotel del ray you just take the elevator up to your room and that is it, no chances of anyone getting robbed or killed. Is my best bet to just rent some rooms at hotel del ray for sex when I go there to pick up chicks and still book rooms at a better hotel where I will spend the night.

For a newbie the Hotel Del Rey is probably the best place to stay because of the convenience factor. The Presidente is another option but there are chicas that have had problems with a dress code that the hotel has in effect. I would advise taking taxis at night and not going overboard with your drinking. If you use common sense you'll have no problems. Have fun.

[MCruddy]

Does anyone know the Hotel Europa?

I hear it's chica friendly.

I did a threesome in the Hotel Europa. It is definitely chica friendly, but not quite US hotel standards. Hotel guard had a pistol on his hip. Not something you'd see in the US.

[D Panda]

The taxi rides are definitely the way to go. There are other hotels in the area, like the Morazan across the street. Hotels are not US quality so it is a crap shoot. HDR is the palce where it all happens and can be very convienent but they charge a $10 chica fee, Morazan doesnt. I hear good things about the Sportsman Lodge and the Presidente, both are short cab rides from HDR. HDR and Morazan can be loud and not good for sleeping...street noise is awful there. Everyone honks their horns fro EVERYTHING!! I stayed at the Morazan in August. The room was ok, noise was terrible, price was good, no chica fee, close to HDR and Key Largo ((good food))

Hope this helps

Panda