San Jose - Hotel Recommendations

[The Dirty Pirate]

Well that one is off the choice list! Thanks for the reply

If you want a hotel you can tell anyone you stayed at the sleeps inn chica fee is only $25. Haha. Otherwise if you don't mind a train in the morning, hotel la amistad is close by.

[Firebird]

That would be the downtown Holiday Inn Aurola, absolutely not chica friendly, $75 chica fee.

Well that one is off the choice list! Thanks for the reply

[Dgfd]

I have absolutely no problem to bring talent for LT fun into the Holiday Inn in Hong Kong.

How about this one in San Jose? Is it "girl fiendly" or do you have to pay "joiner" fee?

Thanks for info

That would be the downtown Holiday Inn Aurola, absolutely not chica friendly, $75 chica fee.

[Firebird]

The Holiday Inn is in the center of everything. Right on the park, and within a 3 minute walk of both the Del Rey and HLH.

I have absolutely no problem to bring talent for LT fun into the Holiday Inn in Hong Kong.

How about this one in San Jose? Is it "girl fiendly" or do you have to pay "joiner" fee?

Thanks for info

[DameHag]

They're localized sites focusing on Costa Rica. I own TL, and CRT is owned by Bill, who also owns the Sportsman's Lodge hotel. The membership cards serve as a discount apparatus.

Thanks. I'll check both out. Going to Costa Rica May 23-31 so I'm trying to get all the intel I can

[DameHag]

Finding the right hotel can be tricky if you've never been to San Jose. Here's a brief summary of the local hotel landscape as of Feb. 2013. As with everything, YMMV.

1. Hotel Amistad – This is a very well managed hotel. Girl friendly, excellent rooms, a managerial staff that genuinely cares about your experience, and excellent breakfast. Measures have been taken to minimize or eliminate the noise from the nearby train. TL and CRT members, as well as long-time clients enjoy a discount.

2. Mona Lisa – This place has the brightest of futures. An upscale option on the end of gringo row. Opposite side of the gulch from the Rey. Very nice rooms, elegant lobby, reasonably priced. This place is both girl friendly and eager to please. They are going through the new hotel learning curve, otherwise they'the be number one. Adding Guy Grand as customer service manager certainly didn't hurt. TL and CRT members enjoy a 10% discount on room, food and beverage.

3. Hotel Little Havana – This is a boutique hotel with nice rooms and a very friendly environment. It has more promotions than is humanly possible to remember, and a decent line-up of talent in the bar on most days. Reasonably priced to boot. TL and CRT members enjoy varying discounts.

4. Sportsmen's Lodge – This is a well run hotel with a great bar scene. While it's a competitor's headquarters, it still warrants a worthy mention for the effort ownership puts forward to provide a memorable stay. Downsides are the courtyard rooms are too noisy for any kind of pleasant sleep, the girls crowd the computers in the RFM room behind the bar, and the service can be a little slow. CRT members enjoy a 10% discount on room, food, and beverage.

5. Hotel Cocal – This place made short work of the Beetle Bar. With a well run hotel, condo options, a lively poolside bar scene, and casino to entertain its clients, this place has the right mojo for the long term. TL members enjoy a 20% discount on rooms.

6. Sleep Inn – This place is overpriced. But it is clean and centrally located. Charges a $35 guest fee, and runs about $90 per night for single room occupancy.

7. Hotel Freebird – This is not so much of a hotel, as a private home with guest rooms. A couple nice rooms, and some other clean rooms that share a bathroom. The owner is very helpful in providing a great experience. High cleanliness standards are maintained. Drawbacks are shared bathrooms and location away from gringo row. TL and CRT members are offered a discount.

8. * Inn – This place is a testament that a nice hotel and bad management still equals a bad hotel. Clean rooms next to an empty, albeit very nice restaurant and bar with terrible service. You can be the only diner, with 3 waitresses, and still not get a drink in 20 minutes. And you'll have to wait until they finish their conversation to get your change. CRT members are offered a 10% discount after a little arguing.

9. Hotel Hemingway – This place has seen better days, and not lately. Tired, old rooms, cheap beds, cheap everything. The place needs to be completely remodeled, but as long as there are guys that can be talked into paying their entire stay upfront, they will carry on. TL and CRT members are offered a 20% discount.

10. Hotel Castillo – If you take a nice hotel, and ignore doing any kind of upkeep or repairs for several years, you have the Hotel Castillo. This place was once very nice. Years of neglect and indifference have taken their toll. A $35 room that is marked up to $69 can be discounted by 25% for TL and CRT members.

11. Hotel Del Rey – This hotel is kept alive by its lobby and bar scene. Every inch of the hotel shows signs of repeated wear and tear. Tired, worn out rooms, a staff of formerly attractive barmaids who generously buy themselves top shelf liquor (kool aid) on your tab, this group of chubby sharks can't be bothered to clean tables between clients. I haven't had a drink inf over 20 years, and I've had these jackals insist that I ordered multiple shots of patron when I disputed a bar tab. With the Mona Lisa and Sportsmen's Lodge offering a night scene, there's really no 'non-sheep' reason to go there.

12. Hotel Morazan – I would stay at the Morazan if the trannies woke me up and told me I couldn't sleep in the park. This place is an absolute dump. It's proximity to the Rey is the only thing keeping it from being completely empty. Truly the trailer park of the gulch.

What does TL and CRT members mean?

[Jonesie]

http://hotellittlehavana.com/

[Dave1027]

Hotellittlehavana.com

Couldn't find the site to make reservations for Little Havana. Anyone have a link or email?

[True Sportsman]

I will be in San Jose in October and only standard rooms at the courtyard are available, any recommendation if this should be avoided due to noise level and if not can you share your experience if loss of privacy affected your enjoyment.

Most interior rooms are sufficiently quiet.

[Qncterra]

Will be my first time in Costa Rica wife actually picked for family vacation. Looking for nice clean 4 star or better close to mongering action hotel. I needs something close to action that I can get away for 1-2 hours have fun but somewhere nice and clean that is family oriented. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

I agree that the Holiday Inn is probably the most convenient family hotel. It is diagonally across Park Morazan. Also, if you like you can get a 4-hour room at the Hotel Morazan, but I don't know what they charge. If you like good seafood, then then try La Princesa Marina en Sabana. I like the medium whole sea bass and the ceviche. Right now, a taxi is about 3000-3200 each way, unless you get a bandito (like we did on the return trip, but we knew the route and confronted him.)

[Jonesie]

Will be my first time in Costa Rica wife actually picked for family vacation. Looking for nice clean 4 star or better close to mongering action hotel. I needs something close to action that I can get away for 1-2 hours have fun but somewhere nice and clean that is family oriented. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

The Holiday Inn is in the center of everything. Right on the park, and within a 3 minute walk of both the Del Rey and HLH.

[Almrkool]

Will be my first time in Costa Rica wife actually picked for family vacation. Looking for nice clean 4 star or better close to mongering action hotel. I needs something close to action that I can get away for 1-2 hours have fun but somewhere nice and clean that is family oriented. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Jonesie]

"Our true enemy has yet to reveal himself." (what movie?)

I have no idea who bought it. I'm guessing the new owners would like to keep it that way, especially from me.

I could be wrong, but I just don't see Bill (SL) buying it and keeping it a secret. He's well liked and respected, and if anything, his reputation would help its progress. Unless he's worried about the perception of owning CRT and showing a media bias towards SL. Not sure. I also don't see the Del Rey crew working and playing well with others. So my guess, and that's all it is, is that the new buyers were sold the site off of inflated or outdated numbers in the hopes of using it for cash flow.

I recently vetted CRT for a different group of possible buyers and gave my analysis and valuation. I noticed a couple weeks ago that the analytics had been uninstalled, then there was a new admin, and Tommy's email came back from a different ip address with a different writing style.

When I did the diligence, the traffic analytics they gave me and the google analytics I installed for the month I was valuing the site were drastically different, the actual traffic according to google was a fraction of what was suggested. The registration claims they submitted were based off of the life-span of the site, not current membership.

I had my differences with Tommy, but I generally liked the guy. His members had a loyalty to him that all of us hope to have. I'm looking forward to a worthy competition from this new lot. Should be a fun year.

Any idea who the new boss (es) are? Big John from the Del Ray? The Sportsmans Lodge guys? Both? Inquiring minds want to know.

[Jonesie]

Finding the right hotel can be tricky if you've never been to San Jose. Here's a brief summary of the local hotel landscape as of Feb. 2013. As with everything, YMMV.

1. Hotel Amistad – This is a very well managed hotel. Girl friendly, excellent rooms, a managerial staff that genuinely cares about your experience, and excellent breakfast. Measures have been taken to minimize or eliminate the noise from the nearby train. TL and CRT members, as well as long-time clients enjoy a discount.

2. Mona Lisa – This place has the brightest of futures. An upscale option on the end of gringo row. Opposite side of the gulch from the Rey. Very nice rooms, elegant lobby, reasonably priced. This place is both girl friendly and eager to please. They are going through the new hotel learning curve, otherwise they'the be number one. Adding Guy Grand as customer service manager certainly didn't hurt. TL and CRT members enjoy a 10% discount on room, food and beverage.

3. Hotel Little Havana – This is a boutique hotel with nice rooms and a very friendly environment. It has more promotions than is humanly possible to remember, and a decent line-up of talent in the bar on most days. Reasonably priced to boot. TL and CRT members enjoy varying discounts.

4. Sportsmen's Lodge – This is a well run hotel with a great bar scene. While it's a competitor's headquarters, it still warrants a worthy mention for the effort ownership puts forward to provide a memorable stay. Downsides are the courtyard rooms are too noisy for any kind of pleasant sleep, the girls crowd the computers in the RFM room behind the bar, and the service can be a little slow. CRT members enjoy a 10% discount on room, food, and beverage.

5. Hotel Cocal – This place made short work of the Beetle Bar. With a well run hotel, condo options, a lively poolside bar scene, and casino to entertain its clients, this place has the right mojo for the long term. TL members enjoy a 20% discount on rooms.

6. Sleep Inn – This place is overpriced. But it is clean and centrally located. Charges a $35 guest fee, and runs about $90 per night for single room occupancy.

7. Hotel Freebird – This is not so much of a hotel, as a private home with guest rooms. A couple nice rooms, and some other clean rooms that share a bathroom. The owner is very helpful in providing a great experience. High cleanliness standards are maintained. Drawbacks are shared bathrooms and location away from gringo row. TL and CRT members are offered a discount.

8. * Inn – This place is a testament that a nice hotel and bad management still equals a bad hotel. Clean rooms next to an empty, albeit very nice restaurant and bar with terrible service. You can be the only diner, with 3 waitresses, and still not get a drink in 20 minutes. And you'll have to wait until they finish their conversation to get your change. CRT members are offered a 10% discount after a little arguing.

9. Hotel Hemingway – This place has seen better days, and not lately. Tired, old rooms, cheap beds, cheap everything. The place needs to be completely remodeled, but as long as there are guys that can be talked into paying their entire stay upfront, they will carry on. TL and CRT members are offered a 20% discount.

10. Hotel Castillo – If you take a nice hotel, and ignore doing any kind of upkeep or repairs for several years, you have the Hotel Castillo. This place was once very nice. Years of neglect and indifference have taken their toll. A $35 room that is marked up to $69 can be discounted by 25% for TL and CRT members.

11. Hotel Del Rey – This hotel is kept alive by its lobby and bar scene. Every inch of the hotel shows signs of repeated wear and tear. Tired, worn out rooms, a staff of formerly attractive barmaids who generously buy themselves top shelf liquor (kool aid) on your tab, this group of chubby sharks can't be bothered to clean tables between clients. I haven't had a drink inf over 20 years, and I've had these jackals insist that I ordered multiple shots of patron when I disputed a bar tab. With the Mona Lisa and Sportsmen's Lodge offering a night scene, there's really no 'non-sheep' reason to go there.

12. Hotel Morazan – I would stay at the Morazan if the trannies woke me up and told me I couldn't sleep in the park. This place is an absolute dump. It's proximity to the Rey is the only thing keeping it from being completely empty. Truly the trailer park of the gulch.

[Jonesie]

This just in, The hotel Mona Lisa will be opening Jan. 31, 2013. They have rooms available for $49.

http://www.monalisacr.com