San Jose - 2005 Reports

[WillySP]

Wanda has been out of the business for awhile. But I will tell you it is nice to see her smile when you walk into the Sportsman. I haven't stayed there but went to look it over. Wanda remembered me and it was nice talking with her.

I plan on staying at the Sportsman on a future trip.

[Big John 1]

I recomend this place,cabbies knoe where it is,strictly locals,no English,please do not wreck it. Friend there two weeks back,says current price 6000 colones, it was 3500 four years ago. Rooms above bar,no room fees, no beauty queens, what I would call farm girls types, fun and cheap. Take it from a 60 year old monger, the best lookers,in any suitation,are very rarely the best lovers, be they wifes, GFs, or SWs.

[Mule69]

hi fellas....going back next month and need contact info for rocio from the old 747.seems she is a massage therapist now and i love a great masssage in la tarde.any help appreciated.....mule

[Reality]

Wanda is out of the business but if you want to say hi, you can find her at the Sportsmans Lodge.

[Jaimito Cartero]

The most recent posts make the mp's sound encouraging to visit, and Wanda a provider to look for. I think I should find her at Zona Blue?

Well Wanda was the manager at Zona blue until December. I don't know if she is doing any freelance work or not. As far as I know she's off the provider list. (But I can alway hope!)

[Jaimito Cartero]

Wanda now works the desk here at sportsmens. She can find you about anything you like.

But *I* want Wanda!

[Armorer]

Nasty boy,
I am sitting at sportsmens lodge right now landed today the exchange is correct. Figure on about 10-13 dollars from airport to best western.
Wanda now works the desk here at sportsmens. She can find you about anything you like.
Well I am gonna grab a nap then head out on the prowl.
Anyone wants drink hit me up.

[NastyBoy]

I'll be staying at the above and hope to be safe. Best Western better have their act together, they've got a reputation to protect.

The exchange rate on yahoo today is 466. sounds good.

I've been reading other sites and it's recommended to take the orange taxis out of the airport to downtown. Can anyone tell me what I can expect to pay in fare from airport to 7th ave and 6 street?

The most recent posts make the mp's sound encouraging to visit, and Wanda a provider to look for. I think I should find her at Zona Blue?

Anyway, this little adventure seems to be getting more exciting all the time.

Thanks for all the help with exit tax and exchange rates.

NB

[Armorer]

I was just in san jose a few weeks ago and exchange I got was about 460 or 470 I think, Just to have local currency on me.
What best western, I have stayed at Irazu, and down town, The down town I had little or no trouble from, but Irazu was a little more of A pain.
Now I am staying ag sprotsmans, and I will be there from 11 till the 18. Got to get away from the cold here.
Well if anyones around hit me up maybe we can have a drink or so.
Good hunting

[Jaimito Cartero]

There's no real need to change money at the airport. The taxes are paid in dollars, and most of the Airport taxi's quote in dollars as well. There is a money changer by the luggage belts, but they have horrible rates.

You should check the current exchange rate before you go, so you'll know if you're getting ripped off or not. A guy in Houston went and changed some money at the exchange bureau there in December. I remember him coming back and saying he got a good rate. (240 to the dollar, I think). This was 100 less than you'd get at a bank and many places in CR!

As for the exit tax (not visa), they do close at 9 or 10pm. I know this because I tried to get it when I arrived, but they were already closed.

[NastyBoy]

The info is real helpful. Sounds good.

NB

[Boswellian]

Greetings,

This is my first ever post on the WSF. I spent two weeks in Costa Rica in February with a large group of people, mainly in Manual Antonio. Most of the group flew out of San Jose on a Thursday; my buddy and I were due to fly out on Saturday so we had two days to kill in San Jose.

We had no hotel reservations so we decided to wing it. Hotel Presidente was fully booked, and the next four hotels we randomly tried were also fully booked. We finally found a couple of rooms at the Hotel Castillo near the corner of Calle 9 and Avenida 9. It turns out that it was a good decision, as Hotel Castillo is American-owned and American managed, and it was a beautiful place to stay.

It was early afternoon when we got settled and my buddy took a nap. I walked a block to New Fantasy. I was showed a room through a one-way mirror with probably dozen girls. I chose Ruby, who showed me into a comfortable room. She then took me to a steam room where she gently massaged my shoulders. We returned to the room, and she proceeded to give me a very good massage finished off with an energetic hj. All in all, an enjoyable way to begin my short stay in SJ.

That night we went to Hotel Delray/Blue Marlin Bar. I was unaware that it had a busy casino. At the Casino, the place was packed with American men and several American women. The working girls stood in small groups on the periphery and were actually demure. In the Blue Marlin bar a few steps away, the girls were a little more aggressive but still polite. I ordered some drinks and chatted with a Colombian girl. I bought her a drink, but conducted no negotiations. The working girls were young, but not particularly pretty. Too many of them were tatooed, which is a turn-off for me. I was amazed how relaxed everyone was. I chatted with American and European expats and guys in route to go deep sea fishing in Quepos. Everyone was having a good time. We walked back to our hotel, which was about 8 blocks away , and I felt safe. There were SWs on nearly every corner, as it was about 11pm.

The next day I visited Hotel Zona Blue. I was only planning to a have drink, because I thought that there would be bar, but I walked directly into the brothel. I was shown into a room, and followed by about a dozen girls. I chose Stephanie, and she was sweet and gave a good massage. I opted out of sex in favor of a hj, but still the whole experience was satisfactory. I did notice that the girls at NF and ZB appeared to be older than the girls at the BM.

I don't know when I shall return to CR, but I recommend a visit to guys with more time on their hands than me.

[eldoble]

Two weeks ago they had a departure tax booth set up upstairs in the immigration area. You could just get your departure tax paid then get in line to enter the country.

[Coquí]

Nastyboy:

You won't have a big hassle if you do not get the exit visa tax on the way back but if your return is on peak hours you will have a big wait getting it, so I think it is a good idea to get it at arrival. You actually go across the street and upstairs and into the departure area. I normally exchange money at the airport (same area where you get the exit visa) it is also convenient (one stop shop). The exchange rate does not varies much from place to place so it is a non issue where you exchange it. FYI ATM's may charge you a fee as high as $6.00 per transaction depending on your bank.

I do not know about the Best Western's girl friendliness.

As far as gifts big chocolate bars work well for me.

Get ready for a pleasent experience.........

Good luck and happy huntings......

PS. I will be in SJ from the 22nd to the 27th of March. I will be spending time with my Tica girlfriend but there is always time for a beer and war story swapping. PM me if your dates coincide with mine and you are game.

[NastyBoy]

Greetings,

After all the interesting reading on this board, I have finally decided to take the plunge and come visit. Will be down in a couple of weeks for a few days and just wanted to make sure I had my facts straight.

The advice given is to get my exit visa as soon as I land to avoid any hassles on the way out. All I have to do is cross the street, go upstairs, make a u turn and buy there. Is this still correct?

Can't seem to find the recommendations on currency exchange. Does the airport have atm machines and is the exchange rate better there as opposed to bringing cash and exchanging at the hotel?

I'll be staying at the Best Western Downtown and I think I read a previous post saying there was no charge to bring the girl back to your room. Is this hotel chica friendly?

Can't think of anything else at the moment except to make a copy of the passport to carry and leave the original in the safe.

Looking forward to the visit and I appreciate the advice on bringing down some goodies. That was something I have never thought of before and yes I'm sure it makes for more fun.

Incidentally, someone mentioned how curious they found that some people really liked American dental products and asked for additional input. I can say that is true also. When leaving Deutschland on one of my recent visits there, I asked what they wanted from the States and they wanted the tooth whitening products we have here. I too thought that was interesting. The other funny request was for some honey mustard. Oh well.

The next two weeks can't go by quick enough now. Hope the weather is good when I get there.

Thanks for the replies.

NB