I count as a CR virgin but have been a long-time hobbyist in Europe. Over the past 15 years I too found myself looking for more than a never-ending series of quick encounters with very attractive women in the various countries my job allowed me to visit. (Am especially fond of the German FKK clubs--what great variety of girls and skills!) So I selected a few favorites and then visited each of them more regularly until we were really comfortable with one another--not just a "session" and "Auf Wiedersehen" but weekend trips to the Hungarian wine areas or to the Romanian mountains. Over time, it turned out that this approach was not only pleasurable to each of us, but also more cost-effective, at least on the CPP scale (cost per pop) because I was paying much less than the hourly or daily fees of the houses where the girls normally worked. And while they were still working, most times they could arrange to get away for our little encounters.
This leads to my current thinking about my first trip to SJO, hopefully before the end of April. Certainly want to hit the HLH, DR, NF and other monuments to the hobby life, but am also planning to keep eyes peeled for potential candidates for the rank of favorita, both for possible day/weekend adventures out of the Gulch on the visit (aiming for 10 days or so) and for return trips later in the year, when I expect to have more free time. If/when this could turn into an LTR, I can make that decision based on a fair amount of prior experience with the lucky girl.
One last thought: not only the traditional YMMV factor applies, but also the age and experience of the man. Yes, I know that most of us like to try something new every so often, but at this stage of my life (big 60 coming up) there is a lot to be said for the familiar, comfortable and predictable charms of a favorita/novia/esposa de la epoca. Pura vida comes in many forms, amigos. Look forward to meeting some of the CRT veterans in a few weeks and learning from their experience.