www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Ive heard various bits and pieces of a story. Like he was a spook that road a motorcycle from the southern tip of south america and decided to make San Jose his home.Bought the DR and the rest is history. If anyone has accurate info please share. me and a buddy were talking about it at hooters the otherday. My buddy looked at this site briefly and thought it was BS. I assured him there is priceless accurate info here about mongering in central and south america. My buddy has been to CR, Asia and Russia on mongering trips, he usually buys an all inclusive package trip. He pays some big bucks for these trips. I think he is afraid to go it alone.If he only new the adventure he is missing out on.

The story I have heard goes something like this .... John owned HDR & Monkey Bar. KL was the hangout for all of the working girls and was owned by someone else. There was a some law years ago that prevented hotels from allowing the working girls to spend more than an hour and a half in the establishment at any given time. If they hadn't gotten any business by then, they had to leave. Instead of going home or far away , they would go to Monkey Bar and hope to get business there. This law was relaxed over the years and eventually done away with. Before that happened though , the owner of KL was somehow involved with an employee who became pregnant. Not sure what the details were , but aparantly he ended up being killed or committed suicide. From what I have heard , this is when John stepped in and acquired KL. This story was told to me by an older gentleman that has lived close to the gulch since the mid 80's. Can't remember any more and can't say for sure if any or all of this is true.

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"With foxes, we must play the fox." ~ Thomas Fuller

In 1998 the Del rey was already there. The place where Monkey Bar is now was called Rogers bar in 1998 which later became Rico's and then Monkey Bar around 2000 or 2001. Del Rey was established I think in 1994. It was an apartment building prior to that from my understanding. No matter your opinion of John he is a hell of a business man and has a keene eye for a dollar. I very much respect the man. I like many others wish I had his vision for business. Hope this helps H.

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Always nice to wake up and see what will happen today

On my first 2 trips Sept 2001 and Dec 2001 the Key Largo was kind of a seedy bar with the only entrance the original. I went in there 3 or 4 times and the chicas didn't compare to the BM. I think it was closed on trip#3 (Aug. 2002) and then trip#4(Apr. 2003) the back door was open, it was part of the Del Rey group and it's been the same ever since.

The Monkey bar has had several incarnations and I don't think the HDR ownership had anything to do with it for many years. I remember Rico's (I still have a beer cozy from there), which was my favorite bar in the gulch a couple of years after my first visit in 97. I think it was another bar earlier but I don't remember the name. The HDR expansion where they bought everything close was later than that. Rico's was fun but the owner was a gringo with limited clue.

Why do people who speak no Spanish with limited background in food/booze service keep buying places down here? It is financial suicide.

To Answer Veelee's question: For the same reason that they do it everywhere else. They go to a bar, have a good time and then rationalize; " Hey, if I buy this joint, I can have this kind of fun...all the time". With all the bars here in Wisconsin, I have been watching this happen for years.

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My life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming...." MAN....WHAT A RIDE!!!!"

I just had a thought.. ..Why doesn't Admin 1, or one of his designated investigative literary agents, ask John or Greg if they would be interested in an interview regarding the history and development of this gringo mecca? This might eliminate all the nonsense and rumors that we hear, and I am sure that it would be very interesting.

I have heard too many stories. The popular one is that the Del Rey was an old office building being used as a hotel or vice versa. John bought it and Greg came in later with some money which made him part owner. The Del Mar restaurant used to be where the Cafe bar is now. Later John bought the Key Largo and Moved the restaurant to that building. Since that building is a Historic Landmark- an old house of a coffee plantation family lived there , the city made them decorate somewhat traditional. John and Greg bought the Monkey bar and the surrounding offices to keep from having a smart operator opening there and having unwanted competition there. There used to be another bar where the parking lot is now but they bought it and tore it down for parking. They also bought the property next to the Horseshoe Casino for more parking. It took more than just foresight for John to buy that Hotel . I always hear guys saying they would like to have an operation like the DR KL. It's always easy to look at a business thats making it and thinking, I could do this. But we don't know what goes on behind the scenes to keep the peace. And if someone wants to copy it, there are plenty of Hotels and properties for sale in Central and South America. As a matter of fact , just about every hotel is for sale for the right price. You simply need to buy it and make it Monger Friendly. I personally would not want to live here being known as the owner of the DR. Simply because I wouldn't want the attention.

I do not know this to be a fact, but the first time I came here (1995), I was dating a Tica that I had met in the States. She is a member of one of the oldest and most prominent (3 presidents in the family) families in costa Rica. She was very upset with me when she found out I was staying at the Morazon. She met me at the airport and brought me to the Del Day. To make a long story short, she said it used to be the Morazon. As I said, do not know this to be fact, she may have just been confused.

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Old and retired but still bang, and bang, and bang!!!

Sorry Diablo; It seem that Admin Uno is busy doing his " In Depth" interviews of prospective "Ticas' of The Month" and then the extended photo shoot. He does such a fine job and I would hate to see what would come out of an abreviated search. Lord only knows what goes into his private collection and his private memories, for that matter. I agree that it would be fun to hear the entire history of the Rey and others.

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My life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming...." MAN....WHAT A RIDE!!!!"

What was John's background before the DR?


BKTUNA
I am never going home

She was very confused. Morazan has always been where it is to this day. HDR is a converted apartment building.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

Is John a American Citizen? How does HDR primarily make there money? From the drinks, food? Or the people actually staying in the hotel? My guess it would be mainly from drinks.

That is a funny question. That place is doing great from every direction. 90% = occupancy-hotel , bar full almost 20 hours a day, Gringos tipping American style paying the waitstaff in CR. The place is successful in every direction. They could probably even add on a modest cover charge without losing any business.

Just a guess on my part but from what I have seen I would think they make more money on "guest fees" than they do from food.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine