www.CostaRicaTicas.com

hey everyone...freshly-minted CRT vip member here, about to depart for first trip to SJO this weekend!

i’ve got to hand it to you guys: the amount of excellent info on this site is staggering. i have been staring at the computer trying to absorb your wisdom all day long. i’m getting really excited about the trip.

basically, i have only two days to prepare -- the ticket purchase was a spontaneous thing -- so i’m scrambling. but before i go i just wanted to say thanks for sharing all the wonderful tips on the site, without which the learning curve would be much steeper, i'm sure. knowledge is power!

call me a masochist, but i’m deliberately staying at a “chica-hostile” lodging my first two nights, so i won’t be tempted to do anything stupid before i get the lay of the land. i’ll start out nice and easy with a few MP visits, then move to the Presidente and take it from there. will be in town til the end of september... feel free to msg me if any other CRT-ers who will be around during this timeframe might like to grab a drink.

oh, before i forget, any thoughts on malaria prevention? my doc did his best to worry me about it, but i had such a bad experience with anti-malarials when i went to africa -- hallucinations, fever, etc that were probably worse than malaria itself -- that i am reluctant to take them again. do you guys think it is really necessary for CR? unless i hear strong advice to the contrary, i'm probably just gonna slather myself with deet and hope for the best.

thanks in advance!

Slather yourself with DEET. I've been bitten many times by mosquitos in CR and the DR. Never a problem. I've walked in the middle of Manuel Antonio National Park and took a rainforest tour. No probs.

dapanz1

for a first time visitor, I would recommend you visit the Sportmans Lodge during the daytime for a drink and to meet some fellow CRT members.

And, the New York Bar in the early/mid afternoon is a nice quiet time to visit for a drink and some excellant chat with resident old timers with lots of friendly suggestions and tales.


and, of course, the BM happy hour around 5-6 pm. enter the main doors facing KL and check the tables on your left....often both resident and visiting CRT members will be sitting there and enjoying the atmosphere.

enjoy your trip.

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thank you both for your replies... i will definitely stop by the sportsman and BM!

btw, is it pretty easy to find a lastminute hotel this month?

i travel pretty spontaneously, and after 4 days in san jose i think i'll be heading to the beach or touring around for a few day... i was thinking i'd just look for something on the fly when i return, but i've been surprised by how restrictive the reservation and deposit policies of some hotels have been, even in the green season.

is it unrealistic to expect to be able to walk into a hotel mid-day and book a room for that night? i like to try new places, as opposed to staying in one place the whole time, so after the presidente i may head to the castillo or SL.

thanks again, guys, for your input.

BBSofla wrote:



In all the time I have been coming to CR and for the 3 years I have lived here I never have heard of a case of malaria. Dengue fever is another matter so use a good repellent.





If you were looking for a place on the beach this weekend you might have some problems as it is a holiday weekend and some Ticos take a mini vacation to the beach other than that should be no problem.

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