www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Good Spots for a newbie I would suggest are Del Rey, Key Largo, Zona Blue, New Fantasy and Idem.That would be a very good start and fill a 3 night trip.rbc100

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In Search of Fine Kittens,
Please... Bring back the Muff

I also have seen some conflicting points, stating that US dollars are the currency of trade over there, but also that I shouldn't take too much $ and convert to Colons via ATM. Which is the best way to proceed?

I'll start posting this in the Newbie section so I don't waste any more of your time.

Thanks again.

Fallon

In and around metro San Jose you can deal in colones or dollars. You usually can get a better deal using colones and at this time the conversion is simple. $1.00 USD = 500 colones.

Girl says $100.00 you can easily convert that to 50,000 colones and counter with 20,000 colones and start the negotiation.

Good Luck

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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

Owners of Morazon also own Europa. One time I was staying at Morazon and lost power for an extended period. They gave us directions to Europa for showers etc, saying they were owned by the same people.

Oh man... irish Drifter....

I'm eating mucho cuervo...

Per the e-mail, it was the Europa.

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa....

Thanks for keeping it real!

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Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.

I stayed a week at the Hotel Gran, next to Nat'l Theatre in Sept. of 2004. Chicas were OK but there was a $10.00 fee and they held their cedula at the desk until they left. Had a room on 3rd floor facing plaza and it got noisy around 7:00 AM. There was a huge police convention staying there at the same time so I felt very secure. LOL

Ibiguana wrote:



To clear up any confusion:

The Gran Hotel Costa Rica was sold in early 2005. The new owners have made some changes, Refurbished the rooms, moved the casino from the lobby to a lower level, enlarged the café, added an upscale restaurant in the area the casino use to occupy, changed the layout of the lobby, generally restored the hotel to its former grandeur. MADE THE HOTEL CHICA UNFRIENDLY. NO CHICA FEE THEY SIMPLY WILL NOT ALLOW THEM INTO THE HOTEL.

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

Irish,
How 'bout us M-Men? Do you know if they will they allow you to check your favorita novia into the room with you for your entire stay ? Just curious.....
Mikey-B

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You ALWAYS have an option ....... "NEXT" !!!

Irish Drifter,

Thanks for the up-to-date information.

I recently spoke with a non-hobbying friend who traveled to C.R. last November, and who stayed at the Gran Hotel Costa Rica about which we're writing.

He told me that the hotel was nicer than he had expected, and that the new restaurant is terrific.

His wife and he had stayed the previous summer at the Presidente; his wife commented that she was glad there were no hookers in the Gran Hotel.

I can only imagine the tightrope act that downtown hotel owners must do to thrive in tourism. On the one hand, there is a need for "family friendly" properties, on the other there's a need for chica-friendly ones as well.

As I read the hotel reviews here, I'm surprised at some of the hotels, many of them part of large chains, which still permit chica visits (the Marriott for example, the Holiday inn Arroyo and the downtown Best Western).

To Fallon: Can you change your reservation to a chica-friendly hotel? Or, if you cannot, remember that MP's and nightclubs present numerous hobbying opportunities which don't require you to bring the girl back to your hotel..

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Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.

Mikey-B wrote:



I have never stayed there so can only answer based on what I have heard.
It would seem that if you and a chica arrived together, registered together, payed the double room occupancy rate, she was dressed appropriately you would have no problem. Off course you could not switch chicas (not that any upright M-Man would consider such a dastardly act ) the next day or the day after. You would have to keep the same one through out your stay unless of course you could find a replacement who looked enough like the original one to get her in.

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

Rocco and El Ciego;
Its not the Eurpoa that the owners of the Marazan own, its the Royal Dutch. Hope this clears this up for everyone.
LVSteve
PS: BTW, as a resident of San Jose, I still say that March can be one of the hottest months.

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Just an old horney, fat gambler.

Thanks LV Steve,

Do you know if the owners of the Gran Via own another hotel in/near the Gulch? Irish Drifter stated that I had given misinformation in this thread, and I'm now sure that he's right. I had been told that the owners of the Gran Via also owned the Europa, or at least that's what I thought from reading communication I had with the Gran Via's management. he may have been suggesting that the Gran Via could find me a room at the Europa if no room was available at the G.V. and I might have incorrectly inferred that the ownership of the Gran Via and Europa was one and the same. I could very well be wrong. If you can answer this question I would appreciate it.

Ownership of a given hotel or group of hotels might be important only if the chica-friendliness (the main question posed by the originator of this topic) was universal among hotels owned by the same people. Otherwise, who owns which property is probably a moot point for the purposes of this thread/topic.

_________________
Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.

ElCiego wrote



I posted previously:



The answer is yes there is another hotel near the gulch under the same ownership as the Gran Via.

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

Irish Drifter, LV Steve...

Okay, we've established that the Gran Via's owners also own another hotel near the Central Market. Just out of curiosity, I'm wondering which one?

Again, who owns which hotel is only germane to this thread if their policies differ between hotels, regarding chica-friendliness. I'm just trying to get educated here, so I don't pass on bad information.

Also, on a related question: Doing a Google on "Hotel Presidente" gives a number of hotel websites throughout C. and S. America. I'm wondering: Is "our" Hotel Presidente part of a chain? Again, just trying to be informed.

TIA

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Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.

El Ciego wrote:



I talked to a gentleman who owned a house on the next block (since sold) who claimed to be part of the family who owned the Presidente. He said the family, Costa Rican Jewish family, owned the Presidente as well as the Tabacon Resort. If he was making it up he certainly had a lot of knowledge of the principals.

Have no way of verifying his information.

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