QuickBlueFox wrote:
MG, I love you brother, but PLEASE! Tell me you're not one of the HDR freaks...
That place is a sty, overpriced, and boorish...
QBF,
No problem amigo. I can feel the love !!!! I am in no way a "HDR freak". Matter of fact, the last time I stayed at the HDR was in 2005.

And I have no desire to stay there again. Been there, done that!
Sty? Overpriced? Boorish ? No argument here! But I wasn't the one who was looking for opinions on a place to stay for a 1st timer and some friends. I'm sorry, but many (if not the majority) of us know the scene pretty well. But in my opinion,
staying in the BELLY OF THE BEAST for your 1st trip is almost a rite of passage. It's something you gotta experience once, and I think it's best to do it on your virgin voyage to the Gulch, since you don't know any better yet! Naturally, YMMV.
Some guys only stay at the HDR on their 1st trip, and then find some other accomodations for their future trips. Some guys won't stay anywhere else BUT the HDR. And some guys NEVER LEAVE THE HDR !!! But there always seems to be one common occurrence after your first trip to SJO.... they ALWAYS return for another!
Of course there's lots of choices for hotels in and around the gulch. And in my original post on this topic, I made it very clear that the HDR is certainly not a 4-Seasons type of hotel, with valet parking, luxury accomodations, Egyptian linens and a complimentary mini bar.
Simply put, the HDR is what it is. A convenient, first-timer-user-friendly hotel, with plenty of available chica's only a 10 second elevator ride away. Is it the best hotel in the gulch ?? NOT EVEN CLOSE! But for a newbie, I wouldn't recommend anywhere else. Even though it can be a bit overwhelming for a 1st timer, what better way to get your feet wet!
Once again....... YMMV !
