I very much enjoyed my stay at the Mona Lisa during the second week of July and I will stay with them again when I return to SJO. I was in town primarily on business but I managed to get my share of playtime in as well. (My take on the ML chica scene is at the bottom.)
Many of you have said (under the Trip Reports section) the Mona Lisa has “potential.” Some of you seem to suggest this “potential” can be realized by converting the ML into an out-and-out cat house and out-doing the DR/HLH/SL at their own game. At the Mona Lisa they cater to the single male, sex tourist but we (CRT'ers) are not their main line of business. During my stay, they had more local casino patrons than staffers and more staffers than hotel guests. As far as I could tell, many of their casino patrons drop more money in an evening than I spent on a week's worth of accommodations and meals. Again, the casino is their main line of business and is what keeps them viable as a business concern.
I also noticed that some of you said the place has more class than the SL/DR/HLH and I have to agree. One can, for the most part, safely invite locals to a “nice” lunch (but not necessarily a “nice”
dinner) at the ML and not be concerned about the place exuding a certain air of “raciness.” If you're in town just to sniff around and wag your tail, you can easily take a quick walk a couple of blocks to the NF, the HLH, the SL, or the DR to score some pu*sy or simply stay at one of those places. (BTW, there's no chica fee at the ML.) For you SL fans, the rooms at the ML are a little nicer than what you'll find in the SL's New Wing and not quite as high. The rooms are also bigger than comparable kingbed rooms at the SL's New Wing, Dunn Inn, and Amistad. I liked the accommodations. With a little counter-top, paint, and tile work in the bathrooms and new carpets, drapes, and linens in the rooms, the place could rate four stars. Wi-fi service to the rooms was still a work in progress while I was there but there was Wi-fi and free long distance phone service to the US downstairs at the bar and in the lobby area. I spent some time down there on the laptop, drinking, and scoping out the Talent and the Help. Which brings us back to the chica scene.
Some of you have rightly observed that the chica dynamic there is different. Whether by design or by coincidence, Private Contractor chicas are generally limited to two or three at the bar. You might see up to a half dozen on weekend evenings at the bar and in the casino. These PC girls look like “civilians,” are prettier than you'll find elsewhere, and are much pricier, I was quoted 150 U$D. (I could have just stayed home and done the local thing for about that kind of money.) Then there are the “house” chicas who are discretely tucked away in room 211. They start with a $40 house fee for a massage and anything beyond that is subject to mutual agreement. Since suffering sticker shock from the PC chicas at the bar, I didn't pursue the room 211 chicas and instead opted to go to the nearby NF, HLH, SL, and DR. I should have picked out a room 211 chica and asked about their rates but I didn't. Finally, and most abundantly, there's The Help. For the most part, The Help is the most attractive group. They are also the most expensive – in some cases twice as expensive as the PC chicas. When I first heard some of their asking prices I tried to look offended as I got up to leave. Some of them are good - but not that good. I guess that's their way of saying that's not their main line of work (anymore.) I'll be putting up a couple of Trip Reports on how the chica thing worked out for me on this trip, soon. For now I'll just say that things aren't quite what they used to be and that most of the chicas seem to have even more of a “mercenary” mindset than I've ever seen before.
I am sure it was made in jest....or I think so 