www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Gentlemen: The bad news first, Uber may be a little dicey at SJO and leaving the airport - I know it was a couple years ago, but maybe things have changed.

Otherwise, Uber is fricken amazing and extremely cheap in Costa Rica. You can send an Uber for a chica, if you have too. Uber Eats works awesome too!

I was at two hotels in San Jose this trip: One is Escazu and One in Santa Ana, and I used Uber daily when I did not have a car. I was amazed that each time they picked me up within 5 minutes and also the price was usually 800 Colones one way to go shopping.

I went to a fancy restaurant, about a 15 minute drive more or less and it was 1900 Colones....

And the price from San Jose to Jaco was 35,000 Colones for my favorita, or almost $60...(most drivers charge $100-130). I am not knocking any drivers, I use my favorite driver to pick me up from airport because it's easier and faster.

But this last trip demonstrated how independent a gringo can be outside the gulch by simply using Uber. When I was with my favorita, she would always match license plates of the arriving driver with her phone - pretty smart.

That's all I wanted to say, Uber is very easy and cheap (relative) in Costa Rica and provides all of us gringos with more options and independence. And it is the same Uber App - you don't need to do anything special!

Pura Vida

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This post is provided purely for entertainment purposes and free of charge on the part of the author. No advice, tourist or travel promotion is expressed or implied. The author of this post was not provided compensation (monetary or otherwise) for this potentially entertaining contribution

You can also use Uber to get groceries. Rappi, a competitor, has many more restaurants (From Sapore to Soda Mary) and also Walmart and Mas x Menos for groceries. The cheapest delivery is Glovo.

They all deliver using GPS, so you don't have to know the address of your location. They all deliver alcohol and cigarettes. They all support chat with the driver, so you can use your translate app to communicate. They all provide order tracking so you can tell when the driver is approaching.

Key differences:
UberEats - Part if the regular Uber app which you will use for transportation. Lots of promotions (4 free deliveries until 12/31 when using MasterCard)
Rappi - Widest selection if vendors, including a sex shop (yes Lubes, Condoms, and Sex Toys delivered in 30 minutes or less)
Glovo - Cheapest and bern in CR the longest.

Tips:
1. Sending your location using WhatsApp. You can do this to let your date know where to come, they can also send you theirs. In iOS, press the "+" sign next to the input box and select Location. In Andriod, select the paperclip icon at the right side of the input box and select Location.
2. If you use your Uber Account to pick up a chica and deliver her to your door, change the top input box from "Home" to her location and then select your location a the "Where to". This is a bit cumbersome, but if anyone has found a better way, please post. Advantages are that you can track her progress to your door minimizing no-shows. Also, you know the driver is one randomly assigned by Uber, and not her pissed off bf. You bill the ride to your credit card at bank exchange rates instead of "Baby, my taxi is 10mil" when the ride was only c800.
3. Uber has Economy, UberXL, and Premium options. The Economy option has the most drivers, so you get the quickest pickup but you might get a really small car. The UberXL option has larger vehicles for up to 6 riders. The Premium option will ensure you more legroom and a nicer car, but you might have to wait longer for your ride. I just checked for the cost from Taormina to airport and the results were Economy c6,450, UberXL 8,700, Premium 6,700. So c250 extra for a premium ride (about 40 cents).
4. One gripe about Uber is that you can only have one active ride at a time and only associate one account to a phone number. This presents a problem when you are sending a girl home and you get a craving for an SL chicken burger. What to do??? When I first moved here, I used a dual SIM phone with my US number and a local number while I was wrapping up business in the US. This allowed me to maintain two Uber accounts. I would use one to send on the girl on her way, then activate the second SIM, log in to the second Uber account, receive the activation code and head to the SL. I have since finished my US business and dropped that number. Today there is DiDi, an Uber competitor. They tend to be a slightly cheaper, but also allow older cars. Now, I just use DiDi to send the Chica home and Uber myself to Chicken Burger bliss.

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If you lose your temper you’re phucking yourself - Garcia Marquez

100% agree and so much cheaper then red cabs and they do Pick up at the Airport from experience they will request you walk up the steps to departures to avoid the Cabbies

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Stay Humble Amigos !

when you see pricing structures like that there is an obvious reason why the cab companies and cab drivers don't want to compete

True in San Jose, New York, or London. The taxi and police hassles were so bad that Uber pulled out of Colombia a couple of years ago.

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If you lose your temper you’re phucking yourself - Garcia Marquez

Quick related question...I'm arriving in SJ at 1am . Can I catch a ride that late? Is there a hotel by the airport that would be open that late? TIA

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Normally, there are Uber drivers 24/7 but right now there are COVID restrictions. These effect everyone except licensed taxi drivers. After 9pm of weekends and 10pm weekdays it is taxi only. Orange taxis at the Airport, Red taxis elsewhere 24/7. It should not be a problem getting a cab at the airport into San Jose they will be just beyond baggage claim. There are lots of hotels near the airport. I would just look for one with deals on an Internet booking site.

There is a new taxi hailing service OMNi Costa Rica but IMO it sucks.

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If you lose your temper you’re phucking yourself - Garcia Marquez

Thanks B. I thought I saw something to that effect on an earlier post. Appreciate your update and owe you a drink...

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+100 what Boynton Said:

My 2 Colones is:

Depends on What your itinerary is?

If I was going to stay at SL or Castillo for a few days, I would hire a known driver off this board and have them pick me up and take me to the Gulch. If I was renting a car in the morning, I would stay at the Marriot next to airport (actually, I would stay at the http://www.hotelluisiana.com/ for $32 and have my favorita waiting for me....)

I don't use the taxi's, so someone else would be better suited to help you if that is an option. I prefer a driver from the airport and then I just use Uber the rest of the trip...

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This post is provided purely for entertainment purposes and free of charge on the part of the author. No advice, tourist or travel promotion is expressed or implied. The author of this post was not provided compensation (monetary or otherwise) for this potentially entertaining contribution

Just don't tell the driver to take you to the Hotel Del Rey

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If you lose your temper you’re phucking yourself - Garcia Marquez

If its not a Wednesday call Vanessa,
+50685185725
https://shuttle506.com/

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Thanks for the hotellouisianna info C'mann. Always top notch advice.

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Is she a shuttle driver bigeasygates? Or a little more?! Don't want to make an inappropriate offer!

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Strictly transportation, she used to play but has gone straight. Very dependable especially at 1:00 am

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Probably not for this guy's trip later this month.

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If you lose your temper you’re phucking yourself - Garcia Marquez