www.CostaRicaTicas.com

hey brothers,

due to the lack of pools at hotels in san jose (tomas, holiday inn, etc)... where are some local day trips for hot springs or waterfalls? closer to downtown the better. tour is ok. any intel? tica friendly?

A pool is all that the SL lacks. Maybe there aren't pools in SJO because of the Tico aversion to shorts.

Near the airport is Ojo de Agua.Swimming pools, water falls, picnic area. Open to all 6 am to 5 pm every day.

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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

I usually book a room at the Best Western Irazu and use the pool, tennis and other facilities during the day. I also get a room at the Morazon for nightime activities. This lets you have the best of both worlds. If you are going with someone and you split the Irazu room and each get your own Morazon room it's even more economical.

this is why i love this forum. thanks for all the replies and help guys

Now that I have purchased a condo in Escazu I have a pool in our community. Before this purchase I would stay at Barcelo San Jose Palacio for their pool. They have good poolside service for F&B as well as a great fitness facility with tennis, racquetball, and squash courts.

I've done that exact same thing several times, and it worked out pretty good. That was shortly after the Irazu changed their chica policy.

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"In a nation ruled by swine, all pigs are upwardly mobile, and the rest of us are phucked until we can put our acts together; not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely"...Hunter S. Thompson (RIP)

The El Sesteo in Sabana Sur has a pool, good free breakfast, and is reasonably priced. It is down the street from the McDonalds and is only about a 10 min. cab ride to the gulch. They also have rooms with kitchens available.

I have never been there, but I came acrossed this place on Facebook page.
La Montaña del Sapo y la Culebra

http://www.elsapoylaculebra.com/
Depending where it is in Desamparados (actually Patarra), but I would think it should be only 15-20min from downtown. c3000 for adult is pretty cheap if this place has all the amenities they advertise. It might be worth checking it out.

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Yo-Eleven!!
Pura Vida!

somebody sent me this a while back......


CIUDAD COLON
Agua Azul - - 249-1349 (I called this # & no one spoke English &
they just hung up so not positive on the #) - Large (25 meters
long), NOT heated, Outdoor Lap Pool, kept very clean. Around $22 a
month for four days/week, less for less days Take Pista to CC & turn
right at gas station. Take your first left then drive straight up
until you see it on your left (about 800m) (near Cruz Roja/Red
Cross?). Water Aerobics & Swimming Classes

Higueron - across from Bonanza Restaurant off the main highway
coming into CC - Large, NOT heated, Outdoor Lap Pool


ESCAZU
RELAJAGUAS Centro de Naticion - 500 meters west of Paco Plaza -
Carret. Vieja a Santa Ana Contiguo Cond. Alhambra - 228-0134 - Owner
Manuela (she speaks English)
Annual Fee: $12.
HOURS: Mon.-Fri. 6am-8pm. Sat. 9am-noon.
Classes with instructor 45 min. Class without instructor 55 min.
Water Aerobics Classes: Go 1 time a week - $20mth. 2x/wk $25. 3x/wk
$31, 4x/wk $37. 5x/wk $43. 6x/wk $49 (cheaper for K*ds). Mon. Wed.
Fri. 7am, 8am, 9am, 10am. Tues., Thurs. 6am, 10am, 6pm (the best
time to get into a class is Mon. 9am, Thurs. 10am, Wed. 9am)
Indoor - warm pool. Water Aerobics & Swimming Classes

Club H20 in San Rafael de Escazu, behind Rosti Pollos. Entrada is 2000
colones,temeprature, around 28 (outdoors? not heated?). 288-0428






GUACHIPELIN
Relajaguas - close to "La Casa de doña Lela". Swimming Classes (not
positive on Water Aerobics or size of pool, etc)


HEREDIA
at Palacio de Los deportes


SAN JOSE
PUBLIC (which should mean cheaper):
S.J. - La Sabana Park - open to public as long as there is no team
training (should be very cheap)

S.J. - Plaza Viquez on the south side of San Jose (near where you get
your drivers license). It has Claudia or Sylvia Poll's name on the
outside of it as if this is where she trained.

SAN PEDRO - past Muñoz Y Nanne, going to La Paulina which is Public too.


PRIVATE
Holiday Inn Hotel (by Parque Morazan) has an Olympic size pool on the
3rd floor (not sure if they would allow non guests to use it for a fee).

Costa Rica Tennis Club has a lap pool - Sabana Sur across from the
park (private so not sure if non-members can pay to use)

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Jaco is called little USA by all ticos

osgood, sounds like they have a helicopter and have been mapping the place lol thanks for the intel

Here's a sketchy article on it: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/costa-rica/ ... jo-de-agua
And here's a panoramic vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9McMtvIEHa4&NR=1

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

Guys, the BW Irazu is decidedly NON-chica friendly and WAY outside of downtown. Why, if you absolutely HAVE to have a swimming pool, would you go for that and/or the added expense of having to book multiple hotel rooms (and extra long cab rides) when there ARE at least SOME hotels that ARE chica friendly right IN San Jose itself INCLUDING for example another BW property? The DOWNTOWN Best Western IS chica friendly and does have a heated swimming pool (ie good even on those San Jose nights that can get quite cool which is a big reason why most hotels in San Jose don't bother with a pool). It is located about a 10 minute walk or short cab ride NW of the Gulch in the Zona Rosa, which admittedly is not exactly the nicest area but OTOH is very close to many of our favorite tico MP's. I actually stayed at the BW Irazu on my 1st CR trip, but they allowed chicas there back then and I would never stay there again. http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/CR/San-Jose-hotels/BEST-WESTERN-San-Jose-Downtown/Hotel-Overview.do?propertyCode=70601 And there are also other chica friendly hotels downtown with a pool such as the Hotel Europa.

Personally, I'll stick to my usual choice of hotels without pools. And if I ever did get the urge to get wet would try the Ojo de Agua water park. My bet is that at least 6 days out of 7 most hotel guests who stay in SJ would never bother using their hotel pool even if it had one.

Public swimming pools? NO WAY!

One word:

Cryptosporidiosis

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"Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the over-compensations for misery. And, of course, stability isn't nearly so spectacular as instability. And being contented has none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand."
- Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, Ch. 16

For more on this nasty but short-term condition, see this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptosporidiosis

_________________
"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED