www.CostaRicaTicas.com

has anyone stayed at the Balmoral? The rooms look great but I was wondering whats the dress code for the chicas, limit on how many chicas a guest can have, and how their attitude is. Any info would be great. thanks

run and i mean run away from that hotel...my first trip i stayed there ...not knowing much about san jose...its is on most sites that you book your airfare(where they offer hotel and flights together) so i stayed my first nite there ...i think i payed 50.00 per nite plus tax ...room was ...nothing special , ok location but they charge 20.00 per girl to your room, my first day i spent more on my guests than the hotel...60.00 extra...i"m not the sharpest knife in the box...but i knew pretty fast this isnt the place for me....so i ask to see the manager the next day...i ask him ...look you made a extra 60.00 of me today can you wave the fees for the rest of my trip...he flat out says no...says thats the price..i say ..i am out of here ...they could care less...its a bad place for bringing back girls anyway..there is always a family or somebody at the desk or someone giving you the look as you stand there with your hot tica...look i have said before the morazan is much better , cheaper, and no fees....i have found a better place to stay than the morazan but i have sworn not to post about it...(wingman turned me on to it)but trust me ....the morazan will work for you...get the coupon out of the tico times 35.00 per nite even on the weekends ...good luck....screw the balmoral hotel...its a family hotel..

The rooms are old and musty. The breakfast sucks. They have a chica fee of something like $ 20, they take the chicas passport or cedula and issue her a ticket to retrieve it when she leaves.

Try the Amon Plaza, Presidente, or even the Morazon if you don't want to stay at the Del Rey and be in the gulch.

Our group stayed there about 8 or 9 yrs ago, very unfriendly atmosphere.
Chica fee, management does not like gringos. You got three choises for breakfast, tico breakfast, american with eggs , or ceral, one cup of coffee, then charged for every cup of coffee thereafter. The placed sucked, We haven't darken their door since then. I hope they go broke.
Their A**HOLES, we booked through a Tico Travel Agent here in South Fla, we thought we knew what we were doing. We called him and bitched they cut the chicas fees in half. But still very expensive.
Flacoduro

DITTO DITTO DITTO

I had the EXACT same experience as ChiliMike on my virgin trip in May - except I paid 70 a night on Orbitz and did not yet discover CRT. Don't bother. Plenty of other choices - especially the Presidente across the street

I stopped in there one time to check on price, etc.......got the impression they weren't too fond of single gringo guests.

Zebra

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I guess you made my decision easier. I will book at Casa Vino. Heard nothing but good things about it. I don't want to mess with the fees and peoples attitudes. If it wasn't for us tourists they wouldn't be even making half as much money. Someone should give them a reality check.

The reality is they choose to make their money from traveling groups, eco tourists, families, and other, ummmm, traditional means. There is nothing wrong with that. There are plenty of places that cater to the likes of us.

Have to agree. I stayed there the first time back in CR after an absense of about 5 years and found the place to be barely tolerable. The room was small, old and the chica fee and high handed manner of the front desk staff was a pain. They are definitely the old style hotel management that were used to feeling that they were one of the only games in town, as at one time, there were less alternatives. My feeling is that there are now much better alternatives.

I stayed there one night as soon as i found out about the chicka fee's I grabbed my bags and moved across the street. My friend had got the room on his cc so i just billed it to the room. I did give them a ration of shit though.

They want your money and are happy to take it when they know you are there for the women. I had no idea about the fee until i was standing in the lobby with a hottie. If i had known beforehand i would not have stayed there.

SD

You wouldn't spend 25 bucks to stay there in the good ol' Estados Unidos, run down, loud, just shittttttty.