Hey Pokerman! Welcome to CRT!
Just my opinion, but:
Lodgings: Sportsmen's Lodge if you like a mellow frat-house sort of vibe, Presidente if you need American-style luxury, WIFI, good breakfast buffet included, A/C etc. del Rey if you're just a poon hound and want 24 hour access to poosie. Remember that the del Rey charges a guest fee of $10.00 per chica visit, over and above your room charge. The presidente requires no fee but limits you to one girl per trip to your room; no three-ways. And, if your chica looks slutty, the Presidente won't allow her to accompany you to your room.
Refreshing between mongering: Try a visit to Manuel Antonio. Fly Sansa to Quepos from San Jose for about $100.00 RT. The flight takes less than an hour.
MP's: High priced (USD$50.00/hour average) Zona Blue, New Fantasy, Bar Idem (evenings). Mid-priced (Oasis on Paseo Colon, Sapphire) average around $25.00/hour. Low-end MPs (The Dungeon) Cheap enough so you can buy '[em by the sack, like White Castle burgers.
Food: Well, you know... It's all fairly priced, fairly bland and once in awhile, fairly tasty. For gringo food, try Denny's, McD.'s, Burger Kang etc., or Jeurgen's in San Pedro for great Omaha Steaks (TM) There's an extensive restaurant review section here. I personally like Tinjo for Asian food, Cafe Mundo for novo italiano and JR Ribs for...er, ribs.
Read the Newbie's section for even more information.
Four grand will let you live like a king for five nights, but you can have a marvelous time for half that. Please don't overpay for pu*sy, tips etc. You'll just accelerate the slide upward toward a gringoized economy. Don't mess it up for poor boys like yours truly.
