www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Disclaimer: I won my first stay at Hotel Castillo at last year's CRT Anniversary Party. The fact that the two-night stay was free in no way affects what is written below, for good or bad.

Fortunately, there's very little bad to report about the hotel. I was in room #9, the main suite. This living space includes a full kitchenette (which even features a blender for making foo-foo drinks). The dining/living space is large, with tall windows that admit a lot of daylight. The room is furnished with a big couch and a nice size TV.

The bedroom lacks windows to the outside, but has a window into the living area. This makes the room fairly bright during the day. The dressing room area and bathroom are spacious and very clean. While I didn't try it, the bathroom in #9 features a jacuzzi large enough to accomodate three adults. Very nice.

Downsides: If you're bothered by noise, the walls in the mansion section (old section) of the hotel are thin. Bring earplugs. The noise never bothered me, in fact I'd like to thank the three studs who were pleasuring their chicas around me. Nice lullabye...three different chicas having orgasms. Another downside is that the desk will not exchange currency. I was able to break large colones bills into coin and small bills but was told that the desk doesn't exchange dollars for colones.

Another downside is that the bar, under new ownership/management never seemed to be open when I wanted a drink. I'm told that the restaurant should be open soon on a regular schedule.

Positives: The staff is very friendly and helpful. Marixa and her sister do a great job of keeping the rooms clean, Marta at the front desk is a champ, and Darren (manager) was friendly and full of helpful information.

Will I stay at the Castillo again. The answer is a qualified yes. I want to stay at a hotel which has an on-premises bar and restaurant. I will return to the Castillo when the bar/restaurant is operating on a regular schedule, but not before. Again, the bar/restaurant is not under Castillo's control, and I don't blame the hotel for having no food and beverage to offer aside from the tasty if simple breakfast.

For the money, especially with the cash discount... the Hotel Castillo may be the best bargain in barrio Amon at the time of this writing.

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Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.

I like the place.

I also really like the The Hotel Castillo. As far as changing money: Right across the street is The INS / Pension Building with a Bank of Costa Rica. Take the escalator to the 2nd floor and the bank is off to the right in the corner behind a glass wall. Best rate and no fees. Go first thing in the morning and there is little or no waiting.

With the safe in the room you can limit your cash runs. Then when you checkout, you can get rid of your leftover Colonies and get the cash discount.

Location...Location...Location

Pura Vida

You also can get your "EXIT VISA" at this bank.

Great stuff El Ciego, but no I wasn't one of the lucky 3.

But it's stuff like this that actually keeps me from staying at the HDR as well, with boot knocking going on above you, below you and likely on either side of you, when do you actually fall asleep?

FYI-The BCR in the INS building may be the slowest bank on the planet.

Here's a suggestion: Whenever you are changing a large amount of money, it's a very good idea to take a taxi, have them wait right in front, and then get right back in and go and lock the money up. You can get robbed in any area of the city, day or night. Even Barrio Amon has had its share of daytime robberies. Also, there have been times where bank tellers will alert their co-conspirators waiting outside about gringo with a bankroll and they will roll them the first chance they get.

Orange, is this just "word on the street," or do you have some factual basis to make this claim? Newspaper article? Something?

Pretty serious allegation. I'm sure it *could* happen, but I'd like to see some proof.

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Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.

Orange, Street crime is awful in SJO. That's why all the guards you see.

From the INS to The Hotel Castillo.

When you walk out the INS Building's front door on to that "patio area," there are several armed guards plus the ones at the door. Turn right, then you walk by the AMT and the Jade Museum, where there is another guard. Around the corner, on to ninth Calle (against traffic on a oneway Calle) where there is the under ground parking enterance with another guard. Also across the street outside is the doorman for The Don Carlos Hotel. There you should look back up ninth to see if anyone is coming. Then you are on your own for about 45 feet to the Castillo's front door. Also if you go down to the Hotels breakfest area, you'll likely find others who also need to change money. There's safety in numbers.

I do agree about them being slow ("Tico time"). That's why I go just after they open (9:00) in the morning when there's no line. They still take about 5 minutes to change dollars very slow to do an exit visa. I made the mistake of combining my request last trip. It took well over a half hour. Do one item at a time, they get confused easily.

Pura Vida

I always use the bank inside the INS building. Never felt worried walking from the bank back to the hotel. Only time I was ever ripped off was by a teller in the bank, for 10,000 colones.

As for the guards at the Don Carlos and the Jade Museum, etc......certainly them just being visible is a deterrent to would be robbers, but I wonder, if they would see you getting mugged.....do you think they would come to your aid?

Zebra

RIVER

When you say that you can get "Exit Visas" at the INS branch of Banco Costa Rica, do you mean you can pay the airport exit tax there? I am talking about the $26 tax that you have to have before you get to check in at the counter. Is that what you are talking about?

DC

Yes.....you can pay the exit tax at the bank inside the INS building. I always pay it within 2 days of arrival in CR, at the same time I go to the bank to exchange dollars for colones.

ZEBRA

Hey thanks for the info. I had not idea, but then again I almost never darken the doors of Banco Costa Rica. I really dislike standing in lines.

But I do like to pay the tax before I go so I don't have to stand in that line and then fumble while I fill out the info.

Is that the only Banco Costa Rica which sells the exit tax or do they all do that?

DC

I stayed at Hotel Castillo also. Made use of the bank in the INS building. I exchanged as much as $500 at a time 4 times during the week and had no problems. I always went straight back to the room and put up what i didn't need. The exchange rat was 547:1 and they don't charge a fee. Very professional, but expect to wait a while if you get there after 10. Also, let them put your coins in the Ch**drens can, it seemd to make them happy.

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I can't deny it, with that smile on her face. It's not the kill, it's the thrill of the chase!

The bank in the INS building opens at 8 a.m. Between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. is a good time to get there. Even if there are some customers ahead of you, it's not a bad wait. They have rows of chairs for you to sit. When you walk in the door of the bank, the guard will direct you to "take a number."

I would suppose you could pay the tax at other banks as well....but I never had occasion to try.

Typical Tico though, the bank has 4 windows. There are usually tellers at all 4 windows doing paperwork etc, but only one window actually operating. It can be a little frustrating if you sleep late and are supposed to meet someone.

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I can't deny it, with that smile on her face. It's not the kill, it's the thrill of the chase!