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I stayed at the best western san jose last year. The price has gone up this year to $72, so I'm thinking of Hemmingway Inn ($55). Which one is better in terms of quality and location ? Any other recommendations for hotels within the $55 range that have wireless internet ? Tour bookings, etc...

thanks.

I stayed at the Hemingway a couple of months ago for $30/night. I got good wireless access from the Castillo next door. I also stayed at the Castillo, which is around $45-50/night I don't remember - and a good deal nicer than the Hemingway, which is pretty basic. Both locations offer free breakfast, and I know the Hemingway will help book tours - not sure about Castillo though.

In your price range I think the Castillo is a good bet.

The Hemingway location is much better, in Barrio Amon. There are several comparable hotels in the Barrio Amon.

The Hemingway is much closer to the gulch. The Best Western is located in a dangerous neighborhood.

Is the Castillo a safe hotel (ie: does it have a security guard ?) Is Castillo comparable (in terms of quality) to the BestWestern S.J ?

At night, the BW location was a pretty scary place. I felt uncomfortable walking there after dark. Is the Castillo area a safer place to walk after dark ?

No security guard, but you do need to get buzzed in via a steel gate. In fact it's so safe at night that I couldn't get in at 2 am with my date one night as the night jockey was sleeping Waived down a taxi at 2:30 am and stayed in barrio San Antonio with my date du jour

I wouldn't stay at the Best Western if it was free. Ask any taxi driver how dangerous the neighborhood is. Thugs are every where on the streets in the area including across the street from the hotel and up and down the block in both directions.

On the other hand, the Castillo is my home away from home. It's is as safe as any hotel in the area. It is not a 5 star place unless you compare it to Hotel Asia. It's along the line of a Motel 6. Basic place, internet, free breakfast with cafe 10x's better than the DR. Someone is on duty 24/7. You cannot get in or out unless they buzz the security door. All the desk help speak English for you non-Spanish speakers. Very friendly place owned by an American and managed by an American as well.

Walking anywhere around the BW at night is damn dangerous and even in the daytime to a degree is dangerous. Castillo in the daytime no problem. You can walk it at night up until 9 or so. After that take a cab for a little more than a buck since the rates have gone up.

Berk.....

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FRUITCAKE... and you thought it was something you eat! Not on CRT!

Join CRT and stay at the Castillo for $38 a night if room available.

I started out staying at Hemingway and was there a few times before changing to Castillo. Castillo is friendly, rooms are nicer, and they have real running water hot showers. Hemingway's bathrooms tend to have a smell the chicas notice and the showers are the suicide overheard warmers.

Castillo is located next door to Hemingway. There's nothing "wrong" with Hemingway, Castillo is just better and less money if you are a VIP. You'll want to be VIP when you go to Zona Blue too. Your VIP membership will pay for itself in a couple days.

what "tourist" attractions are located near the Castillo ? I'm travelling alone and would like to be able to walk to restaurants, supermarkets or shop in some of those little stores... How much is the chica fee at Castillo ?

Tourist attractions, lets see, there is Disney World just down the street, no wait thats the Zona Blue, and a block away is Seaworld, no wait thats New Fantasy.

Now for real there are many places to eat withing a 10 minute walk of the Castillo, also museums etc. for those who dont want to spend their day going from one MP to another. Also the Del Rey, and the Blue Marlin Bar is just a short walk, in Daylight.

Suggest you Join CRT and check out the map that is available to paid up members.

I have stayed at the San Jose Best Western hotel a few times in the past. For the cost, it is a fairly nice hotel with modern rooms and very clean. I usually took the cheap cab ride to the gulch. The taxis come right onto the hotel property to pick you up and drop you off.

Sure, the surrounding area might look a little rough. However, those of you that have lived in a big city will not feel like they are ever in any danger. Just use your "big city smarts and swagger."

I think that some people that have never had any inner city experience are threatened when they see a group of black men hanging out together. These Dominican and Jamaican men should not all be viewed as criminals or potential criminals that are waiting to "get you."

Guys, grow some balls and bring some swagger! You're not in Iowa anymore.

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I will travel the world over to find a better latina! Gringas have flat asses..

Sorry, but this is really bad advice. How one "feels" is not correlated to actual safety. This is, as others have pointed out, a really bad neighborhood with Dominican and new Jamacan gangs. Walk around this neighborhood and you will be a target, regardless of how you feel or your swagger.

Balls and swagger will not protect you. Sure, you might be be ok 8 times out of 10, but it is the twenty percent risk factor that is just foolish....If you want to show your balls, step into the ring or onto the mat, do some high adventure sport, have a 5 some at HLH, but there is not need to tempt fate in this way- it is not brave, its dumb...

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I said hey baby, take a walk on the wild side.
Lou Reed

BW-SJ: It is much further away from nightspots like the HDR/BM (aka ground zero) and the SL, or upscale MPs like the HLH and NF, but is well situated for daytime visits to many of the cheaper tico MP's. Like others have already said, it is definitely in a much rougher neighborhood than around the Hemingway and Castillo. Its safe enough to walk around that area during the day IF you exercise a reasonable degree of caution and street smarts. As you get deeper into the evening it gets progressively worse. I'm one of those guys with a fair amount of "balls and swagger" or at least will walk in areas and at times where many others probably wouldn't, but even I wouldn't walk around that area after dark if I had any choice about it and, IMHO, taking a cab for the lousy couple of bucks it might cost will be well worth it for you. Getting mugged may not be an absolute lock if you keep your wits about you, avoid lurkers and walk quickly, but the risk is certainly high enough and the cost of the taxi alternative cheap enough, that it just doesn't make any sense to take that risk. Besides, the BW is far enough away from nearly any of the places you'd probably go at night that you'd probably want to take a cab even if the neighborhood wasn't so dangerous. Does this mean that the BW itself would be too dangerous a place to stay? Not IMHO. I know that there are actually many mongers besides Udo who enjoy staying there. Like he said the hotel property itself is safe enough and you can easily get a cab without ever stepping off of the hotel property. However, I personally wouldn't recommend the BW unless hitting those daytime tico places was very high on your agenda and being a newbie (first-time?) visitor I'm guessing being closer to the Gulch will probably be a much higher priority for you.

Hemingway: Reportedly, the rooms aren't as nice as those at the Castillo next door, but I confess I've never checked them out myself. HOWEVER, depending on what sort of deal you work out it MIGHT be a little cheaper than the Castillo. What the previous posters have overlooked in their commentary is that the Hemingway is now ALSO a CRT sponsor, which means that they'll waive their usual chica fee for CRTers and, like the Castillo, now offer CRT discounts. So you really need to finf out what the best deal you can get at each place. If it comes out about the same, I'd go with the Castillo, but thats where I usually stay so I may be biased. OTOH, if you don't mind sacrificing a little room quality to save some money and the Hemingway comes out a significantly cheaper after the new discount, then that might be a place you'd want to consider.

The catch is that you have to be a CRT VIP member to enjoy those benefits. IF you plan to stay at any of these hotels that offer CRT discounts any way, it will be well worth the cost of membership as you should be able to save well over the annual dues in just your first one week trip. Add in all the other discounts you could enjoy during that trip (for tours, restaurants, night clubs and MP's), not to mention what you could save on all the various discounts, if you make a return trip within the next year and it really becomes a no-brainer.

BTW, it looks like you've been a regular member here for nearly 3 years, even though you haven't posted very much. And, curiously, you were asking the same sorts of questions about the BW 3 years ago. Didn't you ever make that trip? For someone who has been to SJ before you don't seem to know much about the different areas.

I done stayed at Hemmingway in Nov. 2007. The bed is a platform with foam rubber as a mattress. The color tv is all of about 10" and so far from the viewing area you need binocs. It was clean and basic and the breakfast was beyond adequate.

Front desk staff were very helpful....I suspect they're the same guys.....

However, when last I checked the Mgr. I was working with, "Josh" had been exiled and some twunt was in there and was working no deals.

Castillo has it beat hands down.....but the two are right next to each other and exchange patrons when either is filled.

For me, Hemingway is going to have EARN my repeat business and I don't like interacting with twunts. Castillo is a great place and it's been a very guilt ridden experience to shift over to Amistad.....but for the money (with VIP), Amistad is just more comfortable and even more importantly for me has a better rooftop for my sat com stuff.

Still, I'm very pleased Admin1 has gotten Hemingway to join up and learn they will....or they'll end up like Vesuvio.....out in the cold and EMPTY.

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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

I guess I haven't been keeping up. I didn't know the Hemingway was chica friendly. I never see it on the list of chica friendly places.

I have a friend who always makes up his mind too late to get into SL and for that matter some of the other places in the area, and is always looking for a chica friendly place in that area with no more than 3 weeks notice. Can you possibly get a room that late? Also do you have to be a CRT member to bring in chicas, because for some reason he isn't, or can you just tell them the purpose of your trip?

I always wondered about the Hemingway because I often walk by it, but never see anyone go in there. I have seen it on old maps and get the impression that it might once have bee a very popular place. It's location is perfect.