www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I have an eight hour lay over. Is there a place where I can safely put my luggage while I'm out enjoying San jose?

You'd think there would be some travel lockers but unfortunately SJO doesn't have anything as simple as that. I don't think SJO ever had them, but I think most airports that did have them eliminated them since 9/11? The best that I can suggest is to bite the bullet and forget about doing everything with just carry-on. If you check your heavy luggage straight through all you'll need to deal with is your carry-on and that should be much more manageable to just take with you if most of your stuff is in your checked luggage. If for some reason you can't check it through, you might be able to go upstairs and check in your luggage with your outgoing carrier right after you arrive. Either way you should probably check with the airline(s) that you're traveling with as to what their luggage policies are and/or how much before your flights you're allowed to check in. Once you've checked in at the departure/ticket counter, one normally then goes through security and to the departure gate, but there is nothing really to stop you from leaving the airport and coming back a few hours later. Lastly, your airline also might have a luggage office where you can leave your non-checked carry-on bag(s) (or can leave them behind the counter) for a short period of time. Again, you should check with them directly.

BTW, one last thing, I've never done such a short trip to CR myself so I can't swear to what the agent at the head of the check-in line will try to make you do but, according to the CR govt. website, if you're in the country 12 hours or less, you should be exempt from having to pay the $26 departure tax even if you go out of the departures area.
(Source: http://dgt.hacienda.go.cr/tramites/Paginas/DerechosdeSalida.aspx)
Sometimes these govt. officials can be a little squirrelly and uneven on how they apply their own rules, assuming they even know what those rules actually are. You might want to print off that page before you go and bring it with you just in case you get into a debate.

cant really give anything better than Pro did but a few trips ago ....lets see I had one big suitcase, my nike bag, lap top and a new phone I was checking to see if it worked ....then I went to the duty free and bought $50 of liq. now when I get to area where they make you put your bags through the machine I put all my stuff down to help a lady who has 5 bags that are bigger than she is. I help her then put my bags on the track, I get all the way out to the taxi area and find a cheap guy, his taxi is in the parking area 2nd floor and as we are walking I am doing a check on all my items.

Everything is here but the duty free stuff.....I turn around and get back to that area as fast as I can....there it is !! no one touched it must of been there at least 10 to 15 mins. with at least 60 people walking right by it.

I am not saying leave you gear out in the open but as bad as we say san jose is ....my $50 of liq. went untouched ,don't think that would of had the same results in miami

I would bet that the SL or HLH front desks would be happy to watch your luggage if you were having a couple of drinks and/or using the “facilities”. It’s worth an e-mail to both places.

Good luck

Mendo

_________________
"It takes a lot of good beer to make a great wine"

Another "outside the box" alternative would be a hostel. In Europe they will usually allow you to store your luggage for free. If not rooms usually go for about $10 a night which will allow you to store you luggage for your layover time. There is a backpackers hostel near parque la sabana that has a store room but not sure if they charge.

Thanks man, I didn't think of printing anything out, but I better just in case. Hostels is a great idea, they usually have lockers. Looking forward to the gulch. Gonna see If I can change my ticket and getter a later flight out on the way back. Hopefully, I can stay and see the night action.

SOOO.. I've been doing a lil research and it seems that Nuevo johnson has lockers. Since their prices per night are $15 bucks I might even consider just paying for a room. I've read that the public bus takes you pretty close to the hotel N.J. can someone give me details/direction on how I would go about doing this as it would save me 20 bucks~

Once you exit after customs out the doors of the airport,follow the road around to your left,walk downhill and that is the hghway to san jose..on your right are the bus stops..at the bus station in san jose final stop..walk or taxi to hotel neuvo johnson aka taj mahal ..let us know your experience/enjoy.

_________________
Jaco is called little USA by all ticos

Good night and don't let the bed cockroaches bite.

As Pro stated, try to check your bags in to your next flight. Just lugging sh!t around can be a pain on the bus.

Dean

_________________
my first wingman sent me this, how true

" most of the girls down here, lie as a self defense mechanism and to not have to face the truth, thinking most men couldn't accept them knowing the whole truth. Simpler, they may just want men to think they are as perfect as they want to appear to them, trying to hide what they consider to be the ugly truth about themselves. And I may be reading more into it than is there, but I do believe they consider the basis of the lies to be justified."

No offense Osgood but IMHO those are lousy directions. You only have to walk DOWN the ramp if you go upstairs to the departure level. Otherwise you simply cross over the pickup lanes on the arrival level turn left and walk out to the STREET in front of the airport (which itself is a side street OFF the main highway, not the PAH itself). Then you turn to the right and the bus stops will be more or less like you said on the right hand side of the road on the other side of the airport parking garage. For a full description of what you need to know for that end, just do a search with me as the poster for something like "airport bus Merced" and you should find many detailed posts

At the other end, taking a taxi to the NJ from the terminal where the Alajuela bus lets off would be like taking a taxi from the HDR to the Prez. Its TOTALLY unnecessary and may even be a shorter distance than either that or the distance you've already walked going from the airport to the 1st bus stop. From the terminal facing the Merced Park and Church turn left, go 2 short blocks and turn left again. The Nuevo Johnson will be just a half a block up that street (Calle 8 ) on your left.

The NJ website does say "Free Lockers" http://www.hotelnuevojohnson.com/Information.html, but presumably that would be just for hotel guests. Still I'd imagine they'd probably let you use them for a fee and in the worst case scenario you could use them if you simply paid for a room. I've always gotten those rooms for the night for just $10 despite whatever rate the website claims they charge, but maybe they won't let you get away with that any more (and IF I was staying all night, for $15/nt for those lousy rooms, I'd MUCH rather pay $15 more and stay at the Hotel Doral which is also nearby). However, if you told them you just needed to use their locker service, even if they made you also pay for a room, I'd seriously doubt they'd make you pay the full $15 room rate for just a few hours. BTW, I could be wrong but I never noticed anything there like bus terminal lockers where you put your stuff into a locker yourself and retain your own key. I think their "locker service" is more like you can leave something with the hotel front desk and they'll keep it in a backroom someplace that is safe and sound, however I think the staff there would be totally trustworthy, particularly if you tipped them for the service rather than got it for free.

ha ha pro,it is technically the right direction..a slight incline then.you can go into the garage across the pickup lanes.and walk to your left, thru the entrance barrier where the car's enter, and follow path round by the garage wall to the right is the bus stop..

_________________
Jaco is called little USA by all ticos

I think that Hotel Asia used to have lockers but they were small. They might be able to help you tho'.

_________________
Why Chicas Come to CostaRica:

"Predators gather where prey abounds"

Why not go to the Fiesta Casino by the airport and check them there? Take the free shuttle there, go to the casino entrance and slip one of the bellmen 2000 colones. Grab a cab from there and stop there on your way back.

All I have is large backpack and a regular sized gym bag..