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I have been meaning to write this for a while but have been so wrapped up in pursuit of pu*sy that I haven’t had the chance to. Anyway as an experienced traveler and one that has many trips to Costa Rica (voiding the 12 year absence) as well as someone that speaks Spanish very well here is my conclusion of what I saw during my 15 days (13 nights) at the Hotel Little Havana.
To begin with I was referred there by RAC, my last trip there was before HLH or ZB. Boyd answered my e-mail almost immediately and he agreed to hold the room with no deposit or credit card. This I thought was very stand up since he had no idea who I was.
Meanwhile all I had for info was what I had read on CRT, which I had also just joined. My last trip there was in 2000 and the internet wasn’t as big as it is now. Many people relied on old information or just went to see what was the deal. Unlike today where every chica is reviewed and every venue, protocol, menu, ect., has several pages of script. I can say that even though the internet is awesome I like the old style better. That is just my personal opinion because then if you found something interesting you could enjoy it for a while as opposed to today when there will be 4 guys there in an hour.
Back to HLH, I had to change my dates and when I did so it just so happened that for the first two nights there were no rooms available at HLH. I stayed at the Hotel Santo Tomas for 2 nights which is indeed a nice small hotel with a great owner however, it isn’t really aimed at our crowd. It’s more of a tourist hotel therefore a chica fee. Still no problem but I would probably do the Dunn Inn in this same situation again.
Anyway my first day there I checked in and then walked over to the HLH. I found Boyd and introduced myself and he went totally out of his way to be friendly and totally explained the set up. Boyd is busy as hell every moment of the day yet he will always take the time to help you as best as he can. He is the perfect host. I later met his partner Greg who also was very welcoming and has a laid back personality as does Boyd. The girls I have reviewed otherwise so I won’t go into that.
After my two nights at HST I moved to the HLH. By now I had a pretty good idea of the lineup only now I had my own room there and it made it much more comfortable in my own environment. As soon as I checked in they gave me a suite (218) for the regular room rate for the first night. Boyd accompanied me until I had everything as I needed and we then discussed business afterwards as I gave him a deposit on my long stay up front. Now that I am in I need to get cleaned up and take advantage of this wonderful suite they have put me in (at a reduced rate) for the evening.
The first night was magical and the next day I moved to room 222 which I loved. It was a little loud being right next to the bar but was great. I had a lot of fun in this room. One day I could not get the safe to open so I went looking for Greg (Boyd was off) and even though he was very busy he took the time to come and help me get the safe operating again. Turned out it needed new batteries and then he returned to what he was doing rather than ask me to wait. This I really appreciated.
The next day I was beginning to see laundry on the horizon so I asked Boyd what kind of arrangements were available for this. He told me that the maid would wash my clothes for free just tip her. Well I am pretty sure that she looked forward to me needing laundry done because I tipped her very well. Probably could have gotten them washed cheaper by taking them to a lavanderia but for the convenience I could not have cared less.
One night there was a loud obnoxious asshole in the bar (I missed most of this) but after he had left Greg bought the house a round for having to put up with him. As well I spent hours at the bar talking to Greg and Boyd about everything from music to sports to places in the country, ect. Both are great hosts and will find time for your conversation if you can display at least a normal level of intelligence. I see both of them to be people that aren’t real savvy to morons but they try to treat everyone with respect.
I spent several days in room 222 and was offered a free upgrade several times until someone was booked into that room and I had to move. He then moved me into the Bolivar Suite (IMHO the best room in the hotel) again at only the King rate. I spent the rest of my nights here and could write a book on what I did there. When it came time to settle up all of my bar bills, food ect. were tallied and I cannot see any discrepancies whatsoever in anything I was charged for. I didn’t go back and itemize every single bill but I knew about what it was and saw no need to do so.
Boyd and Greg will give 110% of what they have available to make you happy. They run a great operation and do a great job at keeping the riff raff to a minimum. When you have alcohol, working girls, and gringos many whom have never been out of the house in an environment as such problems will arise. Personalities will conflict and opinions will vary but they do an outstanding job in finding a happy medium where everybody can all gel as one. This isn’t always possible in an ambience as such but it is well controlled.
The next area I would like to discuss is the security. It is very well handled and I know there has been some smack talk about Calvin but he could not have been more of a stand up guy to me. He gave us rides and always did whatever he could to accommodate me. When I would come in at 2:00 am with whatever chica I had pulled from Key Largo if I needed ice or whatever he would get it for me. Calvin is a straight up guy as are the other guys who work at night. The HLH is not in a rough area but it is in an area where alertness is necessary. I always walked at night alone but with a chica I took a taxi. Not sure this is advisable but I am a world traveler that has spent many a night in some bad places and am very experienced in how to deal with my surroundings. Nonetheless I did not get mugged nor attempted to get mugged robbed, ect. If they did rob me they would get my dummy wallet with only a few colones in it.
Hotel staff is great, I wanted to bag the maid just to complete the picture but my flirting (coqueto) did not seem to be strong enough to crack that nut. She did come to return my laundry or clean my room on a few occasions when I was busy and would always make sure before she entered. I almost wanted to be quiet and hope that Gabby would come in and join us, lol.
The bartenders, Daisy, a Filipina who has been there a long time is a sweet girl. Speaks both English and Spanish but I made it clear that I do not speak English in Costa Rica to anyone other than gringos. Elona, another Filipina who is a great girl. Also another who would be fun to join the party but they have there own itinerary which doesn’t include the clients. Carol, well this is the sweetest bartender ever, stay away from her she is my future ex-wife.
The food, the only negative thing I can say about the food is they serve He-Man portions. Not that that is bad but after eating one of their meals I need a nap. I was more prone to breakfast because the lunches/dinners were quite a feat to accomplish and stay motivated. In all reality the food is excellent. American style food and very filling I just don’t eat heavily when drinking and found that often it was better to eat a small portion and save the rest for 2:00 am to soak up some of the alcohol. Boyd and Greg will accommodate you however needed to satisfy you here.
The rooms, they are nice. They are not the Hyatt or the Hilton but, you won’t get a room at neither of these for the price and most certainly have a lineup of hot chicas a few feet away for $35 an hour. They are quite comfortable, water pressure is off the chain, hot water that you could use to boil shrimp (I might try that next time). Clean and if anything you find isn’t what you feel adequate they will try to make it right for you.
Besides that Boyd is from Virginia and I am originally from North Carolina so we clicked very well as people (basically we are both Southern Rednecks). He bought me countless drinks and we had a great time just hanging out. I consider him a friend regardless of whether or not I ever stay at the HLH again. These are my plans to stay there plenty but if my next work assignment goes as anticipated I will be renting an apartment there and be a frequent guest at happy hour.
I have traveled probably more than most people who are members of CRT. I have been to many exotic places as well as some not so attractive places and always seem to find a good time wherever I go but will give the HLH a 2 thumbs up for being the best one stop shop in town. Costa Rica is no longer cheap due to the influx of gringos but this is your most economical alternative. If you stay here you can lodge, eat, drink all day and bang 3 girls a day for around 200 bucks. You can’t really beat this anywhere and Boyd and Greg will go out of their way to make you happy.
Depending on the guests at times it gets a little loud upstairs at night but my man Calvin will shut that down in a heartbeat. If anything gets out of hand pick up the phone and he will handle it. In all actually I want to spend a few more years on the workboats and then steal Jimmy Getman and open a bar/grill with a classic rock/country/blues band. When this happens Boys I am stealing Calvin to be my bouncer. Ignore any negativity about Calvin he has your back.
Boyd and Greg thanks for a great time, you guys know I tell it like it is. If anybody has any specific questions please feel free to ask and/or send me a PM.
_________________ "If you think that I'm half crazy your wrong, I'm at least seventy-five percent gone. I was born this way and I'll die this way so I probably won't be changing today." - Richie Allbright, South Texas Singer/Songwriter. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ftvsq3mX0Ow
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