www.CostaRicaTicas.com

My flight lands at 9:15 PM and chances are by the time I am through immigration, the Kiosik will be closed. I really need a SIM for GPS (Waze) in the phone to work, else I face spending night in SJO rather than be able to drive straight to the beach.

Is there another place close to the airport that sells SIMS and remains open late?

Thanks

Don't know if this will help or not but Russ who owns the little C-Store in the Mona Lisa Hotel has Simm Cards as well as refill cards.

Great. Is he open late? Perhaps after 11?

Hey Lollypop: Your's is a classic example of why you should have kept your sim recharged when you left last time, even do-able on line, at least every 120 days when you are out of the country. For a few bucks your problem would not have existed. You know Matt, mgr at Amistad, he has offered to make a small recharge deposit if you ask by email and can pay him later. In country recharges are as little as 100 colones so he ain't going to be calling collection agents on you. On line via Masterpago is $2 minimum worth of minutes. Other on-line "top up" sites app $10.

But it's not that hard to get to the beach from the airport without a GPS. There are shorter ways but at that time of night it won't matter much. head into town on the main drag, cross over to Rt 27 at LaSabannah and away you go.

Thank You Gersen. This will be my first time using ICE. I have been using my global ATT phone which was the courtesy of previous employer . Agreed that getting to the beach is not all that bad but once I got lost getting on the highway from the airport and late at night that was not pretty.

Follow my edit, assuming it is not this Friday, because Friday night is the CR v USA World Cup qualifier match at the National Stadium in Sabannah and you still might hit exit traffic at that time taking that route. If not, it's easy, get a good map or google earth of the Rt 1/Sabannah Park area and you'll figure out how to cross over to Rt 27 "Autopista del Sol" at la Sabannah, and I know you know your way to the beach from there from the last time. If you forgot, stay on Rt 27 all the way to Rt 34 and exit there if you are going to the south beaches/resorts (Suenos, Jaco, Hermosa, Parrita/Esterillos, Quepos/ManuelAntonio, Matapalo, Hatillo, Dominical--all they way) If you going to the north beaches in Guanacaste, stay on 27 all the way to the end and then take a right, northbound.

There are shorter ways from SJO airport to Rt 27 but not for newbies at night, and at that time assuming no soccer match/no traffic this is easier to navigate and may be just as quick mas o menos 10 minutes even though you are back tracking a little. You would have thought CR would have built a common sense 3 mile autopista link from the airport to Rt 27 and thus onward to the Pacific coast, their main tourist destination and the whole point of the 30 year Autopista del Sol. It took them 30 years to get the Rt 27 direct from dowtown to the Pacific route done, I guess they ran out of time. Kind of like the beautiful National Stadium the Chinos built for them at Sabannah, but did it with w/ no parking facility.

Not sure which beach you are going to this time, but check on line, all of the bigger towns will have an ICE or Kolbi or Claro or the other one--Movil? office to buy a sim. Bring your passport. Make sure your phone is "unlocked"--will accept a different system's sim card. If yours has one of the different smaller sims, anyone's guess if the satellite offices will be able to trim their sim for your phone. I always bring a back up cheap unlocked in case of a theft, malfunction, loss, water etc disaster.

They also sell an int'l sim for int'l calls, Kolbi that is, but doing the math I didn't see the big savings. They also can set you up for the internet for your phone, pretty cheap. I think after you are set up you need to call in from your phone every 24 hours to get it for 24 hours, but they also had a weekly rate for the net, a little cheaper. They will explain. ICE/Kolbi changes their plans alot and I've noticed in the news there are some changes with cell access internet fees going on right now.

And you can call or chat on line with Kolbi (ICE's intermediary/front for cell stuff) to see what time they close at the airport, make sure they understand you are talking about the in-bound kiosk.

Going to stay at BAHIA ENCANTADA - JACO BEACH- NEW CONDO, OCEANFRONT. Jaco was not our choice as this beach is not for swimming for novices but for $500 for 5 nights, it seems like a deal and looks like a very nice condo for wife and Ba*y to hangout...

I wouldn't bet on anything being open so late. When is your trip? If you have some time i would get a SiM online or paypal some kind CRT member to mail you one.

Playing it safe and will stay overnight in San Jose to get the SIM as that is vital to my travel and job. Travelling in four days so getting the SIM in-person is the only way.

Thanks a lot!

There is a really easy way to get from SJO to Jaco. Go northwest on Highway 1 until you pass Dos Pinos on the left. Next bridge you go under, exit to the right and circle around and cross over that bridge. Go straight about 3-5 miles and next traffic circle, exit right (follow the signs for Jaco or Atenas) and get on Highway 27 to Jaco.

On the SIM card, why not just get one in Jaco? Ton of places sell them there... Get a good driver (hint..hint ) and he can take care of all that for you

_________________
The only thing that matters is happiness in all it forms...

Thank you PuraVida. I am renting a car else I would have gone with you.