BlueDevil wrote:
I stayed at the Del Rey on my first trip to San Jose, but haven't stayed there since. Although, I have no regrets about staying at "ground zero," I moved on to other hotels and venues like Morazon, Sportsmens and Castillo after my first trip. My first two nights at the Del Rey were an eye-opener, and I also got my first taste of Key Largo, Zona Blue & New Fantasy. When Sportsmens opened, I felt perfectly comfortable there and weaned myself off of the Del Rey.
I went solo on my first trip,too, and had no problems finding my way around the various gulch venues. CRT was a good resource in pointing me in the right direction. The map was invaluable and the insight provided in the forum back then was a big help in knowing what to expect. You may find a helpful wingman at HDR, but my experience has been that "everyone" is strictly there for business. Because Sportmens is more like a laid-back frat house, it may be a much better place to find fellow mongers who are willing to share their thoughts and ideas on the gulch. For that reason, I would advise checking out some of the other gulch hotels and venues like La Amistad, Sportsmens, Castillo & Zona II.
Thank you BlueDevil! I was debating where to stay for long, I like all hotels you mentioned, all of them have own pros & cons, but I'm arriving tomorrow, so HDR for the first time is OK, just want to make a better idea what is SJ.
CRT is a great source of insights, so I don't really need a wingmang, as you said "everyone" is strictly for business" and I would like to got for some one/two day trips around CR.
I got fooled by paying for some "best CR insights".pdf, but it was before I found CRT