www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Been checking out the board for last few months, got VIP membership, and finally headed down next week. Never been to CR, solo monger trip. Got a ton of info off the board and feel more than prepared, but only thing I'm not solid on is how much cash to hold in dollars versus colones.

-Do I take care of the chicas in dollars or colones?
-Should I convert most of my dollars into colones upon arrival, or hold onto more dollars?

Appreciate any input. Will try to do my part with a quality trip report.

I am a newbie just like you, but in my reading I believe the consensus is that you should pay the girls in colones. You negotiate in dollars, but pay in colones. To my best understanding it just makes their lives a little easier. If you pay in dollars they have to go have it exchanged and the easier places for them to go might not give the best exchange rates, so it ends up costing them money. In another post somewhere in this giant library of knowledge someone posted a link to an exchange website where you can print a cheat sheet to help you with the quick calculations. Here is that link:

https://www.oanda.com/currency/travel-exchange-rates

I am not sure how helpful that is, but it is the best answer I can give you based on my reading. If I am wrong I am sure one of the vets will let you know. Have a great trip.

Just sayin'.....Phalstaph

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Just sayin'....Phalstaph

i usually pay the girls in dollars and bar tab taxi and food bill in colones

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You do costa rica your way and I'll do it my way

If you plan to pay the chica with colones, tell her that in the negotiations. Some of the chicas prefer dollars, some prefer colones. To convert dollars to colones, take half the dollar amount and add "mil" to the number. So $80 would be 40 mil. That is using 500/1 as the exchange rate. At the present time, you are getting a better deal if the chica accepts 40 mil for $80. BTW, "mil" is the Spanish word for thousand.

As for the amount to convert, I would convert about 60% of what you plan to spend. If you need to convert more while you are there, there is a bank on the second floor of the INS building, which is between the SL and HDR. (INS is an insurance company, not the same as our INS) The Colonial casino also gives a good exchange rate. Most of the hotels will exchange colones for dollars, but the rate is lower.

Your hotel room bill and some of the chicas are the only ones you should need dollars for. An exception, all the Zona 2 prices are in dollars, but if you don't have dollars, they will accept colones.

Here is another tidbit of information. Suppose you are at one of the gringo hotels/bars (except Zona 2) and your tab is 10 mil colones, as an example. If you pay with a $100 bill, they will convert the $100 to colones and then take out the 10 mil. Your change will be in colones. They will not convert the 10 mil to dollars and give you dollars in change.

All of the girls take dollars and that is the lions share of my trip's expenses. As was stated, the girls work in Dollars so my colones are for cabs, snacks and walking around money.

Zona (and I'm pretty sure HDR and SL...I'm confident someone will correct me if I'm wrong) take dollars for drinks and food, but they give change in colones so you'll always have pocket money in colones for incidentals. So say you order a drink, pay with 10mil ($20 value) and you're going to get 7500 in colones in change.

Your pockets are going to be lousy with those damn 500 colones coins when you leave. I have learned to make a point to spend all of those before I depart. They are roughly a dollar apiece and your bank at home wont convert coins no matter what the total is.

So When I land I go upstairs to departures and pull out maybe 100 in colones to get me started, but converting 60% off the bat would be a heavy percentage for me.

Both of the ATM's I have used in town give you the choice of withdrawing in colones or dollars so you wont be stuck without either one if you get a couple days into your trip and realize you prefer one to the other for some reason.

When it comes to chicas, the currency you negotiate in is the currency you pay in, period. The last thing you need is another variable, like exchange rate.

If you can do math and keep it straight operate using colones.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

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will be making my first trip for a bachelor party as well. April 30th -May 2 SL and then cocal until the 8th.

I am fascinated by all the posts that say the chicas want dollars. I usually give them the option, and nearly 95% want colones so they don't have to convert them themselves.

Pay attention to the quality of the bills if you give them to locals. While you will have little trouble converting 'street-handled' US currency, the locals cannot walk into a bank and convert worn down dollar bills. I always withdraw brand new bills at the bank, so it is never an issue.

For many of us that make frequent trips, we convert everything knowing that any leftover colones will return with us on the next trip. I currently have ~$700 in colones in my drawer. This just makes my next trip that much cheaper.

I do suggest that you not use dollars for anything except hotel (if you were quoted in dollars), and any tours or similar that also quoted dollars. Don't be fearful or lazy: use local currency.

Also, keep an eye out for brand new reds and blues. They are nice take-home reminders of your trip.

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bypassin' kinky, and usin' the whole chicken!!!

I did everything in colones. When quoted in US Dollars, I divided by 2 and paid in colones saving a few bucks US. At that time 100USD=53400C. So I gave/offered 50000 C. No one except the Hotel asked for the extra colones. There was a small discount at the Hotel for paying cash/colones instead of using a credit card.

NJ

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If you see me at the bottom, please bring me my running shoes!

This assumes that you will be spending most of your time in tourist oriented areas, if so you can use either currency but be aware that you will not get the best exchange rate at a bar or restaurant. Pay in the currency that you receive the bill.
I prefer to use local currency as much as possible.

If you withdraw a significant amount of US bills from your Bank in the U.S., tell them you need bills that are unmarked and not worn. My Bank does that for me. Then when you convert to colons in CR at let's say the Departure Kiosk at the airport the Banco there should accept the bills with no trouble.

Thanks for all the info gentlemen, this clears things up for me. I'm pretty decent at math so division by 2 wont be a problem, so im going to negotiate everything in colones and hold on to a few dollars just in case any of the chicas prefer it that way, although from what I'm reading most will prefer colones.

I'll be down next week from the 27th - May 1 if anyone wants to meet up and have a cerveza. Wi post that in roll call as well.

The only significant dollar discussion will be when girls ask for $100. That is roughly 53,400 colones. And they know it is not = 50,000. So if you negotiate in dollars and pay in colones add some extra colones when you multiply the dollars by 500.

Or just multiply by 534... and give them the current mid market rate and they will probably be ok with it.

If are quoted in colones for something and pay in dollars no one will complain if you divide by 500 and give them the dollars. You just built in a tip.

Easiest just to always pay with colones. If the discussion is for time just clarify at the beginning that 50K colones is OK... that way there is no misunderstanding.

Worn USD notes may not be accepted at hotels, restaurants, stores, etc. but a CR bank will accept all USD as long as they are intact.

Who knows it? Certainly not 97% of the chicas. The other 3% actually went to high school.