www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Hey guys! It'll be my first time visiting CR next week and I'll be traveling alone from Wed 9/19 - Thu 9/27. For context, I grew up in NYC so being streetsmart is a natural instinct. As someone who had just gone through a very difficult divorce and a business separation (from the ex), I'm newly single and looking to explore mongering. I admittedly have done very little research and it's a spontaneous trip.

Right now, I only have flights booked to and from SJO. For the first three nights, I will be staying in the Gulch. Should I be booking at SL or HDR? (I'm on the fence.) I'll also plan on dropping by Monica's during the daytime.

As for the next five nights, I'm totally wide open but do want to do some sight-seeing namely on hikes, beaches, rainforests, and volcanoes. I won't be driving and am open to long-haul bus trips from downtown San Jose. Any suggestions are welcomed. Thanks!

SL is a popular place for mongers, it's a quieter more subdued classier hotel with a bar in the center, easy to strike up conversations with fellow mongers and make friends, small contingent of girls frequent this place, you can engage one and if you like her, take her to your room, no extra fee.

Bill is the owner, N American, always around, runs a tight ship. Don't get a room around the bar, they're noisy and everyone knows your business...ask for a quiet room in one of the wings. Food is good, bartenders and waitresses on the spot and friendly. 10 minute walk to HDR, the belly of the beast.

HDR is the belly of the beast, the largest and most omnipresent gaggle gathering of girls in the city, they're there from 6 am to 5:59.59 am. Evenings can get hopping and even afternoons, if not too many girls wandering about, still usually something worth reviewing.

I personally recommend everyone stay at HDR once, then if you like loud n wild n non stop crazy, you can keep returning, or you can check out the smaller more boutique hotels like SL or La Amistad or Castillo or others, generally more modern nicer classier rooms (The HDR has large clean rooms and excellent service, but they resemble an old Howard Johnson or Motel 6).

They charge $11 for a girl to visit your room, but generally their room prices are lower, so unless you're a super stud bringing 3,4, 5 or more girls to your room daily, it ends up being cheaper.

If you stay at HDR, get a room on third floor or higher, the second floor is noisy. Oddly they have rooms in the center of the hotel with no windows, claustrophobic. Ask for a room with windows on the quieter side.

No matter which one you stay at, you'll have fun, flip a coin...

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Don't try to understand 'em, just rope 'em down and brand 'em...

Thanks for your thorough response, Netgems! Sounds like I would prefer SL. I'm definitely not into the HJ or Motel 6 vibe but I'll make some sacrifices for the convenience of a few nights.

In my opinion, SL is the best choice for a first-timer.

I made SL my choice for a first trip and have never regretted it, becoming a regular. I cruise through HDR almost every day, stop for a beer, do some window shopping, and every couple days bring one back to SL to supplement the SL chicas and what I find at MPs.

As Netgems pointed out, people have their favorite hotel based on their style and where they are comfortable. You will find strong advocates of all the major chica friendly hotels on this board. The only way to know for sure is to experience for yourself. But the generalizations mentioned above and in many threads are a definite help in picking for the first trip.

You mention convenience, and it is easier to grab the elevator than a taxi back to SL, but it is a minor inconvenience. Being from NYC you should have the taxi thing down. There are always taxis queued up outside HDR, I have never had to wait. 2,000 colones is the usual fare. If you just walked down from SL and catch a taxi back you might initially think they are taking you for a ride, but because of one-way streets the driving distance back is about twice the walking distance.

I walk between SL and HDR during the day and taxi at night and with a chica at any time. Walking SL to HDR is about 10 mins. downhill.

Some guy did a video of the average room, odd he says he's paying $100 a day, I never paid more than $65.

If it's $100 and SL is booked up, better choices are La Amistad and/or Castillo, far superior rooms and meals are included in the daily rate.

Their food is excellent, you can dine at either place since they are owned by the same owners, Castillo has gorgeous rooms with a big porch and a view of the zoo/park, ask for one of them.

One of my buddies who stays here says he gets free beer included in the room price but I can't verify that....

La Amistad also offers "Hazel" who is a sweet Tica who has been doing professional non sexual, no happy ending massages for over 10 years, her massages are mind bending.

She has a room there with a massage table and she will loosen up tight muscles like no other masseuse I've ever experienced, you may yelp like a whipped pup on occasion during the process, she works those kinks out hard....

https://youtu.be/L3yiVix7OGA

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Don't try to understand 'em, just rope 'em down and brand 'em...

Drinks are included in the all inclusive rates, as well as meals, at LA and/or Castillo

I will be at Castillo, a stones throw from SL and 7 min walk to HDR, you will be in good hands at Castillo, LA or SL

20-23 Sept

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Entertainment purposes only, nothing posted above is true nor reflects reality nor my experience.

Don't forget also a quick walk to Hotel Little Havana which is picking up on popularity with many hot chicas, plenty of well kept in a big humidor room cigars, and a nice comfortable setting, besides the bar, many big plush chairs and a stripper pole, lol.

I never knew anything about Castillo until I visited a friend staying there who loves the place. He had one of the rooms on the end that overlooks the zoo/park with giant porch.

The view was gorgeous and if you kept the sliding doors open, you get an incredible breeze and a normal claustrophobic hotel room felt open and airy. Included is their excellent meals plus the ones at La Amistad, beer and whatever else.

The place is quite a bargain, and depending on your food and beer consumption, you might end up staying there for free...

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Don't try to understand 'em, just rope 'em down and brand 'em...

Thanks for awesome suggestions really!

I've already booked my first two nights - 9/19+9/20 - at SL and the rest is still up in the air. I'm a non-drinker (terrible migraine headaches) but the all-inclusive at Castillo and LA still sounds great. I do enjoy my smokes. If anyone wants to hang and point a newbie in the proper directions over a few bought rounds, that's where I'll be at first. As someone who likes to plan my trips, going with the flow is feels a bit uneasy. However, it's probably better than boxing myself in.

relax you are going to have a great time
staying at SL all you have to do is tell the guy next to you and he's probably going to invite you on a walk lol
guys love watching newbies

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im way deep into nothing special
riding the crest of a wave breaking just west of hollywood

I live here, semi retired since January in an apartment on the 6th floor of a building behind Holiday Inn (super safe, double electric gate entry and thick wood front door to my apartment with 3 locks, plus if anyone gets that far and is working on my door, I have a not so little friend pissed off and waiting with me for them, I'll be lying down aiming for the door with the lights off and my super strobe flash light lying beside me waiting...

I find it safe to walk around at night before midnight when the zombies start coming out in droves, after that I'm inclined to take a cab but not before. I walk from my place to HLH, SL and HDR all the time, the streetlights and policia patrols are much better than they once were.

I've been coming here 15 years, know every square inch of the gulch, I lived here 2 years 10 years ago, plus I'm big and in my young old age (64), gym rat, brown belt still practicing, 200 lbs, 6 foot and walk fast, and as friends of mine will attest, get real hostile with street bums following me begging for money.

I've turned around and yelled for them to shut the ffff up and get lost, it usually works.

10 years ago when I was strong and healthy early/mid 50's, I actually chased some little guy who always tormented me after he started yelling at me from a distance by HDR, it was hilarious running him down and seeing him turn his head to look at me in terror as he was running away, but alas, youth and stamina eventually win, and the gap between us expanded and he eventually disappeared.

Come to think of it, not sure what I would have done if I would have caught him, my instinct probably told my subconscious I couldn't...but it was worth it, it was one of the most exhilarating funny experiences of my life, also seeing the shocked look of all the Ticos and Ticas seeing this old gringo chasing this little street bum...

I would see him around the HDR after that and he quit bugging me, I should have given him some colones to let me chase him every now and then, would love to be walking with one of my visiting friends, say "Excuse me, I'll be right back, I'm going to beat this guy's ass, you gotta let the locals know you're crazy and dangerous when you live here..."

If you're a tourist and don't know your way around, or if you're obviously much older and/or seriously out of shape, you may be viewed as a target, so probably better to cab at night, but I would say if a couple guys are together and know their way around, it's safe to go from the HDR to the SL, LA Amistad, Castillo at night, again, before midnight...

There tends to be a group of trannies closer to the HLH as you get closer to midnight, they know the tenants of my building including me and never bother us as we walk past them, we always say hola and wave, they wave back.

I think they know if they bug us, we're still in the hood and just might plan revenge as we have a birds eye and high powered bb gun view of them from our windows, but new tourists probably shouldn't walk past them, there's been stories where they don't attack you, but swarm you and pickpocket you and then take off.

As far as chicas go, one of my faves is often working HDR, if I feel like having her visit me on any particular night that I'm there, I make her walk from the HDR to my apartment, lol, she always brings flat shoes in her purse...

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Don't try to understand 'em, just rope 'em down and brand 'em...

Hahaha! Nice professional life tips, Netgems! I'm 42, slim, and in perfect health so running from/down crackheads wouldn't be much of an issue. Just don't expect much help from me in a streetbrawl and it wouldn't be for the lack of effort.

I'm thinking of spending a few days in La Fortuna for the typical tourist stuff. Is the Tinder app my best bet there for some evening company? I do have some pickup skills with the ladies but I probably wouldn't be on my A-game after a full day of outdoor activities.

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Don't know, never used it, perhaps some guys who've experienced it can chime in. When I venture outside San Jose to enjoy nature and scenery, it's usually with friends so I take a hiatus from chicas, then I have a reason to look forward to returning to giant slum San Jose after experiencing incredible clean air and beauty, lol.

The only deviation I took from this methodology was on my maiden voyage in 2003 to Costa Rica, I was lucky as a newbie because one of my best buddies moved here and invited me down for a couple weeks, he was seeing this one chica as his novia or favorita, and she brought her stunningly gorgeous perfect no K*ds 19 y/o friend to meet me, I was an incredible youthful 49.

She was new to mongering and so was I, the next day after she spent the night with me and my buddie's girl with him, he chimes in "Hey, let's all go to Mt Arenal for the next few days!!!

Their tour guide fee was $100 a day and all they could eat, sounded reasonable to me and off we went. We bonded and stayed in touch 10 years, I experienced her as a young hot 19 year old all the way to her becoming an elegant 30 year old woman. I taught her sales and real estate, now she's given up the life and is a successful real estate condo selling agent in Jaco...

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Don't try to understand 'em, just rope 'em down and brand 'em...

That's a real happy ending. Good for the both of you! From what I see, the tours there start at $100 and up. Definitely doable.

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