www.CostaRicaTicas.com

OK guys, I will be going to CR in January for the first time. I have been doing quite a bit of my research, but still feel left in the dark. I will be going with four of my friends, these guys like the amenities when it comes to hotels, and $$ is not a concern. I have no idea how far Jaco beach is from the gultch, we would love to stay on the beach, be near shopping, and restaurants, bars, strippers, and get ticas as well. Does this place exist, or would we be doing several taxi rides? Thanx JJ

Jaco, the closest beach to SJ, is about 2 hours away. It is definitely not the nicest beach in CR, but is the definitely the one with the most "monger" nightlife. However it still pales in comparison to SJ. How long will you be going for? If money is no object and staying near a nice beach along with great "mongering" opportunities in the same location is what you're looking for and you've at least a week or more, Rio de Janeiro may be a better choice. Its a long and expensive flight compared to going to CR, but its a night flight so you can sleep on the plane and make up the cost of the flight in local cost savings compared to CR over the course of your trip. It has better MP's than even SJ and a huge disco at least 5 times the size of the Blue Marlin right on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

So why do I go to CR? Rio is hot (as are the beaches in CR). I like being in the cooler mountains. But then I live in Florida, so I don't need to go to CR for the beaches. If I do go to the beach in CR, I prefer the nicer beaches than Jaco. But then I can leave the mongering behind for a few days. I also think there are more interesting non-mongering things to see and do that are also close to my base of operations in SJ, than there would be in Rio. Finally, airfare to Rio from where I am is almost $300 more than it is to CR, so unless I'm on an extended vacation I prefer to spend the slightly higher local prices in CR.

YMMV, but just some things to consider.

As far as the beach itself, Jaco sucks. The sand is black and it smells really bad. I'd prefer to go to Coney Island, even with the medical waste floating around. In the 3 daysin Jaco, I did not see anybody actually sunbathing on the beach. Only surfers. I heard that the Caribbean coast beaches are much nicer.

The Beatle Bar in Jaco is pretty cool, lots of cute chicas, but the starting rate seemed to be $100/hr. That was their starting point, but not my ending point. It was very easy to talk most of them down to 70 or 75.

-Orange

http://samarabeach.com/

The bad news is, not much monger stuff to do.

Here's some more info: http://www.1-costaricalink.com/costa_ri ... mation.htm

For Puss, SJO, Jaco, Quepos.

For Beaches, anywhere on the Pacific side of the Nicoya Peninsula.

I second the motion of finding a nice resort near some chicas and forget the beach.

Depends on your priorities.

HL

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Don't tell my Mom I'm a Pilot. She thinks I'm a Piano Player in a Brothel.

J.J.

For luxury and availability of ladies, stick to San Jose.

Hotel Presidente, Holiday Inn Arroyo, Sportsmen's Lodge, Amon Plaza all offer approximately a 3-star to 4-star amenities level. For higher levels of luxury, you'll need to stay at one of the properties closer to the airport. Remember that you're traveling to a developing country; don't expect anything to be like the U.S. Some things of course are equal, but don't be surprised if anything to which you're accustomed to finding in hotel rooms (i.e. washcloths) is missing.

In January, the Caribbean side is supposed to be beautiful, but accomodations there are primitive. The Pacific coast has some incredible beach life, but with the exception of Jaco, opportunities to find play for pay are limited.

My advice: Divide your trip between beach fun and skirt-chasing in the city. Even on the Pacific beach, you're a fairly short ride to Jaco from Quepos/Manuel Antonio, Playa Hermosa etc. And as said above, Quepos does have some mongering opportunities, albeit limited.

Have fun!

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Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.

San Jose is the place to be for most of your trip and the SL is the best place to stay. Jaco is a nice side trip but spending more than a couple of days there will have you longing for the comforts of the SL. Just my opinion.

I hate when someone says $$$ isn't a problem!

I hope paying 100 for the girls will be a problem. Try to get them off 100 as much as you can. Don't have the same no problem attitude with the girls.

Thanks... much appreciated.