www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Anglo Time: I agree with Mente. Nobody should compare Jaco to SJ. That's like comparing St. Louis to Miami. Yes, Jaco is hot but it's August in Central America on the beach. Yes, it's not a nice looking beach but it's the closest to SJ and that's why ticos go on weekends/holidays. Yes, the gals come out at night but I've had luck during the afternoon when I've chased one down on my moped as she rode by on her bike. Or, spend the afternoon sleeping, at the pool, at the beach or drinking at the Beatle Bar, or taking a side trip or all the above.We have used Alex (Blue Sky I believe) as our driver. He's a CRT approved service. He can be e-mailed at: palmaelgallo@racsa.co.cr Enjoy whatever you decide. Wile Coyote

Once again the Wile E Coyotes of CRT have delivered good information.

Only reason to go to Jaco is to just escape the craziness of the gulch for at least a couple of days on a longer trip (while still having chica access).

As others so aptly pointed out, if the idea is for beauty & nature, Jaco is NOT the place.

1. Thanks for posting I want to visit Cartagena but my buddy went and said the touts are non-stop there, how did you shake them?

2. If a taxi/van is $80 why not fly the turbo-prop $100RT to Quepos in 20 minutes then drive to Jaco?

Hey Anglotime..... Go to Jaco. Do not listen to these guys that are telling you not to go. You have 5 days. Last April I went for 5 days and was booked at the Del Rey for all 5. I met a guy there that wanted to go to Jaco, and I went. I ended up staying there for 2 nights. I had a great time. So what if there is no daytime action in Jaco. On the contrary, I was able to find 2 girls for me and my buddy during the day on my second day there. San Jose can get a little boring if you stay there the whole time. It's good to break it up and enjoy the 2 places. Most of these guys are only concerned in mongering and badmouth Jaco because there is less mongering action there. Yes there is less, but there is mongering there. I don't know about you, but my whole idea of a vacation does not consist of mongering and mongering alone, although I did it at least once a day. There is plenty to do in Jaco and you still can get laid. I just can't see going someplace to just limit yourself to one place because of more sexual choices. Yes it can get hot there but so can Florida. Some of you guys are just ridiculous. Let the man go and see for himself.

I see your point Will, and think maybe mine has been missed. I think seeing more of the country is also a good idea. The time, expense and effort to go to Jaco by bus/car is similar to that of taking the small plane to Manuel Antonio. MA is FAR more attractive than Jaco and should be the venue of choice for first beach trip. Another alternative that is seldom mentioned here is to take a one night trip out of San Jose to visit the Orosi valley. It is one of the most picturesque little mountain towns in the world, and only 80-90 minutes by car or bus from San Jose. It also offers easy access to Volcan Irazu. In the village of Orosi I can highly recommend the b&b "Orosi Lodge." See web page. Run by a wonderful German couple.

I have made multiple visits over a long period of time to the beach areas of Costa Rica. Quepos, Jaco, Tamarindo, Dominical, Nosara, etc. Jaco is at the absolute bottom of the chart. Its only attraction vs the others is having some nightlife/chica action, which can easilly be arranged for take out service through San Jose if that is considered a necessity.

I appreciate all of the opinions. Thanks.

FYI, I fully intend to do some day trips out and about. I've done the waterfalls, the jungle cruise, butterflies, coffee plantations, canopy, etc., etc., but I have never been to Jaco mongering.

I've gone ahead and booked in the gulch for the 5 days and perhaps we'll take a run down to Jaco and have one night there just so I can add my 2 cents worth next time someone asks the question.

Cheers!

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"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers" - Maybe Shakespeare was a CRT member?

I am sure glad to see some have spoken positive about Jaco.

I live near San Francisco, California and so the weather here is near the same as in SJ so when some talk of the hot in Jaco, I know they must have lived in SJ or somewhere like SF to be complaining about the heat in Jaco.

SJ and living in SF like me will turn you into a total weather whimp (especially for older folks).

Florida, Texas, NY, Virginia and most of the rest of the USA is hell-hot in the summer so there really isn't anything to fear in Jaco.

Dwayne,
I'm a little confused by your comment. Didn't Mark Twain once say the coldest winter he ever spent was the summer he spent in San Francisco? Right now according to my yahoo weather highs in SF are running in the mid-60's vs. the high 70's in SJ, mid 80's around Jaco and the mid 90's we've got here in FL. And let me tell you, we're definitely used to heat and humidity here, but we still take it as easy as we can outdoors during the day and seek the shelter of a/c.

Will,
I think you're a little confused too. With the possible exception of ElG and T&V, I don't think anyone was saying he shouldn't go there and most of the guys in this thread clearly like it. What RBC and I were saying was only if you go to Jaco, keep in mind that it is a compromise destination and there are some negatives. That there are much nicer beaches elsewhere is fairly indisputable. That the mongering action is much more limited than SJ, Rio, Pattaya etc is also hard to dispute. On the plus side is a ride that is 1 hour closer than MA and 2-3 hours closer than most other popular beach destinations in CR, making it practical for an overnight or even a day trip. And while the comparison to SJ is not so great, the monger action in Jaco is WAY better than other beach destinations in CR where it is practically non-existent.

Your other comments about those of us that were pointing out Jaco's shortcomings were somehow only "concerned with mongering and mongering alone" were COMPLETELY off the mark. Anyone that knows me or RBC definitely knows nothing could be further from the truth. Speaking for myself, I could EASILY spend 5 nights in SJ and not get bored. There are TONS of highly worthwhile non-mongering things to do around the relatively cooler central valley using SJ as your base, certainly at least 5 days worth.

However, both RBC and I also regularly urge others to get outside of SJ and WE'RE not the ones "limiting ourselves" to 1 place like Jaco just because it has more mongering options than other areas. Reread our posts we didn't just "badmouth Jaco because there is less mongering action there". We badmouthed it because the beach sucks and because we don't have to go there just because theres more mongering there than at the nicer beaches. If anyone is "limiting themselves" and is "concerned with mongering and mongering alone" it is those that can't see beyond the SJ-Jaco nexus.

If you're going to CR for one and only one time, only have a few days total and just have to have a beach experience but can't manage to pass up even 1 day of mongering, then I'd definitely recommend Jaco. It is also just one possibility, but not the only one, if you've been to CR before and/or have REALLY run out of new and interesting things to do in SJ. However, I'd recommend going to a different beach if you've enough time in CR that you can manage the extra hour or two it takes to get to nicer beaches and can accept the possibility you won't get laid absolutely every day of your trip. And I'd recommend saving Jaco for another trip if you're going to have other chances to check out the CR beaches during the less humid winter months. Finally, if having beaches and mongering together are really of such paramount importance, then there are definitely better countries to go to. IMHO, of course.

I referred to SF because people know it. I live in Concord which is about 35 miles from SF. If you can stand to read all of this, your confusion should disappear. Keep in mind that this area isn't EXACTLY like SJ, however it is mild in the SF area.

On some days, it is 65 in SF and 95 in Concord at the very same minute of the day (30 degrees diff). This is a microclimate unlike the east coast where it is pretty much the same temp give or take 5 degrees for hundreds of miles.

There isn't any humility to speak of out here during the day - Concord has something like 27% during the day and then it goes way up during the night. The sun burns the humility out of the air during the day.

The weather here is controlled by the temp of the water in the Bay (around 50 degrees). The air blows over the water and cools things down - especially at night but during the day the further inland you go the more the sun wins (heating things up during the day).

Check Yahoo weather several times a day for Concord, SF, Dublin, San Mateo, Marin and you'll get an idea of what a microclimate is all about.

There is a place a little south of SF, in the hills, that is windy and cold and has fog so thick you can't see 5ft and at the same time it is warm and clear after a 10 minute drive down hill. This is during the day.

Current Concord temp and humidity:
64 degrees, 73% humidity (1:25AM)

Our weather here is mild like in SJ, Costa Rica. The reason a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house that has 1450 sqft in a neighborhood without good schools costs 525,000 is because the weather makes this place a paradise.

I live in an area that has lots of wind so while it is very warm in downtown Concord, it can be 15 degrees cooler at my house. Wind.... there is about 2000 windmills about 2 miles from me.

Since living here (I'm from Maryland), I've turned into a weather whimp! Humidity sucks the energy out of me these days (I'm 42), but the sad thing is that I'm likely going to sell the house and move to Jacksonville soon - I'm stopping there before moving to SJ. Why going to Jacksonville... long story.

So everyone's cocky and arrogant during the day... that must suck!! I didn't know the sun affected humble people that way...

JK, Dwayne, that's cool information I had no idea about.

Take care,

Ruffnutz

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EVERYONE'S A ROCK STAR IN C.R.!!
"Just when I thought I was out... They pull me back in." -- Ruffnutz on trying to quit CRT

Hey,

Jaco isn't the prettiest beach in CR but it is a fun place to go. You can hang around the beach during the day, go to El Bohio for a beer, then go to the Beatle Bar at night and later the disco. I heard there is now another place, the Monkey Bar or something like that. For me, it's better than just sitting in SJ the whole time. I always grab a bus or plane and go somewhere to see another part of the country. I've seen a fair amount of it but not enough.

Whoever said there was a nice breeze in Cartagena in the evening was there in their winter. I was there in May, it was hot and humid as f***, even at night. I did have a great time, though. I stayed away from the place out on the peninsula, La dolce Vida or whatever its called, and found plenty of great looking ladies out at discos in El Centro, mixed in with the regular crowd. And the touts in Cartagena are the WORST!