Costa Rica Information Request

[tacomax]

I've got a lady friend who is going to Costa Rica for a week with another 3 ladies, landing in San Jose. The trip organiser thinks it will be a good idea to stay in a hostel in Costa Rica for the week. I'm someone who wouldn't stay at a hostel in London, never mind Costa Rica.

Can any of the SBR crew or others who know Costa Rica advise a safe place to stay in San Jose?

Also, what sights are there in San Jose? Or is it better to get a car and travel/stay somewhere else where there is more to see?

[durito]

I've stayed in hostals all over CR and central america. I can't remember the name of the place I stayed in San Jose, but there really isn't much to see in the city. They will want to spend their whole trip somewhere else. Rent a car and head for the beach, or take the bus.

[louis]

Be careful in Costa Rica

Costa Rica has a lot of crime. It is not the violent gang and gun type crime we have in the US, but a lot of theft and stealing. Be very careful with valuables. Don't bring them to Costa Rica.

Its a beautiful place but there is some poverty there.

I would be scared to stay in a hostel or ride the public bus to the beach. Durito seems to be from Colombia so he probably doesn't stand out as much as an American tourist.

The Costa Rican people in general are friendly, peaceful, and law abiding, but one must use extreme caution in a foreign country like this. There are a lot of Nicaraguans there, in particular, who have not had that great of a life and have been a big factor in the huge increase in crime that has been experienced down there.

[Ganchrow]

I've got a lady friend who is going to Costa Rica for a week with another 3 ladies, landing in San Jose. The trip organiser thinks it will be a good idea to stay in a hostel in Costa Rica for the week. I'm someone who wouldn't stay at a hostel in London, never mind Costa Rica.

Can any of the SBR crew or others who know Costa Rica advise a safe place to stay in San Jose?

Also, what sights are there in San Jose? Or is it better to get a car and travel/stay somewhere else where there is more to see?

I'd completely skip San Jose. If your friends will only be in CR for a week then spending even a single night in San Jose is a waste. It's a rather nondescript Latin American city and there's just so much to see elsewhere.

I'd check out Manuel Antonio (a national park on the outskirts of the town of Quepos and about 3-4 hours from San Jose). When I was there I stayed at an inexpensive Bed & Breakfast-type place called La Posada right near the entrance to the national park, maybe 150 meters from the beach. Monkeys showed up every morning to eat breakfast out of our hands. That was pretty cool.

[tacomax]

Cheers, guys.

Good info Ganchrow.

I'm half tempted to gatecrash the trip and stay there.

[SBR_John]

If they want to base out of San Jose I'd go with either the Mariott or the Intercon. The Intercon would be my choice.

[MrX]

I just got back from Costa Rica. We were in San Jose for 3 days out of 14. In San Jose we stayed with a native Costa Rican who took us to all the hot spots and was able to keep us out of trouble, and I'd still say that we spent 2 too many days in San Jose!

Also, every day you spend in San Jose greatly increases your chances of being run over by a taxi.

We took the public bus from San Jose to Manuel Antonio (almost 4 hours) and it was actually quite nice, clean, and in my opinion safe. And at under $5, what a bargain! That said, I'd try to minimize time spent at the bus station, it's sketchy.

Manuel Antonio was nice, but hot for my tastes. The beaches were great, especially in the park.

I hear Arenal is fantastic.

[Ganchrow]

I hear Arenal is fantastic.

It certainly is. We loved it. If they go, check out the hot springs (Tabacon!) Monteverde was rather nice (and temperate) ... and maybe especially so for the hostel set.

But for the 20-somethings who probably want to do a little sightseeing AND a little partying Quepos is a good all-around choice. If they really want to party have them check out Jaco beach. The Poseidon hotel is quite reasonable and sports a suprisingly excellent restaurant.

They could consider both Quepos AND Manuel Antonio. It might be a little tight over just 7 days .. but still doable. It's about a 6 hour drive or a 1-hour flight. The flight is beautiful, and almost certainly safer than driving, too.

It really is a fantastic country to visit (and you might even want to live there).

[capitalist pig]

Tell them to take a day or two and go visit The Green Iguana Surf Camp near Playa Dominical, its in the rain forest on the coast. Spectacular scenary, and perfect waves. Ive surfved there a couple of times.

http://www.greeniguanasurfcamp.com/

later

[Sean]

I've got a lady friend who is going to Costa Rica for a week with another 3 ladies, landing in San Jose. The trip organiser thinks it will be a good idea to stay in a hostel in Costa Rica for the week. I'm someone who wouldn't stay at a hostel in London, never mind Costa Rica.

Can any of the SBR crew or others who know Costa Rica advise a safe place to stay in San Jose?

Also, what sights are there in San Jose? Or is it better to get a car and travel/stay somewhere else where there is more to see?

I'd certainly question any trip organizer who thinks its a good idea for a group of ladies to stay at a hostel in San Jose. As others have already mentioned, there is so much more to see and do in Costa Rica OUTSIDE of San Jose. Unless the ladies really like to get their freak on, there are better destinations. If they DO like getting freaky, there are a couple of extra rooms in my condo ...

Seriously though, here are some links to good safe hotels in the San Jose area:

Marriott San Jose
Have stayed there often and have enjoyed my stay each time. Close to the airport. Very quiet area, away from the city, but a convenient "base" for seeing the rest of the country.

Hotel Alta
Located on the road between Escazu and Santa Ana. Small quiet hotel ... nice rooms and good food. Convenient spot for shopping, dining, etc. in the Escazu area. About 15-20 minutes by taxi to downtown San Jose.

InterContinental
Haven't stayed at this particular InterContinental; but the ones I have stayed in are always top of the line. Have eaten here several times and food is good. Located in Escazu and very convenient to shopping and dining areas. About 15 minutes from the airport and 15-20 from downtown San Jose.

Villas Del Rio
In Escazu, just across from the SBR offices ... SBR guys have stayed here many times. Nice suites, with living room and kitchen. Nice swimming pools but no restaurant and, I personally find it to be extremely boring. That said, it's very safe, very quiet and a convenient "base" for touring the Valley.

Someone mentioned renting a car ... bad idea IMO. It's a bit tricky for first timers to find their way as there are few street names and fewer street signs. The roads are not the best, lots of traffic most of the time ... and, God love 'em, Tico drivers are a bit crazy. And, rentals here are kinda pricy. I spent my first 6 months here without a car and didn't really miss a beat. There are taxis everywhere ... day or night ... so getting around the Central Valley is cheap and easy. For longer trips, private tour vans/drivers can be arranged at fairly reasonable rates.

I can't tell you much about the beaches ... I'm not a "sand and surf" guy. And, SBR John is enough of a slave driver that we rarely leave the office However, I do recommend a day or two at Tabacon. Awesome close up view of Arenal Volcano ... especially at night. Good restaurants, fantastic spa and hot springs. About a 3 hour trip from Escazu. I think our round trip van/driver ran about $200 total ... but worth it just for the scenery between here and there.

Let me know if you have any other questions or if there is anything we can do to help your friends find more info.