www.CostaRicaTicas.com

First off I received my VIP card and was very surprised that it only took about two days. Great customer service.
I'm planing a trip in Oct-Nov. Can someone tell if there is a high/low season an when does it change? Also I've read the price(s) requested for entertainment and will use the information here as a guide, but can someone give me an example of cost of liquor/beer in the local watering holes? This will give me some idea on how much $$ to bring. Do the "ladies" drink lady drinks like in Thialand or do they drink normal real drinks?
Thanks for the help
Bobshere

Bob,
Welcome to CRT.

The rainy season (also called green season) runs from about April/May till November. Some hotels are cheaper, especially the beach towns like Jaco. For example, Sportsmens does not change prices seasonally. The seasons do not affect the quantity of chicas too much. However, during the high season (Nov-Mar) there are more guys around, so the chicas are less likely to accept a lower offer if there are more potential customers around. The basic law of supply and demand are very much at work there.

The prices of beer can vary, depending on local/domestic and the establishment. The average price for a local beer (Imperial) would be about 1,000¢ ($2), the imported (Corona) is almost double that.

At the DR/BM/KL, if you want to buy a girl a drink, you would buy her whatever type of drink she wants at regular price. They don't make money off the drinks. At strip clubs and massage parlor's this is usually the case. At strip clubs, a chica drink will be $6-8. At MP's, you can buy chicas a beer or a shot, but they also have expensive drinks on which they make money. At Zona Blue, they have one and at Idem, they also do (Fruit Punch $9 ). It's up to you what you buy, just make sure you ask in advance what you're paying for. And don't start a tab anywhere, they will most likely rip you off for some extra drinks you didn't have.

And I would recommend not buying drinks for bartenders, they are profesional at this game.

Bobshere,
Welcome to the board.

Late Oct / early Nov is the end of the slow season, and the beginning of the busy season. But that really won't make a difference with your trip. There'll still be plenty of chica's for your debaucherous pleasures.

There's so much info on this board, on every facet of CR. You've got plenty of time to read, and soak in a lot of information before your trip. Take your time, read as much as possible and all your questions will be answered. If there's some kind of info that you can't find, post your question and we'll give you the info you need. I'd recommend learning as much Español as possible beforehand. It will definitely help!

Again, welcome aboard, and get ready for the ride!

Mucho Gusto

_________________
You ALWAYS have an option ....... "NEXT" !!!

Orange,
Thanks for the speedy reply. The beach town of Jaco about how far is it and IYHO is it better than SJ? If Jaco is pretty far away how about commerical tranportation? One last thing for now where is the spell check for posting? I need all of the help I can get.
Thanks
Bobshere

Welcome to CRT Bobshere!

I thought I recognized that board name…must be from one of the Pattaya boards, so I’ll try and give you a few answers…

No real high/low seasons…around the American holidays (and CRT parties) things book up faster…but no real rate changes like LOS. I will bow to someone else regarding exact drink prices, but I noticed no real difference from LOS, except that you will not find the cheap draft specials. Lady drinks are real at the BM/DR or MP’s, it is not required or a “kick back” situation like the Pattaya GoGos, just watch what they order. Strip Clubs are a whole different story, you need to read up on them if you decide to go clubbing…

Amazing that MG and Orange responded while I was typing this… you guys must be having slow mornings …

Mendo

_________________
"It takes a lot of good beer to make a great wine"

Jaco is about 2 hours from San Jose. As far as being better than San Jose that is very subjective and you will get answers both ways. The girls in Jaco are much more likely to stick to their price as there are less of them and most of the mongers are a little more loose with their cash than the San Jose ones but that is only my opinion. You can hire a driver, take a cab, take Interbus or a public bus. If you are alone or with just one wingman I would recommend Interbus (http://www.interbusonline.com/ or 011-506-283-5573)

Mean while read, read and read some more. In this case the old saying "knowledge is power" is very very true

If you need spell check write your post in a word processor and then cut and paste to CRT.

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

Actually Mendo, I took my time, and typed my response rrrrreal slow, because I knew that you can't read very fast !!!
MG

_________________
You ALWAYS have an option ....... "NEXT" !!!

Jaco is about 2-3 hours away by car/bus. It's a very small beach town, consisting of one main long road and some side streets. The beach isn't very nice at all. There are much nicer beaches, but further away. You can also fish there, surf, canopy tour, ATV riding in the mountains, stuff that isn't available in SJ without driving a couple hours each way. It's hot and extremely humid there, so it's not my scene. Plus, there is almost no action to be found during the day. At night, there is the Beatle Bar, excellent for finding a paid companion. Prices are generally about the same as SJ.

There are several daily public buses, but they are cramped and no A/C, so forget them. Go with Interbus or a private driver/taxi. Interbus is a private shuttle bus company. They run mini-busses all across CR. http://www.interbusonline.com Check out their site for prices, schedules, etc. A private driver/taxi should run $60-80 one-way. If you can get 2-3 guys together a private taxi makes sense, otherwise use the shuttle (~$20 each way).

No spell checker here, you'll have to run it thru a word processor before you post. Here's what I did, download Google Tool Bar http://toolbar.google.com and it has a spell checker, so you don't have to use any other software.

Bobshere,

Welcome. First off it is nice to get a new poster who asks polite reasonable research questions. By the good responses you got from vets, hopefully yours will be an example to other new guys who have gotten off to rocky starts lately. I think the guys covered your initial questions but I will be happy to answer any questions I can and you can PM me also if you like.

BKTUNA
I am never going back

MG wrote:




MG, It took you 15 minutes to respond to my post, it took me three hours to get to this response…I rest my case.

We need to swap jobs for a few months...

Bobshere, sorry bout the hijack...

_________________
"It takes a lot of good beer to make a great wine"

 Hello Bobshere...whassup? Welcome to CRT, and thanks for posting questions the best way possible.

I echo BKTuna's offer: If you get stuck, can't find info...PM me or go ahead and post. Now that you're a VIP member, use the VIP forum for any "sensitive"
questions.

There is a mountain of information here, and sometimes it's hard to find answers quickly. If after having done some research you're still stuck...give
a shout. We're here to help.

Be sure to read the Newbie's section, especially the "sticky" posts from Ace, Orange and my report on taxis. Costa K*D's links list is also invaluable,
as is King Costa's primer on how to negotiate in the BM/KL.

You asked about how much money per day, and no one has yet answered, so I'll take a shot. The amount you'll need depends on your need for creature comforts,
how much you intend to screw, what you like to eat and drink, etc. Here are some general budget lines to consider:

1. Airport taxi to hotel = $18.00 - 20.00

2. Departure Tax, payable just before you check in for your flight home = $26.00

Hotel room: As low as $15.00/night (Nuevo Johnson) to $250.00/night (Hotel M., Zona Blue suite) Add 16.5% room tax to any price quoted to you. Breakfast
is often included in the room rate.

4. Meals = $3.50 for a big lunch at a locals' "soda" to "the sky's the limit." McDonald's is more expensive than in the States. You'll find all the fast-food
chains you can stomach. Local places are often cheaper and better quality. Read the Restaurant section for tips and reviews.

5. Booze: 500 colones (less than a buck) at the cheapest bars, $5.00 for a beer at the touristy places. Local rums are inexpensive. American whiskey
is very expensive. Buy a bottle or three on your way into the airport; the duty-free shop is before you even hit Customs!

6. Taxis - About half the cost per mile of U.S. mid-sized cities. Most trips around downtown will not cost more than $4.00 absolute max.

7. Prostitutes: $12.00 (half hour on Calle 6) - $150.00 - 200.00/hour (high-end independents at the del Rey, if you're dumb enough to pay it). Remember
that the average unskilled tico worker makes less than $250.00/month.

8. Tips. Tipping is not customary in Costa Rica. A 10% service charge is already figured into your bar bill or restaurant check. Yes, you should tip
your room maids and hotel porter (if he carries a suitcase for you). Yes, you're free to tip at restaurants too for excellent service. Taxi drivers do
not expect tips. IMHO for prostitutes: I'll tip massage parlor girls, but the independent whore has already agreed to her best price, and unless she figuratively
has blown me away, no tip for her.

9. Gambling: Only you can answer this. I don't gamble, except for the occasional pass by a slot machine.

10. Incidentals: Tours, transportation and other vacation activities in C.R. aren't terribly expensive, but may cost more than you think. From what I've
read here, deep-sea fishing for example is very expensive, as are some jungle tours and rafting trips. OTOH, your CRT buds have already done a lot of
research on non-mongering activities; plenty of info is right here for you.


My budget excluding hotel and airfare is usually about a hundred bucks per day. YMMV.

Again, welcome to CRT!

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

hola and welcum to Crt BoB, i plan on being down oct31st-nov8. pm me or let the blind gum wanter know

Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 4:46 pm Post subject:

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Budgeting is really very easy: Consider all reasonable expenses and come up with a figure, double it and add 16.3% tax. Nothing to it....


Right on, I normally spend twice what I am figuring!!! Accurate!

Great replies. Maybe budget was not the right word seems that I can't stick to one here anyway. You've help me out alot and I'll continue to read more Tuesday. Thanks for all of the help.
Bobshere