[Dantes]

I recently spent a few days in San Jose. The following report is a brief guide based on a few days in San Jose.

Overview

The transportation hub of Central America, San Jose is the capital and largest city in Costa Rica. The city holds roughly half the population of the country.  It is surrounded by green mountains and valleys. Most travelers use San Jose as a starting point for other destinations within the country.

Logistics

You will most likely arrive in Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) which is the busiest airport in Central America.  Downtown is about 20 minutes from the airport with no traffic.  However, there is construction on the bridge that connect the airport highway to San Jose. This will double your time.

The cheapest option is to take a local bus to downtown for $1 and then a taxi to your hotel.  Taxis from the airport will run a minimum of $25.  You can pay most taxis in U.S. dollars.

The drive to and from the airport will be your about as dangerous as it gets in San Jose.  The traffic is horrendous and taxi drives rely on GPS and have a poor understanding of navigating the streets.  My Uber driver got into an accident on the way to the airport.  Unfortunately, all parties were not hurt.  However, after this accident, I was all too happy to leave the gridlock of San Jose behind.

A ride within downtown will cost between $3-5.  Downtown to San Pedro will cost about $7. Uber will be about half the price.  Taxis drivers are clueless about street names.  Identify a well-known landmark close to your location as a point of reference for your driver.

On the surface, downtown looks to have an edge. However, the people are quite friendly and is safe to walk.  Downtown is bustling with car traffic and pedestrians.  It is easily walkable but after 1-2 hours, you will find yourself bored.  Besides a few landmarks, there isn’t much to see and the city lacks charm.

I stayed a the Best Western Irazu Hotel
 
Pros
• Great amenities: pool, jacuzzi, gym
• Casino and three restaurants
• Close to a supermarket
• Shuttle service from airport for $8 (limited availability)
• Guest policy: register the room for two guests and you should not have a problem.
• Decent price of around $60

Cons
• Not a central location. 10-15 minutes from downtown

Taxis

Public Taxis are easy to identify, indicated by their red color.  Most accept credit cards and are fairly priced.  Uber is available but be cautious as taxi businesses are trying to eliminate Uber.  Taxis drivers may get angry if they see you order an Uber in a busy place with available public taxis.

Sites

The National Theater
The Museum of Pre-Colombian Gold
The National Park
Morazon Park

Girls

The average Cosa Rican girl is nothing to write home about. Costa Ricans are mainly descendants of Spain, so you will see European features in the women.  I saw a fair amount of Gingers.

Lighter-skinned than their cousins in the region, they are short, slim and less voluptuous than other Latinas.  The upper class white women can be very hot, stylish and sophisticated.

What they lack in attractiveness in general, they make up for with a friendly, approachable vibe.  They are easy to speak with, open and have pleasant dispositions.

Game

The girls respond favorably to a well-dressed, international man.  The girls are accustomed to Gringos, however, San Jose is an overlooked destination for the International Player.  A player can do quite well here and it is easy to distinguish yourself from the other tourists.

Girls are generally friendly and open to meeting foreigners.  For Nightgame, be ready to open groups.  Check out some of the bars in San Pedro, frequented by college girls.  Daygame in downtown will lack quality.  Your best bet for meeting girls during the day is to hit San Pedro Mall where the quality will be better.  Opening up girls during the game is easy and they respond well.

Conclusion

San Jose more than any other city has garnered mixed reviews.  Some swear by it as the overlooked city in Latin America, others report an underwhelming experience with the ladies and sites. Having spent just a few days in San Jose, I remain ambivalent.  Consider these impressions based on a short duration.

The girls are friendly and approachable.  Any man with solid Game and respectable looks will have an easy time differentiating himself from the old mongered-out tourists.  Costa Rica has received a large amount of tourism over the past two decades, but often comprised of eco-tourism, families, and sex tourists.  A player can do quite well here if he can bear with a lackluster city.

[stpete]

(03-14-2017 10:01 AM)Dantes Wrote:  

A ride within downtown will cost between $3-5.  Downtown to San Pedro will cost about $7. Uber will be about half the price.  Taxis drivers are clueless about street names.  Identify a well-known landmark close to your location as a point of reference for your driver.

Nice report. I've spent time in San Jose and all over CR enjoying the mountains and rivers. I'll be heading back in a few months.

It's true about the Taxi drivers and being clueless in San Jose. It's worse than any city I have been to. And they are vicious against Uber. I've heard Taxi drivers getting into fights with them.

I'm curious about your thoughts on

"San Jose is an overlooked destination for the International Player. A player can do quite well here and it is easy to distinguish yourself from the other tourists."

You mention this several times. What are your thoughts of dress in this manner?

How would you stand out?

Because in San Jose I think it's good to stand out. But it's not always a great idea to stand out as someone that has money. That could make you a target. It seems a fine line.

So what were you thinking about distinguishing yourself from others? I'm curious.

Did you meet any women?
Was it via daygame or night or other?
How long were you there?

[Merenguero]

(03-14-2017 12:03 PM)stpete Wrote:  

(03-14-2017 10:01 AM)Dantes Wrote:  

A ride within downtown will cost between $3-5.  Downtown to San Pedro will cost about $7. Uber will be about half the price.  Taxis drivers are clueless about street names.  Identify a well-known landmark close to your location as a point of reference for your driver.

Nice report. I've spent time in San Jose and all over CR enjoying the mountains and rivers. I'll be heading back in a few months.

It's true about the Taxi drivers and being clueless in San Jose. It's worse than any city I have been to. And they are vicious against Uber. I've heard Taxi drivers getting into fights with them.

I'm curious about your thoughts on

"San Jose is an overlooked destination for the International Player. A player can do quite well here and it is easy to distinguish yourself from the other tourists."

You mention this several times. What are your thoughts of dress in this manner?

How would you stand out?

Because in San Jose I think it's good to stand out. But it's not always a great idea to stand out as someone that has money. That could make you a target. It seems a fine line.

So what were you thinking about distinguishing yourself from others? I'm curious.

Did you meet any women?
Was it via daygame or night or other?
How long were you there?

I'll try to answer this one, as I went close to undefeated in San Jose. As with El Salvador, having your clothes ironed is huge in Costa Rica. Dress as well as possible, but avoid jewelry and Rolexes and stuff like that. Those two things will take you further in San Jose than in most other places. Sex tourists may actually help your cause. Distinguish and separate yourself from those guys as much as possible and you will be rewarded, more so than in other places I have been.

[Dantes]

(03-14-2017 12:03 PM)stpete Wrote:  

(03-14-2017 10:01 AM)Dantes Wrote:  

A ride within downtown will cost between $3-5.  Downtown to San Pedro will cost about $7. Uber will be about half the price.  Taxis drivers are clueless about street names.  Identify a well-known landmark close to your location as a point of reference for your driver.

Nice report. I've spent time in San Jose and all over CR enjoying the mountains and rivers. I'll be heading back in a few months.

It's true about the Taxi drivers and being clueless in San Jose. It's worse than any city I have been to. And they are vicious against Uber. I've heard Taxi drivers getting into fights with them.

I'm curious about your thoughts on

"San Jose is an overlooked destination for the International Player. A player can do quite well here and it is easy to distinguish yourself from the other tourists."

You mention this several times. What are your thoughts of dress in this manner?

How would you stand out?

Because in San Jose I think it's good to stand out. But it's not always a great idea to stand out as someone that has money. That could make you a target. It seems a fine line.

So what were you thinking about distinguishing yourself from others? I'm curious.

Did you meet any women?
Was it via daygame or night or other?
How long were you there?

Consider my report is limited to only a few days in San Jose. I know other Forum members who have spent much longer durations in CR. Having traveled to many countries, I have a good sense of the indicators that I look for in a given city.

Yes, I made of point of emphasizing this. I have traveled pretty extensively in Latin America and never felt a strong pull for Costa Rica. My sense is most players would rather hit Colombia, Brazil, Peru and Argentina for girls before Costa Rica. My preconceived notion was that Costa Rica was a place for eco-tourism and sex tourism and a relatively safe place for tourists who don't travel as much as many on this Forum. Hence, I consider it overlooked for many members in our Travel community.

Yes, there is a fine line between dressing well and the avoidance of being a target. I felt that as Blazer with nice jeans and shoes, without any jewelry was a good compromise. I was complimented on my attire by girls, but I didn't feel I was a target in anyway.

I think a man with solid looks and Game can do quite well in San Jose. I didn't get a the sense that other foreigners and locals dressed particularly well. The completion did not seem high.

I met a few girls during my short stay. One date from Tinder. I spent 2 afternoons daygaming and also checked out the nightlife.

[Naughty By Nature]

Which city has more gorgeous women?

San Jose, Costa Rica or San Jose, California?

[scotian]

How is the weather there, I know that Costa Rica is a coffee producing country so it must have altitudes of 1500-1800 meters, is the city in a higher altitude area, is it cool at night like in Medellin or the Eje Cafetero in Colombia? Also, how is San Jose for a base to explore other regions in the country like the Caribbean and Pacific coasts, are they easily accessible by cheap buses?

I'm like you Dantes, Costa Rica has never been on my radar to much due to its reputation as packed with gringos and more expensive but I'm into the eco-tourist stuff like hiking, diving, surfing, etc so the country may have some potential for me if I was to do a tour through Central America, which I've been saying I'm gonna do for years but always end up back in Colombia jajaja.

[Slam]

OP - Like other guys I am wondering about the gringo factor. Many people say too many gringos are in the entire country... Is San Jose already overrun? What took you there in the first place?

[Dantes]

(03-14-2017 05:56 PM)scotian Wrote:  

How is the weather there, I know that Costa Rica is a coffee producing country so it must have altitudes of 1500-1800 meters, is the city in a higher altitude area, is it cool at night like in Medellin or the Eje Cafetero in Colombia? Also, how is San Jose for a base to explore other regions in the country like the Caribbean and Pacific coasts, are they easily accessible by cheap buses?

I'm like you Dantes, Costa Rica has never been on my radar to much due to its reputation as packed with gringos and more expensive but I'm into the eco-tourist stuff like hiking, diving, surfing, etc so the country may have some potential for me if I was to do a tour through Central America, which I've been saying I'm gonna do for years but always end up back in Colombia jajaja.

Scotian,

The weather was perfect last month. During the day is was in the 80s F, dipping down to the high 60s at night. At night it was comfortable for either a short sleeve shirt or a blazer.

I am not sure about buses. However, San Jose (along with Panama City) is the main hub for Central America. There are cheap flights to San Salvador and Guatemala City for example for under 100 U.S. one way. There is also a direct flight to Santo Domingo on Condor airlines.

I didn't get a chance to do the nature stuff but I plan to go back for that in the future.

Also be aware that if you are coming from South America, you need to show proof of a vaccination for the "fever", Zika virus.. Countries like Peru and Colombia are on that list.

[Dantes]

(03-14-2017 06:05 PM)Slam Wrote:  

OP - Like other guys I am wondering about the gringo factor. Many people say too many gringos are in the entire country... Is San Jose already overrun? What took you there in the first place?

Slam,

I never gave much thought to Costa Rica in the past. However, I found a cheap flight to San Jose and I was encouraged by my friend's report (a forum travel vet) on San Jose so i wanted to check it out. I left my return ticket open and I ended up heading to Lima for the second part of my trip. So it also proved to be a decent stopover in route to South America.

There are a ton of Gringos in Costa Rica. As I mentioned, it is a safe and somewhat exotic destination for people who don't travel as much as in our travel community. My main point in my report is that there are a lot of foreigners, but not the type that present much competition (in San Jose). People are quite use to Gringos and the English levels are probably the highest in the region.

[markygras]

Dantes, you're thinking of the Yellow Fever vaccine. There isn't a Zika vaccine on the market yet (still in trials).

If you're coming from Colombia or any other country bordering the Amazon, then Costa Rica and Panama require you to have a document proving you got a yellow fever shot. Note this is only if leaving the airport - if you're just connecting through these countries then you don't have to have the shot.

[Dantes]

(03-15-2017 06:35 AM)markygras Wrote:  

Dantes, you're thinking of the Yellow Fever vaccine. There isn't a Zika vaccine on the market yet (still in trials).

If you're coming from Colombia or any other country bordering the Amazon, then Costa Rica and Panama require you to have a document proving you got a yellow fever shot. Note this is only if leaving the airport - if you're just connecting through these countries then you don't have to have the shot.

Yes, you are right. Thank you for the clarification. I thought yellow fever was something else

[Desertguy]

Anyone has new info about Costa Rica? OP described his experience about San Jose. Are the other cities which are worth to visit the same or they are kinda very touristy sites where you probably meet more travelers than locals? Are the behavior and looks of girls out of San Jose similar?

[Antonio_Rutherford]

Very helpful and interesting info, thanks a bunch!

What do you think about mixing in gaming some foreign girls/tourists? What's the quality like and do you feel they're easy/difficult to open? Any bars they might congregate?

[Kentemo]

I am going to Costa Rica at the end of April as well.
Very interested as well to know where the Ticas are most receptive/friendly to foreigners. Best to stay in San Jose (I heard it's a shithole), or move around to other cities to meet local girls? I'm probably looking more towards cities like Liberia (Tier 2 cities, still big)