[Capitán Peligroso]

^^^

Quote:

Talent: Overall it was pretty good. A lot of girls spoke English well and you can game with minimal Spanish. With good Spanish, I think you could absolutely crush it. I left wishing I had stayed longer instead of just doing a layover.

Mindset: Costa Rica gets a lot of foreigners, but most of them seemed to be either retirees, hippies, expat brats, students, or sex tourists. If you are decent looking dude who has his shit together, has some game, dresses well, and speaks some Spanish you will stand out in a good way and be well-received.

I'll vouch for this. There are plenty of gringos, but gringo competition is very minimal. I didn't see many well-dressed, in-shape looking Americans while I was there. I wasn't as impressed with the talent in San Jose as some of the guys here, but part of that may have been being in the wrong parts of town. Where I did see lots of talent was in downtown Alajuela (where the San Jose airport is). I haven't been to Medellin yet, but Alajuela reminds me of what I thought Medellin would be like in terms of talent (full of sexy latina girls-next-door). The difference is Alajuela isn't overrun by tourists, and the people there seem generally sweet in a way that's pretty hard to find anywhere. The park in the center of town in front of Catedral de Alajuela is one of my top ten places I've ever been that I'd like to go back to just to game. It was full of people on a Tuesday night, and a lot of attractive women who wanted to meet men. You most likely would need at least conversational Spanish to game there, but with Spanish, it's a great place to game.

If you're standing face to face with this:



...you know you've come to the right place. There's an ice cream shop across the street from the north side of the park (directly to your left if you're standing facing the church like in the picture) for an instadate.

[johnw28]

Having been to both I choose Costa rica over Colombia. It is more over looked by young guys than one would realize. There are two sets of women down here that go for gringos. Working girls going for 50 plus men. Then there is the rest of the population. In this group the girls are relationship minded and have feminine qualities that we all respect. Cook clean etc.

[Aliblahba]

Has anyone been to the DR also and can do a quick comparison?

[Merenguero]

(11-26-2013 02:40 PM)Aliblahba Wrote:  

Has anyone been to the DR also and can do a quick comparison?

San Jose has better talent and better food, but is more expensive. San Jose was much easier for me, but I don't think that's typical. I might have just gotten lucky in San Jose. Santo Domingo is better for daygame and has slightly better nightlife.

[Aliblahba]

Damn dude, SD isn't cheap. I though Costa Rica was easy on the bank account. What about the overall vibe between the cities? SD is a shithole to be honest. Are the people in CR as begging and manipulative as Dominicans?

[Merenguero]

(11-26-2013 03:47 PM)Aliblahba Wrote:  

Damn dude, SD isn't cheap. I though Costa Rica was easy on the bank account. What about the overall vibe between the cities? SD is a shithole to be honest. Are the people in CR as begging and manipulative as Dominicans?

San Jose is a shithole too. It's similar to Santo Domingo in that regard. If you go to a smaller town on the coast, Costa Rica is nicer, but then both talent and volume would be lacking. If I go back to Costa Rica, I will spend all of my time in San Jose like I did last time. I would say they that in general, the people in Costa Rica aren't as begging and manipulative as Dominicans. Few, if any, places I have visited can match the Dominican Republic in that regard.

[Aliblahba]

I still give El Salvador a thumbs up for price, exotic factor, girls, ect. Security is the only issue.

[thegmanifesto]

(11-26-2013 03:38 PM)Merenguero Wrote:  

San Jose has better talent and better food, but is more expensive.

Really?

Hotter girls in San Jose, CR?

[Merenguero]

(11-26-2013 04:14 PM)Aliblahba Wrote:  

I still give El Salvador a thumbs up for price, exotic factor, girls, ect. Security is the only issue.

It's on my short list for 2014, or even next month. This forum is seriously lacking in El Salvador data, so I will try to contribute what I can in the future.

[Aliblahba]

(11-26-2013 04:30 PM)Merenguero Wrote:  

(11-26-2013 04:14 PM)Aliblahba Wrote:  

I still give El Salvador a thumbs up for price, exotic factor, girls, ect. Security is the only issue.

It's on my short list for 2014, or even next month. This forum is seriously lacking in El Salvador data, so I will try to contribute what I can in the future.

My latest security intel is a year old, but it was to stay only in San Salvador and La Liberdad, and travel in between in the day w/ a driver. The capitol stay around Zona Rosa, as its safe and thats where the nightlife and malls are. Prepare to be stared at cause you'll about be the only expat down there.

[Merenguero]

(11-26-2013 04:27 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

(11-26-2013 03:38 PM)Merenguero Wrote:  

San Jose has better talent and better food, but is more expensive.

Really?

Hotter girls in San Jose, CR?

It's not even close. I also give San Jose the edge over Cali, Colombia and believe that Medellin just barely beats San Jose.

[thegmanifesto]

(11-26-2013 04:40 PM)Merenguero Wrote:  

(11-26-2013 04:27 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

(11-26-2013 03:38 PM)Merenguero Wrote:  

San Jose has better talent and better food, but is more expensive.

Really?

Hotter girls in San Jose, CR?

It's not even close. I also give San Jose the edge over Cali, Colombia and believe that Medellin just barely beats San Jose.

Damn.

Thanks.

You just shortened my travel list.

[Bacchus]

(11-26-2013 02:40 PM)Aliblahba Wrote:  

Has anyone been to the DR also and can do a quick comparison?

Girls: The DR has better tits and asses. San Jose has prettier faces, and the girls tend to be thinner overall. Ticas are a few shades lighter than Dominicans on average, if that matters.

Vibe: The DR has a shit show going on at all times, everywhere you go, which is entertaining at first and then becomes unbearable with time. San Jose is a pleasant city with little violence, but you won't meet memorable characters. In my time in San Jose, no one even tried to hustle me out of my money. I cannot say the same about my time in the DR, where it was a daily occurrence.

Also, the DR has Ron Barceló. Nothing in Costa Rica can match it.

[thegmanifesto]

(11-26-2013 05:33 PM)Bacchus Wrote:  

(11-26-2013 02:40 PM)Aliblahba Wrote:  

Has anyone been to the DR also and can do a quick comparison?

Girls: The DR has better tits and asses. San Jose has prettier faces, and the girls tend to be thinner overall. Ticas are a few shades lighter than Dominicans on average, if that matters.

Vibe: The DR has a shit show going on at all times, everywhere you go, which is entertaining at first and then becomes unbearable with time. San Jose is a pleasant city with little violence, but you won't meet memorable characters. In my time in San Jose, no one even tried to hustle me out of my money. I cannot say the same about my time in the DR, where it was a daily occurrence.

Also, the DR has Ron Barceló. Nothing in Costa Rica can match it.

Damn, has San Jose changed that much?

I went as a kid and my best friend and I got into a fight that night with two guys, we got into a fist fight with each other and saw a knife fight in a bar.

All in the same night.

Anyone been going for a long time and noticed the place mellowed out?

We were in whatever the Red Light District was called, for a reference point.

(11-26-2013 05:33 PM)Bacchus Wrote:  

Also, the DR has Ron Barceló. Nothing in Costa Rica can match it.

What about Guaro?

Makes a Man Cassius Clay.

[Aliblahba]

(11-26-2013 05:33 PM)Bacchus Wrote:  

Girls: The DR has better tits and asses. San Jose has prettier faces, and the girls tend to be thinner overall. Ticas are a few shades lighter than Dominicans on average, if that matters.

I prefer lighter skinned, or the more classic Latina look. It's more prevalent in Central America. DR girls have ass, but some it was just plain ole fat. No thanks.

(11-26-2013 05:33 PM)Bacchus Wrote:  

Vibe: The DR has a shit show going on at all times, everywhere you go, which is entertaining at first and then becomes unbearable with time. San Jose is a pleasant city with little violence, but you won't meet memorable characters. In my time in San Jose, no one even tried to hustle me out of my money. I cannot say the same about my time in the DR, where it was a daily occurrence.

DR never stops. Always loud and all of it will wear on you. Thus the reason for meltdowns

(11-26-2013 05:33 PM)Bacchus Wrote:  

Also, the DR has Ron Barceló. Nothing in Costa Rica can match it.

Meltdown reason #2.

I hate not going back to the DR as I figured it out, but I think there's better out there. Costa Rica sounds like a winner. I'm not interested in Nica or Honduras or Panama.

[johnw28]

Yes the place has mellow down a lot. Doubling the police force help with the crime. However there has been an up tick. 3000 prisoners were released in the last month do to over crowding.

[Merenguero]

(11-26-2013 09:18 PM)johnw28 Wrote:  

Yes the place has mellow down a lot. Doubling the police force help with the crime. However there has been an up tick. 3000 prisoners were released in the last month do to over crowding.

The last time I was there, some people who I talked to were saying that much of the crime was committed by Nicaraguan and Colombian immigrants. I don't know what that was all about. The only Colombians and most of the Nicaraguans I have ever seen there were female prostitutes.

[johnw28]

It is their way of saying they are better than the nicas and Colombians. The ticos commit most of the crimes although they don't like to admit their countrymen are responsible.

[azulsombra]

(11-26-2013 05:33 PM)Bacchus Wrote:  

(11-26-2013 02:40 PM)Aliblahba Wrote:  

Has anyone been to the DR also and can do a quick comparison?

Girls: The DR has better tits and asses. San Jose has prettier faces, and the girls tend to be thinner overall. Ticas are a few shades lighter than Dominicans on average, if that matters.

Vibe: The DR has a shit show going on at all times, everywhere you go, which is entertaining at first and then becomes unbearable with time. San Jose is a pleasant city with little violence, but you won't meet memorable characters. In my time in San Jose, no one even tried to hustle me out of my money. I cannot say the same about my time in the DR, where it was a daily occurrence.

Also, the DR has Ron Barceló. Nothing in Costa Rica can match it.

This is spot-on. DR wins when it comes to tits and ass but the Ticas can dress incredibly tight and sexy, plus have better faces overall. I found it easier and more enjoyable to run daygame in san jose over santo domingo and encountered quite a few colombians and other latinas.

San jose is much more manageable, the city isn't too large so logistics and traffic arent as much of an issue for setting meetups. I tend to blend in when im in both cities but I have been approached more in San Jose. I found much more English in San Jose, although my Spanish is on point so this doesnt matter much to me.

Santo Domingo nightlife used to be legendary, parties going until 6am and not only on weekends. Its my understanding that aspect has calmed down to some extent since they enacted last call hours in the mid-2000s.

As far as I know San Jose still parties later than SD but this situation may have changed.

I felt I could drop my guard a little more in San Jose with the only likely hustles coming from Taxi drivers.

The gringo factor is more noticeable in San Jose but you can hit a close suburb like alajuela and heredia and not see a single obvious tourist.

[Merenguero]

(11-28-2013 03:38 PM)azulsombra Wrote:  

(11-26-2013 05:33 PM)Bacchus Wrote:  

(11-26-2013 02:40 PM)Aliblahba Wrote:  

Has anyone been to the DR also and can do a quick comparison?

Girls: The DR has better tits and asses. San Jose has prettier faces, and the girls tend to be thinner overall. Ticas are a few shades lighter than Dominicans on average, if that matters.

Vibe: The DR has a shit show going on at all times, everywhere you go, which is entertaining at first and then becomes unbearable with time. San Jose is a pleasant city with little violence, but you won't meet memorable characters. In my time in San Jose, no one even tried to hustle me out of my money. I cannot say the same about my time in the DR, where it was a daily occurrence.

Also, the DR has Ron Barceló. Nothing in Costa Rica can match it.

This is spot-on. DR wins when it comes to tits and ass but the Ticas can dress incredibly tight and sexy, plus have better faces overall. I found it easier and more enjoyable to run daygame in san jose over santo domingo and encountered quite a few colombians and other latinas.

San jose is much more manageable, the city isn't too large so logistics and traffic arent as much of an issue for setting meetups. I tend to blend in when im in both cities but I have been approached more in San Jose. I found much more English in San Jose, although my Spanish is on point so this doesnt matter much to me.

Santo Domingo nightlife used to be legendary, parties going until 6am and not only on weekends. Its my understanding that aspect has calmed down to some extent since they enacted last call hours in the mid-2000s.

As far as I know San Jose still parties later than SD but this situation may have changed.

I felt I could drop my guard a little more in San Jose with the only likely hustles coming from Taxi drivers.

The gringo factor is more noticeable in San Jose but you can hit a close suburb like alajuela and heredia and not see a single obvious tourist.

Prior to about 2006, when the liquor curfew was enacted, Santo Domingo was by far my favorite city in the world. When I went back in 2009, I could see the drastic negative effect that the liquor curfew had on the nightlife and on the city as a whole. From the way some forum members are describing Santo Domingo, it appears as it has recovered at least somewhat from the liquor ban, but I really don't know.

As for San Jose, Santa Ana (pronunced Santana) is another nice suburb where I didn't see any tourists.

[thegmanifesto]

Wait, what is the "liquor curfew"?

[Merenguero]

(11-28-2013 04:29 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

Wait, what is the "liquor curfew"?

It's when they chase you out at 2:00 A.M. or even earlier California style. Santo Domingo used to be amazing for nightlife. It would start at an after-work event and go all night at places like Montecristo and Trio Café. In about 2006, President Fernandez decided to make bars and nightclubs close at 12:00 A.M. on weekdays and 2:00 A.M. on Fridays and Saturdays. This caused some of the best venues to go out of business. I think the curfew has relaxed a little since it was put into place, but I could definitely see the lasting effects of the curfew when I went back in 2009.

[azulsombra]

I don't remember off the top of my head. I significantly decreased my trips to DR since the curfew was enacted so im not the expert. I believe its 1am closing times M-F and 3am on weekends. Enforcement doesn't apply to resorts I believe.

[DBalls]

(08-04-2012 04:00 PM)Merenguero Wrote:  

Hotels:

I stayed at the Hotel Europa near downtown San Jose. Although this hotel is not a dump, it is very inexpensive and well past its prime. You may even cost yourself a notch by staying hear as women from upscale areas such as Escazu and Santa Ana may be turned off by it. Luckily, I never had that problem. There is a major advantage to staying there that I did not find in other hotels in that there is a hotel bar on the first floor which draws a local clientel. If you are staying in that hotel and stop by the bar about fifteen minutes before closing, you can buy a bottle of liquor at the bar and invite a girl up to your room. It works like a charm. The girls want to keep drinking and when that bar closes, all other bars in the city are generally closed or are about to close. There were two blond haired white female Tica bartenders who caught on to what I was doing and starting to seem unwilling to sell me bottles. Despite their unwillingness, I was always able to pull it off. The bartenders actually looked better than the girls I was buying the bottles for. I do not recommend spending your entire night in the hotel bar. It is merely a place of last resort to go toward the end of the night. Hotel Presidente is another hotel in the downtown area. This hotel has also seen better days, but is somewhat nicer than the Hotel Europa. The place is full of sex tourists and the hotel bar, while it serves decent food, is full of sex tourists and some prostitutes. I don't recommend staying there.

Cell phones:

The first thing I do when I arrive in a new country is purchase a local cell phone. Unless things have recently changed, unlike many other countries, you must be a citizen or resident of Costa Rica to purchase a cell phone there. The solution is to search online for cell phone rentals prior to arriving. If you make a payment over the phone, you will have a person waiting for you at the airport with a cell phone. A person will also be at the airport to pick up the phone before you board your departing flight. Other than for the pick up and drop off of the phone, having any other contact or communication with the people from the cell phone rental company would be DLV.

Taxis:

Be careful. In some cities, you negotiate the price before getting in the taxi. On other cities, the taxis have a meter. In La Ceiba, Honduras, you simply pay a dollar and the taxi driver may or may not pick up other passengers on the way to your destination. In San Jose, the taxis have meters, but some of the taxi drivers are able to alter the meters to make them run at an extremely fast rate. Before you know it, you will be owing the driver $5,$10, or $30 dollars for a very short taxi ride. Find one who is honest and call or text him when you need to go somewhere.

People:

I find the people of Costa Rica to be much less friendly than in other Latin American countries. I also find an extreme jealosy when they see a foreigner with local women who are not prostitutes. This is in contrast to my experience in countries like Colombia and the Dominican Republic where locals are almost impressed a foreign is able to pull regular women. This jealosy can be found in the form of taxi drivers refusing to pick me up when they have seen me with a local a day or two earlier. The female bartenders at the hotel bar were obviously jealous. Pretty every male staff member at the hotel was visibly angry with me after repeatedly bringing regular women back to the hotel. This is in direct contrast with my experience in other countries. Usually I get along with everybody.

Nightlife:

Escazu and Santa Ana (pronounced Santana) are two upscale communites in the San Jose area. Escazu is about twenty minutes by taxi from downtown San Jose, while Santa Ana is about thirty minutes away from downtown San Jose. Logistics are bad in these places if you are staying in downtown San Jose, but I personally never had a problem with it. Escazu has a series of bars and restuarants which are all attached to each other. The only one of these places I have been to is called Orale. It is a Mexican themed restaurant and bar. I went there on a Saturday and pulled. I went back there on a weeknight and the only single girl in there was an offbrand-looking girl from Medellin. I haven't been there since. Santa Ana has a couple of pretty good clubs. Because that area is even farther from downtown than Escazu, I did not spend a great deal of time there. Castro's near downtown San Jose is a decent latin club that has a pretty large dancefloor. I never had any luck in that place. There is a mall in the area known as San Pedro which has a huge nightclub attached to it. It claims to be the largest nightclub in Central America. I spent a few hours there once and it was pretty good. There is also a complex which has countless bars, restaurants, and nightclubs in it. My experience there has been that the place spreads itself too thin in that instead of having one or two great venues, there are about twenty-plus venues which are mediocre at best.

Women:

The women in San Jose look better than in many other Latin American countries and cities. If you think that women in Medellin are much more attractive than Josefinas, you definately have not spent a substantial amount of time in those two cities. Medellin has more attractive women, but the gap between the two is not as wide as many people believe or would expect. Sex tourism is huge in both of those cities. In my opinion, Medellin is much more affected by the sex tourist stigma. The mentality with regard to foreigners is entirely different in San Jose than it is in Medellin in my experience. In Medellin in 2012, there is a rebuttable presumption that a foreigner is a sex tourist. This can often only be overcome by showing that you are fluent in Spanish, have family and/or friends in the city, and own or rent property in the city. In San Jose, although the women known that the city is full of sex tourists, they realize that a guy who is fluent in Spanish, dresses well, and is in shape is most likely not a sex tourist. I give the overall edge to San Jose.

I felt the need to comment on this since I totally disagree. It is definitely true that Costa Rica, and the San Jose area, has some hot women, but Colombia is waaaaaay better. Not only is the average Colombiana sexier and prettier, but there are more 8's and 9's per capita. Furthermore, many of the hottest girls you see in Costa Rica are Colombian.

Costa Rica also has a much higher percentage of very unattractive women then Colombia does. For me there is no comparison. That being said, Costa Rica has a LOT better looking girls then places like Guatemala and Nicaragua. But Colombia, Venez, and Brazil have much hotter women than anywhere I've been in CR....and I've been living and working here for 18 months. That's my two cents on the subject.

[Merenguero]

(12-12-2013 11:01 PM)DBalls Wrote:  

(08-04-2012 04:00 PM)Merenguero Wrote:  

Hotels:

I stayed at the Hotel Europa near downtown San Jose. Although this hotel is not a dump, it is very inexpensive and well past its prime. You may even cost yourself a notch by staying hear as women from upscale areas such as Escazu and Santa Ana may be turned off by it. Luckily, I never had that problem. There is a major advantage to staying there that I did not find in other hotels in that there is a hotel bar on the first floor which draws a local clientel. If you are staying in that hotel and stop by the bar about fifteen minutes before closing, you can buy a bottle of liquor at the bar and invite a girl up to your room. It works like a charm. The girls want to keep drinking and when that bar closes, all other bars in the city are generally closed or are about to close. There were two blond haired white female Tica bartenders who cauoght on to what I was doing and starting to seem unwilling to sell me bottles. Despite their unwillingness, I was always able to pull it off. The bartenders actually looked better than the girls I was buying the bottles for. I do not recommend spending your entire night in the hotel bar. It is merely a place of last resort to go toward the end of the night. Hotel Presidente is another hotel in the downtown area. This hotel has also seen better days, but is somewhat nicer than the Hotel Europa. The place is full of sex tourists and the hotel bar, while it serves decent food, is full of sex tourists and some prostitutes. I don't recommend staying there.

Cell phones:

The first thing I do when I arrive in a new country is purchase a local cell phone. Unless things have recently changed, unlike many other countries, you must be a citizen or resident of Costa Rica to purchase a cell phone there. The solution is to search online for cell phone rentals prior to arriving. If you make a payment over the phone, you will have a person waiting for you at the airport with a cell phone. A person will also be at the airport to pick up the phone before you board your departing flight. Other than for the pick up and drop off of the phone, having any other contact or communication with the people from the cell phone rental company would be DLV.

Taxis:

Be careful. In some cities, you negotiate the price before getting in the taxi. On other cities, the taxis have a meter. In La Ceiba, Honduras, you simply pay a dollar and the taxi driver may or may not pick up other passengers on the way to your destination. In San Jose, the taxis have meters, but some of the taxi drivers are able to alter the meters to make them run at an extremely fast rate. Before you know it, you will be owing the driver $5,$10, or $30 dollars for a very short taxi ride. Find one who is honest and call or text him when you need to go somewhere.

People:

I find the people of Costa Rica to be much less friendly than in other Latin American countries. I also find an extreme jealosy when they see a foreigner with local women who are not prostitutes. This is in contrast to my experience in countries like Colombia and the Dominican Republic where locals are almost impressed a foreign is able to pull regular women. This jealosy can be found in the form of taxi drivers refusing to pick me up when they have seen me with a local a day or two earlier. The female bartenders at the hotel bar were obviously jealous. Pretty every male staff member at the hotel was visibly angry with me after repeatedly bringing regular women back to the hotel. This is in direct contrast with my experience in other countries. Usually I get along with everybody.

Nightlife:

Escazu and Santa Ana (pronounced Santana) are two upscale communites in the San Jose area. Escazu is about twenty minutes by taxi from downtown San Jose, while Santa Ana is about thirty minutes away from downtown San Jose. Logistics are bad in these places if you are staying in downtown San Jose, but I personally never had a problem with it. Escazu has a series of bars and restuarants which are all attached to each other. The only one of these places I have been to is called Orale. It is a Mexican themed restaurant and bar. I went there on a Saturday and pulled. I went back there on a weeknight and the only single girl in there was an offbrand-looking girl from Medellin. I haven't been there since. Santa Ana has a couple of pretty good clubs. Because that area is even farther from downtown than Escazu, I did not spend a great deal of time there. Castro's near downtown San Jose is a decent latin club that has a pretty large dancefloor. I never had any luck in that place. There is a mall in the area known as San Pedro which has a huge nightclub attached to it. It claims to be the largest nightclub in Central America. I spent a few hours there once and it was pretty good. There is also a complex which has countless bars, restaurants, and nightclubs in it. My experience there has been that the place spreads itself too thin in that instead of having one or two great venues, there are about twenty-plus venues which are mediocre at best.

Women:

The women in San Jose look better than in many other Latin American countries and cities. If you think that women in Medellin are much more attractive than Josefinas, you definately have not spent a substantial amount of time in those two cities. Medellin has more attractive women, but the gap between the two is not as wide as many people believe or would expect. Sex tourism is huge in both of those cities. In my opinion, Medellin is much more affected by the sex tourist stigma. The mentality with regard to foreigners is entirely different in San Jose than it is in Medellin in my experience. In Medellin in 2012, there is a rebuttable presumption that a foreigner is a sex tourist. This can often only be overcome by showing that you are fluent in Spanish, have family and/or friends in the city, and own or rent property in the city. In San Jose, although the women known that the city is full of sex tourists, they realize that a guy who is fluent in Spanish, dresses well, and is in shape is most likely not a sex tourist. I give the overall edge to San Jose.

I felt the need to comment on this since I totally disagree. It is definitely true that Costa Rica, and the San Jose area, has some hot women, but Colombia is waaaaaay better. Not only is the average Colombiana sexier and prettier, but there are more 8's and 9's per capita. Furthermore, many of the hottest girls you see in Costa Rica are Colombian.

Costa Rica also has a much higher percentage of very unattractive women then Colombia does. For me there is no comparison. That being said, Costa Rica has a LOT better looking girls then places like Guatemala and Nicaragua. But Colombia, Venez, and Brazil have much hotter women than anywhere I've been in CR....and I've been living and working here for 18 months. That's my two cents on the subject.

Which cities have you been to in Colombia and for how long? I rate Medellin higher than Costa Rica and Costa Rica higher than Cali. I met one female Colombian in Costa Rica who wasn't a prostitute and I even suspected that she may be a semi-pro or something. She didn't work.