Costa Rica

[Paco 1905]

Appreciate the responses. Wife says conditioned air is a must so yeah.

[midtown 3339]

On 2/18/2020 at 12:22 PM, Paco said:

Appreciate the responses. Wife says conditioned air is a must so yeah.

Yeah.  She tells me she like that AC after the sexy time

[justhookit 4167]

Think I’ve mentioned it on this thread but there’s a place to stay called Casa Linda right next to Tulemar. It’s up on the main road across the street from that Falafel place that I hate but everyone else seems to love. @Chewbacca

Anyway they only have a few rooms and some have a/c and some don’t. I’ve stayed in both and it was fine even without a/c since you are up on the mountain and get a good breeze. It’s roughly 60 bucks a night. Can’t beat it for the value and location.

[Chewbacca 7629]

Think I’ve mentioned it on this thread but there’s a place to stay called Casa Linda right next to Tulemar. It’s up on the main road across the street from that Falafel place that I hate but everyone else seems to love. [mention=1769]Chewbacca[/mention]
Anyway they only have a few rooms and some have a/c and some don’t. I’ve stayed in both and it was fine even without a/c since you are up on the mountain and get a good breeze. It’s roughly 60 bucks a night. Can’t beat it for the value and location.

Love the falafel place!

[ernest_t_bass 1196]

We're closing in on 2 weeks til our trip to Tulemar!  For international travel (out of Chicago), what is the recommended time before a flight to be at the airport?  I haven't flown out of the country in over 10 years!

[midtown 3339]

Depends. Are you PRE? Checking bags? Traveling with children? Do you like to relax at the gate or have a few drinks before you board?

I assume this is a 737 or A321 maybe a 757. So it's not like the have to board 400 passengers.

Id show up 1.5 hours before an International flight .. But I travel solo have pre and carry on.

[Chopper 16692]

The airlines say at least 2 hours before an international flight. Personally I don't mind chilling at most airports - rather that than be stressed about making my flight or standing in a long line to get through security. If you carry an Amex platinum or centurion, or one of several airline cards, you can usually use one of the private clubs.

[closetojumping 62010]

2 hours ago, ernest_t_bass said:

We're closing in on 2 weeks til our trip to Tulemar!  For international travel (out of Chicago), what is the recommended time before a flight to be at the airport?  I haven't flown out of the country in over 10 years!

As a rule, we always get there with at least 2 hours to spare when traveling beyond the US. When going to Costa Rica, my experience flying out of Houston is that you can do it inside of that if you really need to do so. I don't know why you'd risk dealing with a debacle at ORD though. Give yourself the cushion.

[Dbeasy 14791]

“The bigger then cushionnnn...the harder the pushinnnn....you know what I mean...”

[justhookit 4167]

I’m seeing sub 400 round trip tickets for March and April if anyone’s been thinking of pulling the trigger. Right now it’s Southwest only but I bet United is not far behind. Tickets are never this cheap this time of year.

edit - just got a flight from Austin leaving  March 28, 8 day stay, $355.

Edited March 4, 2020 by justhookit

[justhookit 4167]

LOL the same fucking flight round trip only HOU-SJO instead of AUS-HOU-SJO is $474. I hate airline pricing.

[justhookit 4167]

Coronavirus makes appearance in CR for first time https://ticotimes.net/2020/03/06/updates-costa-rica-monitoring-several-suspected-cases-of-coronavirus

No surprise. Hope it doesn’t spread much there because while they have great healthcare in San Jose, the rest of the country doesn’t have modern hospitals equipped to deal with corona. 

[GottaB 588]

For tours and such, are $100 bills I’m accepted or should I bring $20s

[Chewbacca 7629]

For tours and such, are $100 bills I’m accepted or should I bring $20s

Dollars are accepted everywhere, but you will usually get change in Colones, so plan accordingly.

 

[justhookit 4167]

4 hours ago, GottaB said:

For tours and such, are $100 bills I’m accepted or should I bring $20s

Pretty much nobody other than fishing charter boats will take 100’s. Take 20’s and because of what @Chewbacca said I take plenty of 5’s and 1’s. I mostly stay away from cash when I can and just use a credit card anywhere that will take it which is pretty much everywhere.  About the only places I can think of that are cash only anymore are taxis and the beaches.

There are a lot more ATM’s down there than there used to be and a fair number of them will give you the option of dollars or colones. If you are in Manuel Antonio the ATM at the marina in Quepos pretty much always has dollars. It’s also probably the safest one to use in the country.

Edited March 10, 2020 by justhookit

[justhookit 4167]

On 3/7/2020 at 10:44 AM, justhookit said:

Coronavirus makes appearance in CR for first time https://ticotimes.net/2020/03/06/updates-costa-rica-monitoring-several-suspected-cases-of-coronavirus

No surprise. Hope it doesn’t spread much there because while they have great healthcare in San Jose, the rest of the country doesn’t have modern hospitals equipped to deal with corona. 

Can’t find anything from today, but as of yesterday they are up to 22 cases so not a good sign. https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2020-03-11/costa-rica-reports-22-coronavirus-cases-nearly-double-prior-tally

Im trying to get ahold of my captain down there to see what’s going on.

edit - this appears to be an article that was updated today, but I doubt they are only at 23. Article focuses more on what’s being done to combat corona - https://ticotimes.net/2020/03/12/costa-rica-announces-new-measures-to-slow-spread-of-coronavirus. Interesting line at the end @ernest_t_bass

Quote

Salas emphasized again Thursday that Costa Rica will not close its borders to international visitors.

 

Edited March 12, 2020 by justhookit

[midtown 3339]

4 hours ago, justhookit said:

Salas emphasized again Thursday that Costa Rica will not close its borders to international visitors.

Because that would probably bankrupt CR?   Tourism has to be what 25% of their GDP?

[ernest_t_bass 1196]

We have a 24 month extension at Tulemar.  Now trying to work something out with airline.  Flying Copa, and they're being nothing but a copa bitches about it.

[justhookit 4167]

Well talked to my captain late last night and the panic is now officially in CR too. He was actually in the grocery store stocking up when I talked to him. He’s not leaving to come back to the U.S. yet but is packed and ready to go if necessary. They are cancelling pretty much everything including two big fishing tournaments later this month which is a pretty big deal. The lack of tourists there is already very noticeable. Maybe the most interesting thing he said is that its likely CR bans foreigners from entering the country If this gets any worse which is not at all what I thought would happen. Every fishing trip he had booked this month has been cancelled.

14 hours ago, midtown said:

Because that would probably bankrupt CR?   Tourism has to be what 25% of their GDP?

I don’t know the numbers but I do know that the tech industry finally passed tourism about a decade ago. But this is going to crush their economy. However bad it gets here, it’ll be twice as bad there.

13 hours ago, ernest_t_bass said:

We have a 24 month extension at Tulemar.  Now trying to work something out with airline.  Flying Copa, and they're being nothing but a copa bitches about it.

Good luck. I’ll keep updating this thread as I hear things.

[GottaB 588]

Got plans to go end of April. Weighing it still.

Covid19 update at Tulemar just like was mentioned

Dear Tulemar Resort Hotel Guests,

In these uncertain times, we wanted to reach out to you personally about what we are doing here at the Tulemar Resort Hotel to support you and your travel plans. As the situation around coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to evolve, we are doing everything we can to ensure your stay with us and provide flexibility in support of your travel plans.

Your Travel Safety

The safety and security of our guests and team members continues to remain our highest priority. We take great pride in maintaining very high standards of cleanliness and hygiene. In response to the coronavirus, we have taken additional measures developed in consultation with global and local public health authorities including the World Health Organization to make our cleaning and hygiene protocols even more rigorous:

Our Hotel teams are receiving ongoing briefings from health officials and we are enhancing operating protocols to be as clean and hygienic as possible.
We have increased the frequency of cleaning our public areas to every two hours (including reception tables and chairs, door handles, public bathrooms, our restaurants etc.) using the strongest disinfectants available.
We will augment food and beverage service beyond current food safety guidelines.
We now have alcohol gel, disinfecting wipes and disinfecting spray on each point of sale, common area and in our vans.
For Your Travel Flexibility

As a resort hotel in beautiful Costa Rica we are committed to offering you flexible booking options. Given these unique circumstances resulting from this virus, we are adjusting our individual booking policies to give you extra peace of mind:

Existing Reservations. All reservations that are scheduled for arrival before April 30, 2020, can be changed and postponed for up to 1 year from your date of arrival at no additional charge up to 24 hours before your scheduled arrival. Guests that elect to postpone their current reservation will be issued a credit towards their future stay in the amount that was paid. We do require written notification of any cancellation requests, please email: reservations@tulemarresort.com
New Reservations. Any reservation you make that is booked between March 12, 2020 and April 30, 2020, for any future arrival date, can be changed and postponed for up to 1 year from your date of arrival at no additional charge up to 30 days before your scheduled arrival. . Guests that elect to postpone their current reservation will be issued a credit towards their future stay in the amount that was paid. We do require written notification of any cancellation requests, please email: reservations@tulemarresort.com
If you need to adjust reservations made via our website, please contact our Guest Reservations team at +1-630-337-1622 in the United States. If you need to adjust reservations made through another travel agent, please contact them for assistance.

We at the Tulemar Resort Hotel believe it is in challenging times like these that the power of hospitality is needed more than ever. Whenever you arrive, now or at some future date, rest assured that you will be welcomed with our hallmark degree of hospitality and we will make every effort to ensure you have a fun and healthy stay with us.

Sincerely,

The Tulemar Resort Hotel


[/Quote]

[Chewbacca 7629]

That's why Tulemar is the best.  Love that place.

[ernest_t_bass 1196]

Tulemar is giving us 24 months to reschedule.  Awesome.  Just gotta get the money back from the fucking Central American airline (COPA) now.  My daughter is diabetic, so that will help our refund cause.  If we can't get a refund, then we will have to figure out a time between now and December 31 to go, or eat the costs.

[Reagan1k 3002]

Customer of mine left Sunday for a week.  Just heard through his partner they're packing up tonight and heading home tomorrow now that CR has declared a state of emergency.

Were told to leave in an orderly fashion.....

Not sure what they thought was going to happen when they got over there with all this going on, but I guess he's lucky he's avoiding a 14 day quarantine.

[GottaB 588]

Just got word from Tulemar. Borders closing. Reservations need to be rescheduled. Let’s hope I go eventually.

 

 

Costa Rica has announced the closing of our borders by land, sea and air, beginning on March 18th at midnight, for all ARRIVING passengers that are not Costa Rican citizens or legal residents. Tourists and citizens in the country may leave Costa Rica at any time. This travel restriction will last through April 12, 2020. [/Quote]

[justhookit 4167]

Their economy is going to be devastated. Holy shit.

[Paco 1905]

I've been hoping that shit will start sliding back to normal in a few weeks, but it's not looking good. Probably going to cancel our trip in late May unless some miracle happens.

[ernest_t_bass 1196]

Sorry if this topic has been discussed on here. We have a vacation credit at Tulemar that is good for the next 23 months, but finding that time to go (family of 4) will be the tough part.  I coach basketball, daughter plays volleyball, spring break during their peak time (Easter), etc.

Question - What is it like in Costa Rica (Tulemar region) in the Summer.  Is it worth traveling there, or does it rain every day?

[midtown 3339]

2 hours ago, ernest_t_bass said:

Sorry if this topic has been discussed on here. We have a vacation credit at Tulemar that is good for the next 23 months, but finding that time to go (family of 4) will be the tough part.  I coach basketball, daughter plays volleyball, spring break during their peak time (Easter), etc.

Question - What is it like in Costa Rica (Tulemar region) in the Summer.  Is it worth traveling there, or does it rain every day?

I went the first time in Oct a few years ago.   And yes it rains.  In fact it rains like a SOB from about 4pm until 4am.   I was able to do everything I wanted during the day and then about the time I was done it would start.  By then I was having beers at the bar under an awning.  Some nights it didnt rain until much later.   Bonus is that at least in Oct it was dead and less tourists.   The rain did mess up my rafting because it made parts of the river too dangerous.

[Dbeasy 14791]

June was great. Light showers every once in awhile but easy to work around.

[HornPhD 1316]

5 hours ago, ernest_t_bass said:

Sorry if this topic has been discussed on here. We have a vacation credit at Tulemar that is good for the next 23 months, but finding that time to go (family of 4) will be the tough part.  I coach basketball, daughter plays volleyball, spring break during their peak time (Easter), etc.

Question - What is it like in Costa Rica (Tulemar region) in the Summer.  Is it worth traveling there, or does it rain every day?

We stayed at Tulemar in July/August 2018. There were some days with brief showers in the afternoon/evenings with only one night having a heavy downpour. We were at the beach and pool every day and went on a bunch of excursions throughout the week. 

[justhookit 4167]

6 hours ago, ernest_t_bass said:

Sorry if this topic has been discussed on here. We have a vacation credit at Tulemar that is good for the next 23 months, but finding that time to go (family of 4) will be the tough part.  I coach basketball, daughter plays volleyball, spring break during their peak time (Easter), etc.

Question - What is it like in Costa Rica (Tulemar region) in the Summer.  Is it worth traveling there, or does it rain every day?

Since this is a big vacation for y’all I would do everything possible to go December through April so you’ll be guaranteed good weather. Summertime will likely be ok but you can get unlucky and have it rain nonstop for days. If you do choose summer go in July because there is usually a mini dry season for a few weeks.

[justhookit 4167]

So friend of mine is a pilot for AA and he was scheduled to fly mid June down to San Jose from DFW. Ran into him tonight and those flights just got cancelled. Best guess is CR ain’t happening this summer.

edit- what we are hearing right now is that when they actually do open, it’s a 14 day quarantine and you can’t do it on your own boat. Who knows, but that’s a nonstarter for me and any other random tourist trying to go there.

Edited May 30, 2020 by justhookit

[RMac5 1547]

No telling what CR will be like in the months to come. We have twin boys that will seniors in high school this coming year and have been discussing a family trip. CR sounds like a great option. We also talked about going to Europe but not sure if the twins would enjoy that. Guess we could drop them off at Amsterdam and pick them back up on the flip flop.

Hopefully CR will rebound quickly, looks like a fantastic place.

[justhookit 4167]

Haven’t updated this in a long time and CR came up today on the travel thread so figured i’d put the same info here. They’ve been closed to foreign visitors since late March. Despite numerous rumors over the last month or so, they still aren’t opening up to American tourists. Today they announced the new guidelines. Starting Aug1 they will be letting Europeans and Canadians in. But it’s extremely limited in numbers (five flights a week to start) and they will require a negative test within 48 hours of entry. Basically it’s a big nothing.

https://ticotimes.net/2020/07/23/costa-rica-reopening-for-tourists-from-eu-uk-and-canada

Obviously I go to CR a lot and my boat is there so I am trying to be optimistic, but I’m not hopeful about making it down there anytime this year. Their numbers are looking really bad since they ended their lockdown in early June. Reminds me of the Texas curves only worse because their positive testing rate is crazy bad.

 

 

Edited July 24, 2020 by justhookit

[midtown 3339]

CR open to Americans from certain states. Clearly not Texas. Hopefully hookit doesn't slam me for this

[justhookit 4167]

5 hours ago, midtown said:

CR open to Americans from certain states. Clearly not Texas. Hopefully hookit doesn't slam me for this

Wait you actually think I was mad about your previous post? Sorry if you took it the wrong way I was just trying to correct inaccurate info. Sometimes things come across the wrong way on the internet. All I’ve ever tried to do on this thread and the one on Shaggy  was help people heading to CR, including you. 

Anyway, yes it’s good news about the 6 states they are allowing in right now. It’ll still require a test within 48 hours of arrival and I have no idea how they willhandle connecting flights but it’s a step in the right direction. I’m still not holding my breath for this year and think it’s more likely that it’s 2021 before me, you, or whoever can make it down there. They’ve been working on something that would allow a US citizen entry that owns a business, property, or a boat but I don’t think it’s gonna fly.

[midtown 3339]

On 8/23/2020 at 12:05 AM, justhookit said:

Sorry if you took it the wrong way I was just trying to correct inaccurate info.

I was just kidding man.  All good.  I just post stuff I read from travel blogs.   Appreciate you getting us more info as you are more connected.  I did read an interesting article yesterday (pasted below).  Basically looking at the countries and states CR is allowing and its clear there is ZERO science and health.  CR is looking for wealthy tourists not just tourists.    Many of the countries and states its allowing have way worse death and infection rates than others.  

I still have an old NY DL.  Wonder how hard it would be to alter the expiration date?

 

https://liveandletsfly.com/costa-rica-re-opens-to-select-us-states-picks-wrong-ones/?utm_source=BoardingArea&utm_medium=twitter

 

Edited August 24, 2020 by midtown

[justhookit 4167]

17 hours ago, midtown said:

I was just kidding man.  All good.  I just post stuff I read from travel blogs.   Appreciate you getting us more info as you are more connected.  I did read an interesting article yesterday (pasted below).  Basically looking at the countries and states CR is allowing and its clear there is ZERO science and health.  CR is looking for wealthy tourists not just tourists.    Many of the countries and states its allowing have way worse death and infection rates than others.  

I still have an old NY DL.  Wonder how hard it would be to alter the expiration date?

 

https://liveandletsfly.com/costa-rica-re-opens-to-select-us-states-picks-wrong-ones/?utm_source=BoardingArea&utm_medium=twitter

 

Yeah I think I posted it on the General covid travel thread but they are definitely trying to get money in there. They need it. they figured out quickly that if they let boat owners in right now a bunch of them would immediately take their boats to Mexico or back to the states. It’s a mess.

The vast majority of people that own property or boats down there are from VA,NC, SC, FL, LA and Texas. Those places are noticeably absent from the approved list.

CR will always have a tourism industry. They are close to being desperate and caving to any dollar right now, and I don’t blame them. If this goes on much longer there will be real problems in Los Suenos, Quepos/ Manuel Antonio and Jaco. I’m not very familiar with the area but I would guess Flamingo and Tamarindo are looking at the same thing.

Edited August 25, 2020 by justhookit

[midtown 3339]

8 hours ago, justhookit said:

CR will always have a tourism industry. They are close to being desperate and caving to any dollar right now, and I don’t blame them. If this goes on much longer there will be real problems in Los Suenos, Quepos/ Manuel Antonio and Jaco. I’m not very familiar with the area but I would guess Flamingo and Tamarindo are looking at the same thing.

Agreed.  And I've said it since all these countries started banning Americans.  At some point they are going to start hurting and wanting those American travel dollars.  Esp the poorer third world countries.  

[Teebox 88]

Hoping to book a trip to CR in March, depending on Covid.  Considering Los Suenos or Tulemar, which would be best?  Fishing is a must and good beach (teenage kids).  Also hoping for good restaurants and tours, hiking etc.

[Chewbacca 7629]

Hoping to book a trip to CR in March, depending on Covid.  Considering Los Suenos or Tulemar, which would be best?  Fishing is a must and good beach (teenage kids).  Also hoping for good restaurants and tours, hiking etc.

Tulemars Beach is pretty tough to beat. And the marina is 5 min away.

[midtown 3339]

Tulemars Beach is pretty tough to beat. And the marina is 5 min away.

I've stayed at Parador which is a Tulemar competitor. Beach is 10 min walk. Down and up a decent hill. More of a cove. Calm water.

Also at buena vista villas which is a Tulemar owned property. It's on the main public beach. Not a cove. 20 foot waves easy. Not great for non swimmers imo. Bonus is your room is a 20 second walk to the beach. Great service and the food is outstanding

[Chewbacca 7629]

I've stayed at Parador which is a Tulemar competitor. Beach is 10 min walk. Down and up a decent hill. More of a cove. Calm water.

Also at buena vista villas which is a Tulemar owned property. It's on the main public beach. Not a cove. 20 foot waves easy. Not great for non swimmers imo. Bonus is your room is a 20 second walk to the beach. Great service and the food is outstanding

Yeah, Tulemar is a hike to the beach, too. Thankfully they have a shuttle to bring you up and down. That's a slog in the heat.

Tulemars beach is just fantastic. Nice quiet cove keeps the waves down and it's private, so it's never crowded. And lots of monkeys down there.

[midtown 3339]

8 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

And lots of monkeys down there.

This is not a plus.  I've seen them carry away backpacks while people are swimming.

[Chewbacca 7629]

1 minute ago, midtown said:

This is not a plus.  I've seen them carry away backpacks while people are swimming.

Yeah, someone has to stay at or near the chairs at all times.  I think it's cool as hell, though.  

[justhookit 4167]

2 hours ago, Teebox said:

Hoping to book a trip to CR in March, depending on Covid.  Considering Los Suenos or Tulemar, which would be best?  Fishing is a must and good beach (teenage kids).  Also hoping for good restaurants and tours, hiking etc.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Los Suenos for a change of pace, but it’s a resort and might as well be in fucking Florida. You don’t get the Costa Rica vibe that you will get in Tulemar and Manuel Antonio. Pura Vida.

Edited August 25, 2020 by justhookit

[midtown 3339]

We're talking semantics. Not far apart.
Now I'm dying to get back.

[midtown 3339]

Btw.  While I was looking at google maps it showed me that Jaco had a 6.0 earthquake yesterday/today

[justhookit 4167]

11 hours ago, midtown said:

We're talking semantics. Not far apart.
Now I'm dying to get back.

One of the guys that works the Biesanz beach loves the Longhorns. I can almost guarantee you would get free drinks for the day if you brought him a Texas shirt.

its our go-to beach but we also do the main public beach. Way easier to get in and out from without worrying about catching a cab to go home.

 

[Biff Tannen 45227]

On 8/25/2020 at 1:27 PM, midtown said:

This is not a plus.  I've seen them carry away backpacks while people are swimming.

Yep.  Monkeys suck.