Costa Rica

I need help fast. I have a trip to Costa Rica next week and it seems that my car rental reservation isnt going to work out as I planned.
First off, let me just say that I am 27 years old and I do not have a credit card, nor have I ever. Now its kicking me in the ass, i know. I will be getting one as soon as I get back from this trip.

The problem is, I was going to use my check card for the "HOLD" on the vehicle, which is fine, except for the fact that they want me to have $1500 + my rental fee approved on my card. I am on a budget, and most of my money will be out of my account in either cash form or colones (costa rican money) I will have plenty for the price of the rental, but im not going to have the amount they want me to have.

Now, my mother has agreed to let me use her credit card for the hold. Another problem, they say that I can pay with her card at the end of my trip, but cannot use her card for my "HOLD" which is $1000 on a major credit card. This makes no sense to me, but this is where I am.

So if anyone has any ideas of something I can pull off to make this happen, that would be great. I was thinking, go to my bank, get one of those pre-paid credit cards, let my mom use her visa to put $1000 on my card. Then I would have a Credit Card in my name with the right amount. Do you think this would work? and how fast can I get a card from the bank if I pay a rush fee or something?

I have been hearing horrid stories on travelers now, when it comes to credit cards. Banks are now cutting lines of credit without informing the owners, and suddenly a card is declined, exceeding the credit limit. Very embarrassing when one has to pay for a hotel room or in your case, car rental.

I think you are looking at it the right way, get yourself a debit card (pay the extra fees, and they should do it right then and now at most banks) with $1500-$2000 (just to cover all ends, a $1000 is just not enough), you can always give the card back to whomever loaned you the money.

My bf and I are planning a trip somewhere for one week in the middle of May. We are looking at Costa Rica as a possibility. We found a couple all inclusive packages to Liberia (Allegro Papgayo or Villas San Tol). We are just wondering what the weather, beaches and crime, wildlife and food is like there. Is it a good place to visit?? Has anyone stayed at any of the two resorts and if so how were they?

Costa Rica is a tropical paradise, plain and simple. It is also a Third World nation with lots of poverty. While crime is not rampant, you would do well to travel wisely. If you take a resort package, you are totally safe while on the premises.

I do hope you will take some side trips, though. The resort experience is very sterile and doesn’t truly give you a good sense of the people or the culture.

When you leave the premises of the resort, you should engage the services of a guide who can drive you and show you around. Check with the concierge to make these arrangements. Use common sense: do not venture into places that are not well populated; stay out of alleys and backstreets. Stay where you see tourists. Be mindful of your purse, camera, backpack, etc. Don’t lay things on the table at the cafe. Do not hang your purse on the back of a chair. Be wise and be careful.

There are a lot of websites that give loads of information about CR. You will find the people lovely and accommodating as tourism is a huge industry. The local cuisine incorparates a lot of local seafood and produce. (The fresh fruit is to die for and when you come home, you will no longer be satisfied by the rubbish we get at the supermarkets.)

The weather is fairly consistent: sunny, warm, pleasant with occasional rain each day. The beaches are pristine and unspoiled. Make sure you schedule a canopy tour in the rainforest. Spectacular fun!

I’ve not stayed at a resort anywhere and would not, simply because of the sterile environment, but I have traveled a great deal and am comfortable on my own in most places. Again, check the websites and check in with a travel agent to get more info.

i am going to drive from mississippi (meridian area) to costa rica (around san jose). how long will it take? how many miles (or km) is it? google maps isnt working for me right now…
i think it would be fun to SEE everything from the CAR, not an airplane window. and i can stop and look at things on the way
i DO realize how difficult some of the roads will be, thank you, and i am NOT doing this alone.

You spend around a week and over 3800 kms.

Good luck

I’m an experienced massage therapist and owner/manager of a spa in Canada (since year 2000). I’ve been to Costa Rica before and I love this country! My dream is to open a spa in Costa Rica and move there.

I speak french and english and would like to learn spanish as soon as possible. I also have 2 years of experience as an inn director (60 employees).

If you own an hotel and would like to have a spa/beauty service but you don’t have the skills to do it, I would love to help you!

Please email me!
julie_eyelom@yahoo.com

Hi Julie, my suggestion is to go to http://hotels.co.cr and e-mail each hotel with your offer.
Good luck!

My fiance and I are thinking about going to Costa Rica for our honeymoon the 2nd week of October. We are looking for a place that is by the beach and is 4 or 5 star, possibly all inclusive, but doesn’t have to be. Also, two of the things we would like to do is the Canopy zip lines and the ATV tour. From reading others answers, I can’t figure out a town that is safe to walk and explore the town yet with everything I mentioned above.
Thanks!
I would like to stay on the pacific side as well
I just read that October is pretty rainy in October, is there an area that is better in October in Costa Rica?
I just read that October is pretty rainy in October, is there an area that is better in October in Costa Rica?
I have decided I think on Manuel Antonio. I also like tamarindo but not sure which one to choose!

Well you are being pretty specific, i’m not entirely sure on where you could go to. But what you could do is visit 2 or 3 different places. You could go to a hotel in Guanacaste, you want a 5 star, so probably you want to stay in he Four Seasons, or maybe Paradisus Playa Conchal, both a very nice hotels. Then if you want to do the ATV tour and Canopy, you probably want to go to Arenal, there are some very nice hotels there too for example Tabacon which is the most famous one, it has hot springs inside the hotel and an very good view of the volcano. Another place you could probably Canopy and ATV at is Monterverde, which is also very nice, but its cold so i dont think you want that.

And yes, October is not only very rainy, its the rainiest season here. But you are going to the pacific side which is always pretty dry so it won’t be too bad.

Hope that helps

I love to saltwater fish. If I could live close enough to walk to a river where snook and tarpon are present it would be a dream come true. I do not drive so stores and facilities would have to be within walking distance. I would like to buy a comfortable home in decent condition within the next three or four months. Can anybody provide names of local realtors in Costa Rica or unadvertised websites?

Cheapest one i saw was for $125k
You should go there and search for yourself because there is such a huge risk of being ripped off and the authorities might not care about what you lost

I was just looking for a cheap beach house in Costa Rica. They dont exist anymore! I was thinking about searching the property for sale on the coast of Ecuador…how is it there?

Property on the coast of Ecuador is beautiful, and very underpriced even still in July of 2008.

It is quite possible to find any type of property you are looking for, condo, land, house, castle, you name it, come on down, lets be neighbors! like the NFL?

One e-course online that helped show me the ropes here in ecuador before i went house hunting is at…

I will appreciate any information on how to get to costa rica from grenada or barbados or venezuela without passing through the US or without need for the US visa?
what other route of transportation goes from grenada to costa rica apart from flights? thanks

There is a flight which goes through Port of Spain, Trinidad, then to Panama, and then to San Jose, Costa Rica. Just go to Expedia.com for flight information or TicosLand.com for information about Costa Rica.

I am a super nervous flyer, how is the flight from Mexico City to San Jose?

I went with Mexicana last year to Monterrey connecting in Mexico City. I didn’t get to do much planning before hand I just got the first flight available. This is due to the fact that my grandmother had just passed away.
But I would say it was a pretty normal flight …… even though Mexicana was delayed for several hours on my way to Mexico city and on my return trip back to San Jose. So I don’t know about the airline but other than that you should be fine once you get on the plane. Just go to sleep, that’s what I do. I’m a nervous flyer too.

Try selloffvactions.com and itravel2000.ca, they have a list of the package for Costa Rica and some really discounted last minute deals.