Submitted via Ace00 via email

Taxi fare to airport is the same $12, regardless of the number of passengers. If a van is used it may be $15. They always quote this in US dollars to keep up with inflation I guess. The road to the aiport in San Jose has a toll booth and the taxi driver pays the very small toll without charging the passenger. Official airport taxis are orange in color from the airport. The orange ones are the only ones authorized to transport from the airport unless the hotel sends a driver to pick you up. Hotel pickups are the same $12. Going to the airport you may use any taxi and the fare should be the same $12. Again ask in advance is best.

The in-city taxi fare with the meter is usually only C250 to C300. The taxi drivers seldom claim to have change to it is best to keep small change available or use the C500 coin and let them keep the change as a tip. Tips are not expected by taxi drivers in CR. Seldom do in-city trips even to Idem from the Del Rey hotel exceed C500. However if you grab a taxi waiting outside a hotel he will not use the meter so it is essential to negotiate the fare in advance. Otherwise they will ask C1500 to C2500 or more for the trip.

I was reading the August 2006 issue of International Travel News (ITN), and saw a warning about robberies of people traveling from the San Jose, Costa Rica airport, mostly 10 pm - 11 pm. What a shame.

I first visited San Jose in the mid-1980s. There was only one road from the airport to the city. It was two-lane and there was hardly any development along the way. After about 15-minute drive at high velocity along the straightway, the road widened into four-lane and there were the Irazu Hotel and then a couple of more hotels for the next five minutes on both sides of the road, until we turned left to head directly into the outskirts of the city. About ten blocks later, we were in the built-up center of the city. It was an easy drive with light traffic and no hint of danger.

I stayed at different hotels in the city center. One hotel was on the same block as the National Theater. This was a nice area at night, where hordes of people would walk, sit around, and chat with friends until 1 or 2 am in the morning. A few blocks away to the west was another theater. The two theaters had a different performance company every week. I went to a few shows, a few minutes before showtime, paid about $5 equivalent in local currency and got excellent seats. The shows were not great but were different and interesting, mostly second-tier performance companies from Europe.

In the southwestern section of the center of the city was a street running north-south that was full of clubs and bars. I used to stagger from one bar to another to drink a cheap beer and watch the local girls on stage. I was never able to score any chicas in a bar or club. However, for evening relief, there were a couple of second-floor massage places. The cost was about $35 for short-time or one-shot on-premise. In the northwest section of the center of the city, there were a couple of strip clubs and casas for slightly higher prices. Of course, in the northeast section of the center of the city, there were Key Largo and a few other nearby clubs, where one could find short-time or all-night companionship. In the southestern section, there were two or three massage parlors for afternoon and early evening relief. I used to walk all around the center of the city from early evening to past midnight exploring for night life and finding some. It was fun.

I visited San Jose again in 1989 and it was still good. But, my third visit in 2000 saw a changed San Jose. The airport was bigger and there was a second road that went to the city. I did not know what happened, but the center of the city in the evening seemed desolate. There were no longer crowds of people hanging out, like during the earlier years. Even the bars and clubs along one street in the southwestern section of the center of the city were not as numerous or as crowded as before. The fun seemed to have disappeared from the center of the city, except for inside Key Largo and some nearby clubs and the massage parlors in the southeastern section. To walk around at night on empty streets seemed too dangerous.

For guys still going to San Jose for fun, personally, I would go elsewhere. But, then again the Latin American scene seems to constantly change and San Jose could get better and other cities could get worse.

For example, the lonely road from the airport to San Salvador, El Salvador used to have robberies late at night or before dawn. But, in 2001 that road was filling up with buildings so that it seemed less lonely than before, when I had to travel to the airport before dawn to check in early enough for a morning flight out. On the other hand, I heard in 2002 the road between San Salvador and Guatemala City had become more dangerous on the Guatemala side for tourist buses, with gangs stopping and robbing a few busload of passengers.

After reading the ITN article, I visited the State Dept web site and checked its travel warning page. I copied the crime section from its Consular Information Sheet on Costa Rica. See below. Note, however, in my opinion the State Dept is overly cautious, probably due to gearing their caution to the obvious potential victims such as non-city dwellers, inexperienced tourists, and slow-witteds.

Tenga cuidado. Buen viaje.

-----------

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1093.html

CRIME: Costa Rica attracts over a million foreign tourists annually, all of whom are targets for criminals. Theft is common. Visitors should pay particular attention while using public transportation, and not leave personal belongings in rental cars. U.S. citizens are encouraged to exercise the same level of caution they would in major cities or tourist areas throughout the world. Local law enforcement agencies have limited capabilities and do not act according to U.S. standards. Travelers should minimize driving at night, especially outside urban areas.

The US Embassy in San Jose has received eleven reports from victims of armed robberies of American Citizens and other Nationals since December 2005, most of which involve people coming from the Airport in vehicles between 2200 – 2300 hours. Although not all of these incidents were identical, a consistent theme is a group of masked and armed men (some of whom speak English) either convince or force the driver of a vehicle to pull over. Once the vehicle pulls over, the armed men quickly and methodically rob the occupants of their luggage and other valuables. As of this date, the people committing these armed robberies have not been caught by the Judicial Police.

Americans should avoid areas with high concentrations of bars and nightclubs, especially at night, and steer clear of deserted properties or undeveloped land. For safety reasons, the Embassy does not place its official visitors in hotels in the San Jose city center, but instead puts them at the larger hotels in the outlying suburbs. Americans should walk or exercise with a companion, bearing in mind that crowded tourist attractions and resort areas popular with foreign tourists are common venues for criminal activities. Travelers should ignore any verbal harassment, and avoid carrying passports, large amounts of cash, jewelry or expensive photographic equipment. Tourists are encouraged to carry photocopies of the passport datapage and Costa Rican entry stamp on their persons, and leave the original passport in a hotel safe or other secure place.

Travelers should purchase an adequate level of locally valid theft insurance when renting vehicles, park in secured lots whenever possible, and never leave valuables in the vehicle. The U.S. Embassy receives reports daily of valuables, identity documents, and other items stolen from locked vehicles. Thefts from parked cars occur in downtown San Jose, at beaches, in the airport and bus station parking lots, and at national parks and other tourist attractions.

Travelers should use licensed taxis, which are red with medallions (yellow triangles containing numbers) painted on the side. Licensed taxis at the airport are painted orange. All licensed taxis have working door handles, locks, seatbelts and meters (called "marias"); passengers are required to use seatbelts. When traveling by bus, avoid putting bags or other personal belongings in the storage bins. At all times have your belongings in your line of sight or in your possession.

A common scam involves the surreptitious puncturing of tires of rental cars, often near restaurants, tourist attractions, airports, or close to the car rental agencies themselves. When the travelers pull over, "good Samaritans" quickly appear to change the tire - and just as quickly remove valuables from the car, sometimes brandishing weapons. Drivers with flat tires are advised to drive, if at all possible, to the nearest service station or other public area, and change the tire themselves, watching valuables at all times.

Just an update... The orange taxi at the airport now charges $19 to my hotel