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DISCUSSION for Hilton Honors Hotels in Costa Rica {CRI}

DISCUSSION for Hilton Honors Hotels in Costa Rica {CRI}

Old Jun 25, 2002, 12:25 pm
  #1  
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Arrow DISCUSSION for Hilton Honors Hotels in Costa Rica {CRI}

Gang:

I am thinking about a trip to Costa Rica, sort of exploratory for future retirement.

I am wondering if anyone has stayed with the Hilton family there. My understanding is there are only 2 Hilton properties, both Hampton Inns near the airport (San Jose).

Has anyone stayed at either and what was your experience like?

All the best,

the fluffy one
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Old Jun 25, 2002, 2:24 pm
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Check the post by JoeDoakes in this thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum...001160-11.html
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Old Jun 25, 2002, 3:17 pm
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uhhh, I thought they were referring to those frightening Hilton sisters, glad to hear I was wrong.
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Old Jun 25, 2002, 3:20 pm
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Here - from Gary Steiger - you find interesting things on Costa Rica.
http://home.earthlink.net/~pgary/TravelFrame.html

Click on the left side "COSTA RICA"
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Old Jun 25, 2002, 4:05 pm
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Fluffster, there's only one Hampton in Costa Rica and it is the only Hilton member, or at least was when I went in Feb. It's great like I said in my review but you wouldn't want to stay there except on arrival and departure day.

If you want to stay in town instead, I can recommend a nice, quiet little place called the Hotel Del Rey. $55 a night plus the tourism tax of about 14%. It is near the Parque Morazn. Another good place is the Park Hotel. The Park Hotel has a great variety show on Fridays and Saturdays.

Doakes
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Old Jun 25, 2002, 6:13 pm
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When I was there also in Febuary of 2002 there were two Hampton Inns. They are so close together that they may appear to be one. The one closest to the main highway by the airport is older and the Hampton Inn behind it opened in January of this year.

Neither hotel is anything special, typical U.S. Hampton Inn standards. Clean rooms but they put special emphasis on enviromental concerns. I have stayed in both as Hilton Diamond and not been given any sort of upgrade, even though Suites were available at newer hotel.

Costa Rica on the other hand is a great place to visit and you will find much nicer accomodations for far less money the further you get away from San Jose. If you are participating in Hilton 50,000 mile promotion a stay on arrival and another stay the night before departure might be in order. I think I only paid about $75.00 per night with AAA discount.
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Old Jun 25, 2002, 6:47 pm
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Well, technically yes, and technically no, and definitely maybe. There are two buildings in what I would refer to as the same place. One is a Hampton Inn and the other is a Hampton Inn and Suites. My comments refer to the new building but I don't remember whether that was the Inn or the Inn and Suites.

Go to Rincn de la Vieja and stay at the Rincn Lodge. The national park there is completely awesome. If you are in moderately good shape, take the woodsy trail down to the lagoon. If you are in very, very good shape, take the open, rocky trail up to the other waterfalls. If you are in lousy shape, the lodge itself has some nice flat trails on the property.
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Old Jun 25, 2002, 9:51 pm
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While this doesn't fit under Hilton hotels, it does fit under Costa Rica. What is the best way to get to Rincn and other places? What is the best way to rent a car? What about auto insurance? Thank you.
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Old Jun 26, 2002, 7:28 am
  #9  
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I really would like to visit COsta Rica someday. When is the best time to visit? I've heard there is a rainy season.
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Old Jun 26, 2002, 7:37 am
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Gang:

I just want to thank all my "pals" at flyertalk for the responses. "Ya'll" are a swell bunch of "fellas".

The rabbit (dreaming of becoming a Costa Rican bunny some day)
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Old Jun 26, 2002, 8:58 am
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IMO, the best way to rent a car in Costa Rica is to NOT. They have the highest highway fatality rate in the world, although I don't know if that is per passenger mile or per capita. The roads are in terrible condition and the signage is poor to non-existent. Get to Rincn by flying to Liberia. I do not think there are direct flights from the US to Liberia without going through San Jose but there are charter flights direct to Liberia from many cities. It's relatively cheap to fly within Costa Rica and rental cars are hideously expensive. You really should have 4-wheel drive which will drive the cost up further. Insurance is very high as well. We are talking well over $100 per day before you consider gasoline. Gasoline prices are set by the government and worked out to about $2.60 a gallon when I was there in Feb. A lot of people have diesel cars as diesel fuel is somewhat less expensive.

Doakes
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Old Jun 26, 2002, 9:21 am
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I have to disagree with Doakes on renting a car. The roads are dangerous, especially if you drive like the Ticos and pass regardless of oncoming traffic! The cost is high (but not necessarily as high as $100 day). I had good service when I rented a Toyota 4 runner from National near the airport on two trips last year.

A rental car gives you a lot more freedom to see and do things than flights and buses (And there is a lot to see and do in CR).

The Hampton is THE perfect place to stay if you arrive too late to drive to your destination before dark. Car rental lots are just a few hundred yards up the street. DON'T drive in CR after dark. I tried it ONCE and almost drove into a ravine that was where my side of the road was supposed to be.

My favorite place to go in CR is the Arenal volcano area, where you can see hot lava tumble down the side of the volcano from your hotel room on clear nights. There are also occasional explosions of ash.

We visited several national parks and preserves to see wildlife including sloths, three types of monkeys, scarlet maccaws, snakes, coatis, crocodiles, leaf-cutter ants, and much more.
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Old Jun 26, 2002, 10:56 am
  #13  
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Just returned from Costa Rica two days ago, it was great! I recommend the Marriott right outside the airport for your arrival and departure days. They have a free shuttle, it is a great hotel in the middle of a plantation, and it is only about 5 minutes from the airport. I also disagree with the no rental car assertion, we drove around a large part of the country with no problems. True there are places like the Nicoya Penninsula where most of the roads are dirt and in poor condition, so I would recommend a 4 wheel drive. None of the roads are impassible, however, and road signs were well marked everywhere. Just be prepared to go no faster then 40kph for the majority of your trip and you will be OK. Its not like an interstate in the U.S., but then if you wanted that you'd just stay in the U.S. right?
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Old Jun 26, 2002, 3:46 pm
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I think DHacker, while disagreeing with me, implicitly confirms my point when he notes that the Ticos pass regardless of oncoming traffic. Given that, how safe are you no matter how carefully YOU are driving?

I should say that I was willing to, and in fact did, drive when I was outside the city, but I used a motorcycle for superior evasive capabilities when faced with oncoming Ticos in my lane. I did go on somewhat short notice but the best I found for a DECENT SIZED four wheel drive was $115 a day with all the taxes and including the collision damage insurance. But, I'm sure deals can be had and I only wanted it for I think three days.

Having said all that, if you drive in San Jose I just think you are nuts because taxis are cheap. A popular bumper sticker down there is "Save A Life: Teach a Tico To Drive." Plus ATVs, including 3-wheeled ones which are totally banned in the US for safety reasons, are street legal and very common in the central highlands, and if you are not used to that you could smush one of those low down little buggers real easy.

Just my opinion and I should note that I tend to try to find ways not to drive if I don't have to in pretty much all foreign countries. But do note that I was in a serious accident in a foreign country so I know first hand how incredibly much hassle it is. YEMV.

JD
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Old Jun 26, 2002, 4:03 pm
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It's really just a trade-off between safety and freedom. We didn't spend any time in cities, so we really felt we needed wheels. Also, the cabs and buses have to use the same wild streets. They are more familiar with the Tico drivers, so they might be marginally safer.

I'll have to look up what we paid for the Rav 4 (oops, did I say 4 runner before?). I think I paid something like $700 total for 12 days last August. I think daily rates could be much higher.
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