Costa Rica Trip

Need info on Costa Rica poker tournament trip. What do I need to know in advance, where to stay, safety tips, take cash or traverlers checks, any info that would help a first time traveler to Costa Rica, thanks.

[PokerFish]

The next CR event at Casinos Europa is in October. You can contact the US marketing director at janinegullo@hotmail.com and she can let you know what rooms are still available. Most of the host hotels are already booked solid. There should be about 400 Americans this time. The event is Oct 13-19th. You can see their website at
http://casinoseuropa.com/upcoming_events.htm. You also are welcome to email me for more info and I can send you a sheet via email.

I have no connection with the Casino, the tourney or the hotel, so here is my unbiased view...

San Jose is a big city, with a lot to do and not much to see.

The Radisson is a nice hotel and will undoubtedly be the center of the poker group action. (Despite the cover of CardPlayer, it is nowhere near any lake I've ever seen there.) The rooms are very nice. However it is overpriced by a good 25% compared to other nice hotels in San Jose. If you want away from the poker group, try one of the Melia chain of hotels.

The Casino Europa poker operation is very well run. The local dealers are quite good and people certainly seem to enjoy playing there. There are a lot of locals who play.

Cash is a good idea. You can use US$ virtually anywhere you are likely to go. Singles and fives work well. If you want local currency, colones, exchange dollars at your hotel (around 360:1). You can also use your ATM card at certain ATMs to get US Dollars, including the ATM at Casino Europa.

Don't lose all your money because you need $17.00 to leave the country.

Cabs are plentiful, very small and cheap, set the rate before you ride.

It is still the rainy season in Costa Rica. San Jose is at 3700 feet, bring a jacket.