Topic Wiki

List of TR's:
Fan Of Dan, BrooklynCPA, momo Part 1, momo Part 2, lechaim2life, eliteflyer, Pbaruch, Rcarentals (Guanacaste)

Bringing food/meat through the airports:
  • San Jose Airport SJO - customs are known to be ruthless here with meat. There are many stories in the forums and online of people having all their meats or kosher travel meals seized at customs.
  • Liberia LIR - Recent experiences were that LIR customs didn't check anyone at all.
The general advice which is the only method that seems to consistently work, is bringing in specifically USDA certified products. For example most hotdogs will have an actual USDA certification printed on the hotdog packet. Some companies like Teva, Agri in various supermarkets and most manufacturers have the USDA certification and approval number printed on the label. This is rarely the case for supermarkets who repackage and butcher things themselves and do not have a USDA-certified processing room.
There have been reports of stickers like the USDA organic stickers regularly used to label meats in supermarkets working as well if they look like THIS
In the most ideal world, your food has a clear description of: The product, the nutrition, and a USDA label on the manufacturer packaging.

In a worst case, food can be airshipped to anywhere for a fee - for example from one of the SJO kosher suppliers to Liberia for example the JW Marriott for around $400.

Kosher Food/ Restaurants:
  • SKCR/Super Kosher has takeout under the local Chabad rabbi.
  • The Israeli restaurant in Jaco may not be acceptable for many.  It is my understanding that while they get some meat/chicken from Chabad, they have no hashgacha.
  • Supermarket Automercado has pas yisroel bagels in the freezer per the Chabad rabbi in tamarindo - may or may not be tamarindo specific.
  • Walmart is 6 minutes from Liberia airport, and has tons of American, kosher products and snacks.

Synagogue:

Things to Do:

West side/Liberia

Hotels:
The JW Marriott Guanacaste has amazing suites. If you book there, it's worth speaking to the reservations department before or after to see if you can negotiate an upgrade for a small fee. They offered off the base room, an upgrade of $175 a night for a suite, or $200 for a suite with ocean view, and plunge pool.

Getting Around:
A 4 Wheel drive here is mandatory. Not just because the humidity and rain create muddy and slippery roads, but mainly because the potholes here, are really huge and bad, and your car needs clearance to drive... The roads in costa rica are absolutely terribly maintained. they are completely manageable with a SUV - but expect a ton of bumps and thousands of potholes - almost the entire country is made up of 2 lane roads including highways. All overtaking is done in the direction of opposing traffic. cars here are seriously used and abused - so when you pick up your car.. it's worth going for one with as low mileage as possible.


Notes:

ALL CAR COMPANIES CHARGE MANDATORY LIABILITY INSURANCE. This seems to be one of the biggest complaints from tourists who don't know and consider this a tourist trap - like Israel.
CDW here often REQUIRES the letter - more than Israel.. so have that prepared.


Author Topic: Costa Rica Master Thread  (Read 177475 times)

Offline travels

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Re: Costa Rica Master Thread
« Reply #140 on: May 17, 2015, 12:49:56 AM »
Has anyone ever been down to the osa peninsula?

Offline Jm1248

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Re: Costa Rica Master Thread
« Reply #141 on: June 09, 2015, 11:44:29 AM »
What's the best way to get a data plan in Costa Rica? Just go to the nearest local store? Is there any way to get it set up b4 going?

Offline Buruch

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Re: Costa Rica Master Thread
« Reply #142 on: June 10, 2015, 10:56:19 AM »
Any way to fly between liberia and san jose with miles on a distance-based award?

Offline @Yehuda

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Re: Costa Rica Master Thread
« Reply #143 on: June 10, 2015, 11:37:46 AM »
Any way to fly between liberia and san jose with miles on a distance-based award?
From some quick research, only Avianca flies that route. Aviance is *A and IINM there are no distance programs in *A anymore.

Offline gavhaller

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Re: Costa Rica Master Thread
« Reply #144 on: June 10, 2015, 11:55:50 AM »
Copa (UA partner) also flies

Offline @Yehuda

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Re: Costa Rica Master Thread
« Reply #145 on: June 10, 2015, 12:35:43 PM »
Copa (UA partner) also flies
Darn Google inaccuracy. Still no distance based partners IINM.

Offline gavhaller

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Re: Costa Rica Master Thread
« Reply #146 on: June 10, 2015, 01:59:06 PM »
:) True.
If you fly on United back to the continental U.S- it's not any extra to tack on the leg from LIR-SJO.
In fact, you get to fly on a Cessna 402.

Good Luck ;/

Offline @Yehuda

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Re: Costa Rica Master Thread
« Reply #147 on: June 10, 2015, 02:10:09 PM »
:) True.
If you fly on United back to the continental U.S- it's not any extra to tack on the leg from LIR-SJO.
In fact, you get to fly on a Cessna 402.

Good Luck ;/
You're saying to get a free stopover on the roundtrip? Not a bad idea for someone that wants Andaz in LIR and SJO for Shabbos.

Offline gavhaller

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Re: Costa Rica Master Thread
« Reply #148 on: June 10, 2015, 02:54:09 PM »
I'm not stopping over, rather just staying put in the Andaz Large Suite over shabbos - July 4th weekend.
I wonder if I should make a kiddush in the private pool.

You're all invited :)

Offline Jm1248

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Re: Costa Rica Master Thread
« Reply #149 on: June 10, 2015, 07:54:02 PM »
I'm not stopping over, rather just staying put in the Andaz Large Suite over shabbos - July 4th weekend.
I wonder if I should make a kiddush in the private pool.

You're all invited :)
Are there any minyanim nearby or only in san jose?

Offline Buruch

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Re: Costa Rica Master Thread
« Reply #150 on: June 10, 2015, 08:01:04 PM »
Let me clarify my intentions:

I want to go using SW points, and stay in the Andaz. But SW only goes to san jose. I wan to get to Lir without paying a bunch.

Offline Jm1248

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Re: Costa Rica Master Thread
« Reply #151 on: June 10, 2015, 08:07:50 PM »
Let me clarify my intentions:

I want to go using SW points, and stay in the Andaz. But SW only goes to san jose. I wan to get to Lir without paying a bunch.
You can technically drive it. Rental cars are dirt cheap and its a 4 hour drive. Not sure if your up for that

Offline Buruch

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Re: Costa Rica Master Thread
« Reply #152 on: June 10, 2015, 08:22:48 PM »
You can technically drive it. Rental cars are dirt cheap and its a 4 hour drive. Not sure if your up for that

Not interested in driving. I would consider a bus though.

Offline Jm1248

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Re: Costa Rica Master Thread
« Reply #153 on: June 10, 2015, 08:28:48 PM »
Not interested in driving. I would consider a bus though.
Any specific reason you don't wanna drive there? Just curious as I am going in aug and plan on driving everywhere

Offline Buruch

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Re: Costa Rica Master Thread
« Reply #154 on: June 10, 2015, 09:40:26 PM »
Not into driving, and wouldn't want to get lost/breakdown there.

Offline momo

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Re: Costa Rica Master Thread
« Reply #155 on: June 10, 2015, 09:47:30 PM »
You can technically drive it. Rental cars are dirt cheap and its a 4 hour drive. Not sure if your up for that
dont forget the mandatory insurance

Offline Jm1248

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Re: Costa Rica Master Thread
« Reply #156 on: June 10, 2015, 09:49:54 PM »
dont forget the mandatory insurance
Right but its only liability that's mandatory & you can get a car on expedia for like 5 bucks a day. So its still pretty cheap

Offline @Yehuda

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Re: Costa Rica Master Thread
« Reply #157 on: June 11, 2015, 07:33:27 AM »
Are there any minyanim nearby or only in san jose?
Only in San Jose.

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Re: Costa Rica Master Thread
« Reply #158 on: June 11, 2015, 08:28:33 AM »

Offline gavhaller

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Re: Costa Rica Master Thread
« Reply #159 on: June 11, 2015, 08:42:07 AM »
Im also renting a car. For 8 days its $270 including everything. Also driving from sjo to the andaz. I think you take the panamerican highway. Its supposed to be gorgeous.