LaCondesa Hotel

The Hotel is located on Monte de la Cruz in the province of Heredia ("The City of Flowers"), up high in the Central Volcanic Mountain Range and only about 30 minutes from Juan Santamaria (SJO) International Airport. It is at an altitude of 1,737 meters (5,698 ft). The hotel, with Mediterranean architecture, has both standard rooms (36m²) that have two queen-size beds and a desk and junior suites (67m²) that have a living room with a convertible sofa, table, full bath on the lower floor and a bedroom (king size bed) and full bath on the upper floor.

All rooms have free high-speed wireless internet, cable TV, mini-bar, coffee maker, hair dryer, safe, ironing board and iron.

The hotel has a heated indoor swimming pool and an indoor Jacuzzi, surrounded by beautiful plants and flowers. There is a spa that specializes in hydrotherapy, aromatherapy, skin treatment, mud wrapping treatment, volcanic rock treatment, and several facial treatments.

The hotel also has a casino, children's pool, convenience store/gift shop, business center, heliport, and sauna.

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General Information
Costa Rica has two international airports. Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) is the country's main airport. It is about 24 km north of downtown San Jose. Most people enter the country through Juan Santamaria International Airport and usually stay overnight in San Jose. The airport's web site lists scheduled airlines that serve Costa Rica. (www.costaricaweb.de/crweb/en/airportweb/index1-airport-en.htm).

Electricity - North American appliances are compatible with Costa Rica's electrical system (110 volts) and outlets (parallel two-prong). Three-prong outlets are scarce, so bring along an adapter if you need one. Travelers with appliances set for 220 volts will need a converter that also allows for use of a different plug. Most laptops operate equally well on 110 and 220 volts and so require only an adapter, but you should bring a surge protector for your computer.

Health - Malaria is not a problem in Costa Rica. The government hospitals ("Caja" or Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social) and clinics are of acceptable quality. Private hospitals are more accustomed to serving foreigners. Antibiotics and psychotropic medications (for sleep or pain) require prescriptions in Costa Rica. We would recommend that you bring both sunblock and insect repellent.

Food and Drink - Most food and water is sanitary in Costa Rica. Although it may not be necessary, you can stay on the safe side by avoiding uncooked food, unpasteurized milk (including milk products), and ice - ask for drinks sin hielo (without ice) - and by drinking bottled water. Drink plenty of purified water or tea; chamomile (manzanillla in Spanish) is a good folk remedy.

Shots and Medications - Most travelers to Costa Rica do not get any vaccinations or take any special medications. Check with the CDC for detailed health advisories and recommended vaccinations.

Currency - The Costa Rican currency is called Colon. US dollars and both Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted except in small business establishments or hotels and restaurants in remote locations. If you pay by credit card, a small surcharge is sometimes added. ATMs are available in most cities and towns with bank offices. At the beginning of December the exchange rate was approximately 520 colones to one US dollar or approximately 670 colones to one euro.

Things to Buy - Choose from coffee and coffee-related products, reproduction pre-Columbian jewelry, carved wooden boxes, Chorotegan pottery, leather goods, heand-painted art, guitars, and painted miniature oxcarts.

Taxes - All Costa Rican businesses charge a 13% sales tax. Hotels charge a 16.4% fee covering service and tax. Restaurants add 13% tax and 10% service fee to meals. Tourists are not refunded for taxes paid in Costa Rica. Departure tax is $26, can be paid in US dollars, colones or with a credit card. You can prepay it when you arrive at the airport so as to avoid lines at departure.

Tipping - Costa Rica doesn't have a tipping culture, but positive reinforcement goes a long way to fostering a culture of good service, which is hit and miss. Tip only for good service. Taxi drivers aren't tipped, but it's common courtesy to leave an extra 200-300 colones if they've helped you navigate a complicated set of directions. Do not use U.S. coins to tip because there is no way for locals to exchange them.

Chambermaids get 1,000 - 1,500 colones per day; for great service try to leave up to 10% of your room bill. Concierges are usually not tipped. Room-service waiters should be tipped about 500 colones, as should bellhops (more in the most expensive hotels).

Restaurant bills include a 13% tax and 10% service charge - sometimes these amounts are included in prices on the menu and sometimes they are not. If the menu doesn't indicate whether service is included, ask. An additional gratuity is not expected, especially in cheap restaurants, but people often leave something extra when service is good. Leave a tip of about 200 colones per drink for bartenders.

Telephones - The country code is 506. Local telephone numbers have seven digits. The Costa Rican phone system is very good by the standards of other developing countries. All domestic and international calls from public phones (aside from calls to an operator) require phone cards. The cheapest way to call internationally is to either call from a pay phone using an international phone cards; call from a pay phone using your own long-distance calling card; or call from a telephone office. Dialing directly from a hotel room is very expensive, as is recruiting an international operator to connect you. Watch out for pay phones marked "Call USA/Canada" with a credit card. They are wildly expensive. Callingcards.com is a good source for prepaid international calling cards. VOIP, such as Skype, is the cheapest.

Cell Phones - If your cell phone or pager company has service to Costa Rica, you theoretically can use it, but expect reception to be impossible in many areas of this mountainous country. (Note: We had no service for our Blackberry.)

Entry Requirements to Costa Rica - Citizens holding valid passports from the following countries are permitted to stay in Costa Rica for 90 days without a visa: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Romania, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad & Tobago, United Kingdom, United States of America, Czech Republic and Uruguay.

Citizens holding valid passports from the following countries are exempt from all visa requirements for stays of 30 days in Costa Rica, although once inside the country they can apply for an extension from the Immigration office for a stay of 90 days: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Chile, Dominica, El Salvador, Grenada. Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Iceland, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Russia, Saint Kitts/Nevis, San Marino, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Suriname, Taiwan, Turkey, The Vatican, Venezuela, Estonia and Monaco.

Citizens of all countries not listed above are required to obtain a visa from their local Costa Rican Embassy or consulate before traveling.

Passports must be valid for at least 6 months past the entry date into to Costa Rica.