For guys wondering what to do about phones down there, I found a decent solution that worked for me with minimal trouble. T-Mobile offers an international unlimited data roaming plan for as little as $50/month WITHOUT a contract. That also includes 1 GB of data in the US. I switched from AT and T to T-Mobile and my bill is literally in half price. And I went with the higher unlimited US data plan for $80/month too!. .20 cents a minute international calling to the states as well and most international ccountries. Anyway, so I switched to T-Mobile, I have one of those new iphone 6+, and didn't want to take that expensive phone down there. Had an older 4S, so I got a sim card adapter off Amazon for 4 bucks. (you can get an adapter for whatever phone you use).
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HSO ... e_o05_s00ISo I take my sim card out of my iphone 6, put it in the adapter, and place it in my Iphone 4S which I do take to CR. I could have the 4S stolen and it wouldn't be the end of the world. I'm able to use my regular number while in CR. When I was there it roamed off the Movistar network. And T-mobile, true to it's word, there were no data charges. And I used the network daily and frequently. The network is definitely slower than what I was used to, but not horrible. It took a few minutes for the phone to recognize the system and wasn't sure it would work but ultimately worked perfectly.
So, in summary, I simply didn't want the expense and headache of buying a new phone, having a pre-paid card, etc while I was there. Granted, if you have a girlie friend or wifey, you may just want to get a phone down there.
Or use an old phone and sign up with T-mobile for a second number. Again, there is NO contract, so after your trip you could just cancel and be done and it only costs you $50. Anyway, figured I'd share my experience if it may help somebody!