www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I'm going to go off on a bit of a tangent. I've been staying at the ML/Taormina the past five years. It may not have been in its best condition in those days but despite its deficiencies (particularly the lack of wi-fi and A/C) it was a good value, it was centrally located, and most of all, Helmuth, Guy, and the rest of the staff were friendly and helpful and they were also chica friendly. There always seemed to be "chica action" at the bar.

I tried to make a reservation through the front desk a couple of days ago in Inglés and had to switch over to Spanish because whoever answered just wasn't taking English She also refused the online rate of $79 (if made through Expedia.) If I reserved through her it would be $92/nite. When I asked about the CRT discount she said that it no longer applied as Guy was no longer there. Mind you, she sounded as if she was doing me a big favor with that rate. Since I prefer to "play" off premises anyway I just hung up and booked over at the Raddisson by El Museo de los Niños ($73/nite. The difference adds up over a week.) I'm going to be in San Pedro and Escazú a lot next week so I'll have a rental, anyway.

My questions are: Is the Toarmina doing land office business (so to speak?) Are they running the proverbial No Vacancy sign? Have the "new" old owners become "chica hostile"? If so why? For those of you currently in The Gulch, are things still pretty much the same (at HDR, SL, NF, Z II?)

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GeminisC, I stayed there beginning of the month they are not giving CRT discount any more but they will give frequent visitor discount. I got a 4th floor room for $79 you apparently got the wrong person in the phone.

i guess all my money will be spent at Zona and Little Havana.

The $79 rate shown on Expedia is the Pre-Tax rate. After you make the purchase from Expedia you will end up paying $90 per night, the exact same price you were given by the front desk.

Only the 3rd floor has not been renovated yet and that project is currently underway. Everything else on the property has been completed.

Correct, depending on the frequency that a guest stays and the current demand for rooms at the time of the year, it is possible for a guest to get a discounted price for their loyalty.

Have been there last 3 nights and via email was given a room on 4th floor for $70 incl tax & breakfast. A little more than the $57 I used to get, but big deal.. Still the nicest & best deal in town in my view and no chica fee. They told me no more $57 for 3rd floor because it's (almost?) finished. It's been 6 months or so since I've been in San José (live in Guanacaste) and the action in the bar is much better than before. Nothing during the day... bar opens at 2:00 pm.... but pretty good at night. Pulled from there all 3 nights. Maybe I just got lucky.

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I still can't get over when it was named Mona Lisa how the employees would just wait for a gringo monger to check in and leave the hotel so they could steal the gringo's money out of the safe. It happened many times and NO ONE was caught. All it would take would be an old employee to get rehired and start the same thing again. I read where Vista Mar condos in Jaco employees stole $2,000 from the safes of condo 5B. And no one gets their money back. These ticos don't see anything wrong with stealing from gringos.

It is basically an entirely new hotel. New ownership. New staff. Totally renovated. And entirely new safes.

Yes, a thief could be hired. Any hotel could have that happen. But to sit there and fixate on past events when it was a different hotel under different ownership, with different staffing is ridiculous.

I've spoken to one of the owners. They're aware of the past. He assured me they would not let it happen again (repeated thefts with nothing done). They are aware that is why the Mona Lisa went belly up.

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Any opinion or observation in the post above is purely presented for entertainment purposes and does not promote "sexual tourism" or "human trafficking". The laws of Costa Rica apply to all activities in Costa Rica. No warranty is expressed or implied. Void where prohibited by law. Your experience, observations or perspective may be different.

In exile in pu*sy prison

Having your money stolen is not ridiculous. It is painful

Have to side with MM3 on this one. This is a totally different hotel with totally different owners. Now my favorite place to stay in San Jose. I've actually stayed at this location on multiple occasions when it was the Clarion, then Mona Lisa, and now Hotel Taormina. Never was a fan until this new ownership took over and renovated the rooms and installed central AC that actually works along with excellent hi-speed wi-fi. And the fourth-floor rooms facing to the back are quiet! And I like the breakfast buffet and the nearby poker room...

So, no matter what, if bad things happened somewhere, despite anything, changes in ownership, etc., that place is forever cursed?

A chica in Costa Rica stole something - so we can never go to Costa Rica?

It is an entirely different hotel.

_________________
Any opinion or observation in the post above is purely presented for entertainment purposes and does not promote "sexual tourism" or "human trafficking". The laws of Costa Rica apply to all activities in Costa Rica. No warranty is expressed or implied. Void where prohibited by law. Your experience, observations or perspective may be different.

In exile in pu*sy prison

Sounds like you got a hard-on for the Hotel Taormina lol

One of us does, and it isn't me.

You are the one dredging up what happened at another, different hotel (the Mona Lisa) that was in same building.

Before the current owners. Before the current staff.

Its a different hotel. Not sure why that's so hard to understand.

_________________
Any opinion or observation in the post above is purely presented for entertainment purposes and does not promote "sexual tourism" or "human trafficking". The laws of Costa Rica apply to all activities in Costa Rica. No warranty is expressed or implied. Void where prohibited by law. Your experience, observations or perspective may be different.

In exile in pu*sy prison