www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I recently stayed at Cocal and loved it. My buddy wants to stay at Vista Mar in April so we reserved a 3 bedroom condo. However, I am starting to have some concerns...

First, their cancellation policy is pretty harsh! 1 night up front, entire balance at 45 days. No refunds. Wtf?!

Second, $500 cleaning/security deposit at check-in. Should I expect to get this back (assuming normal use).

Third, they say no smoking inside or you are kicked out and lose your $, but no mention of smoking on balconies. I assume its o.k. outside as I saw some dude smoking cigars on their balconies. Is this correct?

Fourth, you need to ID-check Tica visitors. Is there someone there at all hours like at the Cocal to do this? I'm assuming security, correct?

Fifth, can you access the property 24/7?

For those of you who have stayed there, do you recommend it? What issues did you have (if any)?

TIA!

I stayed at the Vista Mar on 2 separate occasions. The last time I was the point man so the $500 deposit went on my cc. As long as there is no damage to your room you will get it all credited back to your card. One of my boys lost a key and instead of charging it to my card we just paid them cash for a replacement key.

You can smoke on the balcony. The ID check is a god send cuz it serves as an extra level of security for you. You have to check them in and you have to be there when they check out. Doesn't take very long and not that much of a nuisance. Yes you and whoever you want can access the property 24/7. Just be mindful of their rules and don't break anything.

I've stayed their twice and if I go back I'll be staying there again. The condos are comfortable, well decorated and the girls, even though it doesn't matter, are a little impressed when they hear you're staying there. They also have fully stocked kitchens and washer and dryers in each condo.

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Stayed at Vista Mar 5 times last year and heading back in April. No issues with payment or deposit....well except my buddies who stiffed me on a bar tab from the last night when I was checking out

I would say a huge upside is when the girls know you are in the condos they want to come up and get out of the heat of the Frog Bar and they will chill with you having a drink and most are not rushed at all. The ID guys are awesome and get to the point of laughing and shaking there head at me as I make multiple trips to them per day to drop off and pick up the girls ID's.

Condos are also great for going to the grocery store and picking up beer and liquor supplies plus some food items but we usually utilize the free breakfast at Cocal that is included and hit the Taco Bar maybe once or twice for a breakfast. It is nice to come back to the condo and be able to grab a sandwich or snack. On the occasions when it is just my buddy and i we still get a 3 bedroom at Vista Mar. We call the third room Tica Storage. We have actually linked up with some San Jose girls and negotiated with them to have the third room for a night or two while they work Cocal. Little strange to see them strolling up to other rooms but I tell them 30 minute minimum shower before they come see me

[quote="Pirate93 Little strange to see them strolling up to other rooms but I tell them 30 minute minimum shower before they come see me [/quote]

I'm still stuck on "Tica Storage", that's awesome.

Vista Mar is much nicer than staying in a Cocal hotel room. And if you have 3 guys splitting the tab, it is not much more and has good wi-fi. Each bedroom is twice as large as a Cocal hotel room.