No flame from me Oblique. I stayed at the SL for my week long stay. Although I can understand the inconvenience you suffered you must realize that you could get better but then you would pay more. I think the SL appeals to the type of guy whose there to have a good time in a central place. It's not far from the action in either direction. For new guys like me, that's important.
Strength:
1. Great selection of girls. But really not much different than anywhere else
-Then why stay anywhere else?2. Beautiful and competent bartenders
-Truth. No issue there my friend. 3. Abundance of fellow mongers with which to connect
-Another truism. No issue.Weakness:
1. The rooms. Or at least the cheap rooms. This doesn't exactly qualify as news or a surprise, but DO NOT underestimate the noise if you stay in the courtyard. You can almost reach out from the doorway of these rooms to collect your drink at the bar now that they've remodeled what once was the lounge. Some might see this as a plus but there is a sense your bedroom is almost public in these rooms.
-Contained in your critique is the answer to your concern. These are the cheap(er) rooms for a reason. What can realistically be done for such rooms other than to discount them with the expectation that it's going to be loud? It would take a remodel of the building to quiet down the volume when the place is hopp'in. Even if that was done, I could only imagine the volume going down a decibel or two at the most. It's a club/brothel/bar/restaurant all rolled into one. 2. The rooms. The shower drain in my room backed up and with it came a nice clump of shaved hair. Seems the reinvestment on this property is nil.
-I don't think that's fair. That's a housekeeping concern and I'm sure it was resolved to your satisfaction. Incidents like the one you describe happen all over the world in hotels both great and small; from the Four Seasons to the Motel6. Some chica cut her hair. I agree it wasn't a good thing to do but...c'mon....it's Costa Rica. Many chica's don't have hot water in their own homes for goodness sake. It is and I hate to say this but...it's a 3rd(2nd) world country. Some chica who doesn't have the facilities or hot water in her home is likely to ask some gringo if she can take care of her hygiene. You have to keep this in mind. You are on vacation, while they are at work. Meanwhile, the rents due and their hijo needs diapers. As far as re-investment on the property is concerned, I don't get into that. The SL isn't my business nor do I want it to be. I know I have a choice. If I don't like the property or something is amiss, I have the right to take my money elsewhere.2. The food. Overpriced and disappointing every time I ate here.
-Then why did you continue to eat there? Not trying to be an ass, just say'in. The food is a matter of opinion. I thought it was rather pedestrian myself. I didn't think it was bad though. Did you try the chicken burrito? Good stuff, there. In any case, you could have eaten at HLH or several other joints in the gulch with nary a concern. Look, the food in CR is not all that exciting in general. I don't know what you expected but this country is not known for it's fine dining and cuisine. It's a blue collar country with people just trying to get food on the table. They don't concern themselves with the best way to prepare fois gras. As far as SL is concerned, the food is standard bar fare mostly. I don't think Bill and the management are trying to please everyone, just most people. SL clients are guys who eat basically a bunch of junk(guy) food. Chicas don't really eat unless gringo's pay for them. They're not there to enjoy the food but to get paid. SL gives 'em what they want too.
As far as the price of food. That to me seemed to be pretty standard everywhere in SJO. You wanna save on food? Go to the Auto Mercado(?) or Mas X Menos and get yourself a loaf of bread and some lunch meat. Buy some soda, gatorade and/or water and some chips and maybe a couple of hostess pies. If your room has a fridge stock it with your own food and drink. You'll save $$ and not have to be concerned with overpaying at the SL or anywhere else I'm not sticking up for SL, believe me. It may seem like that but everyone is different and has different ideas on what makes for a great vacation. I'm sorry you had a rough time, hopefully the ladies made up for it
. There's a reason why they say, Pura Vida. The next time you're down and you stay at HLH just know that there is going to be some problem not to your liking there too. No place is perfect. I choose to be happy and just let SJO come to me. Take care.