If you are a single male who likes to travel, there is no reason you shouldn’t have been to Costa Rica yet.  This country is like the game Candy Land for single men, and if you don’t know about it yet, I’m going to give you a rundown on how Costa Rica sex works and why Costa Rican prostitutes are so abundant.

What’s the Deal With Sex and Hookers in Costa Rica?

This is a topic that’s gone so mainstream that a South Park episode was dedicated to this exact topic.  You can view the full episode here.

While I don’t know the history of the paid sex down there prior to the year 2000, I can give you an idea of what it’s been like the last 19 years.  I’ve been numerous times with my buddies, and even took sabbaticals from crazy New York City to enjoy the life they call “pura vida” down in the Central Valley of Costa Rica, finding flings along the way.  There are two main hot spots for prostitution in Costa Rica:  San Jose, and Playa Jaco.  The latter is the better option right now and it’s been trending up for a solid 7-8 years and will continue due to the mere reputation, location (San Jose is land locked), and weather.  The weather at the beach is gorgeous, and think about all the things you can do when you aren’t spending five minutes trying to tap some Latina ass.  Surfing, sport fishing, ATV rides, hiking, rain forest and zip line tours, golf, tennis, and much more.  There are many things to do in Costa Rica besides chase tail, but I won’t be getting into anything other than chasing tail today.  This is a site for single men, and while many of us golf, we could care less what you shot yesterday.  Let’s just be honest with one another and keep the facts on hooking up in Costa Rica flowing as fast as the Imperial Beer comes out of the kegs from the bars these women congregate at.

San Jose Costa Rica Hookers

Let’s start with the nation’s Capital city, San Jose.  Old “San Ho” as I called it way back when. This place was the best place to find working women back when I first stepped foot in this country. Now, it’s a bit more run down and there are way less options for hunting, but they do still exist.  The main hot spot is a gigantic pink hotel that takes up most of a City block called the Hotel Del Rey.  It’s such a monument, such a piece of Costa Rica nostalgia. that it deserves it’s own sub section on this blog post.

The Hotel Del Rey

When you see this thing, it’s almost like something out of a movie.  The pink colonial facade on the outside, littered with street urchins and deviants on every corner near by, it’s the perfect place to film a sequel to the Hangover series.  Much closer to the USA than Thailand, this could have easily been a set location.  If you’ve seen the Movie “Runner Runner,” there are many instances that hint at that.  Avoid engaging in business with anyone on the street.  They are on the street for a reason.  I don’t care if you need Viagra, Cialis, Weed, Blow, or anything else they promise you, it’s usually a ripoff and always a bad idea.  I wouldn’t recommend you trust a hooker either, but here, I’m going to recommend just that.  Use their connections and avoid the street mooches at all costs.  The Cuban cigars aren’t Cuban, as you probably should correctly assume.  When you say “no” to any of their overtures, they will just ask you for money, so know that in advance and try not to have any in your hand or somewhere visible.

Once you accomplish your goal of avoiding these people, make your way inside and view the madness.  You’ll get frisked on your way in, but that’s for your safety.  What awaits you on the inside is pure bachelor paradise – over 100 hookers from Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and many other countries are ready to give you a ride if you agree on a price.  Prices have ranged from $25 for the low end, budget hookers, (usually older and overweight) to $150 (or more, depending on how big of a sucker you are) for the younger, more in shape options.  Of course, your mileage will vary and there is always the odd duck that gets a freebie but it’s more common to get ripped off or shitty service, so keep that in mind, Romeo.

Once you enter, you’ll find a coffee bar, aptly called the Lobby Bar, on your left.  There are many tables where women congregate and set up shop to have talks with men and get the business started.  You’ll see the check in desk directly in front of you, surrounded by desks that outfit the perimeter of the hotel offering sport fishing charters, tours, and much more.  If you want it, they will get it for you. This is a for profit business, you know?

If you snake your way around the left side of the front desk, you’ll see a casino set up.  Sometimes it’s lively, sometimes it’s dead.  They offer Rummy, Canasta, and other Caribbean table games.  You’ll also have plenty of slots to choose from, if that’s your thing.  I choose not to, because it’s not like the Nevada Gaming Commission is there to help if anything goes wrong, and it will.

Make your way around the slots and in the very back left corner is a poker room.  It’s been a sports book before, and before that, a bar area.  Things often change here in the Del Rey Casino & Hotel so it may be configured differently depending on when you visit.  One thing that will not ever change is what many men call “the gauntlet.”  The gauntlet is two steps up off the casino floor, next to the bathrooms, and it’s officially called the Blue Marlin Bar.  The Blue Marlin Bar is the attraction at the Hotel Del Rey.  You’ll get your junk grabbed many times over. You’ll have women whisper things into your ears, ask for drinks, and offer up a “massage” that of course, leads to a massage on your penis, and then usually much, much more.  These women are the working girls, every single one of them.  While it’s unusual, you may find a woman accompanying a man or group there, so be careful if someone doesn’t look like they are working, but I can tell you that 99.9% are.  “Normal” women don’t enter this bar or hotel, it’s simply not done.

While you get accosted, get a beer.  The bar has a few beat up TV’s, but you won’t find many people tuned in.  The eyes are on the hookers working the Blue Marlin.  These are women you don’t want to make eye contact with unless you want to get their attention. I’ve been there so many times that I know how to deal with them, but some guys simply can’t.  Again, you’ll get offers all over the board from women all over Central and South America.  Some will be all decked out in their best dresses, others will look like hot teachers, and some will be downright ugly.

I’m not promoting prostitution here, we’re simply telling you how it works.  Also, NEVER, EVER, EVER, engage in any sex act with a minor.  You’ll go to jail, no questions asked.  Don’t even think about it, you sick fucks.  

The later the night gets, the lower the prices may be.  Prostitution in Costa Rica, and namely the Del Rey, is confined to customers who come to the places the women frequent.  On a busy night, you’ll have some competition.  On a slow night for tourism, it’ll be a buyers (ahem, renters) market.

While the Del Rey Hotel was a mecca for most of the 80’s, 90’s, and early 2000’s, it’s slowed quite a bit in recent years.  You’ll still find 50-200 women there on average nights, but the quality isn’t what it used to be.  Instead, many Costa Rican hookers find themselves making their way to the beach.  Jaco Beach, to be exact.

Jaco Prostitution

The Jaco Beach scene has been rampant for a while, with the Beatle Bar leading the way as the #1 spot to go – until it wasn’t!

I can’t recall the exact year, but at some point, the bar was sold.  I want to say 2007 or so.  It was ran terribly ever since then, with some new group making major changes, including an entrance fee and many price hikes, that led to the regulars and women going to other places.  Eventually, the place was shut down.  Today, in 2019, it’s open but under a bar format not known for welcoming prostitution.

Like the old saying goes, one man’s loss is another man’s gain.  Like I did in San Jose, I’ll dedicate an entire section to a place called the Cocal Hotel & Casino.

The Casino & Hotel Cocal

This place is like a poor man’s Clevelander, the famous Ocean Drive bar that is always poppin’ off with tourists and locals alike.  Although not one tenth as fancy, the Cocal suffices as the number one pick up spot in Jaco to meet hookers.  Like San Jose, you’ll meet women of all ages and backgrounds, but on a beach setting, with a pool in the middle, and an open air bar that is normally graced with a DJ spinning music and keeping people lively.

As you enter the Cocal, you’ll have the option of being in the casino, which serves as a place to gamble in addition to being an overflow room when there are too many prostitutes.  There really is no such thing as too many prostitutes in my book, but there is such a thing as a capacity crowd in the Cocal.

The perimeter of the pool is lined up with rooms.  These rooms may as well have turn styles for how often people come in and out of them.  In they go, out they go.  Women enter rooms with men who rent them, and get down and dirty.  The bar is full of women, and overall they are younger and more attractive then the ones you’ll meet at the Del Rey.

If you don’t find what you are looking for at the Hotel Cocal, know that many of the women that you didn’t get to meet will subsequently make their way to the discos and bars in town.  Currently, Le Loft is the leading venue for most people.  It’s a mix of tourists, locals, and hookers.  This makes for some interesting connections and looks from some of the eco-tourists who hadn’t previously known of the abundance of hookers in the area!

Le Loft plays great music, has a DJ, and normally is my go-to spot.  You can also walk down the street and find women making their way to other disco’s, Amigos Bar, The Orange Pub, or other bars.  The names escape me because I’m normally at Le Loft, if I’m out that late as it is.  Normally I’m a day drinker and in bed early.

Other Venues for Costa Rica Sex

While there are MANY places to find prostitutes in Costa Rica, I’m only going to highlight the more known ones.

In San Jose, you have the Sportsmen’s Lodge.  This is a place that is an actual bar, hotel, restaurant, and place that welcomes women. Typically older, less attractive women that make their rounds into other bars and hotels in the area, but you can always find a diamond in the rough and appreciate the exceptions to the rules, right?  The owner, Bill, is very hands on and welcoming.  The sports games are always on, the service fast and polite, and you can play pool, watch games, eat, or even stay there if you wish. It’s a great place and a place you need to at least get a drink at and give a chance.

Massage Parlours in Costa Rica

These are quite dodgy, and over the years many of them have been shut down, raided, and re-opened.  I don’t trust them because I have heard stories of underage women working there, and I’m not down with that.  Sure, that’s an anomaly and probably not standard, but be careful.  The New Fantasy has been around for quite a while, and it’s had it’s fair share of issues but has been fun at times.  It’s near the Sportsmen’s in Barrio Amon.  Just a few blocks away (someone help me with the direction) you can find the Hotel Little Havana.  Over the years, they have been called “Zona Blue” as well.  You’ll find women that will take you to rooms for a massage and more.  You’ll also find Cuban cigars.  Legit ones.  There is a huge humidor you can enjoy and smoke freely.

The Pirates Club is in a dodgy part of town that’s not very safe, but once inside the guarded establishment you’ll be fine in one of Costa Rica’s only remaining “Pensions.”  I can’t really tell you how this works, but know that there are women there that will go upstairs to a room with you for cash.  A pension license is something of a rarity these days, but the Pirates Club had one last I checked. It’s almost like a bordello license from what I understand.

After that, the drop off is very real. There are many “Tico bars” that have working women that are for the budget conscious.  (See:  cheap hookers.)  I don’t recommend going here alone, and never go at night.  It can get dangerous, and while I enjoy danger, I’ve put myself in some predicaments being places I’m not welcome.  The main Gringo area to hang out in is around the Del Rey.  Locals refer to this as the “Gringo Gulch.”  For the guys who like to live life on the edge, some of them that fall into the massage parlor / strip club realm include:  Tangas, Monaco, Cha Cha Cha, VIPs Molina Rojo, Lipstick, Nicole’s, Alcasar, and Bar Dorado.

A man who died (RIP) who went by the name “Don Gordo” famously made a map of San Jose.  He used to walk these routes to these houses of deviancy, and he made it for others as a way to give back. A link to it is here.

Strip Clubs in Costa Rica

This is where things get interesting. Like the United States, there are scantily clad women dancing.  Sort of like some places in the United States, you can have sex with them.  Let me back up, you can have sex in strip clubs in Costa Rica.  It’s very common, and other than running up your bar tab by having you buy them $20 watered down champagne mixes, this is how they make their money.  There are lap dances, but why get a lap dance when the price of 5 or so of them equates to renting a room and doing whatever you want?

If you don’t want to dine in, you can get take out.  Every club differs, so ask the women and the managers how it works.  Some low budget Tico strip clubs are very cheap, and the high end ones geared towards tourists like Tango India VIP will be very expensive.  The latter has themed rooms with hot tubs, flat screens, and lavish decor.  You will want to check that one out, it’s amazing.

Other clubs worth seeing are Elite on Paseo Colon, (owned by D’Pelufo’s) and the original D’Pelufo’s in San Pedro.  They are famous for their Lesbian shows, which used to take place on Wednesday nights.  Check your local listings.

Other Things to Know

The customers are pretty much ugly Americans for the most part.  Not all, but most, are people you want to avoid.  They dress like crap.  Like this, actually.  They have poor hygiene, lie a lot, and really aren’t people you want to trust.  Of course, I’ve met some good people along the way, but I’m speaking about the majority here and putting out the caution flag.

Watch your back in San Jose. It can be dangerous and many disease infested, gender-transformed she-males roam the streets ready to rob you.  You know the saying:  good from far, far from good.

You’ll see plenty of “chics with dicks,” or “chicas con sorpresas” on the outskirts of the Gringo Gulch. They normally prey on intoxicated tourists.

Old Establishments No Longer Operating

Many old timers and old school Costa Rica single male travelers will remember the following locations. I can confirm that none remain open.  It’s very sad, but very true.  The Gringo Gulch is all but dead.

• The New York Bar.  Served cold beer, veteran friendly, and live music.  
• The Horseshoe Casino.  Changed owners a few times, didn’t make it much longer than the economic meltdown in 2008.  Building sits idle and dormant.  
• The Key Largo.  Dancing and late night drinking.  Technically still open, but a sliver of what it used to be.  Across the street from the Del Rey. 
• The White House.  Located in upscale Escazu, a San Jose suburb, they had a steakhouse, casino, and often had classy working women.
• Little Marlin & Monkey Bar.  Owned by the Del Rey, these were across the street and offered more “bar like” atmospheres.

Veterans to Costa Rica, did I miss anything? I’d love to hear your commentary, feedback, and thoughts.