We have 3 separate nights in San Jose...what are the do's and don'ts there (e.g., sights, eats, safety, etc.)?? Money...are ATMs readily available thru out the country?? Should we use colons or dollars or credit cards or all of these?? Recommendations for the Arenal and Manual Antonio areas?? How good should our Spanish be, or can we get by with English and minimal Spanish?? Any other tips would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Lots of questions! Most important thing: you are going to have a fabulous time! Pura vida

Nights in San Jose--are you actually in the city or staying near the airport which is a few miles west of town near the city of Alajuela? If in the city, use taxis at night and use care during the day with your belongings while out walking. Always be aware and don't be flashy! Be very careful crossing streets. Pedestrians do not have right of way. They'll just scrape you up and paint a yellow heart in that spot to remind everyone that someone (you) wasn't careful enough!!

ATM's are easy to find in San Jose. I wouldn't use one at night--just in the daytime. If you have a Visa Plus card it will work better than the Cirrus cards. We have a Cirrus and the only ATM that will honor it is Bank of San Jose. Those are a little harder to find, especially outside the city!

In the more touristy places, such as you have mentioned, there are ATM's--just don't depend entirely on them. Sometimes they don't work--other times no problem! We were thrilled to find a new Bank of San Jose in Tamarindo in July so that we were able to use the ATM there! You can always go into the bank, but that is generally a time consuming proposition. Be sure and have your passport with you.

We prefer to start out with just a couple hundred US dollars, then use an ATM when we need more. We always get colones out of the ATM's because we prefer to use their money in their country--saves having to always be making the exchange in our heads. Having stated that, US dollars are WIDELY accepted--everywhere we've been. So you can certainly stay with those if you'd prefer. You'll get most of your change in colones and can use them some as well. We use a combination of credit card and cash. Sometimes we take just enough in Traveler's Cheques to pay for hotels, especially when we know for sure which hotels accept them. A combination of the 3 has always worked well for us, but sometimes we just rely on cc and cash.

If you have limited Spanish you can get by just fine. It helps, of course, to be able to speak some Spanish. But when we first started going, and our Spanish was very limited, we managed. In the touristy areas, English is spoken quite a lot. In the country, not so much.

Arenal and Manuel Antonio are the two places that most would recommend first time visitors try to see--amazing locations! All of it is, though. Just enjoy--it's a magical place!

Ah, forgot to mention. . .this is fairly important! Do not take large bills--they just don't work well. They arouse suspicion and are generally not preferred by business establishments. Not to mention difficult to make change for. Stay with $20 bills and less. Bring lots of $1's for tipping, lots of $5, fewer $10's, and fewer still $20's.

shillmac: Thank you for the quick response. We'll be staying at the Amon Plaza hotel in San Jose. Are there any sights close by there worth seeing and if so, what are they...what else should we try to see in San Jose (we want to maximize our time and not just sit in our hotel room while there). How about places to eat??

Amon Plaza is in a great location. You can walk over to the Plaza de la Cultura, visit the Museo de Oro (gold museum), the Teatro Nacional (across from the Plaza de la Cultura and El Gran Hotel Costa Rica). By the way, this plaza is great for sipping cappucino and people watching! Used to be a lot of hawkers, but I think they've enclosed it a bit and cleaned it up some.

From this location, you can walk down Avenida Central (pedestrian mall) to the Mercado Central. If you've never visited a Costa Rican market--do this. It's very interesting. Just be wary of your pockets and any outer purses/backpacks, etc. Try not to use them.

You'll also be close to the tall (landmark) insurance building. The Jade Museum is there. Haven't been, but have heard it is interesting. The Gold Museum is state of the art. Under a bank next to Plaza de la Cultura. Those activities will take half a day, maybe more if you do 2 museums. The Teatro is worth looking at on the inside. Gorgeous. We went to an evening performance there (the opera Carmen) once and enjoyed the experience.

In the evening, take a taxi to El Pueblo--restaurants, discos, shops, kind of a mall. Short ride, low fare.

We haven't eaten much in San Jose, but I know there are some excellent restaurants. Others can advise you on this. Not far from your hotel, there is the Cafe Mundo. It is very good. Avenida 9, between Calle 9 and 11, I think. They can tell you at the hotel as well as advising other places.

There is a place called Tin Jo (?) that has gotten good reviews. You might check it out online. Hopefully those who know more about dining in San Jose will respond!