Hang20

Help! We are just about to leave on our trip to CR and my husband has a business issue that has come up and he MUST stay in contact with the States. I do not want him to bring his computer but if it is the best/only way to stay in touch he will have to. Can't we buy a prepaid phone once we are in CR? Where would we get it? How is reception? Would we be better off calling from a hotel landline? We will be at Tulemar in MA, Nayara in Arenal and Hacienda Guachipelin near El Rincon de la Vieja. I know Nayara has internet access if needs be but I would prefer to leave the computer at home.
I have researched so many things to do, places to stay, roads to drive, scams to avoid etc. I was expecting to be out of touch so I have not even thought about this.

Thanks for your help.

cgenster

You can buy a phone card, most stores have them or you can get them at the airport. You can call from any phone with these cards and the rates are quite reasonable.

A lot of hotel rooms in Costa Rica do not have phones in the rooms but you can usually use the front desk phone and there are payphones around.

hsmithcr

Bring your unlocked cell phone from the US and you can buy a pre-paid SIM card at the airport in San Jose. You can then "re-charge" it if you need to while you are here. If the desk at the airport is closed for some reason, you can ask either a taxi driver or the staff at your hotel where to buy one. These cards are from ICE, the one and only phone company in Costa Rica, so you can always buy one from one of their offices which are pretty much all over the country. There are various other places to buy these cards but it's kind of hit and miss so someone local would need to tell you. To recharge, you can go into any bank or to an ICE office.

gws

Why not travel with a small netbook that fits into your purse and use free Skype, or Majic Jack, if you already have one. I found that cyber cafes are no longer plentiful now but almost everyone has free wifi.

ShellD

I've done the SIM card and it works great. Just make sure you unlock your cell before you go. You can even order a SIM before you leave. I just got one in the mail today and plan to get it all set up before we leave next week. Last trip we had reception in most areas with no problems. If you want to use your regular cell, make sure you have international calling FROM Costa Rica turned on. It should work just fine, but it will be fairly expensive. You can also stay in touch via text or if his phone gets email, it will be much less expensive than voice calls. Check with your provider.

volcanogirl

My husband's office set him up with an international calling plan before we left; you might check into that.

Hang20

thanks again everyone. I think the trip may have just been saved!