Costa Rica report from a past trip

[torogen]

I have not seen much info on Costa Rica here, so I wrote up a report about a trip I took several years ago. I checked as I was writing, and most of the info still seems to be relevant (places are still in operation, etc.) Prices may have changed, of course.

I have visited Costa Rica twice now, but haven’t been since summer 2012. I am excited to return next month. I found Costa Rica to be beautiful and laid back, and a lot of fun. The country’s infrastructure is very basic, with a clear division between the poor/older areas and the newer upscale areas. All of the gay attractions I visited were in the older areas.  I stayed in San Jose and in Manuel Antonio and enjoyed both.

San Jose

The strip club Pucho’s has a very standard formula: At 10:00 PM, the strippers all come out in G-strings and dance for exactly 10 minutes. Afterward, you get 50 minutes of drag queens who are actually pretty good. At 11:00 PM, the boys return, but this time fully nude…then 50 more minutes of drag queens. At midnight, the dancers return, but this time with erections, and they dance for 10 minutes. Many clients approach the stage and sample the merchandise (sometimes even with their mouths). If at any time you decide you want a “private” with one of the dancers, you pay the bartender, and the dancer takes you behind the scenes. I did not go, but it seemed that they simply took clients into the dressing room, where other strippers and drag queens were located. Any of those strippers is available for a fee, but you may have to pay a fee to the bar if they leave before the midnight show.

Pucho’s is popular among locals, but not just for the dancers. They have a restaurant and a patio and a dark room attached. This was not immediately apparent, because the door is kept closed between the two parts…you must go through what looks like a door to the outside, but is really a door into the restaurant, cut through the corner of the restaurant, and then exit again onto the patio. The dark room and patio are packed. Many types of guys. Younger, older, nondescript, handsome…truly all types of guys go there.

There is a brothel in San Jose called Oasis Erotic Massage. You enter the place, and the proprietor calls all the working guys to the front, and you get to make your choice. There are different price points, and the proprietor explains in Spanish that everything is included including oral, or penetration if you go with the more expensive option (you also get a nicer room). You basically pay $25 or $40, depending on what you want, and that includes the use of a room for an hour. Despite the very explicit assurances by the guy who runs the place, the guy I went with (a handsome and friendly 19 year old from Honduras), tried to get more money from me for basic services. I wouldn’t say it was a great option, but a few of the guys were at least young/cute/fuckable.

The better place I found to look for escorts was on craigslist or on the Spanish language websites that offer erotic services ads, or on Grindr (I apologize, but I can’t recall the specific website that had many ads for escorts and massage). On this next trip, I will also try Planet Romeo.

I had a lot of luck simply going to bars and meeting people. Ticos are friendly and approachable, and gay tourists are enough of a novelty to garner some attention just by their presence.

Late one night, after exiting Pucho’s and getting into one of the many waiting taxis, the driver asked me if I was looking for a boy, because he knew a place where lots of hustlers hang out--Parque Nacional on Av.1 and Calle 19. He said that any of them would be very happy to do anything I wanted for $20, or they would stay the whole day/night for $40. I had already arranged to meet someone at my hotel for massage and oral ($20), but I took his card and he promised he would take me there the next day. Unfortunately, with the janky cell phone service at that time, I could not reach him the next day, despite trying about 20 times. I got a message each time saying the person you are trying to reach is out of the area or unavailable. I did call a regular taxi and try to drive past the park the next evening, but the driver did not speak English, so rather than explaining what I was doing, I asked him to drive slowly past the park because I was looking for a friend. After one trip around the block, and not seeing any likely candidates, I told him to circle back and I would get out and wait for my friend, and he immediately responded with alarm, “No, no, no. Muy peligroso! (very dangerous)” This was something I encountered several times in San Jose: warnings from the locals to never walk anywhere downtown after dark. Always take a taxi. Even for a trip of one or two blocks. I didn’t spend enough time there to gauge if these warnings were overblown, because I figured it was probably better to be safe than sorry, and I took a taxi everywhere. And one final note on the taxis: three of my taxi drivers let me know very plainly that they would be willing to fuck for a little money, and I got the feeling that several others would have been open to the idea.

Manuel Antonio

Manuel Antonio has a reputation as a gay destination, but the reasons for that seem to be historical (there used to be a popular nude beach, but it has been shut down because a hotel was built overlooking the beach). There is a gay hotel that I enjoyed very much (Hotel Villa Roca: https://www.villaroca.com/ ), but the area has very little to offer in the way of sex tourism, at least that I could find. It is pretty much a beautiful jungle paradise, with an amazing national forest where I saw sloths, toucans, howler monkeys, spider monkeys, and a beautiful but very poisonous golden eyelash viper (oropel). The tour guide I hired through the desk clerk at my hotel turned out to be a fun and friendly gay bear who came onto me, but he wasn’t really my type, so I passed, but I did enjoy his tour very much. There were two guys in the area offering massage, but it was clear that it was legit/therapeutic massage, and the desk clerk acted completely scandalized when I asked if there were any guys who offered “extra” service. He shouted at me, “NO!” and said there was no way any guys in the area would do such a thing. This despite the fact that I was hit up by a few guys on Grindr, so I knew very well that there WERE locals who were willing to provide services for a fee. Most of those guys live in the nearby town of Quepos, so expect to pay for their taxi to your location if you stay at Villa Roca or one of the resorts closer to the national park.

There were multiple other clients staying at the property. They have a happy hour each evening at the pool, and that offered a chance to hang out with the other guests, who were mostly from Mexico and Costa Rica, or from other Central and South American countries. I got the vibe that the very handsome bartender would have been available for pay.

One last note about Manuel Antonio/Villa Roca: After I returned to San Jose, I happened to see one of the owners of Villa Roca at a bar with an attractive, much younger guy. So, if I were to return to Manuel Antonio, I would be more likely to ask the owners of the property about the availability of rentboys, rather than the officious desk clerk. Or maybe hire someone in San Jose and take them along if you want to be sure of companionship.

[torogen]

Here is some evidence of the quality of guys who are available in San Jose. This guy is currently advertising on craigslist (and these photos are posted publicly on his ad). He is asking for $100 USD for an hour. More expensive than the prices I mentioned, but then again, he is much more attractive than anyone I met on my previous trip, so I can see how he can command a higher price. I will update my report or write a new one when I have more current information.

 

[torogen]

FUCK! Craigslist has apparently shut down its personals sections worldwide! I wrote to this guy and a few others on Tuesday, but I just checked, and I can't find ANY personals ads anywhere now...Central/South America, Europe, anywhere. The pages are still indexed in Google, but they all link to a "nothing found here" notification now. I'm glad a made a few contacts before this happened. I also noticed that "therapeutic services" has disappeared from the menu of services offered.

[torogen]

Looking back at my emails from all those years ago, I see that I was able to make several contacts by using Manhunt, Adam4Adam, craigslist (now gone), and classified ads on this site:  https://cr.skokka.com/  It basically functions like craigslist--a free online classifieds ad service. It seems relatively well-utilized. For example, there were 19 gay escort ads placed yesterday: https://cr.skokka.com/escorts-gay/san-jose/  It seems that they are asking between 12,000 and 60,000 colones ($20-100, approximately), depending on how muscular they are, what you want to do, etc. Quality/type of the guys varies widely. A few cute twinks, a few handsome muscular bodybuilder types, lots of relatively average/normal guys.

Also, this website, which has a "men seeking men" section, where a lot of escorts advertise: https://san-jose.wanuncios.com/chico-busca-chico-199.html

[msclelovr]

Thanks @torogen for the interesting and helpful report on Costa Rica.

[BlkSuperman]

On 5/5/2018 at 11:04 AM, torogen said:

I have not seen much info on Costa Rica here, so I wrote up a report about a trip I took several years ago. I checked as I was writing, and most of the info still seems to be relevant (places are still in operation, etc.) Prices may have changed, of course.

 

I have visited Costa Rica twice now, but haven’t been since summer 2012. I am excited to return next month. I found Costa Rica to be beautiful and laid back, and a lot of fun. The country’s infrastructure is very basic, with a clear division between the poor/older areas and the newer upscale areas. All of the gay attractions I visited were in the older areas.  I stayed in San Jose and in Manuel Antonio and enjoyed both.

 

San Jose

 

The strip club Pucho’s has a very standard formula: At 10:00 PM, the strippers all come out in G-strings and dance for exactly 10 minutes. Afterward, you get 50 minutes of drag queens who are actually pretty good. At 11:00 PM, the boys return, but this time fully nude…then 50 more minutes of drag queens. At midnight, the dancers return, but this time with erections, and they dance for 10 minutes. Many clients approach the stage and sample the merchandise (sometimes even with their mouths). If at any time you decide you want a “private” with one of the dancers, you pay the bartender, and the dancer takes you behind the scenes. I did not go, but it seemed that they simply took clients into the dressing room, where other strippers and drag queens were located. Any of those strippers is available for a fee, but you may have to pay a fee to the bar if they leave before the midnight show.

 

Pucho’s is popular among locals, but not just for the dancers. They have a restaurant and a patio and a dark room attached. This was not immediately apparent, because the door is kept closed between the two parts…you must go through what looks like a door to the outside, but is really a door into the restaurant, cut through the corner of the restaurant, and then exit again onto the patio. The dark room and patio are packed. Many types of guys. Younger, older, nondescript, handsome…truly all types of guys go there.

 

There is a brothel in San Jose called Oasis Erotic Massage. You enter the place, and the proprietor calls all the working guys to the front, and you get to make your choice. There are different price points, and the proprietor explains in Spanish that everything is included including oral, or penetration if you go with the more expensive option (you also get a nicer room). You basically pay $25 or $40, depending on what you want, and that includes the use of a room for an hour. Despite the very explicit assurances by the guy who runs the place, the guy I went with (a handsome and friendly 19 year old from Honduras), tried to get more money from me for basic services. I wouldn’t say it was a great option, but a few of the guys were at least young/cute/fuckable.

 

The better place I found to look for escorts was on craigslist or on the Spanish language websites that offer erotic services ads, or on Grindr (I apologize, but I can’t recall the specific website that had many ads for escorts and massage). On this next trip, I will also try Planet Romeo.

 

I had a lot of luck simply going to bars and meeting people. Ticos are friendly and approachable, and gay tourists are enough of a novelty to garner some attention just by their presence.

 

Late one night, after exiting Pucho’s and getting into one of the many waiting taxis, the driver asked me if I was looking for a boy, because he knew a place where lots of hustlers hang out--Parque Nacional on Av.1 and Calle 19. He said that any of them would be very happy to do anything I wanted for $20, or they would stay the whole day/night for $40. I had already arranged to meet someone at my hotel for massage and oral ($20), but I took his card and he promised he would take me there the next day. Unfortunately, with the janky cell phone service at that time, I could not reach him the next day, despite trying about 20 times. I got a message each time saying the person you are trying to reach is out of the area or unavailable. I did call a regular taxi and try to drive past the park the next evening, but the driver did not speak English, so rather than explaining what I was doing, I asked him to drive slowly past the park because I was looking for a friend. After one trip around the block, and not seeing any likely candidates, I told him to circle back and I would get out and wait for my friend, and he immediately responded with alarm, “No, no, no. Muy peligroso! (very dangerous)” This was something I encountered several times in San Jose: warnings from the locals to never walk anywhere downtown after dark. Always take a taxi. Even for a trip of one or two blocks. I didn’t spend enough time there to gauge if these warnings were overblown, because I figured it was probably better to be safe than sorry, and I took a taxi everywhere. And one final note on the taxis: three of my taxi drivers let me know very plainly that they would be willing to fuck for a little money, and I got the feeling that several others would have been open to the idea.

 

Manuel Antonio

 

Manuel Antonio has a reputation as a gay destination, but the reasons for that seem to be historical (there used to be a popular nude beach, but it has been shut down because a hotel was built overlooking the beach). There is a gay hotel that I enjoyed very much (Hotel Villa Roca: https://www.villaroca.com/ ), but the area has very little to offer in the way of sex tourism, at least that I could find. It is pretty much a beautiful jungle paradise, with an amazing national forest where I saw sloths, toucans, howler monkeys, spider monkeys, and a beautiful but very poisonous golden eyelash viper (oropel). The tour guide I hired through the desk clerk at my hotel turned out to be a fun and friendly gay bear who came onto me, but he wasn’t really my type, so I passed, but I did enjoy his tour very much. There were two guys in the area offering massage, but it was clear that it was legit/therapeutic massage, and the desk clerk acted completely scandalized when I asked if there were any guys who offered “extra” service. He shouted at me, “NO!” and said there was no way any guys in the area would do such a thing. This despite the fact that I was hit up by a few guys on Grindr, so I knew very well that there WERE locals who were willing to provide services for a fee. Most of those guys live in the nearby town of Quepos, so expect to pay for their taxi to your location if you stay at Villa Roca or one of the resorts closer to the national park.

 

There were multiple other clients staying at the property. They have a happy hour each evening at the pool, and that offered a chance to hang out with the other guests, who were mostly from Mexico and Costa Rica, or from other Central and South American countries. I got the vibe that the very handsome bartender would have been available for pay.

 

One last note about Manuel Antonio/Villa Roca: After I returned to San Jose, I happened to see one of the owners of Villa Roca at a bar with an attractive, much younger guy. So, if I were to return to Manuel Antonio, I would be more likely to ask the owners of the property about the availability of rentboys, rather than the officious desk clerk. Or maybe hire someone in San Jose and take them along if you want to be sure of companionship.

How are the saunas in San jose? Are there rent boys in these saunas? If so,  what's a good night to go to the saunas to pick up a guy? Thank you.

[torogen]

No rentboys in the saunas...at least not like in Brazil. Lots of action for free. There are some younger guys who might be available, but most of the guys there are simply looking to have some fun.

 

[torogen]

Also, to update this, Pucho's burned down and reopened at half its original size. It is now filled with VERY aggressive and obnoxious strippers. The patio and darkroom are gone, although they have been replaced by an upstairs maze with gloryholes and such. I never saw it busy, but there was always some action. Free action. The strippers might be available after their shifts, but the vibe I got was that they were strictly watched, and allowed only to go to the "private room" with a paying client (who had paid the bartender the requisite fee).

[Latindude]

I really miss Costa Rica, I visited in 2016. In San Jose I stayed firstly at Trip San Jose Sabana, very good and confortable (it was a business trip, so I didn’t enjoyed much during first days), but then I moved to the 2 last nights (Free time) to a a cute old Hotel in Downtown where I was advised that the gay action take place, I didn’t visit any especial place but I had one of the best fucks of my life. I found a cute guy in Grindr who said that his mom was out for the night, so he had the opportunity to sleep out that night (he was 20 yo - but you may know Latin families  can be very conservative and controlling) - I had some trouble with the hotel to let him get up to my room, it was really about an hour to be able to go up with him - the manager called the owner to get the approval (really, very awkward). 

Finally when we were in the room, OMG that boy was very voracious, one of the best butts I have ever seen. It was an entire night of action. He had to run home at 7 am because his mom sent a message that she would return earlier LOL . I really regreat that I have not saved his number. 

[xpaulo]

Many, many, many years ago I visited the Caribbean coast in Costa Rica where the sex tourism was pretty open.... European women taking young local men into the jungle. I was young and didn't even know what sex tourism was. A Canadian in the bungalow next to mine brought a young local to stay with him for a few days and I wondered why. In any case I was too naive and nervous to try to set anything up, but I did enjoy my trip, the people at that time were quite friendly and the tourism industry still relatively rustic.

[DutchDork]

I'm considering going to Costa Rica given the relatively better Covid situation there. Any new updates on rent boys and where to find them?

[scott456]

On 4/3/2021 at 2:45 AM, xpaulo said:

Many, many, many years ago I visited the Caribbean coast in Costa Rica where the sex tourism was pretty open.... European women taking young local men into the jungle. I was young and didn't even know what sex tourism was. A Canadian in the bungalow next to mine brought a young local to stay with him for a few days and I wondered why. In any case I was too naive and nervous to try to set anything up, but I did enjoy my trip, the people at that time were quite friendly and the tourism industry still relatively rustic.

That must be at least 20 years ago.

[fairview]

Bump. I would love any current information on San Jose. Has everything shut down due to do lockdowns?

[tm_nyc]

Everything in Costa Rica is open right now but... they have been experiencing a major surge in CV19 cases in the last month.  So, it's an unpredictable situation.

Funny, I was just looking at CR yesterday.