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Listings
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Airline offices
Aeronica, C 11/13 (tel 233-2483); Alitalia, C 38, Av 3 (tel 222-6009); American, Paseo Colon, C 26/28 (tel 257-1266); Aviateca, at the airport (tel 255-4949); Continental, C 19, Av 2 (tel 296-4911); Copa, C 1, Av 5 (tel 222-6640); Iberia, C 40, Paseo Colon (tel 257-8266); Lacsa, C 1, Av 5 (tel 257-9444); Ladeco, C 11, Av 1 (tel 233-7290); Lufthansa, C 5, Av 7/9 (tel 221-7444); Mexicana, C 1, Av 2/4 (tel 257-6334); SAM, Av 5, C 1/3 (tel 233-3066); Sansa, Av 5, C 1/3 (tel 221-5774); TACA, C 1, Av 1/3 (tel 222-1790); United Airlines, Sabana Sur (tel 220-4844); Varig, Av 5, C 1/3 (tel 290-5222).
Banks State-owned banks in San Jose include the Banco de Costa Rica, Av 2, C 4/6 (Mon-Fri 9am-3pm; Visa only) and Banco Nacional, Av 0/1, C 2/4 (Mon-Fri 9am-3pm; Visa only). Private banks include Banco Mercantil, Av 3, C 0/2 (Mon-Fri 9am-3pm; Visa only); Banco Metropolitano, C 0, Av 2 (Mon-Fri 8.15am-4pm; Visa only); BANEX, C 0, Av 1 (Mon-Fri 8am-5pm; Visa only); Banco Popular, C 1 Av 2/4 (Mon-Fri 8.30am-3.30pm; Visa & Mastercard); and Banco de San Jose, C 0, Av 3/5 (Visa & Mastercard). Bookstores Mora Books, Av 1, C 3/5, in the Omni building (tel 255-4136), has a good selection of secondhand English-language books, CDs, guidebooks and magazines. Chispas, C 7, Av 0/1 (tel 223-2240), sells new and secondhand books, and has the best selection of English-language fiction in town. It also sells a good array of guide books and books about Costa Rica (in English and Spanish), plus the New York Times, El Pais and several English-language magazines. Lehmann, Av 0, C 1/3 (tel 223-1212), has a good selection of mass-market Spanish-language fiction and non-fiction, as well as lots of maps and children's books. The Libreria Internacional, with branches 300m west of Taco Bell in Barrio Dent (tel 253-9553) and in the Multiplaza Escazu (tel 298-1138), is the classiest of the lot, and has the best selection of international fiction; they also stock travel books and Spanish-language fiction, as well as books in English and German. Macondo, opposite the entrance to the library at the university campus in San Pedro, is probably the best bookshop in town for literature in Spanish, especially from Central America, as well as academic disciplines such as sociology and women's studies. Universal, Av 0, C Central/1 (tel 222-2222), is strong on Spanish books, fiction, titles on Costa Rica (in Spanish), and maps of the country. Libreria y Bazar Guillen at La Coca-Cola bus terminal is a good place to browse for reading material before leaving on a long trip - if you're away from the capital, you can order books from here by phone and the friendly owners will despatch them to you by bus. 7th street books, C 7 Av 0/1 (tel 256-8251) has both new and used books; it's good on English literature, and also has a wide selection of books and maps on Costa Rica in English and Spanish. Car rental (where two numbers are given, the first is the company's downtown office, the second, the airport office): ADA, Av 18, C 11/13 (tel 233-7733; tel 441-1260); Adobe, C 7, Av 8/10 (tel 221-5425); Avis, C 42, Av Las Americas (tel 293-2222); Budget, Paseo Colon, C 30 (tel 223-3284); Elegante, C 10, Av 13/15, Barrio Mexico (tel 221-0066; tel 233-8605); Europcar/Prego, C 36/38 (tel 257-1158, www.pregorentacar.com ); Hertz, C 38, Paseo Colon (tel 221-1818); Hola, in front of the Best Western Irazu on the airport highway (tel 231-5666, www.hola.net ); National, C 36, Av 7 (tel 233-4044); Thrifty, C 3, Av 13 (tel 257-3434); Tico, Paseo Colon, C 24/26 (tel 222-8920; tel 443-2078). Embassies and consulates Belize, 400m east of the Iglesia Santa Teresita, Rohrmoser (tel 234-9969 or 234-9445); Canada, C 3, Av 1 (tel 296-4149); Colombia, 175m west of Taco Bell, in Barrio Dent (tel 283-6871); El Salvador, Av 10, C 33/35, Los Yoses (tel 225-3861); Guatemala, 100m north and 50m east of Pizza Hut in Curridabat (tel 224-5721); Honduras, 300m east and 200m north of ITAN, in Los Yoses (tel 234-9502); Mexico, Av 7, C 13/15 (tel 257-0633); Nicaragua, Av 0, C 25/27 (tel 222-2373 or 233-8747); Panama, C 38, Av 5/7 (tel 257-3241); UK, 11th floor, Edificio Centro Colon, Paseo Colon, C 38/40 (tel 258-2025); US, opposite the Centro Comercial in Pavas - take the bus to Pavas from Av 1, C 18 (tel 220-3939). Film processing San Jose is the only place in the country you should try to get film processed. That said, it's expensive and the quality is low: best wait until you get home if you can. Bearing in mind these caveats, try Universal, Av 0, C 0/1, which only processes Fuji; IFSA, Av 2, C 3/5, which only processes Kodak; or Dima, Av 0, C 3/5, which processes both Kodak and Fuji. Hospitals The city's public (social security) hospital is San Juan de Dios, Paseo Colon, C 14/16 (tel 257-6282). Of the private hospitals, foreigners are most often referred to Clinica Biblica, Av 14, C 0/1 (tel 257-5252; emergency and after-hours number tel 257-0466), where basic consultation and treatment (such as a prescription for a course of antibiotics) starts at about US$100. San Jose has many excellent medical specialists - your embassy will have a list - and private health care isn't expensive. Immigration The Costa Rican migracion (Mon-Fri 8am-4pm) is on the airport highway opposite the Hospital Mexico; take an Alajuela bus and get off at the stop underneath the overhead walkway. Get there early if you want visa extensions or exit visas. Larger travel agencies we've listed can take care of the paperwork for you for a fee (roughly US$10-US$25). Laundry Burbujas, 50m west and 25m south of the Mas x Menos supermarket in San Pedro, has coin-operated machines and sells soap; Lava y Seca, 100m north of Mas x Menos, next to Autos San Pedro, in San Pedro, will do your laundry for you, as well as dry-cleaning. Other places include Lava Mas, C 45, Av 8/10, next to Spoon in Los Yoses; Lavamatic Dona Anna, C 13, Av 16; and Sixaola (one of a chain), Av 2, C 7/9. Libraries and cultural centres The Alianza Francesa, C 5, Av 7 (Mon-Fri 9am-noon & 3-7pm; tel 222-2283), stocks some French publications; the Quaker-affiliated Friends' Peace Center, C 15, Av 6 bis (Mon-Fri 10am-3pm; tel 221-8299) has English-language newspapers, plus weekly meetings and discussion groups. Other libraries/cultural centres include the Biblioteca Nacional, C 15, Av 3 (Mon-Sat 9am-5pm) and the Centro Cultural Costarricense-Norteamericano, 100m north of the Am-Pm supermarket in Barrio Dent (Mon-Fri 7am-7pm, Sat 9am-noon). Pharmacies Clinica Biblica, Av 14, C 0/1 (open 24hr); Farmacia del Este, on Av Central near Mas x Menos in San Pedro (open until 8pm); there are also many pharmacies in the blocks surrounding the Hospital Calderon Guardia, 100m northeast of the Biblioteca Nacional, in Barrio Otoya. Post office The Correo Central (Mon-Fri 7am-5pm, Sat 7am-noon), C 2, Av 1/3, is two blocks east and one block north of the Mercado Central. They'll hold letters for up to four weeks (10 colones per letter; you'll need a passport in order to collect your post). Sports The Sports Complex behind the Museo de Arte Costarricense on Parque La Sabana has a gym, running track and Olympic-size pool (US$3), though it's more often closed than open. Parque La Sabana has tennis courts, and is as good a place as any for jogging, with changing facilities and showers - there are lots of runners about in the morning, though there have been reports of assaults on lone joggers in the evening and it's wise to stay away from the heavily wooded north-eastern corner of the park. Parque de la Paz in the south of the city is also recommended for running; in San Pedro you can jog at the UCR campus. The Club Deportivo Cipresses (tel 253-0530), set in landscaped grounds 700m north of La Galera in Curridabat, offers day membership for US$7, which gives access to weights, machines, pools and aerobics classes. The nearest public pool to San Jose is at Ojo de Agua, 17km northwest of town; you can get a bus there from Av 2, C 20/22 (15min). Supermarkets The cheapest is Mas x Menos (open daily until 9pm), which stocks mainly Costa Rican brands of just about everything. There are several branches in San Jose, including one on Av 0 between C 9 and 11, and one on Av 0, 300m north of the church in San Pedro. Branches of the Automercado and the Am-Pm supermarket are springing up all over the place. A more upmarket option is the Munoz y Nanne complex (open daily until 9pm), on Av Central in San Pedro, where you can buy US brands at high prices.
Telephone offices
Radiografica, C 1, Av 5 (daily 7.30am-9pm; tel 287-0087), is the state-run office where you can use directories, make overseas calls, and send or receive faxes - unfortunately, it charges a flat fee of US$3 for the use of its phones on top of the price of the call. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Costa Rica,
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