Costa Rica (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Matthew Firestone [43]
Return to beginning of chapter
Medical Services
For medical services in Escazú, Click here.
Clínica Bíblica (Map; 2522-1000/1030; www.clinicabiblica.com; Av 14 btwn Calles Central & 1) The top private clinic in the downtown area. Doctors speak English, French and German, and an emergency room is open 24 hours.
Hospital La Católica (Map; 2246-3000; www.hospitallacatolica.com; Guadalupe) A pricey private clinic located north of downtown. In 2009 the hospital debuted an adjacent 34-room hotel – geared at patients who arrive for treatments from abroad.
Hospital San Juan de Dios (Map; 2257-6282; cnr Paseo Colón & Calle 14) The free public hospital – incidentally, Costa Rica’s oldest (founded 1845) – is open 24 hours. It offers a wide variety of medical services and there is a children’s wing. Expect long waits.
Return to beginning of chapter
Money
ATMs that accept foreign bank cards are widely available all over San José. In addition, banks will exchange most foreign currencies and traveler’s checks. It is also worth noting that most businesses in San José (and Costa Rica, for that matter) will accept cash US dollars as payment. Credit cards are widely accepted, though Visa tends to be preferred over MasterCard and American Express.
For general information on money issues, Click here.
Banco de Costa Rica La Sabana (Map; 2233-7055; cnr Paseo Colón & Calle 40; 9am-4pm Mon-Fri); San José (BCR; Map; 2284-6600; www.bancobcr.com; cnr Calle 7 & Av 1; 8:30am-6pm Mon-Fri) A top local bank, with ATMs that dispense colones and US dollars.
Banco de San José (Map; 2295-9797; www.bac.net; Av 2 btwn Calles Central & 1; 8am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm Sat) A reliable full-service bank with ATMs on the Plus and Cirrus systems.
Banco Nacional de Costa Rica Exchange House (Map; cnr Av Central & Calle 4; 10:30am-6pm Mon-Fri, 8am-3:45pm Sat & Sun) A good find in the event of a Sunday cash-exchange emergency since it’s open seven days; expect long lines.
Citibank (Map; 2239-9091; www.latinamerica.citibank.com/costarica/index.html; Av 1 btwn Calles Central & 1; 8:30am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm Sat) Can cash Citibank traveler’s checks, plus they have ATMs on the Cirrus, Plus and Visa systems.
Credomatic (Map; 2295-9898; www.credomatic.com; Calle Central btwn Avs 3 & 5) A subsidiary of the Banco de San José, it gives cash advances on Visa and MasterCard.
Scotiabank (Map; 2521-5680; www.scotiabankcr.com; Calle 5 btwn Avs Central & 2; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri) Good service and 24-hour ATMs on the Cirrus system that dispense US dollars and colones.
Return to beginning of chapter
Post
Correo Central (Central Post Office; Map; 2223-9766; www.correos.go.cr; Calle 2 btwn Avs 1 & 3; 8am-6pm Mon-Fri, 8am-noon Sat) The central post office offers express and overnight services. A small stamp museum is on the 2nd floor, and there is a pleasant cafe.
Return to beginning of chapter
Telephone
Local and international calls can be made from most public phones, which are all over town (you’ll find banks of them on the west side of the Parque Central and around the Plaza de la Cultura). Many hotels also have public phones in their lobbies. Chip and Colibrí cards for these are sold at souvenir shops, newsstands and supermarkets. Telephone directories are usually available in hotels. For general information on phone services, Click here.
Return to beginning of chapter
Tourist Information
Canatur (2234-6222; www.tourism.co.cr, www.canatur.org; Aeropuerto Internacional Juan Santamaría; 8am-10pm) The Costa Rican National Chamber of Tourism provides information on member services from a small stand next to the international baggage claim.
Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT; 2299-5800; www.visitcostarica.com; 9am-5pm with flexible lunch Mon-Fri) Correo Central (Map; Calle 2 btwn Avs 1 & 3); Plaza de la Cultura (Map; 2222-1090; Calle