COSTA RICA

Aguas Calients de San Carlos in Costa Rica's northern mountain, volcano, rain forest, and hot springs area 100 km / 63 miles northwest of San Jose.

Highway 40, Agua Calientes de San Carlos.

Tel: (506) 460-6000.

Fax: (506) 460-1692.

Type: Resort spa & Casino.

Location: A few km north of Ciudad Quesada in a steep-walled valley facing the rain forest.

Casino Games: tables (Rommy blackjack, craps, Canasta (Roulette).

Amenities: 90 rooms, 2 junior suites & 7 suites, restaurant, bar, natural hot springs, natural steam rooms.

Credit Cards: AE / MC / VISA.Rates US$75 - 185.Shuttle service from San Jose US$35 one way per person.

Guanacaste is Costa Rica's most remote northwest province. Cattle grazing and cowboys dot the landscape of the rather dry topography. With some 100 miles of beautiful beaches including Tamarindo, Playa Flamingo, Playa Hermosa, Playa Panama, and Garza it has become a major tourist destination with a brand new international airport in Liberia.

Playa Panama (PO Box 12177-1000 San Jose).Guanacaste.

Tel: (506) 670-0044.

Fax: (506) 6700-0370.

Type: New Mediterranean style resort hotel & casino.

Location: 10 acres of hillside overlooking the sea between Playa Hermosa & Playa Panama.

Casino Games: tables (Rommy blackjack, craps, Canasta (Roulette).

Open: 6pm-close.

Amenities: 74 rooms & 4 suites, restaurant, snack bar, free form pool, tennis.Credit Cards AE / MCNISA.Rates US$140 - 240.

Interamerican Highway, PO Box 88-5000, Liberia, Guanacaste.

Tel: (506) 293-4544.

Fax: (506) 2934839.

Type: Upscale hotel & modest casino.

Location: 2 km south of Liberia.

Casino Games: tables (Rommy blackjack, craps, Canasta (Roulette).

Open: 7pm-close.

Amenities: 44 rooms, restaurant, bar swimming pool, conference room.

Credit Cards: AE / MC / VISA.

Rates: US$80 - 90.

PO Box 232-5150 Santa Cruz, Guanacaste.

Tel: (506) 654-4123.

Fax: (506) 654-4181.

Type: Resort complex & casino.

Location: On Conchal Beach on the Pacific coast.

Casino Games: tables (Rommy blackjack, craps, Canasta (Roulette).

Amenities: 310 suites, restaurants, bars,pool, beach, tennis, golf, health club, disco, mini-mall, water sports.

Credit Cards: AE / MCNISA.

Rates: US$165 - 220.

Service: 10%.

Tax: 18.45%.

Playa Garza (PO Box 860-1007, Centro Colon, San Jose).Guanacaste.

Tel: (506) 680-0784.

Fax: (506) 680-0784.

Type: First class hotel & small open-air casino.

Location: On the Pacific Ocean.

Casino Games: tables (Rommy blackjack, craps, Canasta (roulette), stud poker.

Amenities: 30 rooms, restaurant, bar, pool, Credit Cards: MCNISA.

Rates: US$68 - 108.

Service: 10%.

Tax: 18.45%.

Playa Samara (200 meters north of Centro Colon, Avenida 5 and Calle 38, San Jose).Guanacaste.

Tel: (506) 256-8228.

Fax: (506) 221-7222.

Type: Beachfront resort & casino.

Location: 5 minutes south of town.

Casino Games: tables (Rommy blackjack, craps, Canasta (roulette), stud poker.Casino above restaurant.

Amenities: 56 room, sea food restaurant, bar, pool, whirlpool.Credit Cards AE / MCNISA.Rates US$125 - 185.

Jaco Beach (Playa De Jaco) is on the Pacific Ocean 108 km / 68 miles west of San Jose and 60 km,/ 38 miles south of Puntarenas.

Jaco Beach (PO Box 962-1000, San Jose), Puntarenas.

Tel: (506) 643-3064.

Fax: (506) 643-3246.

Type: Resort hotel & casino.

Location: on the Golden Pacific Coast.

Clientele: Popular with Canadian charter tourist.

Casino Games: tables (Rommy blackjack, craps, Canasta (Roulette), Caribbean stud poker.

Amenities: 130 air conditioned rooms, restaurant, cafeteria, bar, souvenir store, car rental Rates: US$80 - 96.

Service: 10%.

Tax: 18.45%.

Puntarenas (population 30,800) is on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, 130 km / 81 miles west of San Jose.Puntarenas is a coastal resort crowded on weekends.It sits on a 5 km / 3 mi.spit of land thrusting out into the Nicoya Gulf and enclosing the Estero Lagoon.The chief products of the area are bananas, rice, cattle and coconuts.

CLIMATE: Hot year round, with a mean temperature of 27'c (80' F).

El Roble, PO Box 171-5400, Puntarenas, Costa Rico.

Tel: (506) 293-42665.

Fax: (506) 239-0217.

Type: Moderate deluxe resort hotel & casino.

Location: Beach front, 10 minutes to Puntarenas, 22 miles / 36 km, 50 minutes to Juan Santamaria Int'l Airport.

Clientele: Nationals & Tourists.

Casino Games: tables (Rommy blackjack, craps, Canasta (roulette), Caribbean stud poker.

Amenities: 310 rooms & suites, restaurants, entertainment (live music shows), 2 swimming pools, tennis, fishing, snorkeling, water skiing, sailing, scuba diving, jet skiing, wind surfing, meeting rooms, beauty parlor, multilingual staff.

Credit Cards: AE / MCNISA.

Rates: US$79 - 155.

Service: 10%.

Tax: 18.45%.

Description: A mid-range oceanfront resort with casino.

Affiliation: Choice Hotels International.

Quepos (population 2,155) is 140 km 88 miles southwest of San Jose on the south Pacific coast.It was originally developed by United Brands as a banana exporting port The beach south of Quepos has been developed for tourism with numerous hotels built along the beach.Seven km south of Quepos is the Manuel Antonio National Park with beautiful beach fauna and wildlife.

CLIMATE: Hot year round, with a mean temperature of 27'c (80' F).

HOW TO GET THERE: 20 minutes by air or 2.5 hours by bus.

PO Box 18-6350 Quepos, Puntarenas, Costa Rica.

Tel: (506) 777-0379.

Fax: (506) 777-0258.

Type: First class hotel & casino.

Location: In the heart of Quepos facing the El Cocal Beach, 15 minutes to Quepos Airport.

Clientele: Primarily Nationals, Tourists and Locals.

Casino: European style 100 sq.m./ 1,076 sq.ft.

Games: no slots, 6 tables (3 Rommy blackjack (US$2 - 100), 1 Canasta (roulette): 1 (US$1 - 50), 2 Tute poker (US$5 - 100)).

Open: 2pm-3am daily.No entrance fee.ID / Passport not required.Minimum gaming age 18.Casual dress.

Casino Language: Spanish & English.

Casino Currency: Colones & US$.

Free gaming lessons: Tute poker, Rommy blackjack.

Amenities: 28 rooms (priv.Showers & A / C), Miraolas Restaurant & Bar, swimming, snorkeling, hiking.

Credit Cards: MCNISA.

Rates: US$80 - 110.

Service: 10%.

Tax: 18.45%.

PO Box 82-6350 Quepos.

Tel: (506) 777-0371.

Fax: (506) 777-0525.

Type: Hotel & casino.

Casino Games: tables (Rommy blackjack, craps, Canasta (roulette), Caribbean stud poker).

Amenities: 25 rooms / suites, restaurant.

Credit Cards: AE / MCNISA.

Rates: US$45 - 135.

Service: 10%.

Tax: 18.45%.

San Jose (population 1.0 million) is in the Central Valley about 4,000 feet above sea level 10 degrees north of the equator.It is a bustling capital city and central province of Costa Rica completely surrounded by the other six provinces.It is the largest city.A modern cosmopolitan city with a variety of architectural styles from Spanish colonial buildings in the older residential districts, to contemporary style high rises in the downtown business district.Wide boulevards and expansive residences can be found in the newer suburbs such as Ciudad Cariari.

CLIMATE: The climate is temperate with temperatures remaining fairly constant throughout the year.The average daytime temperature is 70? F (21'c).However the Pacific and Caribbean coast are 10? F to 15? F (5?c - 7'c) hotter than San Jose.The evenings can be somewhat chilly anytime of the year.The rainy season is from May to November and the dry season is December to April.

VISITOR INFORMATION: Costa Rican Tourist Board (Instituto Costarricense de Turismo-ICT), PO Box 777, 1000 San Jose.

Tel: 23-17-33.

HOW TO GET THERE: San Jose is served By Juan Santamaria Int'l Airport (SJO) 11 miles / 18 km northwest of the city.Major cities with direct flights to Costa Rica are Miami, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Madrid, Caracas, Bogota, Quito and Rio de Janeiro; as well as major Central America cities.