Check in/out: Check in Saturday 3pm. Check out Friday by 10am (unless other arrangements are made) Condo: 2b/2b Sleeps up to 6- King sized bed in master suite, 2 full sized beds in guest room, 1 sleeper-sofa in living room, plus 2 air mattresses & pump.
Booking Terms: A 50% deposit is required to confirm your reservation, the balance is due 30 days prior to arrival. Damage Deposit: Prior to checkin, you are required to leave a $1,500 damage deposit ($500 if you are not using the boat) via credit card, which will be credited to you upon the successful inspection of your rental unit after checkout.
Cancellation Policy (Paid Packages): From receipt of deposit to 61 days prior to arrival, all cancellations, for whatever reason, receive a 20% penalty from the total combined package cost. Cancellations received within 60 days prior to arrival are 100% non-refundable. No refunds are available for unused portions of packages or no-shows.
Cancellation Policy (Trips Donated to Charities): No refunds will be provided. However, we will gladly reschedule your stay at no charge if you change your original reservation within six months of your arrival date, subject to availability. The fee to reschedule is $700 if you change dates less than six months prior to arrival. We'll credit you back $600 if we are able to find another guest to fill your original reservation. Reschedules made fewer than 75 days prior to occupancy are subject to a non-refundable fee of $700.
Liability Release: Each guest that goes aboard the SailsCall must sign a Liability Release Document. You may download a copy from the Rates/FAQs page.
Flying in and Getting Around: Fly into San Jose, the capital. (See airlines on page 6). Drive time to Los Suenos is about 2 hours. I don't recommend driving, but if you do, make sure your flight arrives by 2pm. Costa Rican roads are not well marked; so don’t drive after dark. (Many guests who braved it during daylight have gotten lost, adding an extra 2 hours to their drive.) The highway to Los Suenos is scenic, albeit curvy and narrow for a short stretch through the mountains. Side roads are full of potholes so be wary.
You can get to Los Suenos by: 1) (RECOMMENDED) Hiring our driver Hector who’ll meet you at the airport (his big van is about $130 each way). He can stop at a really cool restaurant (on the mountain top with a 50 mile view) on the way over for a great Tico style lunch. My assistant in CR (Carolina) can arrange for this for you. Email: cgomez@uniqueservicescr.com. Phone (U.S. #) 254-247-1430
2) Rental cars are available through Hertz, Advantage etc. (adventuresome & approx. $100/day plus fuel, taxes etc.). Processing time at the airport rental counters is about an hour on a good day. Rental cars are small diesels typically available only with manual transmissions (stick shift).
3) Helicopter rental is available for about $2100; ask Carolina for the current rates. Flight time is about 30 minutes to Los Suenos.
Getting Around Los Suenos: You can rent our Suzuki Gran Vitara (seats 7) for $500/week plus fuel, (taxes included). Or, golf carts (seat 4) are available for getting around the Los Suenos compound. ($400-$590/week). Carolina can make reservations for you. The marina is a 15 minute walk from the condo. The surfing town of Jaco is 7 miles away ($16 cab ride round trip). NOTE: Golf carts CANNOT be driven to town; the cops will ticket you for trying. Eating in or out: There is a full kitchen in the condo if you want to eat in. We’ve stocked a supply of common condiments and spices. There is a barbecue grill about 100 paces away at the pool area. If you plan on eating in, have our driver take you to the AutoMercado grocery store on your way in. It’s a modern grocery store and has a good selection of food items.
There are 5 restaurants on the grounds, however I recommend sampling the variety of great restaurants outside the resort.
My Favorite Restaurants
1. You’ll find El Pelicano Restaurant just outside the gate. Take a right turn toward the beach. Turn left on the beach road and you'll see it 100 yards on the left. They'll cook your catch too. (Golf carts are ok here).
2. The Tsunami Japanese restaurant in Jaco has fantastic sushi (Crunch Roll!), and it has AC.
3. The Wishbone makes great burritos, tacos and fajitas with all fresh ingredients. Plenty of food at reasonable prices. Across the street from Tsunami.
4. At the corner is the Colonial Restarant. Good Tico style food, big servings.
5. My favorite eatery is down the street toward the beach: Hotel Poseidon. Best tuna steaks in the world! Always fresh yellowfin, cooked just right. Huge portions- $14. Don't forget the salad, simply awesome.
6. Wednesdays don't miss the all you can eat Loster Feast at El Hicaco, just down the street from Pancho Villa's. Endless grilled Lobster, potatoes, veggies, meats, chicken, shrimp, salad bar, sushi bar and desert bar. $60pp.
Note the water is safe to drink. And: Your bill will probably include a 10% service charge or propinas (tip). I usually add another 5-10%.
Several restaurants and grocery stores deliver to the condo, too.
Pack lightly: There is a washer/dryer in the condo so you can wash clothes during your stay (plus dishwasher, icemaker, full sized refrigerator/freezer).
Phone home: You can make free phone calls home using our Vonage Internet phone (Line 1). Plus, friends can call you at the condo by calling a US number (Jupiter, Florida exchange). 561-427-7529. It will ring there as long as the internet is working. There is a wireless hi-speed Internet hub in the condo, bring your laptop w/wireless card and you can access the Internet.
Internet speed is supposed to be 512kbps. The Vonage phone is audible most of the time, but sometimes is scratchy when the internet speed drops.
The local line (Line 2) is available for you to use to call around Costa Rica, please don’t use it to call outside the country.
Pool: The pools across the driveway are spectacular. Enjoy the grill, icemaker and swim up bar. BYOB. (See pool rules in the notebook).
Gas Grill: The gas grill works well. Snap the regulator valve on the tank and open the side valve. Adjust the burners until you hear the gas flow (use the long lighter in the kitchen junk drawer) ...it will flash when lit.
Beach Club: The $3 million beach club is accessible with the passes we’ll leave for you. There’s a nice white sand beach, pool and showers about 200 yards from the condo. Just make sure you leave the passes when you’re finished and don’t lose them ($100 replacement).
Kids: Los Suenos is a family-friendly resort. There are children-only activities, and in-condo Nannies available to watch the kids while you play. Contact Carolina about these.
Electricity: The power in Los Suenos goes off occasionally, so plan for it. Make sure you know where the flashlights are so if power fails at night you won’t tumble around. The Internet gear is on battery backup; it will beep when the power fails.
Maid Service: Our maid Karen is available for $22 per day for daily cleaning. She'll also do your laundry and the dishes. (6 day minimum).
TV/CD/DVD: There are cable TVS and DVD players in the master bedroom and living room. Feel free to watch our collection of DVDs, but please leave them in the condo. There is a small stereo and CD player too.
Channels: Here are the English speaking channels.
Coffee: There is an automatic coffee maker in the condo. It uses a PERMANENT filter; please do not throw it away. (Don’t fill it the night before, it tends to leak.)
Trash: The trash bins are located directly across from Building 12. Trash bags are in the laundry closet.
Critters: Local critters visit regularly to get fed. Please pour a little cat food for the big orange Tomcat on the back porch. Don’t be alarmed if you see the Pesoti, he comes by once in a while for some cat food too. (We also see a family of raccoons).
Consumables: You’ll find laundry detergent, dishwasher soap, paper towels, toilet paper and other supplies in the laundry closet. Use what you need, please leave the rest. Bring bar soap & shampoos or pick them up at the grocery store on your way in.
Books: We have a small library, feel free to read a book or leave one.
Condo Problems: Call Carolina or Tommy at Unique Services on the local phone: cell 8888.4794.
Weather: Dec-May: Sunny (bring plenty of sun screen and long sleeve shirts). May-August: Sunny mornings and scattered afternoon showers Sep-Oct: Rain most afternoons, peaking in October with an average 23” rainfall monthly November: Transitions back to the dry season.
Time Difference: Costa Rica does NOT have daylight savings time. So from Oct-April CR is 1 hour behind the US east coast, and two hours behind from Mid March-Oct.
What else to do: Canopy/Zip line Tours Golf Rafting Volcano Tours Four Wheeling Surfing/ Surf school Shopping Horseback riding
Call Tommy or Carolina and they’ll set up any tours for you.
Paying for things: Costa Rica’s currency is Colones. The exchange rate is approximately 500 Colones to the US$. Everybody takes US$, and most stores and restaurants accept major credit cards. Travelers’ checks are usually only good at major hotels. It’ll be helpful to bring a little calculator. Boat crew tips should me made in US cash, please.
ATM: There is a 24-hour ATM at the bank at the Marina which dispenses dollars or Colones.
Cell phones: Your US Cell phone will work in Costa Rica if you have a GSM upgrade and made prior arrangements. Nextel phones will work if upgraded for international service. However, topography forces cell coverage to end at the Los Suenos gate.
Best Time for fishing: Fishing is good to great all year, although any given week can be off due to poor conditions. See the SailsCall web site for our daily fishing logs.
Sailfish Marlin good Tuna excellent Wahoo, Dolphin excellent Inshore excellent
PM showers Oct. can be wet Seas typically mild
High
Dec-Apr
Sailfish, Marlin excellent Tuna, Dolphin good Wahoo fair Inshore good
Dry, Hot Seas typically calm
Boat: Guests may use the boat either 3 or 5 days, depending upon your package. You can buy additional days @$1,000/day. Boat use does not include crew tips or boat consumables (fuel, bait, ice, food or drinks). At the end of each day, it’s customary to tip JC $200+/day cash if he provided you a wonderful experience. Tips for the mate are $50-$100/day.
Gas is approx. $1.00/gal. more than stateside fuel. You can pay for the fuel at the Marina using a major credit card or cash. Fuel consumption depends on distance run and how long you want to fish each day. Most days we burn 60-80 gallons on offshore runs, which average 25 miles to the grounds.
Fishing Equipment/Boat: The boat is a 1999 Venture 34’ Center Console. Yes, ladies there is a private, full sized head. We renovated the boat in October 2005 with new twin Yamaha 250 hp 4 stroke engines. It cruises at 30 knots (about 36mph) and has a top speed of 40 knots (48mph). The boat has a tower, Rupp outriggers, tuna tubes, a big livewell, sat phone, life raft, radar, 2 VHF radios, autopilot, 2 GPS, stereo and a 10” Furuno Navnet system including Black Box sounder.
Rain is common in the green season and rare in the high season, but it pays to bring a light waterproof jacket just in case.
If you are going to bring your still or video camera, I recommend a polarized filter. It makes the shots on the water look much better.
Gear: I'll let you use all my personal gear & have all you’ll need, except for fly-fishing tackle or ultralight gear.
Shimano Tiagra 50WLRS (2), TLD50W (2), TLD30 2-speed (1), Tyrnos 20 - speed (5) Trinidad 20, 16, Crowder Rods, Blacfin Rods, Shimano 6500 Baitrunners, Custom bottom fishing rod, teaser reels for bait and switch. I have a downrigger, rod belts, harness and kites, if needed. The gear rule is just like fishing on a friend’s boat: You lose it or break it, you buy it.
We troll ballyhoo and practice catch and release on billfish, using circle hooks exclusively except when pulling lures. Sometimes we find live bait and mix it up. The boat is rigged for standup fishing, and we have fought and landed numerous multiple hookups. You can move all the way around the boat, so it’s very comfortable for fishing. Plus, use our E-Sea Rider beanbag chairs if you want a comfortable place to sit or nap.
If you want to hook your own fish, let JC know. Otherwise, he’ll set the hook and hand you the rod. If you want to set your own hook, make sure you keep your eyes on the spread. It’s important you beat the fish to the rod for the required dropback. We’ll coach you on everything you need to know.
The Crew: Captain JC runs the cockpit and Henry handles helm duty. Both speak English and are the best crew in Los Suenos. Having a Tico on board is VERY important. JC networks with the other captains to help us find the fish. Plus, he is the most important safety feature of the boat; in a jam it pays to have someone who can hail another Spanish speaking captain for assistance. He is skilled at safely wiring fish and rigging circle hook ballyhoo to swim like they’re alive. Henry cleans the boat and prepares it for the next day of fishing.
Plan Ahead for Fishing Days: We'll let you know which days you fish, we’ll have the boat ready at the Charter Dock. We’ll leave whenever you want, most days we meet at the marina at 7am so we’re fishing the morning bite by 8; we're required to be at port by 4:30pm.
Fishing Licenses: Are $24 per person and for sale at the marina. They are valid for 1 year. Everyone on the boat must have one, whether fishing or observing.
Food, drink on the boat: We recommend stocking up on soft drinks and beer at the fuel dock (you can buy fruit drinks, sport drinks, Costa Rican beer and soft drinks by the 12 pack). Pack bread, lunchmeats and cheese and condiments for your lunch and for the crew. Or the Subway shop can make sandwiches for you, 3 for $5.00. It is customary to bring lunch for the crew.
Language: Many Costa Ricans (Ticos & Ticas) speak a little English. At Los Suenos, all the wait-staff do. Bring an English/Spanish dictionary and try a little Spanish. They’ll love you for trying. Tico/Ticas are friendly, warm and gracious people. They all smile and seem to enjoy life…you’ll enjoy being around them.
Condo: 2b/2b Sleeps up to 6- King sized bed in master suite, 2 full sized beds in guest room, 1 sleeper-sofa in living room, plus 2 air mattresses & pump. 
There are 5 restaurants on the grounds, however I recommend sampling the variety of great restaurants outside the resort.
Pool: The pools across the driveway are spectacular. Enjoy the grill, icemaker and swim up bar. BYOB. (See pool rules in the notebook). 
What else to do:
Gas is approx. $1.00/gal. more than stateside fuel. You can pay for the fuel at the Marina using a major credit card or cash. Fuel consumption depends on distance run and how long you want to fish each day. Most days we burn 60-80 gallons on offshore runs, which average 25 miles to the grounds. 