Costa Rica - dollars or local currency?

Parent Cafe
1

<p>Hi CC Parents</p>

<p>My mom, aunt and I are escaping the winter and going to Costa Rica in January. We plan to take some dollars with us, but get local currency from the ATMs there and use credit cards as necessary. I did read that locals like tips in dollars, and so far any pre-booked transfers and tours and the hotel deposit were charged in USD. So we’re wondering whether we need any local currency at all?</p>

<p>My aunt is coming from England we’re joining her in Atlanta, so she needs to get dollars in the UK before she leaves (I guess)</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for any advice</p>

2

<p>The only time we needed local currency was to pay to park in a lot by the national park in Manuel Antonio. When you pay cash in dollars, you get change in colon [looks bad without the accent mark], so it’s easy to accumulate enough to pay for things like that.</p>

3

<p>We were there in September and took some local currency with us. We still have the local currency. Dollars accepted just about everywhere…</p>

4

<p>Great, thanks guys!</p>