San Jose, CR Hotel - Recommendations?

[jessssica]

I'm headed down to CR in about 3 weeks and chose to extend my trip by one day at the end, in San Jose.

I've done a bunch of research on hotels but some of the information i'm finding is inconsistent.

If you spent any time at a hotel in the San Jose area and would recommend it, please let me know. I'm thinking of either planning a one day white water rafting trip on the Pacuare or just laying low and relaxing.

I have a friend who works for Marriott so my original plan was to stay at the San Jose Marriott (although I know it's a bit outside the city).

Any info is greatly appreciated.

[coqui14]

Hello,

Is hard to recommend hotels without knowing your preferences and budget. Because you mention the Marriott San Jose, I will suppose you are looking for high-end hotels. The Marriott is located about 15 miles from San Jose. It is a very nice hotel located in the middle of a coffee plantation. You will need a taxi-cab to go anywhere. Barceló San Jose is another option, a little closer to San Jose, but again, you will need a taxi-cab to go anywhere (Barceló has other small hotels in the area too). There is the Hotel Grano de Oro (www.hotelgranodeoro.com) at walking distance of the center (couple of miles) and great reputation as a boutique hotel. Other good hotels are the Hotel Cariari by Double Tree, the Crown Plaza Hotel Corobici and Intercontinental. The last one is located in the west side. In the city Center, you have the Grand Hotel Costa Rica, Balmoral Hotel, Aurora Holiday Inn, and many other small hotel, B&B and hostels.

If you are going white water rafting, the company will pick you up at any hotel in the city and surrounding areas.

Hope this will help

J

[thecakeisalie]

I have stayed at that Marriott a couple of times, it is one of my favorite hotels! Of course, as mentioned it is a bit far from the downtown area if that is important to you, but by the end of your trip you may not want to see any more of San Jose, in which case it is perfect. And since your friend works for Marriott I'm assuming you would be getting a deal on a room. Otherwise you could always try to tell them you work for Intel and get the corporate rate, but this can backfire if they ask you prove it, haha!

But anyway, the grounds are nice, it is an open air hacienda style hotel, nice swimming pool, all sorts of amenities and good place to chill at the end of a vacation. Still, you should definitely try to make the Pacuare trip if you have the chance. You can always lounge around some other day, but you won't always have the opportunity to raft one of the most scenic rivers in the world. And coqui14 is correct, the tour companies will pick you up from anywhere.

Another benefit of staying in that location (Belen) is that it is close to the airport. A taxi from there will cost around $5 or so, and takes about 10 minutes, or they have a complimentary shuttle. There is also a Hampton Inn right next to the airport (by the casino and car rental places) that is decent. Something to think about at the end of a trip! Don't forget to get to the airport a little early to pay the departure tax. Have a great trip!

[jessssica]

Thank you both for your input, the information was very helpful.

I do think that the pacuare is the way to go for my last hurrah, as it seems a bit wasteful to relax and do nothing in a foreign country.

From what I can tell, the Pacuare one day option is pretty much a whole day event, in which case I probably wouldn't have much time on my own anyway.

And yes, I would be getting a discount at the Marriott, otherwise it's surely out of my price range.

My flight is early so being closer to the airport may be a good thing.

Clearly my thoughts are all over the place, but thank you for again for the info!

jessica

[sjd82289]

are you going to be there may 29th?

[jessssica]

No, I'm flying out on the 28th, so i'll just miss you.

[djtekslave]

I stayed in Hotel Centro Colon and found it pretty nice. Newly renovated and walking distance from downtown. It has bad reviews on TripAdvisor but I found them to not reflect what I experienced there.

On the other hand, please avoid Occidental Torremolinos. It's very run down, and it is being renovated so it is loud and many functions do not work (such as hot water).

[jessssica]

Centro Colon is where the tour starts and ends I believe. I did consider just adding a night on at the end (for ease) but figured I'd make it difficult on myself and decided to go with the Marriott. The reviews were pretty much all positive and since it's at the end of my trip it's nice that I will be a little closer to the airport.

Thanks everyone for their input. I leave in two weeks and can't wait!

Jessica