where to stay in san jose and cost of activities

www.mybeaconescazu.com www.thealtahotel.com($90 for me last)

my top 2 in Escazu the nicest area where all

the embassies are easy comp xport from the airport.

www.odysseytourscr.com Al/Diego great folks/guides/drivers

I have used in the past for tours but many options

through your hotel... www.hotelvillacaletas.com also

great not far away on the coast worth a few nights amazing.

Your hotels lower tier in not great areas beware fake reviews

particularly on "TripAdvertizer" insuremytrip.com always wise

never wire money always pay with CC.

Happy Travels,

If you want to see San Jose, I believe you should stay close to downtown. Traffic can be a nightmare, and you don't want to add to the headache.

Some folks like the Santo Tomas. But I think that block feels a little dicey. You are very close to the red light district there. Not familiar with the Rincon. But I did an inspection of La Bergerac after reading positive reviews. I left feeling a little baffled. We didn't feel that it hit our minimum standards to send guests.

Two choices that include breakfast would be the Hotel Fleur de Lys, and the Aurola Holiday Inn.

The Fleur de Lys in very conveniently located not far from the National Theater, the Gold Museum, and the National Museum. It is a converted mansion, and very clean. The rooms can be a little small, but the breakfast is good and they have a friendly staff. Internet onsite.

The Holiday Inn may sound like an odd choice. No, it is not the little boutique style hotel that we all usually discuss here. But the hotel was renovated in the last 18 months, and the rooms are exceptionally nice.

This is perhaps the best value in downtown San Jose. So we have been featuring them in our packages lately. It is centrally located, and an incredible value. The rack rate is $160.00 per night. But there is always some kind of special out there, and you can usually take 30 to 40% off that. Plus this is the tallest building in San Jose, and offers fantastic views. Book a room a few floors up, and noise is not an issue. Breakfast and Internet is included, and they have a nice indoor pool too.

The Hotel Grano de Oro is another choice. Another converted mansion, and more upscale than Fleur de Lys. But the neighborhood is quiet, and they have (I think) the best restaurant in the entire country. More expensive than the other two, but a bargain compared to rooms in the US with similar amenities. The rooms have Internet, but breakfast is not included.

Airport shuttles from downtown hotels are not common in Costa Rica. But the taxi system is efficient. You can also ask your travel agent to arrange a van and driver to meet you outside the terminal to take you to your hotel.

The activities that you are seeking are available all over the country. But some activities are better in some locations than others. For example, the best (IMHO) place to zipline is Monteverde. Rafting is best on the Rio Pacuare, etc. So you need to plan your activities as you plan your itinerary.

But figure most of what you are seeking can be accomplished for between $65 and $85 per person, per activity. Most of these will include a meal.

Hope this helps! Let me know if I can offer more advice.

Warm Regards,

Pat Hewitt
Travel Professional

I would say that Adventure Inn would be the perfect place for you in San Jose. We have stayed there twice in the last 2 yrs and it is an excellent place to stay. It has everything you want. If you email them they can also help you with other travel needs in Costa Rica.

Vickie

Wow! Thank you so much for the info. Taking out the two hotels that I previously thought about and we are looking at the suggestions.

I agree about ziplining in Monteverde!

I support your idea to take a day for San Jose. From above it does not look great but its museums are worth the visit, and pedestrian area is nice to stroll on a sunny day. Go to the Central Market (Mercado Central)for an affordable lunch. We have also stayed at Adventure Inn, great for first and last night, close to the airport and taxi ride is refunded. But it is cca 20 US$ taxi ride to downtown.

We stayed at Grano de Oro and thought it was really charming. The onsite restaurant was very good as well. Don't miss the rooftop garden with hot tubs. The rooms vary a lot in amenities from pretty simple to very elaborate. Very cool architecture and good service there.

I like Don Carlos and it's in a good location as well. Cool architecture and a super gift shop. I've only stayed at Adventure Inn once but I didn't really care for it. I like Don Carlos and Casa 69 downtown and Orquideas Inn in Alejuela.

Checking out Sunset Tours and Desafio will give you an idea of activity prices. Rios Tropicales is nice for rafting.

Another recommendation for Don Carlos from me! We only spent one night there, but it was a charming hotel. They did have transportation from the airport. The food at their restaurant was good - I don't remember it being anything special, but it worked for us! But the hotel is very charming - it's a converted mansion type building so it's really beautiful. If we had to stay downtown again (we were leaving in the morning for a tour that departed from downtown) I'd definitely stay there!