La Mariposa Hotel (Quepos) and Taylor's B & B (San Jose) Any Experience?
 

What has been your experience with either of these hotels?

Try this BBS -- there are some great Costa Rica travelers here. <BR>www.casualforums.com/globe/CR_Forum <BR>Also try http://sony.inergy.com/CRica <BR>Dennis has a great bunch of info and links.

We stayed at La Mariposa about 8 or 9 years ago, so my information isn't too current. But we loved it - the view was amazing and it was quite lovely. (Made quite a contrast to the budget hotels we stayed in over the rest of the holiday!)

Lonely Planet and Frommers CR guidebooks both mention that La Mariposa is not what it once was and refer to some problems with the service, although the view is reportedly lovely. One of the books even goes so far as to say that it has been "coasting on its reputation for some time."

I would agree with the above. it has gotten decidedly tatty. As for the view you can sample that by going for lunch.

Mariposa was sold about 4 years ago & it was immediately a disaster. Whether that is still the case, I don't know & don't want to find out first hand. People with reservations were being turned away, additional units had been built and they were quite ugly looking, and the views were for the most part all gone, owing to tree growth and height. <BR>Carol L

Kate: If you are still looking for a hotel in the Quepos/Manuel Antonio area, I just returned from there and can recommend Hotel Si Como No. We stayed in room 5B which was a "superior" room with a queen-sized bed and ocean-view balcony -- not the most deluxe room on the property but quite comfortable and we enjoyed the hotel. Two restaurants with good food and a nice pool, and helpful staff, with many tours available to nearby places. Only downside was some construction noise nearby but it wasn't loud enough to keep the wildlife from visiting -- we encountered squirrel monkeys, sloths, and lots of birds while we were there. Another place in Manuel Antonio/Quepos that we heard great things about was Makanda-by-the-Sea but didn't have time to check it out. <BR> <BR>Also, if you are still looking for a place near San Jose, we stayed in a really wonderful place outside of town, closer to the airport, called Vista del Valle (www.vistadelvalle.com). I HIGHLY recommend it. <BR> <BR>I just posted a separate trip report here that details some of the other places we stayed; if you're interested in any other parts of Costa Rica you may want to check it out. Good luck!

I stayed at La Mariposa for Christmas two years ago. I arrived hot and tired (from driving from another part of the country) in the late afternoon / early evening. The room wasn't ready!! This was a bad start to an even more unpleasant stay. The special Christmas eve dinner was inedible -- simply horrible, over-priced food. I was so unhappy at La Mariposa (despite the beautiful sunset) that I ended up leaving a day early to head farther down the coast (to the funky town of Dominical). I would DEFINITELY NOT recommend La Mariposa. <BR> <BR>I can, however, tell you about lots of wonderful places to stay in other parts of Costa Rica, if you're interested.... <BR> <BR>Jessica

I wish i knew about this site before I went to CR (and La Mariposa). I just got back on the 6th.... heard some good things before I went about La Mariposa... but it was HORRIBLE!!!

I stayed in La Mariposa Hotel a week ago. My experience there was great , this hotel is good and the view is spectacular , i like it.

I stayed at Taylor's Inn in downtown San Jose recently. It was conveniently located and clean and comfortable. There is a nice inside open garden area where breakfast is served while observing humingbirds visiting the feeders and tropical plants. It was also reasonable and they were helpful about calling cabs. The down side was it was a bit noisy (typical city noises).