5 Best Hotels in West of Downtown, San Jose

This U.S. chain manages to provide all the modern amenities of its well-known brand while incorporating local touches. The lobby sits on the 13th floor of a west-side office building. (The doorman at the entrance will show you the way up.) The sleek modern lobby with polished floors, dark woods, chrome, and modern Costa Rican art, gives way to homey rooms with subdued colors, plush mattresses, and mini-refrigerators. The floor-to-ceiling windows in each room afford great views to the mountains south or north of the city. You can relax in a pool here, too, a rarity among city hotels.

In a country of low-slung buildings, this 31-story skyscraper hotel—it’s Costa Rica’s tallest building—stands out as a veritable Manhattan on La Sabana park. Don’t confuse this place with the similarly named Hilton Garden Inn San José La Sabana—also nice—just two blocks away. From the minute the elevator whisks you up to the 18th-floor lobby, you see this hotel has upped the gleam quotient quite a bit. There isn’t much in the way of local flavor here, but the starkly modern tan-and-white décor sparkles. Ceiling-to-floor windows offer stupendous views, north and south toward the mountains, with south rooms looking directly down into the National Stadium below. (Who needs to buy a soccer ticket?)

Two wooden houses have been converted into one of the city's most charming inns, decorated throughout with old photos of the capital and paintings by local artists; head up to your room for the old coffee-plantation feel for which the hotel is known. Each room is different, and although you can't go wrong with any of them, those in the older, 20th-century house are the nicest, especially the Garden Suite, with hardwood floors, high ceilings, and a private garden. Public areas have a glitzy elegance. The sumptuous restaurant, run by a French-trained chef, wraps around a lovely indoor patio and bromeliad-filled gardens, and has become one of the capital's premier dining venues. The hotel's sundeck has a view of both the city and the far-off volcanoes. It all combines to make this our favorite lodging option in the city.

This chain lodging incorporates local flair—bright, fresh primary colors and a rotating selection of Costa Rican art throughout—while providing business amenities in a clean, modern hotel. The hotel pays close attention to environmental concerns: solar panels, light sensors, and an active recycling program reduce its carbon footprint. Rooms are spacious, with modern design elements, and have 42-inch TVs and rain showers rather than tubs. Take a dip in the pool here, too; that's a real rarity among San José lodgings.

Our favorite of the capital's many apartotels (part apartment house, part hotel) sits on a quiet, out-of-the-way street north of La Sabana Park. Bright, cheery suites have equipped kitchens and one or two bedrooms. Rates include a big buffet breakfast. Cristina has a devoted return clientele made up primarily of business travelers and medical tourists, Costa Rica's growing tourism segment.