Costa Rica Guide
San José
Accommodation
1 La Amistad Av 11, C 13 
258-0021 
www.hotelamistad.com Set in a large house in historic Barrio Otoya, this recently renovated hotel has forty rooms all with cable TV, phone and voicemail, in-room safe, private bath and queen-sized beds; there are also seventeen deluxe rooms with a/c and two apartments ($86 for four people) with a/c. Serious breakfast buffet included. Price: $31–75
2 Ara Macao Inn C 25 bis, Av 0/2, 50m south of Pizza Hut in Barrio Californía 233-2742 www.aramacaoinn.com Small and pleasant B&B with twelve rooms (eight with kitchenettes for longer stays), just outside the city centre, but near the restaurants of Barrio Californía and Los Yoses. Rooms are airy and have private bath and cable TV. Singles are a good deal at $45. Breakfast included. Price: $31–75
3 Aranjuez C 19, Av 11/13 256-1825, from the US & Canada call toll-free 1-877/898-8663, 
223-3528, www.hotelaranjuez.com . In quiet Barrio Aranjuez yet still close to the centre, the rooms of this hotel are in converted houses that have been joined with communal sitting areas. Relax in the pretty garden around the back, where organic waste from the hotel is used as fertilizer. The 36 rooms either have shared bath (Price: $21-30) or private bath and TV (Price: $31-50). A good buffet breakfast and free email are available, and they can arrange tours to Laguna Lodge in Tortuguero. Be sure to reserve ahead.
4 Bellavista Av 0, C 19/21 223-0095. Friendly, central hotel with lively murals of Caribeña life. Rooms are a bit dark and musty, and walls are thin, but all have private bath with hot water, and ceiling fans do what they can to provide a semblance of fresh air. It's close to the Limón bus stop, and rooms at the front get lots of noise from buses. Price: $21-30
5 Le Bergerac C 35, Av 0 234-7850, 225-9103, www.bergerachotel.com . For luxury without the price tag, this elegant and relaxing top-end hotel is a good bet. The 26 spacious rooms all have cable TV and phone, and some also have their own private gardens. A superb French restaurant, L'Ile de France, is prettily set next to an interior courtyard, and there's a travel service that arranges tours. Continental breakfast included. Price: $51–150
6 Cacts C 28/30, Av 3 bis 221-2928, 221-8616, www.hotelcacts.com . Recently expanded, Cacts has 25 rooms, all with ceiling fans and TV; all but four have private bath. A sunny roof terrace, tropical garden, swimming pool and Jacuzzi add to its charm. Enjoy a complimentary breakfast buffet of fresh fruits and baked goods. The friendly owners run a travel agency and can help with tours and reservations. Price: $31-50
7 Casa Hilda Av 11, C 3 & 3 bis, house no. 353 221-0037, 221-2881, 
c1hilda@racsa.co.cr. Small and affordable hotel in an old-style wooden house on a quiet street near the city centre. The five rooms are basic but comfortable and have private bath with hot water and fans. Rooms with outside-facing windows are best; the others are a bit dark. There's also a patio garden and communal sitting areas with cable TV. Good single rates. Price: $21–50
8 Casa León Av 6 bis, C 13/15 222-9725. A good alternative if the Costa Rica Backpackers is full, this small guesthouse has dorms ($10 per person in a mixed-sex dorm) and basic private rooms with a spotlessly clean shared bath and kitchen. There is laundry service and luggage storage. The house is a little hard to find; look for it next to the train tracks and tell your taxi driver it's a calle sin salida. Price: $11-20
9 Casa Ridgway C 15, Av 6 bis between Av 6/8, & 233-6168 or 222-1400, www.amigosparalapaz.org . Near the Ticabus stop, this homely Quaker guesthouse is a good budget choice with several clean, single-sex dorms ($10 per person), plus a few private singles ($12) and doubles ($24) with communal bathrooms. There's also a shared kitchen, laundry and luggage storage. Note that alcohol is banned and there's a "quiet time" after 10pm. Reserve ahead in high season, and try not to arrive after 8pm except by prior arrangement. Price: $21-30
10 Casa Verde de Amón Corner of C 7 & Av 9 & 223-0969, casaverde@racsa.co.cr. Set in a historic late 19th-century mansion, this quiet, beautifully restored hotel is filled with antiques and oriental rugs. Well-furnished rooms and suites have wooden floors and fittings – and some even have Victorian bathtubs. Prices are very reasonable, particularly in low season, and there are weekly discounts. Rooms Price: $51-75, suites Price: $101-150.
11 
Cinco Hormigas Rojas C 15, Av 9/11, 200m east of the back of the INS building and then 25m north & 255-3412. The "five red ants" is a small, quirky hippie paradise in quiet Barrio Otoya, overlooking the zoo and decorated with vibrant paintings by owner Mayra Güell. If you have only one night in San José, spend it here. The six, bright rooms have names like "jungle window" and "bouncing lead" and share two bathrooms, while a small tropical garden attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. Breakfast included. No smoking.Price: $31-50
12 Costa Rica Backpackers Av 6, C 21/23 221-6191, 223-2406, www.costaricabackpackers.com . A great place to meet fellow travellers, this is one of the city's best budget guesthouses with both single- and mixed-sex dorms ($10 per person) plus a few private double rooms ($22). Facilities include a fully equipped kitchen, a garden with swimming pool, luggage storage, laundry service, a TV room, free Internet access and free parking. Price: $11-20
13 Don Carlos C 9, Av 7 & 9 221-6707, 255-0828, www.doncarloshotel.com . An elegant landmark hotel, once the home of two presidential families, now filled with replicas of pre-Columbian art and a lovely kitsch breakfast terrace/cocktail lounge with a fountain and a pretty tiled mural of the city hand-painted by Costa Rican artist Mario Aroyabe. All rooms have cable TV and safe (some also have private patios) and there's free Internet access, plus an excellent souvenir shop and travel agency. Price: $51-75
14 Don Fadrique C 37, Av 8, Los Yoses 225-8186, 224-9746, www.hoteldonfadrique.com . Upmarket hotel with restaurant, bar and tropical gardens, located in the former villa of Don Fadrique Gutierrez, early twentieth-century architect, general and philosopher. The hotel's halls are hung with Costa Rican art, and each of the twenty nicely furnished rooms comes with TV and private bath with hot water. Good low-season discounts. Breakfast included. Price: $76-100
15 Europa C 0, Av 3/5 222-1222, 221-3976, www.hoteleuropacr.com . Mid-range casino-hotel, San José's oldest, located in the heart of downtown, with a restaurant, bar, indoor pool, lots of bright communal areas and a 24-hour Egyptian-themed gaming room. Outside rooms tend to get street noise but more light while inside rooms are quieter but less airy. There's a helpful tour desk inside the hotel with good contacts throughout the country. Price: $51-75
16 La Gema Av 12, C 9/11 257-2524, 222-1074. This small, light hotel south of the centre surrounds an open courtyard planted with leafy trees. Rooms are a good size, though walls are a bit thin – the sunnier upstairs rooms are best. Price: $31-50
17 Gran Hotel Costa Rica Av 0/2, C 3 & 256-8585, www.granhotelcr.com . This elegant hotel has over 100 spotlessly clean but rather unimaginatively furnished rooms – some are enormous, some are small, but all have TV, phone and 24-hr room service. The central location – overlooking the Plaza de la Cultura, and with a popular terrace café below – can be noisy, especially when the buskers are in full swing. Discounts are often available in low season. Price: $51-75
18 Gran Hotel Imperial C 8, Av 0/1 222-8463, 257-4922. Near the bus station, the dark and frankly scary entrance belies a secure but basic hotel, popular with backpackers and offering some of the cheapest rooms in San José (singles from $4). The downside is that it's rather noisy, there are no private bathrooms (and hot water in the mornings only), and there have been reports of people getting ill from the attached restaurant. Price: Under $11
19 Grano de Oro C 30, Av 2/4 255-3322, 221-2782, www.hotelgranodeoro.com . Elegant converted mansion in a quiet area west of the centre, with 35 comfortable rooms and suites furnished in faux-Victorian style, with wrought-iron beds and polished wooden floors – they're popular with honeymooners and older Americans. Several of the deluxe rooms have lovely private gardens and all rooms have cable TV, minibar, phone and fax. A new rooftop sun terrace is equipped with twin hot tubs. An excellent breakfast is served in its gourmet restaurant. Price: $76-100
20 Hotel 1492 Jade y Oro Av 1, C 31/33 256-5913 or 225-3752, 280-6206, www.hotel1492.com . On a quiet stretch of Avenida 1, this comfortable hotel has ten well-appointed rooms, some surrounding an elegant antique- and art-filled atrium and others adjoining a small tropical garden. All have private shower and TV. The friendly staff can arrange tours. Price: $51-75
21 Kap's Place C 19, Av 11/13 221-1169, 256-4850, www.kapsplace.com . One of city's best budget choices, this family-friendly hotel is run by the unstintingly helpful Karla Arias who is a bottomless source of information on all things San José. The fourteen en-suite rooms (two with shared bathroom) are colourfully decorated. There's a fully equipped communal kitchen plus a large two-floor apartment (with its own kitchen). Tours arranged on request. Price: $21–50
22 Pensión de la Cuesta Av 1, C 11/15 & 255-7946, www.pensiondelacuesta.com . Tranquil rooms – though some are a bit gloomy – in a pink and blue colonial-style wooden house, with a plant-filled lounge area, gold masks on walls and decorated bedsteads. All rooms have shared bath, plus there's a communal kitchen, laundry service and luggage storage. Staff can arrange tours and car rental. Good deals for weekly stays. Price: $21-30
23 Rincón de San José Av 9, C 13/15 221-9702, 221-9702, www.hotelrincondesanjose.com . This renovated Dutch-owned hotel in pretty Barrio Amón has 27 clean rooms (all with cable TV), wooden floors and piping hot showers, plus the use of a computer and safe. The excellent Café Mundo restaurant is just across the street. Breakfast included. Price: $51–100
24 Ritmo del Caribe Paseo Colón C 32/34 & 256-1636, www.ritmo-del-caribe.com . Converted modern house with nicely decorated singles and doubles, some with TV and balcony; double-glazed windows muffle most of Paseo Colón's round-the-clock traffic. There are also a couple of mixed-sex dormitories ($12 per person). A tasty German breakfast is included, and the helpful owners can advise on tours and travel. Price: $31-50
25 Ritz C 0, Av 8/10 233-1731, 222-8849. Very clean and fairly large (25 rooms, some with private bathroom) central hotel with its own tour service. It's popular with European travellers, and is a good place to meet other backpackers. Management is friendly and the communal areas are pleasant, though rooms are rather dark. Rooms with private bath are $5 more than those without. Price: $11-20
26 La Rosa del Paseo Paseo Colón, C 28/30 257-3258, 223-2776, www.rosadelpaseo.com . Converted late nineteenth-century house on busy Paseo Colón. Rooms have nice touches – sparkling bathrooms, wooden floors and Victorian fittings – and all come with private bath and cable TV. Breakfast included. Price: $51-75
27 Santo Tomás Av 7, C 3/5 255-0448, 222-3950, www.hotelsantotomas.com . In quiet, elegant Barrio Amón, near downtown, this is one of San José's best boutique hotels. It occupies an old mansion awash in soft lighting and decorated with burnished wood and Persian rugs. Twenty rooms vary widely in size, character and price, though all have TV and telephone. There's a small swimming pool, hot tub, an excellent open-air restaurant, a travel service and free Internet access.
28 Torremolinos C 40, Av 5 bis 222-5266, 255-3167, torrehtl@sol.racsa.co.cr. Now part of the Occidental hotel chain, this well-maintained hotel is in a quiet area just two blocks east from Parque la Sabana. Smallish rooms are comfortably furnished, and all have TV, radio and telephone; a/c (not really necessary) costs more. Facilities include a nice pool, Jacuzzi, gym and sauna, and there's a good bar and restaurant. Good low-season discounts. Price: $76-100
29 D'Galah Opposite the University of Costa Rica, in front of the Fa cultad de Farmacia 280-8092, www.dgalah.com . Despite a characterless exterior, inside there are two courtyards, a small swimming pool, hot tub and bright, quiet and fairly spacious rooms, some with kitchenette (about $10 more), all with cable TV, phone, Wi-Fi. Ideal if you want to be near the university. Price: $31-50
30 La Granja Off Av 0 in Barrio La Granja, San Pedro & 225-1073. This eight-room guesthouse is 50m south of the antiguo higuerón, the former site of a now disappeared tree which still serves as a local landmark. It's built in a converted family house with a pretty garden, near the university, bars and restaurants. Most rooms have shared showers. Also has some cheap singles ($15), a TV lounge, communal kitchen and laundry service. Price: $11-20
31 Maripaz 350m southeast of the antiguo higuerón tree & 253-8456, www.bedandbreakfastcostarica.com . Five-room B&B (two with private bath) in the home of a welcoming Costa Rican family. Located in a quiet, pleasant area near the university and several language schools. Breakfast included. Price: $21–50
32 Hotel Milvia 250m northeast of the Muñoz y Nanne supermarket 225-4543, 225-7801, www.novanet.co.cr/milvia . Mid-range hotel in a lovely old Caribbean-style plantation house beautifully decorated with antiques and modern Costa Rican art. Located in a residential area, with a soothing fountain, garden, sun terrace and mountain views, plus TV lounge and games room. Lunch and dinner available on request. Price: $51-75
33 Casa de las Tias San Rafael de Escazú, southeast of the EI Cruce Shopping Centre; take the east turn by the Restaurante Cerutti 289-5517, 289-7353, www.hotels.co.cr/casatias . Set on a garden estate, this quiet, friendly hotel has just five rooms, each individually decorated with private bath and hot water. No under-12s allowed. Price: $51–100
34 Park Place B&B On the left-hand side of the road up Escazú hill 228-9200, 289-8638. Small, nicely decorated, American-run B&B with lounge, fireplace, communal kitchen, and a good view from the upstairs verandah. No children allowed. Price: $51-75
35 Posada del Bosque Bello Horizonte de Escazú 221-7319, 257-3525. Quiet, homely place on landscaped grounds. Comfortable no-smoking rooms with shared bath. The friendly owners can arrange tennis, swimming and horse-riding.Price: $31–75
36 Posada El Quijote 800m south of the El Cruce Shopping Centre, just east of Chango's restaurant 289-8401, 289-8729, www.quijote.co.cr . Eight spacious rooms, renovated in Spanish colonial style and comfortably furnished with bath, hot water and cable TV. Breakfast is served in the lovely garden. Price: $76-100
37 Camino Real Inter-Continental 2km north of Escazú, near the Multiplaza shopping centre 289-7000, 289-8930, www.interconti.com . If you like big fancy hotels, this is one of the best, with a large pool (and pool bar), sauna, gym, two restaurants and a free shuttle bus into town. Rooms have piping-hot water, cable TV and phone. Breakfast is included in the price. Price: $151 and above
38 Kalexma B&B La Uruca, 5km northwest of downtown 290-2624, 231-0638, www.kalexma.com . Twelve comfortable rooms with shared or private bath. There's a communal kitchen, two TV lounges, laundry service and Internet access. Staff can arrange transport, tours, and Spanish classes. Breakfast included. Price: $21-30 without bathroom, Price: $31-50 with bathroom.