Hotels on the Pacific and Caribbean beaches of Costa Rica offer a variety of options for your tropical vacation.
Stretched out on a king bed in a luxury room on a strand of golden beach, or in a hillside hotel surrounded by rainforest or cloud forest, you will relax like nowhere else.
This column reviews hotels in San Jose, Costa Rica's inland capital. Information about hotels in other parts of the country is found on specific pages about hotels in Jaco Beach, Quepos, Manuel Antonio, Flamingo, Playas Coco and Ocotal, and Tamarindo, all found from this link: hotel reviews.
Stay near the Airport,
or in Downtown San Jose?
This month's feature article focuses on San Jose, with a special look at where to stay on your last night in town. The travel directory also provides more lodging links: Costa Rica hotels. Or press resorts or Hotel Rooms in Costa Rica for more options.
Vacations in central and southern Costa Rica require that you fly into and out of the Juan Santamaria International Airport near San Jose. If this requires spending the night in town, you have two basic options: choose between hotels in downtown or in the vicinity of the airport.
Advantages of staying in downtown San Jose hotels are that you can enjoy the nightlife or a dinner of Peruvian seafood or Argentine beef. With luck, you might even have enough time for last minute shopping and sightseeing before heading off to the airport catch your flight.
Costa Rica hotels in the airport area lodging are good if you are departing on an early flight depart (they leave from 6-10 AM, and you must be check in two hours early. This area is also a good stop over when traveling from one part of Costa Rica, due to its central location. And it is convenient to local tours as well as the site of several major conventions centers
Downtown and other Areas
Downtown hotels offers the Holiday Inn (with a gym) and the picturesque Hemingway Inn B & B. The newest one is the Crown Plaza, which opened in December, 2007.The Crown Plaza is conveniently located on the main road from the airport (General Canas), and just on the edge of downtown; so its relitively free of the in city traffic The Raddison near downtown opened a Gold's Gym in October, 2005. Other areas to consider are Sabana Norte (north of Parque Sabana) and the financial district north of Barrio Amon on the highway to Limon.
Airport area hotels run up to $200 for double occupancy.
A Costa Rican resort with authentic hacienda atmosphere, the Marriott covers the high end of the scale near the airport. The Hampton Suites is very convenient. The upscale places here usually offer their guests a free shuttle to and from the airport.
