Gran Hotel Costa Rica, Curio Collection By Hilton

Todo

Muy caro

Top Hotel in top Lage. Mitten in der Stadt bei den wenigen Sehenswürdigkeiten von San Jose. Super sauber. Mit freundlichem Personal. Keine Parkmöglichkeit aber Wallet Parking um $28/d.

Restaurantpreise etwas teuer. Frühstück $25.

Lovely room and breakfast with vegan options. Very friendly staff.

Nothing

The Gran Hotel is very nice and wonderfully located if you want to be in the hustle and bustle of downtown. The National Theatre tour was fun - lead by actors who roleplay historic characters while showing you the beautiful building. There was also lots of good people watching as this hotel is on the main town plaza where lots of folks visit on the weekend. The restaurant had very good food and mostly great service. One thing that seemed common in Costa Rica is that it takes a very long time to get your check once you've finished eating. Read the prices carefully and do your currency conversion diligently as we accidentally paid $120 for what we thought was an appetizer of shrimp! This was our own fault, though. The breakfast buffet was very, very nice and I was happy to be brought gluten-free bread without even asking! The room was comfortable and very quiet. The biggest 'warning' I want people to know about is that there is no separate bathroom in the room. Instead, the shower and toilet are each enclosed by frosted, but still transparent glass. There is also a wall of mirrors across from that area, so there is literally NO where in the room that you can not be seen from anywhere else in the room. If you are alone, or traveling with your partner it's probably fine (although still awkward at times...lol), but if you were with a friend, other family member or colleague, it could be very uncomfortable depending on your level of modesty. (see pictures). We had a friends/family rate so felt good about our stay here, and the Uber ride to the airport cost about $15. The hotel can also arrange a shuttle for $45. Traffic is crazy in San Jose, so allow plenty of time. One other small caveat is that their website lists a business center, but there is not one. They will print things that you email to the front desk, though. There is a gymnasium, but no pool or hot tub. The general lobby seating areas are very nice.

Overall, we had a nice two night stay at Gran Hotel Costa Rica in San Jose. The staff was professional and polite, wanting to ensure a pleasant stay. Transportation to and from the hotel to the airport was arranged via messaging and went as scheduled, both with friendly and professional drivers. Do note, shuttle transportation to/from SJO is not included. The room was clean and quiet, other than some door slammers in the same aisle of rooms. Why do hotels always put everyone in the same area when clearly a number of other rooms are vacant? One of life’s travel mysteries….The architecture of the hotel was also to be appreciated. Breakfast was very good. Try the homemade granola, yogurt, fresh fruit and juices. Our waiter went out of his way with our early checkout to get us a couple of coffees to take with us, as well as expedite getting the bill ($0 in our case as included with booking). The security between public area access and rooms with the elevator/lifts was excellent. Only a few things our stay could have benefited from was a free shuttle to/from the airport, offered by other hotels in the vicinity, an onsite convenience store/shop in the hotel and better WiFi. Instructions to access weren’t the issue. The strength of the WiFi signal in the room was non existent, other than opening the door and going in the hallway. The reception and restaurant on the 5th floor had great access. Other than those items, a beautiful, clean, safe hotel with professional and polite staff, which was most appreciated.

Lovely, uniquely decorated hotel room with lots of space. We appreciated the room safe and In-room coffee machine. Helpful staff.

Style and location

Staff were very helpful and friendly.