Aeropuerto Hotel

We stayed the night before heading to La Fortuna, and the front desk and restaurant/bar service were great. The rooms were clean, and the food and drinks were delicious. They had a nice range of beers and cocktails.

I needed to be near San José airport for an early flight, rather than risk traffic on an Uber from San Ramon, and the hotel turned out to be a pleasant surprise. They let guests smoke outside, which is welcome for a cigar smoker like me in Costa Rica, where it can be hard to find a place. The hotel grounds are lovely, like the country’s natural parks where smoking isn’t allowed. I found a log in the garden that made a beautiful cigar lounge. They also have a free airport shuttle.

The grounds were really pretty, and the breakfast was good. The women serving it were lovely, and we enjoyed eating outside in the courtyard. The rooms seemed clean enough, but they were old and nothing special. The hotel’s area isn’t great: after leaving the main highway, we worried for a moment that our shuttle driver was taking us somewhere sketchy to rob us. There was a junkyard with graffiti on the cars and bars on the windows, then the driver went through the gates and the hotel looked normal. Reception handled check-in and checkout fine, but wasn’t very helpful otherwise. When we asked about getting to LaFortuna, they said we could take a bus or shuttle, with the bus cheaper but slower. They gave no shuttle company suggestions or bus details, not even a website to check.

I think this was my third stay at Hotel Aeropuerto, and the staff are laid-back and attentive. The Cactus 🌵 Restaurante is very good: the food comes hot and the beer cold. On my last trip, I tried a suggested dessert with plantains and ice cream. The breakfast is made in small batches, so it’s always fresh, and the women serving it are so friendly. The hotel offers one free airport ride per trip, and my shuttle picked me up for the ride home. There’s also a big swimming pool, always my first stop, and cold drinks to buy. I can’t say enough about the service. We found out about it through a referral, and it was a great tip.