Cozy Downtown Alajuela / 5min from Airport

The desk guy was pleasant and helpful, even arranging a taxi to the airport, and the breakfast each morning was delicious: eggs, sausage, seasoned rice with black beans, and coffee. At $40 USD a night, the price was very competitive. I stayed a week and would probably come back to Costa Rica and stay here again. The TVs weren’t working, but the free Wi-Fi kept me entertained, so that wasn’t a big deal. Shower pressure was lower than I like, and traffic noise was noticeable at the busy intersection, along with someone at the corner yelling and selling lottery tickets.

When I arrived, the door was locked and nobody answered the bell or phone. The advertised 24-hour reception wasn’t there. I walked to another hotel, and the receptionist there asked if this was the place I’d had trouble with. When I said yes, she told me they often lock up and go home once they’re sold out. They also hadn’t answered my calls all day or the emails from me and my travel agent.

We were told by other travelers that someone had broken into their room and stolen belongings. Then we saw our room, which was disgusting, nothing like the photos, and missing the amenities that had been claimed. The outside window wouldn’t lock, even though a shared balcony was right outside it. My husband and I only needed the room for about eight hours before our flight, but we were relieved to leave after less than five. Horrible experience. Stay somewhere else.

After our airport taxi dropped us off, we found a locked door and nobody answering the bell or phone, despite the promise of “24 hour reception.” We’d tried calling and emailing for several days, including through our travel agent, and never got a reply. After a long flight, we had to walk around the city with our luggage to find another place, which felt dangerous.