Grand Hotel Costa Rica, an Ascend Hotel Collection Member

The Gran Hotel in San Jose is a beautiful and historic hotel; however, there were some glitches with staying here, namely the stuffy, hot rooms with no a/c or windows for ventilation. The staff wasn't overly friendly or helpful, which was a disappointment. The restaurant, Cafeteria 1930, had good food but with very inflated prices. The ambiance was nice, and the pianist was an excellent part of the experience. The surrounding neighborhoods are not very picturesque, and besides the National Theatre, we found it unsafe to walk around the area, which was very disappointing. I would not recommend staying here with children. There were prostitutes walking around the perimeter of the hotel. Very upsetting. This hotel needs upgrades and a more accommodating staff. It could be a real gem; now, it's more like a diamond in the (very) rough.

I stayed here on 2 separate occasions at the beginning and end of my Costa Rican holiday. I always prefer a hotel that is in the centre of things and has some character to it. This 1930's gem gets top marks for both of those. It also has a fantastic free buffet breakfast with lovely views over the Teatro Nacional. However, there are some negatives which should be addressed to make it a better experience. First of all, the beds were rock hard so not a comfortable sleep. Also, there is very little hot water. The hotel has placed a notice to the effect that the water heating system is under renovation. I found it surprising that the notification of this was actually a plasticized plaque on the bathroom shelf. In my opinion, that seemed a costly way of informing guests of something which should be fixed in a relatively short time ... or maybe the heating system would forever be the same. On my last visit I was in a standard room that opened onto the "well". It was very noisy from kitchen activity, but the worst problem was there was no fresh air circulation even with the window open and my room was stiflingly hot despite it being a cool night. Running the ceiling fan all night did not even provide relief. All in all though, it was an inexpensive place to stay and as a single female traveller I felt quite safe.

We arrived late and looking out our room window the outside looked scary. Waking up we found out we were in the middle of town on a beautiful walking street full of shops and restaraunts. The hotel was built in the 30's and it still had the amazing original tile floors. Breakfast was on the 5th floor overlooking the city. There was a lady at the entrance to help you book any tours you may want.

The room did not have air conditioning or a window that opened to outside. so we had no circulation. Were able to change rooms to one with air conditioning for $20 more a night. Staf was very helpful. Rooms are old but clean. Breakfast was very good. We had pizza and calzone one afternoon in the restaurant that were also good.

Enjoyable stay in a clean room. No air conditioning but the ceiling fan was just fine.

This is a beautiful old hotel which has been well maintained. The breakfast buffet which is included was excellent.

Grand Hotel Costa Rica is like a jewel in San José, for its architecture, it's location is a great plus and the staff makes your stay something to remember.

vvery good, very helpful, very friendly,always a smile with"" how are you""

Older hotel with European charm located immediately next to the National Theater and a short walk or cab ride o the major museums. The area surrounding the hotel seemed a little sketchy and wandering around on foot after dark might be a bad idea. The room was spotless; the bed firm but comfortable and well appointed; plenty of hot water, etc. Wi-fi in the room was pretty hit or miss, but fine in public spaces. The quality of the free breakfast (with views from the fifth floor breakfast room) was a pleasant surprise. My only negative comment about the room would be noise. While the hotel itself was very quiet, single pane windows did little to buffet outside noise from the adjacent plaza and the in-room air conditioner/heating unit was quite loud. But overall, this place was a great value!

I am very satisfy. staff was very helpful .close to shopping centers, people very kind when I asked for directions. the hotel was very clean and I will recommend it to anybody.