Holiday Inn Express San Jose Forum By Ihg

“We Will Be Back—And We’re Bringing Family!”

We were visiting Costa Rica because we desperately needed dental work that we couldn’t afford in the States. Urzola Dentistry arranged for us to stay at the Holiday Inn Express (HIE) in Santa Ana, just outside of downtown San Jose. Normally, we associate HIE with low-budget, no-frills hotel stays … more

We were visiting Costa Rica because we desperately needed dental work that we couldn’t afford in the States. Urzola Dentistry arranged for us to stay at the Holiday Inn Express (HIE) in Santa Ana, just outside of downtown San Jose. Normally, we associate HIE with low-budget, no-frills hotel stays offering minimal comforts. But that is not the case with this hotel. Don’t compare what is normal in the States with the Santa Ana Holiday Inn Express. We’ve never encountered friendlier staff, cleaner rooms, more comfortable beds, or AMAZING breakfasts, at any other Latin America location (or the States, for that matter). Our room was a comfortable size, outfitted with a desk and chair, including a lounging chair. We had a king-size bed with four very soft and inviting pillows. The bathroom was standard with a walk-in shower and ample hot water. The counter in the bathroom was adequate, allowing us to take the items we needed from our toiletry kits and leave them out without packing them daily. The room also had a mini fridge and microwave. Since we were staying for almost 10 days, we were relieved that the hotel exceeded our expectations—and had excellent internet access. Every room is fitted with a small coffee bar that uses pods similar to a Keurig, but it’s the Britt Café brand. Britt is a local Costa Rican coffee that is clearly superior to almost any coffee in the world. Every morning, I would look forward to placing my ceramic coffee mug under the spout and waiting for that frothy delicacy to materialize. It was a real treat! And they offer two different tea bags, one of which is always apple tea. Now, let’s talk about the complimentary breakfast! Do not compare the breakfast at this location with any other hotel. I’m serious! We’ve stayed in many, many hotels over the years, and most hotels are phoning in their breakfasts. Sure, they might throw unlimited bacon at you, but it’s not that amazing. However—THIS Santa Ana location is nothing short of spectacular! Sure, the breakfast is set up buffet style, but the food options change daily. And you’d better get used to fresh! Fresh fruits are in abundance, with at least three fruits available every day. They also serve two different freshly squeezed juices, and not those worn-out concentrates you find in every other boring hotel. They offer four different pourable yogurts blended with a variety of fruits. My favorite was the strawberry! Naturally, some items are there every day. You’ll find oatmeal, cold cereal, cold cuts, and cheese. They offer four different entrees that rotate daily. Over the week, we noticed hashbrowns, boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, scrambled eggs with either sausage slices or ham slices in them, fajita meats, and both chicken and ground beef picadillo (a mixture of potatoes, carrots, corn, and meat that is cooked like a stew). They also offer a local delicacy called gallo pinto, which is a beans and rice dish common to almost all traditional meals in Costa Rica. Sometimes they serve it with black beans, sometimes with red beans, but it’s always delicious. The breakfast is so complete, you’ll never feel like you need to find a restaurant for your first meal of the day. The hotel has a pool that is partially shaded and mostly sunny. The water was warm enough not to be chilly, and cool enough to take the edge off the heat of the day. Within three to five blocks, you will find almost any US fast-food chains you could want. The closest were Taco Bell, KFC, Burger King, McDonald’s, Subway, and Quiznos. But if you're a foodie like us, you will be delighted by the plaza that is directly across the street from our hotel. You will find a classy wine bar, along with Porky’s (American bar food such as Burgers and other sandwiches), Indian, Peruvian, Korean, Vietnamese, smoothies, shawarma, Neapolitan-style pizza, pastries, Venezuelan, and Mexican. All these restaurants are amazing, but our favorite was the Venezuelan grill. There are two grocery stores within one to four blocks, and two pharmacies. The hotel is roughly a 13.00 USD Uber ride from Old Town San Jose, which only takes about 20 minutes to arrive. When we return, and we’ve already scheduled a return in December, we will stay at the Holiday Inn Express in Santa Ana. Oh—one last thought—don’t worry about the guys across the street on motorcycles. They’re Uber delivery drivers and are harmless. #traviswinmanauthor #todaysdiscovery #inmanadventures

less

“Excellent option for staying in San Jose”

Excellent staffing. Good location. Nice room, clean and nice. It was a business trip and everything went good. I asked for a taxi service from the airport to the hotel and everything went well. It’s a big hotel. Great place because you have food in the front of the hotel

“Beautiful hotel, great area!”

Great comfortable rooms , lovely pool area, awesome breakfast and it is included. Love the way you could walk to bars and restaurants all surrounding the hotel. Santa Ana is one of our favorite neighborhoods. Safe clean and walkable. There are amazing restaurants and shopping right across the str… more

Great comfortable rooms , lovely pool area, awesome breakfast and it is included. Love the way you could walk to bars and restaurants all surrounding the hotel. Santa Ana is one of our favorite neighborhoods. Safe clean and walkable. There are amazing restaurants and shopping right across the street even a cool market!

less

“Improvement at the gym”

Nice hotel. But breakfast is too simple, I didn’t like it. I have some sugestions to the gym. 1- to get a few more gym mats. 2- to install a vertical wall stretcher 3 to get some shin gard/pad. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….,.,.