Looking for a great hotel choice? Here is our choice in San Jose, Costa Rica.

One of the first steps in planning any getaway is deciding on a place to stay. In a large capital city like San Jose, there are literally hundreds of hotels, apartments, hostels, and Airbnb as options.

We could, of course, have gone with one of the big chain hotels that dot the city as regularly as Mcdonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises. However dependable such a choice is for a one-nighter in a strange city, chain hotels have never been our vibe.

As we wandered the city on foot we passed quite a few hostels located close to the city center but with our particular group, we were looking for something a bit more upscale.

In much of the world, we begin our searches with “guest house” a definition that works to perfection in SE Asia but didn’t lend much in a search of San Jose. After extensive googling based on the city center location, I came upon La Sabana Hotel & Suites and knew we had a winner.

La Sabana is a lovely family-owned hotel one block from La Sabana park, the country’s largest urban park, and a little over one mile from the city’s main square and pedestrian street. Although they pride themselves on being small and intimate they offer all of the services of any 4* hotel such as daily room service, front desk services, and an included breakfast by the pool.

The hotel also arranges transportation from the airport, a nice touch when arriving late evening in a new city.

Our rooms were clean kitchenettes with a small fridge, microwave, and countertop cooker. The bathrooms were well-appointed and nicely tiled and included amenities such as a hairdryer and shampoo, conditioner, and body wash.

Immediately upon arrival, we discovered something that held true throughout our trip, the entire country’s commitment to cutting plastic waste and recycling. The hotel had water fountains to refill water bottles and offered extensive recycling containers throughout the facility.

Passing through the lobby we came upon the small but stunning tiled pool in the courtyard with a selection of loungers adjoining the lovely breakfast room.

And that breakfast; easily one of our favorite features of the hotel. Over the years and miles, we’ve experienced a wide variety of “included breakfasts” ranging from the over-the-top experience of wandering among the chefs at the Intercontinental Semiramis in Cairo to a hard roll and bit of half-molded cheese at a no-name B&B in Germany to a huge bowl of hot Pho with a platter of sides on a child-size plastic chair in the streets of Saigon.

Breakfast at La Sabana was delicious and abundant. The menu included a wide range of protein options, eggs made to order, yogurt, granola, and a huge array of some of the best fruit we’ve ever eaten. Costa Rica is well known for its coffee production and it was made available straight or as a cappuccino. Each morning also included the homemade pastry of the day, my favorite a light-as-air buttery croissant.

Although La Sabana is located on the outskirts of the city center, there are still several restaurants a short walk from the property and more restaurants and some small mercado’s were nearby creating a near-perfect location for a quiet neighborhood but near the action.

Our top choice: Pasta Pronto. I know, NOT a name that encourages thoughts of divine dining but we were so mistaken. Run by an American ex-pat named Marco, Pasta Pronto took form just as COVID threw the entire world into a tailspin so quickly transitioned to strictly take out and deliver. Now that things are open once again they’re working on their brick-and-mortar location, a mere 100 feet from La Sabana.

The entire staff was stellar and because they were adding new items to the menu we ended up with several comped samples, all delicious. The portions were generous, the insalata caprese top-notch, and the pasta was all homemade. A surprise find around the corner.

Perhaps best of all, La Sabana hosted a wide range of international visitors and each morning we smiled as we heard conversations in a multitude of languages all around us.

Our advice, even for a short stop in San Jose after a flight, check out the great folks and facilities at La Sabana Hotel & Suites.