The Best Boutique Hotels to Book in San José, Costa Rica

Brimming with character, this San José boutique hotel was once the home of the Pozuelo family – founders of the eponymous cookie dynasty. Subsequently, this hotel in barrio Don Bosco, nudging lake-rich La Sabana Park, was extended to occupy three buildings, each containing Victorian-style rooms, sturdy wooden furniture, heat-slaking ceiling fans and stocked minibars. The foodie pedigree lives on in the pretty courtyard restaurant, which serves all-day meals, sometimes serenaded by a live guitarist.

Family-run Boutique Hotel Casa Orquídeas has provided lodgings for 25 years. In the prestigious barrio Los Yoses, the former home has grown from 12 rooms to 36 – each with traditional furnishings and a homey vibe. You needn’t even leave your room if you’re not a morning person, as you can order breakfast in bed. Alternatively, a lovely courtyard restaurant sets you up for socializing with other guests.

An all-white exterior at Hotel Parque del Lago gives way to colorful interiors and a lobby dotted with artwork and tropical-toned furniture. The 40 guest rooms are more pared-back, with comfortable beds and sofas set against neutral walls. With a privileged position adjacent to La Sabana Park, you can lace up your sneakers and hit the tree-lined pathways and lakeshore for a pre-breakfast run – if you want.

At this boutique hotel in upscale Santa Ana, you can’t help but immerse yourself in art during your stay. A huge banyan tree surrounded by sculptures welcomes you into an airy lobby, where you can admire gilt-framed paintings and sculptures by local artists. The art theme continues in the stylish bedrooms, while the immaculate rooftop pool is surrounded by day beds and potted palms, enticing you to soak up mountain and city views.

You can’t get much more central than the seven-floor corner building that houses this boutique hotel in San José. The family-owned property started life in the 1940s as a fashion company before being restyled into an airy, warehouse-like hotel after President Kennedy’s visit to Costa Rica in the 1950s. It now attracts a hip, young crowd who takes advantage of the city-center rooftop lounge, complete with exotic plants, a large cocktail menu and tapas dishes.

On a 40-acre (16ha) plantation estate in the Central Valley, Xandari Resort and Spa offers a secluded stay in a tropical setting, a 40-minute drive north from the capital. With only 24 rooms, the vibe is peaceful, with an open-air spa and three outdoor pools, including an impressive 125ft hillside infinity pool. Views of surrounding mountains and volcanoes make it a great place to relax after days of sightseeing.

An eco-resort in the highlands, 40 minutes north of San José by car, Finca Rosa Blanca ticks the boxes for conscious travelers. Owned by American artists Glenn and Teri Jampol – who built it as a family home almost 50 years ago – it offers rooms in the main house or more private villas on the grounds of the organic coffee plantation. Don’t just book for one night – you’ll need plenty of time to enjoy the full-body coffee scrubs, chocolate and avocado beauty treatments, infinity pool with a waterfall, and romantic hot tub, all served up on a sustainable site that’s transformed a bare field into a reforested paradise.