Poor service, the staff are,,, ehh, location is not that bad as some people say, its located in the downtown area and is not clean. But it is safe

The hotel is ok. The staff is friendly and helpful. Unfortunately there's nothing that can be done about the location. It's in a very rough part of town. Lots of drugs, drunks, sleazy bars, hookers, and desperate homeless people. It's dirty, dark, and buildings are falling apart. You might walk out in the daytime if you are a man, but forget about going out at night unless you have a wish to be robbed and harmed. The police try, but they can't be everywhere at once. The government needs to condemn the area and redevelop it, that's for sure.

We arrived in Costa Rica at night at found out the shuttle from the airport is non-existent.

We told our cab driver the address of the hotel. We was visibly worried. As we neared the hotel, the neighborhood became worse. The cab driver locked the doors. We asked the cab driver about the neighborhood and he said it is the sight of Nigerian gangs - lots of violence and drugs.

We parked in front of the hotel and my boyfriend ran out to check in. The cab driver relocked the doors and kept looking around nervously. I asked him if we should be worried staying at this hotel. He said yes. I asked if he would stay there if he were from out of town, he said No.

When my boyfriend returned, I told him I wanted to leave. He asked the front desk if he could get refunded since they assured him on the phone the hotel was located in a safe place. They refused to refund his money.

This place is a dive located in the heart of gang activity in San Jose. Do not stay here. There are nice hotels in better locations in the same price range. Stay near the airport.

If it's the free shuttle you're interested in, don't bother with this place. They don't offer it anymore, which I didn't know when I arrived since they were still advertising it on their website. It sold me on the place and I wasn't happy when I had to pay a $20 cab from the airport, but after asking to speak with a manager, they paid for my cab and my friends cab (she arrived am hour later).

The room was much smaller than I was expecting but was in ok condition. And we got a free drink and free international calls from the lobby phone, which was nice. Breakfast was simple but sufficient. It seems to be the neighborhood, however, that scares most people off from this hotel. It is in fact the red light district, but I didn't feel unsafe. And I've been in significantly worse neighborhoods in the US. I saw one prostitute and a bu or two - not a big deal. Just don't walk around at night (generally sound advice regardless of where you are traveling). It's a cheap cab ride ($3-$5) to get to restaurants or shopping.

Overall, it wasn't terrible for a one-night stay in San Jose before we departed for the rainforest, but I would have stayed at the other Best Western or picked any hotel in Alajuela (near the airport) and skipped downtown San Jose all together if I'd known how little there really is to see. There are lots of $60 hotels that I think would be a better value than this one.