We spent two days in San Jose and generally liked the Occidental Torremolinos. The staff was very nice and the breakfasts were also good. The hotel has a nice pool and restaurant. The rooms were on the small side and the hotel was a little dated, but it is overall a nice place to stay. It was very clean and had AC and cable. AC is an absolute must in Costa Rica as it gets very hot!

The only thing that I would beware of is the location. San Jose is not a particularly pretty city, so there are no nice views from the hotel. Walking around San Jose is very dangerous as people drive very rapidly and pedestrians are ignored!

I was on a humanitarian trip with my high school in March of 2004, and for six nights we stayed at the Torremolinos. It was an awesome hotel! Such a beautiful place! The rooms are great, and I loved the outdoor/indoor corridors! It's in a great location as well. Often we students would be on our own for meals, and just around the corner was a great little supermarket. It was also well within walking distance of a great little restaurant. Trust me, the Torremolinos is a beautiful hotel!

Before we chose this hotel to spend two last nights in CR before flying back home, we couldn’t find any reviews/comments on the hotel, and that’s why I want to share our very good experience with it.
We stayed in the hotel two nights mid-February and were very happy with it. The hotel is a little bit on the older side, but in an excellent shape. Most importantly, it was very clean. The rooms are relatively small, but more than good enough. Why would you need a big room, if you need it, more or less, just to sleep over? Even if you’re staying more than just one night (to catch a transfer to another place in CR as you start your vacation, or to catch a plane on the way back from vacation), the hotel is a good choice. It is in a quiet residential area, but close to the city center (15-20 minutes walk, or 5 minutes $2 cab). It’s also close to the Sabana Park and some museums in it. There are some good restaurants in the area (excellent Peruvian restaurant Machu Pichu, a Japanese restaurant on the main street Paseo Colon, etc.)
The buffet breakfast is included and it’s very good (eggs, salads, fruits, cakes, natural juices, etc.). There are also two computers for Internet and they are 1 hour free for guests. The problem is that two is a bit too little, but you might be lucky.
All in all, a very good choice for a San Jose hotel, especially in terms of the value you get for the price.