This was my third trip to Costa Rica and previously I stayed at the Courtyard in Escazu. I decided to stay at the Marriott primarily because of the mostly rave reviews of this hotel on Trip Adviser, even though it was more expensive than the Courtyard. I was very disappointed. The room was dated, smelled musty and was not even as nice and clean as the Courtyard. Maybe there are renovated rooms where people stayed who said on this site that their room was spotless and well apppointed, but my room surely wasn't. After two days I got a reservation at the Courtyard for over $100 a nite less and moved. My wife likes the room at the Courtyard much better.-the room is no worse then Marriott and no smell. Also, the internet is free, not $15 a night. A big plus of the Courtyard is it is right next to an upscale shopping center where there is an Outback, Hooters, Argentinian, Cuban, Japanese, Italian and Tabas restaurants, upscale coffee house and a bar.

On the plus side, the grounds of the Marriott are very nice and if you stay there, you can eat inexpensively at the coffee house/cafe next to the gift shop. The health club is also fairly nice. Also, at both the Courtyard and Marriott you have access to CTT, a transportation company with very modern vans and responsible drivers. We hired one for $15 an hour (3 hour minimum) and went wherever we wanted. The driver was great to have while shopping in Downtown San Jose and chose a very nice restaurant Nuestras Tierras, with real Tico food. A good way to explore Costa Rica.

We could not have picked a better hotel while in San Jose!!! Not only was the hotel immaculate, every employee treated us like royalty. Esther in the coffee shop should be teaching hotel employees everywhere how to treat customers. She is an angel, and made the delicious Costa Rican coffee even more wonderful every morning. The nice thing is that the hotel is far enough from the city that you feel that you're still at a resort, but you know that it's only a short drive to the city action. And, the airport is only 5-10 minutes away, yet it was quiet and we rarely heard a plane. The hallways are open-aire which added to the beauty, and tropical feel. We ate at the Tapas restaurant on site the last night, and wish we would have discovered it earlier in our stay. Reasonable, and delicious! Really a lovely hotel. Kudos to management and employees!!!

I travel over 100 nights a year for business and most of my money goes to the Marriott family, enabling me to be a platinum member. I was not expecting much more than a top range Marriott when checking into the Costa Rica Marriott in San Jose on the back end of our vacation. What a place!!! This far exceeded my every expectation and is the nicest Marriott I have ever stayed in.

I was traveling with my wife and two young daughters. The staff were very friendly, but they didn't even need to be- the property itself is absolutely incredible. In the two days we were there we didn't leave the grounds, and yet didn't even explore the spa, golf, or nature walks available to guests. Food was spectacular, from the Spanish dining room to the delightful espresso bar.

The decor was described as Spanish colonial - I thought it was masterfully done. Great artwork, lighting, layout resulted in wonderful spaces such as nooks with benches and courtyards blooming with flowers and sculpture. Artifacts from Costa Rica and Nicaragua dotted the property.

(If you are a Marriott Elite member with access to the concierge lounge - this one was the nicest I have been to, with great food, a huge expanse with comfortable seating, etc etc)

I STRONGLY recommend that if you are staying a week or more in Costa Rica and plan to explore the country to spend your first night or two right here at the Marriott as well as your last night or two when you need to recover from driving the heavily pitted roads. You can take excursions from here into really interesting areas of both San Jose and the neighboring countryside to get your vacation started, acclimate to the culture and the temperature before hitting the road.

On the other end, nothing better than spending the last night or two knowing you are near the airport (return that rental car early and save $100+ bucks- the Marriott has a free shuttle - can do same on front end) and can relax by the spectacular pools and gardens while enjoying the Costa Rican sunshine.

Great hotel! A friend and I went down for a wedding that was held at the ballroom at this hotel. The pool is very nice and the open air hallways and spanish-style hacienda architecture really make for a great hotel stay. The service was quite good and the staff is very polite. However, this is ranked as a 5 star resort by international standards and I found two problems that would have NEVER happened in the states or europe. #1, the "mini-bar" guy comes by your room on a daily basis around 10am. I found this very annoying as in San Jose you party very late and do not want to be bothered by someone to check your mini bar for the chips you may have eaten when you came in the night before. Obviously, I am willing to pay for anything I take but this should be counted by the maid when he/she cleans your room. Also, I was looking for a shoe shine as I was attending a wedding and this was not available. Other than that, great hotel and good price!