New place to stay by Juan Santamaria Airport

For what ever reason, it seems that all flights I take to Costa Rica arrive at night and all flights that leave Costa Rica have early morning departure times. Since it's a 4 hour mountainous drive to my house, these schedules require an overnight in San Jose. As the capitol city, San Jose offers a wide price range of accommodations but I usually prefer to stay close to the airport (which is actually in Alajuela). I'm either tired from traveling all day or the departure time is so early I can't risk getting stuck in city traffic and missing my flight. Of course, staying by the airport usually means paying top dollar as well, so I am always on the lookout for a reasonably-priced hotel. The one I found this time around is a real gem. Casa Antigua is literally minutes from the airport, just 800m east of the Casino Fiesta (where the much higher priced Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn Express are located). The local bus stops outside of it's door making the trip to downtown San Jose all of 80 cents – a taxi will cost about $25.

The decor throughout this hotel is amazing. From the plush lobby to the elaborate paintings adorning the floors this place is NOT ordinary. There are hand-crafted and painted tables, stools and walls. Bold, colorful and ornate textiles dress the lobby, restaurant and garden hookah lounge. Yes, there is a hookah lounge with large cushioned chaises to relax on in the garden. By now you're probably wondering about the “things” that most people go to hotels for. The rooms. Clean and comfortable with cable television. The service. Friendly and efficient. The extras. There is a computer in the lobby with internet hook-up that customers can use at no expense. And, they start putting food at before 5 AM so anyone with an early morning flight can still have some coffee, toast, fresh fruit, cereal or sweet breads before leaving. All is included in the cost, which for me (single) was only $49 plus tax. I already plan to stay there when I meet Gordie at the airport later this month. Only this time I may arrive early and try out that hookah lounge!