My wife and I stayed 4 days at Hotel Bougainvillea and loved it. This was our first time to Costa Rica and really didn't know much about the area in which we were staying, but the staff of Bougainvillea made our stay a pleasant experience. The gardens were beautiful and the hotel itself was well maintained. The staff was always helpful if we had questions and was able to get us transportation when needed. Instead of renting a car we decided to get around by taxi. The hotel hooked us up with one of the best driver's by the name of Mario. One day he took us to Paos Volcano, La Paz Waterfall and to many other places for a great price. We even had lunch with him at a great restaurant he recommended near La Paz which served the typical Costa Rican cuisine for a great price. All three of us ate a great mean for only $14.00. I wish I could remember the name of the place, but I can't. So, if you ever go to Bougainvillea and need someone to take you around I highly recommend Mario to be your driver for a day.

The restaurant at the hotel is pretty good, but can be a bit expensive for some things. They charge you for refills on coke and tea. If you are in a hurry you may want to eat somewhere else, because the servers don't usually seem to provide quick service. This just might Costa Rican thing, I'm not sure. I do have to say that it was my birthday when I was there and our waiter brought me a piece of cheesecake with strawberries and whip cream, with a candle on it. Plus, they played Happy Birthday on the player piano for me and everyone in the restaurant clapped. So that was pretty cool. We ordered room service once and we had our food in about 15 minutes. So I was impressed by that.

There is no air conditioning in the hotel but you really don't notice it unless you are in the room during the day. At night time it was quite comfortable with the windows open. The only thing that kind of bothered me was in the mornings when some dogs next to the hotel barked constantly. There is also a school next door to the hotel and so if you like to sleep in -- forget it. One morning, about 8:00, they had band practice outside and they played for over an hour. The drummer was really going to town, if you know what I mean. Of course, we were already up -- but again, if you like to sleep in you probably won't get to.

Overall, our experience at Hotel Bougainvillea was a good one. If we take a trip to the San Jose area again we will definitely stay at Bougainvillea.

We spent a week at the Bougainvillea, and we were absolutely thrilled with our choice. First, the location is excellent. Not too far from San Jose or the airport, but enough to feel like you are getting away from it all. Every staff member was helpful and courteous, from front desk, to restaurant, to housekeeping. They brought a crib to my room for my infant son and even changed his crib linens mid-week (didn't even ask). The restaurant is very reasonably priced and has an elegant but comfortable atmosphere. Try the "gallo pinto con huevos" for breakfast, plus the homemade yogurt. Rooms are spacious, beds very cozy. The highlight was the beautiful garden - the mornings were filled with butterflies and birds, and at night take a flashlight to the frog ponds! It is no surprise we saw many different types of visitors, families with children, business travelers, couples, and seniors. I highly recommend and will stay here again. If you are travelling with kids, I do not advise staying anywhere near San Jose. The Bougainvillea has free shuttle service to San Jose if you want to see museums and such, and Heredia is a much more family-friendly place to stay.

My husband and I stayed here on the first and last nights of our Costa Rica vacation. One of our favorite things about this hotel was the acres of beautiful gardens to explore. There is also a swimming pool and sauna, and tennis courts, though we didn't use any of those. The restaurant served very good food at a reasonable price. Rooms were comfortable, although they could use some new pillows. There is no air conditioning, but we were quite comfortable anyway, even though this was the start of the rainy season. Rooms do have cable TV and phones. The Costa Rican company that arranged our vacation had a car and driver to take us to and from the airport, which was about 20 minutes away. We would stay here again.

stayed at the hotel bougainvilla one night (first night in costa rica); room consisted of 2 double beds; writing area; tv; bathroom with washing and makeup area and shower. rooms are adequate, not luxurious; all rooms ( i think) have balconies overlooking the gardens. gardens are beautiful, well tended, many birds. dining room very nice- food adequate- good. cerviche was very good. meal prices very reasonable. as stated in frommer's- "a value find"