I just came back from a trip to Costa Rica where I stayed at the Real Intercontinental. This is not my first stay at this hotel and I generally like it, but this time something happened which spoiled my stay. First let me say that the hotel facilities are fine, large rooms and the location of the hotel (although a bit far from the city center, about 45 minutes depending on traffic) is good mainly because of its proximity to the mall. However, on this particular trip, some money was stolen from my room (now, I travel quite a bit and this is actually the first time this happened to me). Clearly someone was looking for money, as it was stolen from a pouch which was in my suitcase, which was in the closed. It's not necessarily the fact that money was stolen that bothered me so much (although it did somewhat), but the way that the Management of the hotel responded. First it appears that the policy is not to reimburse guests when such a thing happens. So basically what I was told was" we are sorry this happened to you, but there is nothing we can do". What kind of message is this sending to their employees? Clearly they can steal anything from the room and nothing will happen to them (it is only the guests who are inconvenienced). Needless to say that I will not be staying there again and I would advise anyone who is considering it to hold on to their valuables.

We stayed at the Real InterContinental for two nights in February, the first night on our arrival in San Jose and the second night on our return from a week in Santa Teresa. We found the hotel to be quite beautiful and comfortable. The hotel buffet breakfast was one of the best that I have every had. The hotel has just opened three specialty restaurants and we ate in one of them. The only complaint I would have was that the servings were enormous, but the food was good and the service was really outstanding. The staff were friendly and very helpful. Our room on each occasion was all you could ask for in a 5 star hotel - clean, comfortable, and convenient. The location is excellent - just across the street from a modern mall - and the hotel provides van service there. There is aso van service to the airport.

It is true the hotel is still undergoing renovations, but it is a great place to stay and will be even better when the renovations are complete.

I really enjoyed my time at the hotel. The staff was very nice but there English was not that great. Just a note, they will charge you $10/night for each additional person over 1 person in the room. I got a really good rate so I didn't bother too much to argue. Make sure to double check before you book. Room was excellent and clean. Pool area is very pretty with a nice little garden and big pool. Tennis Court and fitness area is also quite nice. They also have a salon/spa but I didn't use the services. The hotel is currently renovating so by December 2006, they will have a sushi, steak, and other food. I was told by other guests that the food currently wasn't that great. I ate mostly across the street at the mall. The mall had all your typical American Fast food and 4 sit down restaurants. Other than the mall, there isn't much else to do in the area. I think this hotel is ideal if you are going to be in San Jose for 2-3 days. I booked tours using the Swiss Travel Service (offices in the lobby). The tours were fantastic and decently priced. They pick up and drop off at the hotel so no hassles. I would highly recommend the Poas Volcano/La Paz Waterfall tour and the Canopy Tour. The hotel also has a free hotel-airport shuttle which runs during peak flight hours so another perk. Overall, I enjoyed my time at the hotel and would recommend it.

This hotel is clean, safe and luxurious with good food. But as bland as you can possibly get. There is abosultely no charm about it and it could really be anywhere. Much better to stay somewhere with a bit of a Latin American feel to it. Won't be staying here again.