Lobby was deceivingly classy - rooms were worse than a dingy American motel. Beds were uncomfortable, pillows were rocks, the TV didn't work, and the lighting was insufficient. The telephones malfunctioned so there was an annoying ring every half hour or so - the best the hotel staff could do was unplug the whole phone system. The food in the restaurant was not good, but expensive. Whole experience was not worth the price! Try the Holiday Inn Aurola or skip downtown San Jose altogether and stay just outside of the city at the Courtyard Marriott...

I made reservations for 5 rooms at the Clarion Amon hotel in downtown San Jose Costa Rica for one night. We travel a lot and one member of our group is a double amputee. In most foreign countries wheelchair accessibility is non existent but we try to stay somewhere with a lift or room on first floor. I was given the email address of the hotel and advised them of our situation, they acknowledged and when we arrived they installed some handicap items that weren't really necessary (we are always concerned about bathroom door width) but they truly went way beyond to try to accomodate us. The rooms were average hotel rooms but the hotel was very clean and inviting. We speak spanish but the hotel staff spoke excellent English and the restaurant/cafe breakfast was wonderful and you can sit outside. It was very good value.

Other information - at the airport you go to the official taxi booth and pay for your taxi for which you get a receipt and someone gets your taxi. For 10 people with all our luggage it was $18 and we kept the driver to take us to dinner and show us around that night.

Tucson, Az

I stayed at the Amon Plaza hotel back in Feb. of this year. I have visited Costa Rica many times in the past and have always stayed at the Presidente hotel. Unfortunately, there was a conference of some sorts in town the week of my trip and the Presidente was all booked up. After doing some searches on the net for a hotel as good as the Presidente, I came upon this lil dump. The staff there was completely useless. Fees were up the ying-yang and changed on a daily basis. The casino in the hotel is a joke. The rooms are slightly decent. The phone didn't work and you had to run into the door at full speed in order to make sure it was completely shut, otherwise the wind would blow it open. The only good thing I can say about the hotel, was the maids were pretty cool. They hung out and drank with us all afternoon. So, if you want to hang with some maids, this is the place for you, if not.... avoid it. It is pretty far from the Del Rey and downtown area.

We found this hotel to be most pleasant. We stayed there twice, at the beginning and end of a tour. The rooms were more than adequate, with 2 king-sized beds, and were in fact non-smoking, as we had requested. The lobby was filled with bouquets of exotic flowers. The staff was most solicitous and spoke good English. The location is in a quiet residential area, yet not far from downtown. I would recommend this hotel. It is an excellent value.