Housed in a former family home, this elegant boutique hotel is a welcome refuge in the heart of this (somewhat unattractive) city.

It takes more than a high thread-count on your sheets to make a great hotel. And this one delivers with outstanding service. They were pleased to oblige on all our requests.

I would pass on meals at the restaurant though. There are much better options in town.

An exceptionally fine hotel with an excellent restaurant.
Composed of an historic structure seamslessly integrated with more modern additions, all featuring dark woodwork and striking interior spaces, creating a sense of timeless elegance.
Rooms offer high ceilings, spacious bathrooms, comfortable mattresses, tasteful appointments. Service staff at every level is pleasant, courteous and efficient. Highly recommended.

We have stayed at this hotel and have lived through their growing pains. This hotel, bigger and better, still offers the best service in town. The restaurant is unbelievable as is the customer service. Highly recommend.

We stayed our last two nights in Costa Rica in San Jose after a 10-day honeymoon trip and loved the Grano de Oro. Our room was nice with a little patio and fountain, the house was beautiful and the restaurant/courtyard was amazing. We had dinner our first night there which was delicious and in a great setting. We walked around San Jose that first day and weren't too impressed, so we decided to take a day-trip to Arenal volcano, which the hotel set up and was a nice way to spend our last day in Costa Rica. Overall, I would highly recommend Grano de Oro if you have to stay in San Jose, but it was nothing compared to Mal Pais where we were for the bulk of our trip!