Eeekk, I Have to Stay @ Airport in Costa Rica! Should I Stay in Alajuela or San José or Escazú?

I'm so glad you asked!

I KNOW THE ANSWER.

If you’re like most people, you probably just need a place to put your head for a quick night—either because your flight gets in late to Costa Rica, or your flight leaves from Costa Rica super early (which is often the case).

IF THAT IS YOU...then you should stay at the Courtyard Marriott in Alajuela, next to the City Mall. That's not a sponsored link, it's just my preference. It's right across the street from the airport, and it's the newest hotel out of the few that are there, and it's reasonable for a Marriott. (The other two are a Holiday Inn Express and a Hampton Inn, both near the airport, but they're much more dated.)

Both downtown San José and Escazú are a bit of a hike from the airport, but if you've got extra time and want to explore, here's the scoop on both of those. Downtown San José is, well....industrial. It's a bit—and I say this with love—seedy. You won't want to spend much time walking around downtown, let's put it that way. It is one of my least favorite things about Costa Rica, and no, it does not feel safe. (In fact, one time we went to Guatemala City and were SO IMPRESSED with how clean and amazing everything was, Carlos and I joked that you know you're in trouble when Guatemala City is nicer than yours?) As a city girl, this makes me so sad, because I would love if it San José were pedestrian friendly and awesome, but that part's still quite a bit behind. That said, the rest of the country, however, is FREAKING BEAUTIFUL. With amazing amenities!

That said, there is one really amazing hotel in downtown San José that is very boutique and very swank and very high-end luxe—in an old Victorian house converted into a hotel. It's called Grano de Oro, it's got cool history, and a fabulous restaurant.

Escazú, on the other hand, is where the capital's coolest—and wealthiest—hang out.

It's got malls and plazas and high-end shopping and very sexy restaurants, butttt...it's not walkable. Not one bit. Like, not even a little tiny bit. It’s very mall. It's an area that's located off of a highway, and you really need a car to get around. You could stay at one of the hotels in the neighborhood and just grab taxis, but it's not going to be anything particularly cultural. However, I do stay at the Holiday Inn Escazu a lot because, unlike Holiday Inns in the United States, this one feels like a new, modern, cool, contemporary hotel. It's also next to not one, but two plazas with tons of swanky restaurants, so at least you can walk around there. But if we're going to the airport, we usually stay in Alajuela, instead. See above.

All that said, all three of these place are in the same general cosmopolitan area, so wherever you stay, none are too terribly far from the airport. Just remember to get there early enough to pay your exit tax (if your airline doesn’t already include it) and wait in what sometimes can be a long line (or a really short one!) since the airport is rather cute and fun-size.