Hotel Colonial

San José


An intricately carved baroque-style carriage door and an arched poolside promenade usher guests into this 1940s Spanish-style inn. The 16 rooms and one suite are either whitewashed or painted an earthy mustard-yellow, with dark-wood furnishings and bright bedspreads. Those on higher floors have sweeping views of the city and outlying mountains. Three ground-level rooms are wheelchair-accessible.

The parking is not onsite, but a short distance from the hotel.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby San José attractions

2. Plaza de la Democracia

0.14 MILES

Between the Museo Nacional and the Museo de Jade is the stark Plaza de la Democracia, which was constructed by President Oscar Arias in 1989 to…

3. Museo del Jade

0.14 MILES

This museum houses the world’s largest collection of American jade (pronounced ‘ha-day’ in Spanish), with an ample exhibition space of five floors…

4. Museo Nacional de Costa Rica

0.17 MILES

Entered via a beautiful glassed-in atrium housing an exotic butterfly garden, this museum provides a quick survey of Costa Rican history. Exhibits of pre…

5. Asamblea Legislativa

0.22 MILES

Costa Rica's congress meets in this grand structure – known as the 'blue castle' – in the center of San José. It's scheduled to be replaced by a…

6. Teatro Nacional

0.23 MILES

On the southern side of the Plaza de la Cultura resides the Teatro Nacional, San José’s most revered building. Constructed in 1897, it features a columned…

8. Plaza de la Cultura

0.24 MILES

This architecturally unremarkable concrete plaza in the heart of downtown is usually packed with locals slurping ice-cream cones and admiring the wide…