Hotel Grano de Oro

Top choice in San José


It's easy to see why honeymooners love it here. Built around a sprawling early 20th-century Victorian mansion, this elegant inn has 39 demure ‘Tropical Victorian’ rooms with wrought-iron beds and rich brocade linens. Some rooms boast private courtyards with gurgling fountains, and a rooftop garden terrace offers two bubbling Jacuzzis. The whole place sparkles with tropical flowers and polished-wood accents.

If you want to experience the Costa Rica of a gilded age, this is the place to do it.

The restaurant is incredible.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby San José attractions

1. Museo de Arte Costarricense

0.4 MILES

This Spanish-style structure served as San José’s main airport terminal until 1955. The remodeled museum features regional art, a sculpture garden, a huge…

2. Monumento León Cortés

0.4 MILES

This bronze statue of the 1930s Costa Rican president stands regally at the eastern entrance to La Sabana park.

4. Mercado Borbón

0.72 MILES

The Mercado Borbón is a true sensory experience of sights and smells, and you might catch the daily hand-truck race among the workers. The focus is on…

5. Parque Metropolitano La Sabana

0.74 MILES

Once the site of San José’s main airport, this 72-hectare green space at the west end of Paseo Colón is home to a regional art museum, a lagoon and…

6. ICE Building

0.74 MILES

Headquarters for the Costa Rican Electricity Institute.

7. Mercado Central

0.74 MILES

Though josefinos mainly do their shopping at chain supermarkets, San José’s crowded indoor markets retain an old-world, authentic feel. This main market,…