Highlights
- Good value central hotel
- 20 minutes from airport
- Lovely rooftop bar/restaurant
- Coffee shop, gym, spa
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Hotel Presidente is a centrally located, midrange hotel in the buzzing capital city of San Jose, in the Central Valley region of Costa Rica. This comfortable downtown property offers 92 rooms and suites, an airy rooftop bar and restaurant, and a coffee shop, gym and spa, all located in the heart of the city, within walking distance of key visitor sites including museums, parks, restaurants and shopping areas. With San Jose’s international airport only 20 minutes’ drive away, the Presidente is a good value option for a stopover at the start or end a Costa Rica visit.
Communal areas include a smart, contemporary rooftop restaurant and bar, with an airy alfresco terrace filled with bougainvillea and great views of the Central Valley and surrounding peaks. Open from afternoons till late, it offers welcome respite from the busy streets below. The ground floor News Café Restaurant is an ideal spot for people watching. It is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and the menu includes international and Costa Rican dishes. There’s a gym on the 7th floor, and beauty treatments and massages are available at the tranquil in-house spa.
The hotel’s central location makes it a great base for exploring the sights of this lively metropolis. The city’s bustling Central Market, popular with locals and visitors alike, is a few minutes’ walk away. The verdant Parque Central is also within easy reach, along with the National Museum, the elegant National Theatre, and the Jade Museum.
The accommodation comprises 92 rooms and suites, varying in size. Compact standard rooms have a double or twin beds, an ensuite bathroom and a comfortable lounge area with floor-to-ceiling windows and a small private balcony. Substantial ‘spa’ rooms offer king size beds, lounge areas and Jacuzzi baths. Suites are larger again, and contain a king or twin bedroom, a separate lounge, a spacious bathroom (many including a double Jacuzzi), and a private balcony with lovely views of the distant Central Mountains. Most impressive of all, the master suite boasts two king size bedrooms and a whopping 1900 square feet of living space, including an airy living room, dining room, bar, and bathroom with open air shower and large Jacuzzi. All rooms come with satellite TV, air conditioning, complimentary Wi-Fi, a minibar, and room service. Due to some access issues with accommodation on higher floors, we recommend only taking rooms on the first three floors of the hotel.
Children are extremely welcome at the Presidente. Guests up to 12 years of age stay free of charge when sharing a room with adults, and standard rooms accommodate up to three guests.
It really was absolutely amazing. Faisal was wonderful (our driver for the majority of the trip) – such a lovely person and made everything feel so easy and relaxed. The whole experience was incredibly well put together and completely seamless from start to finish. The Sahara Desert was definitely the highlight for me – truly unforgettable – but honestly every part of the trip was special.
Mandy S
reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains
on 05 May 2026
I just wanted to say thank you so much for organising such an amazing holiday.
We absolutely loved it, even though Jessica was ready to give up walking for good ????
Our guide, Mustafa, was great. Really helpful, friendly and informative.
We loved all the accommodation, and especially the first night and the Riad.
All of the staff at every location were so friendly and helpful.
Thanks again for organising such a great trip.
Rebecca H
reviewing Marrakech & Mountains Family Holiday
on 09 April 2026
Thank you yet again for another meticulously organised and executed holiday (our 5th with you). Every aspect worked perfectly.
Please could you pass on our sincere thanks to your agent in Sri Lanka; Lakshita, our driver and guide, absolutely made the trip for us - he was so keen for us to have the best experience possible. He was organised, kind, interested, punctual, the car was always spotless, and he was an excellent driver. His extensive knowledge was really appreciated by us and was exactly what we had hoped for in a guide. I think the highlight for us was our day in Anuradhapura (7 hours of absorbing history and culture), but there was so much to learn and absorb every day. He also made several suggestions for things that he thought we might like that weren't in our itinerary, and then booked them for us. These included an ayurvedic massage after climbing Sigiriya, a cultural show (an hour of touristy fun!), reef snorkelling with turtles (a real highlight for me - I wish we could have stayed all day), a lagoon boat trip and visit to a cinnamon island, a turtle sanctuary visit, and a gemstone factory visit. He also managed to get us a private tour of Lunanguga, which Peter thoroughly enjoyed. We also really enjoyed the tea factory tour.
Our guide for the hike was also really excellent, and he and Lakshita made sure that our day was perfectly tailored to our (my) ability.
All our accommodation was also perfectly selected. Our favourite was the Ceylon tea trails bungalow (just perfect!), but The Villa Bentota came a close second as a perfect way to relax at the end of the trip. Our villa and the grounds at Uga at Ulagalla were also beautiful.
(Our only slightly disappointing day was the whale watching - no whales wanted to be seen on that particular day, plus I was very sea-sick despite taking meds! The tour organisers offered us a repeat day the following day, which we declined! Having said that, being out on the water was still enjoyable, up to a point...).
I'm sure I've missed out something - we basically loved it all and felt that the balance of the itinerary was perfect for us (we used the 'rest' day in Galle to do the snorkelling, lagoon, and turtles)
Thank you very, very much.
fiona g
reviewing Sri Lanka Highlights - Classic
on 27 March 2026