Fleur De Lys Hotel — Hotel in Catedral

I brought my family to the Fluer di Lys some 18 years after my first visit to San Jose. Then, I was traveling solo and had not a care for travel plans or schedules. It was a wonderful journey that changed my life. |This trip would be different. Traveling as s family, I wanted to expose my teenage sons and wife to the beauty of Costa Rica but understood that there would need to be some planning to get experience I happened upon two decades before. |Andres, at the Fluer di Lys was a great help with assisting me arrange everything from airport pick up to destination options while in country. |We traveled back and forth across the country, using the hotel as our central hub and regrouping point. |The hotel serves a daily Costa Rican breakfast (free) and is located close to good restaurants, museums and parks. All within a few minutes walk. |Lavanka, the afternoon front desk clerk, was really helpful when we we’re choosing places to eat. As we walked around the area we would note the eateries and ask her about them. She gave honest opinions, steering us away from a couple of places and towards others. |As for family sit down dining, expect to pay around 20-25 dollars per plate. There are cheaper options too. They’re usually walk up counters or small bodega style store fronts that offers a quick meal for about half the sit down restaurant. Keep in mind, there is a large tax added to meals (23%) and a fixed gratuity (10%). |I’d also recommend exchanging currency in the airport. The hotel does have some cash and offers a fair exchange but for larger amounts (100US or more) they might not have it. |Also, taxis are cash only. Have Colonies ready so you can discuss and pay for the trip upfront. |The only low I’d say is the hotel had a wonderful restaurant and separate bar the first time I was there. This time they were closed for remodeling but should be open by fall of ‘23. |I hope this review helps you make your decision on where to stay while in San Jose....

Treating guests properly should be priority no matter what kind of hotel one is staying over for a vacation especially when it's their first time visiting the city. It improves the guest’s experience and if treated fairly guests will recommend it to circle of friends and family.

That's being said, my experience here was none of that. I can overlook and ignore the small room and the loud train near by. But when being treated poorly due to "policy and procedures" which makes no sense regarding the "free secured parking" which is one per guest's room but I was being denied a pass because the vehicle was not mine but a friend's that just needed it to park for 5hrs, hence a pass was provided the night before.

In addition to their stupid policies, visitors cannot come to the room even if it's for 30min or less as guests get ready (no signs posted anywhere in the lobby nor written about visitors) which the front desk receptionist allowed my guest to come in but then later questioned me about it..any trust I had with the hotel was lost since providing the basic services in question above turned to be a problem and no manager was around to resolve it.

If the hotel's own staff break their rules and are not consistent with their "policies and procedures" guests should NOT be penalized or frown upon!

Guests should feel comfortable and welcomed but none of this makes sense if the way that guests are treated is NOT how it should be! Therefore, future guests beware of this place! I highly do...

The official photos for this property must have been taken at least 20 years ago. It is really run down now. The room had no AC, even though the listing mentioned it. So I opened the window, only to see a car drive up, and the driver promptly crossed the street and urinated on the wall in broad daylight! Ugh. Also, the view out of both our rooms was a tin roof covered in pigeon feces, and tons of very sickly looking pigeons. It was disgusting, and I was afraid to leave the window open more than an inch or so. There was lots of noise from a train and bus station, and I was afraid to walk to the market a few blocks down the street. I just didn't feel safe at all. The property was supposed to have a bar and restaurant, but they were both dark/closed on a Friday night. The hallways and interior were dark, dreary, and very outdated. Breakfast was a joke. A guy came by and put down a tiny glass of orange juice, and bowl of fruit and then disappeared. There was no menu even though we were supposed to be able to order hot food. We never saw any employee again, and gave up and left after 20 minutes. We paid $90 for each room, and honestly, this felt more like a hostel than a 3 star hotel. It might have been acceptable for $30. Luckily, we just stayed for one night before our flight home the next morning. I would not book this property again.

On the plus side, the linens and bathroom were clean. Staff was helpful to help us find a market. Some of the...