La Riviera Hotel

A perfect non-airport, airport hotel. The free shuttleservice takes you from the airport in ten minutes to this quiet and well designed hotel with perfect rooms situated in a garden. The restaurant caters perfectly for the weary traveller, and serves a generous breakfast. Pizza's after arriving in the late evening were of almost Italian standards and a real treat! Staff is superfriendly and compared to many other restaurants and hotels in the region very quick and accurate; they know what the airport traveller needs. Aircon also worked without being noisy and that's a plus when you have just been in a plane for ten hours...

It's a great hotel with a local touch, but don't expect it to be your final destination; it is catering for the traveller as the perfect airport hotel.

Close to the airport - best place to land and go from: a free private shuttle back/forth is provided by La Riviera, if you let them know what you need (in time) they will help you out (with anything) the best they can. They also have a good parking lot to exchange rental vehicles and a fine restaurant (try the stone-oven baked pizza!) where they also provide a reasonable breakfast. The rooms are.. let's say efficient enough but there is also a nice clean pool for your kids to cool off if necessary ;)

As I said, the rooms are efficient but rather small and outdated - but in our case, we did not come for the cosy room in the first place so in fact there is NOTHING that we did not like.

We stayed here twice during our trip for our airport hotel... so upon arrival, and then before flying out at the end of our trip. The shuttle was on time, check in was easy and smooth. The property is very nice, we had the pool area to ourselves. The shaded seating area is super comfy and again, nice and quiet. The beds were good. Bugs here and there but that's a given in Costa Rica, nothing too crazy. It was a bit loud, some barking dogs early in the morning, traffic noises, etc but it's near the city so expected. Included breakfast was nice. And the restaurant was great for supper or late drinks, knowing some simple Spanish will help here! I have very basic (like 6 weeks of duolingo lol) and got along ok with communication. The front desk staff and shuttle driver were very fluent in English and friendly. We had a bit of a hiccup with our rental car return before leaving and the front desk person got it all sorted for us over the phone in Spanish which was above and beyond his job so was much appreciated. Would stay again next trip!

The hotel was recommended to me by a friend for an early flight as it is close to the airport They include, a free breakfast and hotel shuttle and were really friendly and responsive, check in was so easy The evening meal in the restaurant was really nice and felt relaxing and adapted to a food allergy

The cat that kept running across the roof overnight, having volunteered at a rescue I'm used to being surrounded by the animals but this one just didn't seem to stop Also the bedroom was a little disorganised, the bed had clearly been moved as the headboard was behind a table and the TV above the pillows - I only occasionally watch it Lastly breakfast felt rushed, I sat down and an order was expected immediately, even though I asked for a minute to decide, that said it was a nice breakfast and a nice change from the usual offerings of rice, beans, sausages in sauce and scrambled eggs

The 2 most amazing people at the front desk, Marlena & Esteban were great. I had shuttle service included picking me up from the airport then brought back in the morning for a domestic flight. Breakfasts - A vegetarian omelette with unlimited fruit and fresh orange juice. Delicious and included in my stay. I sat down and they served me. It was not a buffet like I expected, which made it even more awesome. Girls at the restaurant made me feel welcome and were very kind This is where I’m staying everytime I come to Costa Rica for a layover Came solo and felt safe walking a bit around but did not go far. Has a nice pool area too

Thin walls No partying going on so I still had a decent sleep

The property is an older property that has been well taken care of. It is beautiful with all the flowers and foliage. the breakfast was really excellent. I was looking for a hotel airport that wasn’t a United States brand. I loved that this hotel was perfect for my first night in Costa Rica. All the employees were so kind and welcoming. For those who like a nice bar this hotel has one, and the bar food was outstanding! They even have their own shuttle.

The car ride from the airport to the hotel felt a little sketchy at times. But once we arrived at the hotel we were happily surprised. In the morning walking around I noticed we were in neighborhood which was green and beautiful.

Location and amenities were what attracted us to the hotel. Free airport transfers, on site bar and restaurant (open for breakfast and into the night for drinks too), plus the pool. It was great. Staff helped us learn of the bussing schedule and location to get to downtown San Jose, so we didn't have to Uber every time. Not only is the center of San Antonio just an 8 minute walk down the hill, there are restaurants up on the hill with the hotel within walking distance too. Originally we were just going to bookend our trip here to be close to the airport, but ended up extending dates for the whole time we wanted to be near San Jose, as it had everything we needed.

The shuttle to and from the airport was efficient. The drivers were friendly. The staff was helpful and knowledgeable. The restaurant on-site was delicious. We left too early to have breakfast. There were hummingbirds flying around the plants and a beautiful arbor filled with hanging flowers on the walkway to registration! There was greenhouse where they grow food for the restaurant just outside our room.

The only "con" I could list is that the pool was completely in shade while we were there. I am not sure if that is most evenings or just due to the time of year we visited. There was no reception staff during the night or the very early morning, which could be a con for some visitors, it was not an issue for us.

The staff was very responsive to our inquiries & requests (both via Booking.com & WhatsApp). There were a restaurant, bakery & deli on site which made it very convenient for meal & food options. They have complimentary/free airport shuttle. Breakfast was included in our hotel rate. Overall, the hotel had a nice, European B&B vibe in its layout and building structure.

The walls are thin & sounds carry through them. The baby in the room next to ours cried several times during the night which woke me up every time. We arrived in the evening, after dark. The swimming pool seemed small. We only stayed overnight, but would’ve like more time to enjoy more of the property.

The proximity to the airport was great. It was far enough away that you did not hear major air traffic (you do hear some) but also close enough that it is a quick ride to and from. The provided airport transportation and the transportation to the rental car facility. The restaurant on property was fantastic. The food was really good with a range of options from traditional Costa Rican meals to simple classics. The property is very responsive through the Booking messenger and Whatsapp.

This is not as much of something I didn't like, but more of a setting of expectations. The rooms are not highly decorated like you might find in other places. The rooms are simple in decoration, but I found that to be consistent throughout my time in Costa Rica. It did not bother me, but if you are not expecting it you might not like it.