first impressions
Finally, we're here in Costa Rica after a lengthy delay at DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth airport) due to unusual weather conditions and a subsequent need to de-ice the plane. Since snow is apparently a rarity in these parts, they assured us the de-icing team knew what it was doing, but despite their know-how, the queue was pretty long....
So once in San José, everything was cake. Got through customs in a jiffy, secured a $13 taxi (standard fare) to take us to Hotel Aranjuéz and got our room (which was not clear we'd have since no one at the hotel bothered to confirm the reservation via email). Traffic was smooth up until we got to the downtown area, though even there, it wasn't nearly as bad as traffic in say, Manila!
Anyway, because of the delay at DFW, we only arrived here around 4 or 5pm, instead of the originally scheduled 1pm-ish.
Hotel Aranjuéz looks much nicer on their website than it does in 3-D, but it's still a reasonably pleasant place to stay. It's located in the Barrio Amón district of San José, a supposedly safe neighborhood.
Our room had a fan, a television, a private bath with hot water, and the hotel itself offers internet service, a free buffet breakfast, and tour packages and discounts.
Since they had no on-site restaurant, though, we had to find dinner elsewhere. We opted for dinner at a vegetarian-friendly restaurant called Tin Jo, recommended by our guide book, The New Key to Costa Rica. We had samosas, pakoras, vegetable curry, and hot and sour soup. Very pleasant place. You wouldn't necessarily remember you were in Costa Rica. (US prices, too!), which brings me to just how terribly proliferous US chains are around here: KFC, Burger King, McDonald's (with their autoMac), Pizza Hut, Denny's, Quiznos, Subway, various car rental companies, Payless Shoe Source, etc. Egads. Haven't seen a Starbucks, though.
Overall, San José is pretty unremarkable, though folks here are quite friendly.
More from coffywoman here