Hotel Bamboo Aeropuerto

We stayed at this hotel on two separate nights as it is close to the airport and convenient to stay at overnight if your flight lands late or leaves very early. It is a small, privately owned little hotel, fairly simple but it has everything you need. There is a shower, kitchenette with a plug-in hot plate, microwave, blender, kettle, coffee maker and small fridge (larger than mini size). The hotel is in the middle of Alajuela City, a small town North of the Juan Santamaria International Airport. Below are some pluses and minuses we found staying there: Pros - kitchenette and full size fridge are big bonuses as well as the free breakfast (coffee/tea, juice, eggs, pico gallo (rice and beans), sausage and plantains is what we had - buffet style) 6:30 - 8:30 AM. Proximity to airport is a big bonus, so if you have to Uber or Taxi, it's only a few dollars. You can also drive there, they do have 3 parking spots (first come first serve basis - you need to let the owner know ASAP if you need parking). More on that later. Vicky, the owner, is extremely accommodating and will make sure someone is there to greet you even if she's not there herself. She will check in via Whatsapp usually, so good to have a WiFi connection at the airport or contact her in advance if you won't have a connection. She appreciates a heads up if your flight is delayed etc and is very understanding and patient. Hotel had everything we needed, including A/C (wall mounted) and a balcony looking out onto the street and church across the road. There is shampoo/soap in the shower, as well as some cotton rounds, tissues and some tea/coffee (not a lot). Cons - if you like fancy hotels, don't book this and complain later ;) I have read reviews from people that clearly didn't understand what they signed up for. This is a small, private hotel and as such, there is some wear and tear on the rooms and some things are in a bit of disrepair. The second room we stayed at had a very noisy A/C unit (leaving the vane in a fixed position fixed the noise issue) and had a bit more wear than the first. If you need a very quiet environment to sleep, bring earplugs as there were cars, trucks and scooters going up and down the streets pretty much all night (I am a very light sleeper). Some of the rooms are a bit quieter because the bedroom is separated from the kitchenette and balcony by a door but some are not. PARKING - if you rented a large car/truck, I would strongly advise against trying to park at the hotel. There are only 3 parking spots and it is VERY tight. I drove a Nissan sedan and it took me a good 5-10 minutes to get in and park. There is very little street parking as well as a lot of traffic during the day. Overall, a good experience with this hotel - it was convenient and simple.

We had a lovely two-night stay to start out our honeymoon in Costa Rica! We received a friendly greeting from one of the owners, who only spoke Spanish, but we were able to check in with our intermediate knowledge of the language. The room was cute and cozy and had a nice balcony, big closet, and comfortable bed. The breakfast was also amazing! The only negative was the parking area which was quite small for our SUV rental car. Also, be prepared for a lot of street noise. Our white noise machine helped drown that out, though. Overall we had a very pleasant experience at Bamboo Aparthotel!