Hotels Near Volcán Poás in Poas

Am greatly enjoying my stay in Costa Rica and here in lovely La Garita at the Martino Hotel. The hotel itself is quite special -- guests stay in separate tile-roofed buildings spread across the lush, green grounds. I imagine that the views from each room must be quite unique and special. It was so enjoyable sitting and reading on the deck outside my room watching the nearby bamboo forest sway in the gentle wind while listening to the fascinating calls of many species of birds perched in the many species of trees. Extra 5 stars and muchas gracias to the very helpful and friendly staff whose efficiency really impressed me (the hotel was hosting a conference when I stayed there in event space not far from my room, so I could witness first hand how hard the hotel team was working).

I appreciated that the room was spotlessly clean, with all sorts of amenities. The staff was very proactive and helpful, and the location right across from the airport was the main reason I chose it. The problem, though, is that our room (#135) had no window curtains to block out light. All it had was a flimsy screen that you could easily see through. I imagine anyone passing by the first floor room would have been able to see inside the room, because it was easy to see outside through the screen. At night-which comes very early in the tropics-the light from eight powerfully bright lights in the parking lot lit up our room. There was no way to darken the room, the light was so bright you could have read by it. None. Hence I got NO sleep because the room was lit up. Please, put up black out curtains.

PROS: Very clean, air conditioned and modern for a good rate. Wifi and decent breakfast included. The stromanthe triostar plants in the lobby were very nice. CONS: Staff is miserable and takes no accountability for customer service. Stephanie literally lies to your face and tries to overcharge you. Examples: -”oh your safe is broken? just reset with code 123456.” nope. the safe code was set by a previous guest and left open so this didn't fix the problem. We had to take all our valuables on a 13 hour tour because of this - very inconvenient. -”oh, you need another towel because we only gave you 2 despite 3 people in the room? we'll send someone up right away”. no one ever shows. when you call back, if they ever pick up, they say the same thing. -”your shuttle from the airport is confirmed and the driver will have a sign with your name on it” nope; after a long trip we had no one to pick us up. The driver didn't have my booking (he had another name on the sign), so he called the hotel and they confirmed nothing had been booked for us. -”well there's no booking because you obviously have to book it in advance; how would we know you need a shuttle?”. Excuse me? Yes, in fact, I did book it in advance and showed them the email chain (7 emails) with her own confirmation 3 days earlier! -”ok so you found the driver, perfect”. No, not perfect as we've been searching in the sweltering heat, walking up and down through the crowds for 45 minutes with a small child after a long trip. An apology, not a dismissal would be more appropriate in this situation. After speaking to the driver and Stephanie (we are still in the heat outside the airport), Stephanie who confirmed the booking by email then blamed her colleague who in fact didn't book it, And, they still charged us $16 USD for it - which was like rubbing salt in the wound. -”it will be an additional $20 USD for the shuttle” - when they previous told me $16 USD (thankfully in writing) -”it will be $16 USD to have a child in the room” - when my confirmation clearly shows children stay free (thankfully in writing) -guests aren't ”allowed to use the stairs”; long wait for the elevator

We stayed at this hotel at 3 occasions between February and March 2024 and it is a good hotel for a short stay. Rooms, amenities, breakfast, ..., all very enjoyable. I would especially like to mention the front desk clerk Andrey Gomez who was very professional and attentive, with a 'let's solve the problem' attitude. This can not be said about our shuttle driver. We needed a shuttle to the airport (outside the hours when it is free) and the driver was late and upped the pre-arranged price en route to the airport. Due to a misunderstanding with my co-passenger (my mistake) I overpaid the driver, who did not blink and cashed the money, giving himself a 50% tip on an already overpriced ride. This person should be fired immediately.

We stayed in this hotel in March 2023 for one night. The staff at the front desk were superb, and the room was clean. The hotel is extremely close to the airport, which makes it a great place to stay for your first night in Costa Rica. Noise from the hallways did carry into the rooms, but other than that, everything was great!