Hotel Santo Tomas
3.0 out of 5.0
3.6
out of 5
Average Guest Review
See all 91 reviews
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Recent guest reviews
Very pleasant. The owner made every effort to make me feel comfortable. Breakfast was excellent.
is always the best place to stay in san jose costa rica
Friendly host and staff. Very helpful suggestions.
Hotel was great. Room was beautiful. Great service and staff was friendly. Breakfast was good. Close to city center and shopping. Enjoyed the fried chicken. Will stay there the next time I come to San Jose.
This is a small hotel, more like a bed and breakfast type rooms. It has a small pool and hot tub which was nice. The room were more like a bedroom than a hotel room. I live in Alaska and the owner has fished up here, so that was a nice connection. The hotel food is very expensive. There is a grocery store close by and vendors. It is walking distance to the Zoo and museums. Do not be scared by the bars on the windows and doors for security. It is that way everywhere in San Jose. This is not a tourist hotel, but rather a traveler hotel.
The rooms are nice, tiny pool, great staff But location isn't good.
this is my second home in costa rica my 11th time there i will never even think about go to any another hotel when in costa rica.
Right in the heart of everything! Super classy vintage feel. Great hot tub with water slide into the pool... Good breakfast. Super helpful staff. Kids loved it. Authentic and comfortable and affordable! Hard to complain about this one.
The hotel was nice. I was just using it while transitting. I was pleased with the accommodations and a hot shower. Staff was friendly and information was readily available.
What a great gem of a hotel/experience. Owner has put his heart and sole into hotel, and works every day to ensure an amazing, charming, warm, affordable luxury smack-dab in the heart of San Jose. About the hotel: all around wonderful. Clean, elegant rooms. Historic (converted from 19-20th century mansion) with fascinating charms and nooks everywhere. Fun inner sanctum with refreshing pool and awesome, best-in-city hot tub. Our room: spacious, with private separate bathroom with spacious shower. (most rooms in Costa rica have showers but not baths.) About safety: Ignore everything you read about this being a dangerous location. It is no more, or no less dangerous than any other place in San Jose. It's an urban, modern, Latin city. Be smart, but don't be worried. Easy to get to. Easy parking. Easy to walk/bus to anyplace. Would be great for Families Couples Backpackers who want affordable lux Business trips
it was just fine for one night. central location . All taxis seems to know it. The breakfast was basic.
My wife and I spent two nights at the Hotel Santo Tomas and really enjoyed it. It is an old building but it is kept very clean and we found the rooms to be very comfortable. Our room was good size and very quiet. There are several nice sitting areas where you can be inside or outside and access the wifi. The location is very good. It is near many nice restaurants and a short walk from the main downtown areas. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Besides handing the details of our stay, they booked tours and arranged cabs for us. Breakfast was included in the price of the room and there were several options. We chose the typical Costa Rican breakfast of gallo pinto with eggs. It is served in an outdoor restaurant area that was nice.
My husband and son loved this hotel. I am envious I wasn't along on this trip. They raved about the hotel, staff, etc. We are planning a 2015 trip to Costa Rica and plan to stay in the same hotel.
Hotel Santo Tomas is a very quaint hotel in the wrong place. While it is very close to downtown (only three blocks away from La Plaza de la Cultura) it's on the edge of the not-so-nice part of town. During the day it was fine, but I didn't feel comfortable going out at night (granted I am a woman and I was traveling alone... it would probably be fine in a group). On the bright side, the room was very comfortable and clean. My room was fairly quiet because it was in a back corner, but in the main part of the hotel it could get quite loud, especially on Friday night when you could hear the loud music next door. I could also hear people talking and the TV going in another room, but everything quieted down by the time I wanted to go to sleep. If you don't mind a little bit of noise, it's fine. I think the cleanliness and comfort of the room made it worth it, and the breakfast was great!
if you want to feel like you are at home this is the best place to go the owners the staff is like a family dont look anywhere else to go this is the best hotel in costa rica
I did not get what I expected from what I saw advertised. I would call this a stripped down bare bones hotel, an adequate place to lay your held down but by no means a place where you can hang out and relax. The pool area and the pool are very small . I don't think more than two people could even fit in the pool at one a time. 3/4 of the lounge area around the pool is in the shade and there are only two lounge chairs in the sunny area. The hot tub at the top of the pool is very small. The hotel is in a run down part of town, hard to find, easily missed. The hotel is on the northern edge of downtown , very close to avenida central, the pedestrian plazas, several parks/ plazas and government buildings, shopping, groceries stores and museums. The staff was not personable. The front counter staff only helped me to book my tour to the volcano. They did nothing to make me feel invited and made no attempts to point me in the direction of places to eat or places to go in town. One of the main reasons I picked this hotel was that the owner was English speaking, but the two people who did speak English were not helpful and were short, the rest of the staff only spoke Spanish. This is a very small hotel, and most of the rooms on the first floor were empty, so it is not like they were busy with customers. They should have been falling over to make the stay memorable and pleasant. You only get three choices for the free breakfast and its alright. Very small portions with no meat included in any of the meals. If you want a full good breakfast, you will need to go downtown only a few blocks away. The hotel is open air, meaning that the only door is the main door, so you hear everything from the outside during the day. It is very noisy. The walls are thin so you here everything in the next room. There is an echo affect when people walk through the halls. It does quiet down quite a bit late at night. The restaruant and bar at the hotel closes at 10:00 p.m. so there is nothing to do. It is very boring. The restaurant prices are over priced. The hotel did nothing for entertainment, or to create a relaxing or festive environment . It is cheap , so you get what you pay for, but I still think a lot more could have been done to make guests feel at ease, given there are only 30 rooms in the entire hotel. If you just need a place to crash this is ok. Personally, I will not stay here again.
Didn't know exactly where I was headed but just asked Miguel at the front desk where to go to chill with some nice beach vibe. He booked me a hotel in Cuahita and directed me to the bus station the following day. When I was checking out I asked him how he liked Cuahita and he replied " I don't know I haven't been there!' Rock on cat, it was amongst the finest 6 days of my life!! Way to think on the fly! Will return in September to thank him personally!
First, the hotel is in an excellent location for downtown sight seeing and eating. Bus stops for going to Heredia is also very close. The rooms are clean, attractive and quaint. The staff are very helpful and most speak good English. Don't expect a lot from the restaraunt or bar, as they are pretty basic. We'll stay there again when we go back to Costa Rica.
this is my home away from home,the staff ,the food,the owners make you feel right at home ,if you go to san jose you have to stay there no doubt.
This hotel is centrally located and is extremely well maintained. There is a nice pool and hot tub and the breakfast is simple but good. The place is owned by a fellow from North Carolina and he is often there and is helpful along with the staff. We were only scheduled to be there 2 days but stayed for 5.
Hotel highlights
- Walking distance to Jade Museum and Gold Museum
- Free cooked-to-order breakfast
- Free WiFi in rooms and public areas
- Onsite dining
Jade Museum is within a 5-minute walk of Hotel Santo Tomas while other popular sites like Gold Museum are within a 15-minute stroll. This 30-room, 3-star hotel welcomes guests with free breakfast, an outdoor pool, and free in-room WiFi. It's in central San Jose and also a short walk from National Center of Art and Culture and National Theater.
Dining
Free cooked-to-order breakfast is served each morning from 7 AM to 9 AM. This hotel has a restaurant where you can enjoy a bite to eat.
Rooms
Hotel Santo Tomas's 30 rooms provide free local calls, ceiling fans, and laptop-compatible safes. 37-inch LCD TVs come with cable channels, and guests can stay connected with free WiFi. Hair dryers are also available.
Property features
At Hotel Santo Tomas, guests enjoy features like an outdoor pool, a fitness center, and a spa tub. Self parking is available for CRC 6498.00 per night. The front desk has multilingual staff on hand 24/7 to help with dry cleaning/laundry, concierge services, and luggage storage. Other amenities at this family-friendly hotel include a rooftop terrace, free WiFi in public areas, and a computer station.
Guest reviews for Hotel Santo Tomas
nice small boutique hotel near the center of san j
Everyone
Very pleasant. The owner made every effort to make me feel comfortable. Breakfast was excellent.
vacacion
Everyone
is always the best place to stay in san jose costa rica
Review comment
Thomas/ Owner responded on Oct 3, 2016
Hi Carlos, wonderful words on your review , thank you so much.
convenient downtown hotel
Everyone
Friendly host and staff. Very helpful suggestions.
Review comment
Thomas responded on Jul 12, 2016
Hi Antonio, that is great you posted a few photos, great having you stay and I really appreciate the fine review and top score!
great trip
Singles
Hotel was great. Room was beautiful. Great service and staff was friendly. Breakfast was good. Close to city center and shopping. Enjoyed the fried chicken. Will stay there the next time I come to San Jose.
travelling before going on a tour group caravan
Singles
This is a small hotel, more like a bed and breakfast type rooms. It has a small pool and hot tub which was nice. The room were more like a bedroom than a hotel room. I live in Alaska and the owner has fished up here, so that was a nice connection. The hotel food is very expensive. There is a grocery store close by and vendors. It is walking distance to the Zoo and museums. Do not be scared by the bars on the windows and doors for security. It is that way everywhere in San Jose. This is not a tourist hotel, but rather a traveler hotel.
not a good area
Families
The rooms are nice, tiny pool, great staff But location isn't good.
awesome like allways
Couples
this is my second home in costa rica my 11th time there i will never even think about go to any another hotel when in costa rica.
great landing spot!
Families
Right in the heart of everything! Super classy vintage feel. Great hot tub with water slide into the pool... Good breakfast. Super helpful staff. Kids loved it. Authentic and comfortable and affordable! Hard to complain about this one.
costa rica
Singles
The hotel was nice. I was just using it while transitting. I was pleased with the accommodations and a hot shower. Staff was friendly and information was readily available.
1000 satisfied
Couples
What a great gem of a hotel/experience. Owner has put his heart and sole into hotel, and works every day to ensure an amazing, charming, warm, affordable luxury smack-dab in the heart of San Jose. About the hotel: all around wonderful. Clean, elegant rooms. Historic (converted from 19-20th century mansion) with fascinating charms and nooks everywhere. Fun inner sanctum with refreshing pool and awesome, best-in-city hot tub. Our room: spacious, with private separate bathroom with spacious shower. (most rooms in Costa rica have showers but not baths.) About safety: Ignore everything you read about this being a dangerous location. It is no more, or no less dangerous than any other place in San Jose. It's an urban, modern, Latin city. Be smart, but don't be worried. Easy to get to. Easy parking. Easy to walk/bus to anyplace. Would be great for Families Couples Backpackers who want affordable lux Business trips
Hi David, great to have you stay and I do like a nice chat with our guest. Thank You