This was my second trip to Costa Rica and this hotel was number one on my list of places to return to. I will not go through all of the things that are repeated through all of the reviews: friendly staff, beautiful atmosphere, safe and secure, as I think this is well established. Instead I will mention some of the less commonly noted things.

The weather in this area of Costa Rica is much more consistent and reliable than other parts of the country. I always want to go and see the other parts of the country but seem to be happiest here, where I consider to be "home base".

When visiting other hotels I realized that the beds provided leave much to be desired; I was quite comfortable at La Rosa. I understand they are upgrading some of the rooms to include air conditioning; however, i did not feel it was necessary as it cools off to be a comfortable temperature in the evenings.

They serve butter with breakfast, not Costa Rican margarine (which tastes nothing like margarine we have here in Canada, it tastes awful!). The complimentary breakfast is a basic breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs, variety of cereal, variety of fruit, some meats and cheese and banana bread. This was just enough for me to rotate what I ate each day and not become tired of the food.

The hotel staff let me treat their hotel like home; they provided me with a wine opener to use, allowed me to borrow extra glasses, let me reheat my leftover food from an outside restaurant in their microwave etc. They even allowed me to borrow a cooler to keep my drinks cold by the pool!

I truly felt welcomed as part of the family at this hotel, noted by all of the staff remembering me when I returned after a week of traveling around the country and climbing Cerro Chirripo (the highest mountain in Costa Rica). Oh, and the staff here also helped me make reservations to climb this mountain well in advance of my trip (they only allow 40 climbers per day so you must book months in advance).

The owner was in the process of upgrading various features of the rooms and asked me if I had any suggestions for improvements, I mentioned a hook to hang my clothes on in the bathroom would be nice, and sure enough they installed a towel rack the very next day!

I don't know what else to say other than you simply must visit this hotel and see for yourself. They won't claim to be perfect, but if a problem is brought to their attention they will do their very best to find and implement a solution.

Hope to see you there as I plan to return to this hotel for the third time! :)

Stayed here our first and last night of our Costa Rica vacation. Beautiful grounds, nice room, 15-20 minutes from the airport, and very friendly staff. And a good price. Highly recommend this hotel. Have dinner at Chery's around the corner.

We stayed there with our 3 girls and my mom before she left for Canada (we are still here for 3 months) and had a family suite that was perfect for us. The furniture and bathroom is a bit old, but all was clean (and smelled pretty strongly of cleaners...). The pool was pretty cold adn breakfast was really average, but it was quiet at night and near the airport like we wanted. We did not eat at the hotel for dinner (they offer a fixed menu at a fixed price), but went 5 km West to La casona del Maiz and had a wonderfully tasty (and cheap!) Tico dinner with great ambiance! The next day we had lunch at Restaurante Mirian (comidas tipicas) even closer to the hotel and the food was great (the best arroz con pollo and beef empenadas we had ever had!).

I began and ended my first trip to Costa Rica at Hotel La Rosa de American and highly recommend it! Our plane arrived late on the night of November 25 - around 11 pm, which meant we were arriving at the hotel after it had closed for the night. One of the great bonuses of this hotel is its close proximity to the airport. It was a quick cab ride to the hotel after a long flight and this was a great relief! Upon arriving to the hotel, we were instantly greeted by a very friendly security guard and escorted to our room. The security guard was sure to carry our luggage to the room, he insisted on it. He gave us a complete rundown of our room as well as office hours, breakfast hours and provided us with the wireless internet password so that we could email our families that we had arrived safely in Costa Rica. This was a wonderful way to start our vacation! I felt very welcomed to this hotel.

The room we stayed in was very clean and quite cozy. It had everything we needed for a wonderful stay at this hotel.

This hotel offers a buffet breakfast with a variety of fruits, cheese, meats, cereals and eggs. My favourite however was the banana bread - it is absolutely delicious and a must try while staying at this hotel. This breakfast offered a great variety for those that are picky eaters and allowed me to have a great boost to my day. Not to mention, on the way in each morning, we were greeted by all the staff members, which is a pleasant way to start your day!

I was very excited to see the hotel the next day in sunlight as I had heard great things about its beautiful gardens and inviting atmosphere. I was not let down. The gardens on this property are very well kept, offering a variety of different plants to please ones eye. There are many bright and beautiful flowers to look at. These vibrant gardens offer a peaceful atmosphere. You can clearly tell that this hotel takes a lot of pride in creating a relaxing atmosphere that is both beautiful and serene.

The staff we encountered were all very welcoming and cheerful. There was not one day that went by that I was not greeted pleasantly. It was evident that the staff at this hotel not only took pride in working at this hotel, but were really interested in making your stay there as comfortable and easy as possible. The staff of the front desk helped us to arrange an excursion white water rafting and arranged a cab to come and pick us up when we moved on to another hotel. This made my vacation much less stressful. This hotel definitely excels at answering your travel questions and arranging details of your trip (such as excursions, transportation etc.) so that it can be as leisurely, stress free and as organized as possible. If you have questions - ask! They're willing to help - whether it be the owner, manager, cleaning or maintenance staff! We managed to get a chance to speak to the owner personally while staying at this hotel and he was also very pleasant, helpful and has put a great effort in to his hotel. He was sure to take any suggestions we had to help make this great hotel even better. The staff of this hotel are definitely like one big happy family!

When we returned to this hotel for the last two night of our stay in CR, they had just launched an new dinner restaurant - "La Rosa". The menu offered an italian style menu. The meal typically started with bruschetta, offered a pasta dish with your choice in sauce, meat etc and ended with a desert dish. We dined here both nights and were not let down. The bruschetta was to die for and the pasta dishes offered a tasty dish that reminded me of home. It was very comforting and I would strongly recommend trying this dinner menu if it is available when you're there.

Overall, this was a fabulous stay. I strongly recommend this hotel for your stay in CR, whether it be the beginning or end of your vacation, or to stay there for your trip. You won't regret it!