Good clean centrally located hotel. We had a large double room overlooking side street. Only fault we could find was - lack of complimentary tea/coffee in room. Had to ask for machine. And refurbishment going on at time of stay so all entry to hotel was via vehicle entrance, but otherwise good hotel, excellent value. Would certainly stay there again.

Our stays at Balmoral bookended our trip. Our first and last night spent in Costa Rica were at this hotel. We were very please with each stay. From the moment we pulled the car in and were greeted by the friendliest valets to our easy and streamlined process of checking in with the pleasant and multilingual staff, we had no complaints. The breakfast we had each morning was one of the best we had in Costa Rica. The food had both variety of typical and familiar foods. There was a short order chef and all were extremely friendly. There is an impressive hotel bar and restaurant, however, we did not take advantage of these amenities. However, by looking at the menu and the atmosphere, it was impressive.

The hotel is located in the center of town, directly off of some of the newly created all pedestrian "boulevards". With wonderful walking access to many of San Jose's tourist attractions only a few minutes away. Which is good, because driving in San Jose is less a hassle and more huge pain.

Next time we fly into San Jose, we are planning on returning to this affordable, pleasant, and well located Oasis

We wanted to stay at a nice hotel on our last nights in costa rica, and thought it would be a treat to stay at the Balmoral. Unfortunately, the rooms were horribly mediocre. One room didn't have a safe as promised online, the next room they put us in had bugs in the bathroom. The service was incredibly rude, unapologetic, and wanted to nickel and dime us. I would suggest finding another hotel while you are in the city.

As other reviewers have noted, the hotel's location of a pedestrian mall added to its allure. We stayed for one night in mid-December, 2011, and enjoyed looking out our window at the Christmas lights hanging above the street. The Balmoral is also within easy walking distance to shopping and entertainment.
The hotel was being renovated, so the only entrances were through the parking garage or the restaurant. There's nothing fancy about this hotel. It seemed kind of tired, as did the staff, only a couple of whom speak English.
The Patio restaurant was attractive and offered a full, and tasty, breakfast buffet.