Casa Cristal Boutique Hotel - San Jose

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Genuine Hotels.com guest review

We had a wonderful time. The owners and staff are so lovely and kind. We will definitely be back soon.

Genuine Expedia guest review

I enjoyed my stay. The views are amazing. I was greeted outside, the moment I got of the taxi. I ate dinner at the hotel - try the chicken with mushroom sauce. I wished I had stayed longer but I will be back.

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

Owner Victor is a lovely person. His staff especially Al provided top notch service and went out of his way to make us feel at home. Al recommended a great local restuarant "Laly's" in a nearby neighborhood that also had excellent food and service.

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

The hotel is beautiful. We had an upstairs suite with a nice view. Just outside our door was a quiet lounge with balcony so it was very easy to just relax. The staff was very friendly, though we initially had a problem with the front desk manager who didn't want to honor hotels.com reservation. After speaking with the owner, resolving that issue, we […] were able to enjoy our stay. The included breakfast was also nice. This may not be the most convenient location for the airport, but we wanted a place near San Jose, but not right in the city. Be sure you're getting the bed you need. The single "suites" are small with single beds. Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

The hotel is out of the way over looking San Jose. You will be within 5 minutes of downtown Escazu that has all the amenities of San Jose without the traffic. The hotel staff speaks English if your Spanish is rusty. The hotel is very safe with a night watchman rental cars will be as you leave them. I brought a laptop and left it on the bed stand without […] a problem. The rooms were clean and faced the morning sun, however they were sparsely decorated with little furnishings and no heat in the rooms, and although this was not a problem the mornings can be cool. If you have never been to Costa Rica and wanted to be close to San Jose with a Bed and Breakfast type atmosphere this is your Hotel. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

Good views, but somewhat hard to find (luckily had GPS). Ate at restaurant for dinner...would not recommend as it was the most expensive and worst of our entire trip. Room was nice.

Genuine Expedia guest review

We only stayed one night in San Jose - we had to catch the Interbus in the morning for Cahuita. The Hotel is off the beaten path a bit - so I'd recommend a taxi and not driving. It was about 15-20 min from the airport on in a hilly residential neighbor hood (Escazu). The hotel staff were very helpful and friendly, arranging our cab taxi from the airport, […] and to our bus pick up in the morning. The room was spotless, with a huge shower and large balcony overlooking San Jose. The bed was comfortable, and though we had to leave in the morning before breakfast, the on duty manager made sure we had some orange juice and fruit before we left. If you want someplace a bit different, with great views of the city and mountains, the Casa Cristal is a good choice! Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

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Genuine Hotels.com guest review

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Genuine Hotels.com guest review

Casa Cristal is a lovely hotel. The boutique part of the title means that it has a great deal of charm and is small. I will say without question, that you have one of the best views of San Jose which looks amazing up in the hills at night. Everyone on staff at the hotel was extremely friendly (with the exception of the security guards) and lived up […] to the reputation of Costa Rica. If you go, do not select room 1. It is worth upgrading to a higher end room. Room 1 sits directly outside the lobby and main patio area. This means that you will hear a lot of noise from other guests, hotel security, and from the neighborhoods of Escazu. The hotel includes a free breakfast in the morning although it can be quite heavy and I would not recommend it to anyone who is traveling. The pool outside is nice and the outdoor area is good. The overall hotel is very small and only has a few rooms in it. The place has the feel of a converted mansion as opposed to a hotel. Within the hotel there is very little to do and so if you are looking for this to be your primary getaway spot, you may want to consider something else. Escazu is a main commercial/trendy area of the San Jose region. That being said, transportation is absolutely a challenge. This hotel can be extremely difficult to find so I would recommend printing a map out. For me on this trip the hotel said they had arranged transportation, but they messed up the dates. They were very apologetic, but that didn't make the process of finding transportation at San Jose airport easier. That being said, the reason I wasn't too upset is the guy that I ended up finding was incredible and knew every part of Escazu and where the hotel was. He was not affiliated with the traditional Orange Cabs that you see at the airport, but was some other type of private transportation. Normally I don't recommend taking this type of gamble in a foreign country, but for me it worked out. In terms of getting to the hotel, the roads are windy and in some Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

I stayed over the Christmas holidays 2 nights here and per se the hotel is quite neat. Clean, modern etc. We were surprised that the hotel is on a hill, far away from any amenities (nothing within walking distance) and you need a car or taxi to do anything. Al and Jose were very friendly all the time and helped where they could. Nice guys!! My girlfriends […] phone, however got stolen out of the room which disappointed us very much. What disappointed us even more was the reaction from the owner when we confronted her with this issue. She only go defensive, yelled at us in the tone "how dare you accuse us" instead of really doing anything about it. Needless to say we never saw the phone again. I would not recommend staying at this hotel. I booked it based on tripadvisor reviews where its ranked high but was badly disappointed. Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

The place is awsome, but it is hard to find it, there are some sign that help, but they are small. The service was very nice and the doorman and the perrson that took care of us in the looby were very helpful. 100% recomended!

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

A great experience all round. The hotel's location is very convenient, and offers a great view of San Jose and the mountains. Our room was the best we saw in our 12 days in Costa Rica - very large with a sitting area and balcony as well as a closet. The best part of the stay though was the very friendly and helpful staff, who helped us out with restaurant […] recommendations, served us drinks and even cooked dinner and breakfast. I really can't think of any downsides other than the fact that our GPS didn't know where the hotel was so it took us a few minutes of driving in Escazu to find it. Even this was mostly our fault, as we didn't remember until later the directions they had sent us. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

We loved this place and the attention to detail in every part of the hotel. The room was spacious, clean, and very well decorated and had all the amenities that we needed for our stay. The location is very safe but a bit hard to find. I recommended getting the exact coordinates and plugging them into your GPS if you have not been here before because […] it is not a very well known hotel. Would highly recommend staying here if you are in San Jose or the surrounding area for any duration of time. Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

The owners are wonderfully friendly, considerate, and helpful and the setting above the city of San Jose is lovely. The atmosphere is peaceful and quiet.

Genuine Expedia guest review

This was an experience that lived up to extraordinarily high expectations in every way. Care and attention to details were clearly evident. The food was superb, cooked to perfection. Much more in tune with a relaxing style getaway. Thank you Victor and Zeida we'd definitely stay there again.

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

Check - In was smooth. The concierge was very friendly. The hotel looks amazing after the renovations. The library and bar area is very nice. The rooms are very nice and clean. However, I would suggest the use solid doors for the rooms. At night, people walking by could be disruptive. At least for room number 4. The room was very well stocked with […] towels, extra sheets, etc. I had a bit of trouble finding the ice machine at night. The pool isn't heated so you can't enjoy it if there is no sun. The breakfast was tasty. This hotel would do very well as a singles or young couples hotel. Its very romantic. Pros - Clean elegant rooms, A ton of services and free amenities, beautiful property. Staff is friendly. The library has some fun things to do. Cons - Hard to find. Heading out at night can be a pain because most cab drivers have a hard time getting you back. No do not disturb signs. Door is distracting at if you are by a high traffic hallway. Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

I had to fly out last minute from NYC to beat the hurricane and so my flight arrangement changed to flying straight into Liberia to flying into San Jose a day early. I made last minute arrangements to stay here based on budget and the expedia reviews. I was not disappointed. Zeida and Victir were wonderful! They arranged affordable transport to and […] from the hotel for me, made sure I got set up with everything I needed, and might I add that Zeida is an amazing chef-every meal in the restaurant was delicious! Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

Great contemporary hotel, clean, nice surroundings but difficult to find.

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

This property was a little out of the way to get to, but well worth the effort. The view of San Jose at night was great and the location is right next to lush greenery. Our room, #1, was very nice and comfortable. Zeida and Victor couldn't be more inviting or willing to help their guests in any way possible. A must is to try Zeida's Arroz con Pollo, […] now world famous! Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

Basically is a very hard location to get even that local friend drove us there , cant imagine for a turist trying to get there by themself, but the frustrating part was that we have to call twice to get help with the directions but the second time the owner of the Hotel was giving us attitude instead of trying to help her customers that were lost. Once […] you get there the place is nice Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

We really enjoyed staying at this hotel, and the service was amazing, they treated you like family, and were there to assist you with any of your needs.

Genuine Expedia guest review

We absolutely enjoyed our time at Casa Cristal. It is outside of San Jose which is ideal to escape the nose of the capital. Beautiful views from the patio of the hotel and from the balcony of the room. Zeida and Victor are fantastic hosts. They provide a unbeatable service. The breakfast they serve is very good and if you are hungry later in the day […] they are there to take your order. Zeida is a outstanding cook. I would highly recommend Casa Cristal to anyone looking for a place to stay in just outside of San Jose. The only issue is getting to their place. Because Casa Cristal is new to the area not all taxis know how to get there. However, there are signs on the roads to find it. Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

Hotel Casa Cristal felt like home from the very first moment I we arrived. They greeted us, brought our bags to our room and everything was beautiful. Our room was "the triple" and I would recommend spending a little more for the upgraded rooms with views...as the views at night are spectacular. This is not a typical cookie cutter hotel and has a lot […] of charm. The owners even cook breakfast for you while you sit in the kitchen and watch. I would recommend this hotel for adults as there didn't seem to be much for children. Very cozy and romantic. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

We were pleasantly surpised at the quality of this boutique hotel and the beauty of it, inside and out. We booked it for the night before our flight out...and it was good for that, but you could stay your entire visit there and travel to places and things to do. The Owners couldn't be more interesting, gracious, accommodating and helpful. One thing, […] a car would be helpful here as there is really nothing that you can walk to. But Taxi service is readily available and the owners make you very comfortable including bar and dining options. What a pleasure, thank you for making our stay so very nice! Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

First let me clarify, I'm really not a" Boutique Hotel" kind of guy. I tend to stay more at the 4* plus hotels when possible. I found myself back for a trip to San Jose and knew I prefer the Escazu area as it is away from the hustle bustle of downtown but a close cab ride away. Having had a not so great experience at the Continental Real the last visit […] I decided to take a chance on Casa Cristal based on other reviews. Best decision ever! First of all rate is a steal compared to what you get. The standard room was clean, efficient everything you would expect. It includes a full breakfast that is cooked to order, which you can have in room or served to you in dining room. The food is great and is cooked by the and served by the owners Veida and Victor, I don't know if I have ever met two nicer or more accommodating people. Whatever you need they will take care of with a minimum amount of fuss. While I stayed in a standard room which was adequate, I had a chance to check out one of the master suites, unbelievable, huge room furnished very nicely, enormous bathroom all marble and a walk in closet. Unfortunately all these rooms were booked during my stay. If you have a chance to book one I highly recommend it. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

We stayed here for one night at the end of a week in Costa Rica, before departing from San Jose airport. Casa Cristal was by far the most elegant place we stayed in, and was very comfortable as well. The views of a nature reserve, with the city beyond, were spectacular and the hotel takes full advantage of its hillside location. The hosts were very […] warm and made us feel at home. The food they prepared and served was superb and equaled the setting. The location is a bit removed from downtown and it's not really a walkable area. Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

This unique boutique hotel was an amazing experience. I wanted to be out of the city on this relaxing trip, and Casa Crystal is perched on a hill outside of San Jose but with spectacular views of the city. The room was impeccable. Service was outstanding. The couple that own and run this personable hotel are there for you. Always answering the phone […] and bringing you whatever you need. Amazing ! ! ! I've been in Costa Rica for seven months and this has been my best hotel experience so far. Full bar. Restaurant. Personal service. Swimming pool. Sun deck! I am looking forward to my next stay there. Enjoy this wonderful hotel ! Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

A great getaway, wonderfull views and the owners/hosts are fantastic. They do the cooking too and you have never tasted anything like this. Far from everything so come here to relax and spend quality time with your best friend! Something special!!!

Genuine Expedia guest review

Nice place. Out of the way, which is what we wanted. A home away from home. The room we had was on the main floor - we could hear every door bell and the staff and guests talking as if they were in our room.

Genuine Expedia guest review

I booked this hotel based on the reviews that I had read but It did not meet my expectations and I was truly disappointed; this boutique hotel was 'okay'. The standard room (which I paid very little for) had windows that looked out to the parking garage, I felt like I was staying in a friend's basement spare room! On the plus side, the upstairs rooms […] had incredible city views and there is a full breakfast included with bookings. For me, however, it was important that my hotel be 'close' to the airport so I could catch an early morning flight but in fact, Casa Cristal is not close to the airport. It will cost you $30 to get to the airport and give yourself 30 minutes with no traffic. If you are doing what I did, and just want one night upon San Jose departure or arrival, you're best to stay at a truly 'airport' hotel and take the free shuttles that are available. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

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Genuine Hotels.com guest review

We stayed at Casa Crystal for two nights at the beginning and end of our trip to Costa Rica. It is a beautiful hotel made even better by Victor and Zeida the wonderful hosts. They think of everything and go over and way above the call of duty to look after you. The rest of Costa Rica - take note!

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

Excelente trato de los dueños. Muy atentos, buen servicio, habitaciones cómodas.

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

Rooms - as long as you dont get room no 1 which is at the enter near the reception are ok. Breakfast -poor.

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

Mi novia y yo queriamos una escapada romántica cerca de San José, este Hotel resultó la mejor opción, hermosas vistas de San José tanto de noche como de día, pero lo suficientemente cerca para ir al restaurante de nuestra elección a cenar, el desayuno estuvo delicioso, el trato del personal cortés y amable y la habitación de las mil maravillas realmente […] es un lugar que puedo recomendar Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

Hotel muy lindo, con mucho estilo, en las afueras de san jose con muy buena vista. En un barrio muy tranquilo, en el limite urbano. nuestra habitación era de las más grandes y era espectacular, además con una gran terraza con na vista maravillosa. El servicio no estaba a la altura de la infraestructura, sobre todo en el restorán, aunque eran muy amables. […] también había otros detalles, como que la habitacion se llenaba de olor a comida cuando el restorán estaba en funcionamiento. En necesario andar auto, si es así hay varios restoranes cerca. Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

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Genuine Hotels.com guest review

Sehr guter Kurzaufenthalt, die Besitzer haben sich sehr bemüht, haben uns auch tips für Kuba gegeben, sehr nett!

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

Neues, mit viel Geschmack und moderner Kunst durchgestyltes Boutique-Hotel ruhig am Hang über San Jose gelegen. Viel Glas und Balkone gewähren einen - besonders am Abend - phantastischen Blick über die Stadt. Die nur 9 Zimmer sind großzügig und gut ausgestattet; wie häufig in dieser Art von Hotels, in denen manchmal die Form Vorrang vor der Funktionalität […] hat, fehlen allerdings einige praktische Kleinigkeiten wie der Haken im Badezimmer, an dem man den bereit liegenden Bademantel aufhängen kann. Der Pool ist klein und nicht zum Training für Olympia geeignet, aber ausreichend für die Erfrischung nach der Rückkehr aus der Stadt und ebenfalls mit schönem Blick. Das Haus wird persönlich von den sehr gut Englisch sprechenden Besitzern geführt. Im kleinen Restaurant haben wir ausgezeichnet gegessen. Insgesamt haben wir uns in diesem Hotel sehr wohl gefühlt. Auf Grund seiner Lage - es ist nur mit dem Taxi erreichbar - und seiner Intimität ist es aber weniger für Gäste geeignet, die Trubel suchen. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

Ein tolles kleines Designhotel am Rande von Escazú.

Genuine Expedia guest review

Insgesamt schoenes und ruhiges Hotel zwischen San Jose Airport und Innenstadt. Der Service ist auch recht gut. Einziger Nachteil: wenn man das Zimmer im Erdgeschoss hat, dann kann es nachts/morgens laut werden durch klingelndes Telefon oder Türklingel an der Rezeption. Auch wies das Zimmer im Erdgeschoss Schimmelspuren auf, was jedoch bei der hohen […] Luftfeuchtiggkeit in San Jose nicht verwunderlich ist. Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

Very nice. Romantic. Especial. Lacking just one thing to be perfect: more variety in the breakfast, which is less interesting for those who stay many nights.

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

Si vas en coche privado con gps, necesitas ponerle las coordenadas, por que está difícil de llegar. El trato, la estancia y el desayuno excelentes. Muy recomendable.

Genuine Hotels.com guest review