More about Melia Cariari
not what I expected
by TripAdvisor Member stephen777
We stay 4 days at Melia Conchal , our welcome was terrible we had to wait the room till late afternoon. On our arriving to the room was other people inside because they forgot to close the connecting door !!! I had to call 3 times the reception because after closing the door the would not check and clean again the room !!!!!I had to wait another 1,30 h !!!
I try to speak with the manager but nobody contact me ,nobody apologize for the bad service and this is 5 star hotel ???
The beach is outside the hotel ,and you had to go trough a local market !!!!!
The food is not bad and you have a good choice ,the waiters are good.
Love it!
by TripAdvisor Member nfpolaris
Please note that the review below is for the Paradisus Playa Conchal - wrong hotel - it used to be the Melia Conchal. This hotel, Melia Cariari is in San Jose and it's where I stay every time i go to San Jose....they have the best beds i've ever slept on.
Its not the Marriott...but...i didn't pay for the Marriott, so I don't expect it to be 5star. But..it is definitely a good 4star hotel.
An Okay quick stop
by TripAdvisor Member SunnyDays
Hotel is only for people waiting for planes or the next bus to Fortuna! It's got a nice pool/hottub, good breakfast but it stops there. The rooms are dark and dank (clean beds and good mattresses though). The bathroom needed new caulk and a hot water regulator. I was almost scalded by the hot water. Complaints to front desk were addressed but they were not able to fix the problem. Whatever you do, stay away from room 1088! You can walk to an Italian restaurant down the block(acceptable food) or take a $2 cab to the mall for other food options.
Lovely hotel, boring location
by TripAdvisor Member happyhour5
The rooms are spacious and nicely appointed, with good temperature control. Unlike what some have reported, our rooms were clean and bright, with lots of greenery just outside our window and on interior corridors. One room had beautiful wood cabinets and trim.
We stayed here for three separate nights on a recent trip to Costa Rica, presumably because the location is convenient. It is not a distination hotel (it's right by a highway), but it's a wonderful stop on the way to your distination.
The food was delicious, if pricey by Costa Rican standards: $18-20 for dinner entrees.
My only reservation was that service at the reception desk was sometimes less than warm and helpful.
Something different !
by A TripAdvisor Member
Travelor from Ga. USA
After reading some reviews, I was pleasantly relieved at the results of our stay in April.
The hotel facilities are clean, native, and Costa Rican. Moreover, the room was large,clean, and yes the bed was comfortable. My biggest gripe was the slow fuctioning shower regulator for hot and cold water. The location proved to be good. The staff was very attentive and friendly. As a tourist, the A-1 concierge desk (Veronica) proved to be most valuble. Overall, it is a good place to stay in San Jose.
Pleasant place, although a little far from town
by TripAdvisor Member Globo4368
I have stayed here in the past, and it hasn't changed too much, although now it's run by Sol Melia and has free wi-fi in the lobby (which worked very well, too). The rooms are spacious and comfortable if a little dowdy. Good temp control, too. Nice large pool, jacuzzi, and the restaurants aren't bad. Service was fine, although the hotel's promised Service Express (response guaranteed in 15 minutes) didn't work on a nagging dripping problem.o one called me back as promised. Still, I'd stay again if it fit my sked. There's a mall across the street but you need to get there by taxi as there is no direct way to get there on foot!
Great service with Great people
by A TripAdvisor Member
We just got back from a four day stay at the Melia Cariari and I think it's a wonderful hotel. We reserved "Royal Service" which essentially gave us a concierge level of service, but it was very cool!
Highly recommended! Clean, with good food, and warm friendly people
What we expected.
by TripAdvisor Member asm775
The hotel itself is very pretty. The lobby area feels like it is inside of a hotel, but they have plants set up in such a way that it feels like it is outside. Very interesting. It wasn't especially clean, but it wasn't dirty. It wasn't convenient to anything. We hired Henry Villalobos to drive us everywhere. He was a lifesaver! Without him, we'd have been confined to our hotel. The staff was very friendly and very accomodating of our special needs. The bathroom had a tub, but was still surprisingly accessible.
Breakfast every morning was the same, but very good. I have a picture of my plate from one morning. They also have a tomato soup at lunch and dinner that is GREAT. It was clean, comfortable, but still very nice.
This hotel is a short drive to the airport and downtown San Jose. Downtown we went to the market (many of the vendors were rude despite the fact that I speak fluent Spanish and my accent is great) and they had very interesting snacks and souvenirs. I bought a beautiful dress for my niece for $10! We went to the Gold Museum and that was very interesting. San Jose is good for about 3 days. After that, you want to head to Arenal or Monte Verde and start checking out other options.
Forum Posts
Tourist attractions, nearby restaurants and malls
by rmanahan
Good day!
I'm a person who loves to travel. I would like to visit Costa Rica and I'll be staying at Double Tree Cariari Hotel. I want to know the tourist attractions where I can visit, the nearby restaurants, convenience store and malls that is within walking distance only or through cab. Please let me know as soon as possible. Hope to hear from you soon.
Re: Tourist attractions, nearby restaurants and malls
by JOLIETJAKE
Hi,
Please post your evaluation of the Costa Rica trip including what you think of the hotels. Airfare from Chicago is cheap and I am tempted to go myself.
JJ
Re: Tourist attractions, nearby restaurants and malls
by alf41
Ranger69's comment stated that the hotel is within 10 minute WALK to downtown, but it is a 10 minute drive instead.
Walking from the hotel to the East, at a couple blocks you have a convenience store (AM PM) that opens 6 am until midnight, it has ATMs. A couple blocks east from the hotel there is a big souvenir shop. And if you like to walk, take a little further (about 15 minutes walk), cross the pedestrian bridge over the highway, and there is a mall. Here I recommend Sensu (Japanese), Pan E Vino (Italian) and Baranfu (Sports bar). There is also fast food, banks, stores, cinema, etc.
And for about $15 you can get a cab to take you downtown.
Follow the indications from the Hotel Reception regarding walking around; I am a local so I feel very comfortable in the area, but maybe they will have safety tips for you.
Re: Tourist attractions, nearby restaurants and malls
by alf41
Yep, I saw it, but it does not say 'walk'. In fact, it is almost half way between the airport and downtown, which is a 15 minutes drive on the highway. I think the hotel site is talking in terms of taking a transport, cause that's in fact about how long it actually takes on a shuttle.
'Doubletree Cariari by Hilton San José hotel, a modern full-service hotel, is conveniently located only five minutes from Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) and 10 minutes from downtown San José, the centrally located capital city of beautiful Costa Rica.'
Sign in with Facebook
