“Friendly & clean B&B downtown”

La Gioconda is a great place to stay if you need to be in downtown San Jose. It was clean, and the bed was very big and comfortable. The staff was extremely nice, very friendly and helpful. Breakfast was included and the coffee was great. There is a pretty open air courtyard where breakfast is served. The room had a mini fridge, a TV, air con, and they also lent us wine glasses and a wine opener to enjoy our bottle of wine. If you have a car you will need to pay for guarded parking down the street. If you're just passing through San Jose, you probably want to avoid the traffic and confusion downtown. But if you want to be in San Jose, La Gioconda is a nice option.The friendly service was a great way to start our trip.

“Gracious”

I stayed at La Gioconde, a family-owned B&B for 2 lovely days, despite drizzle off and on. The bedrooms and baths are beautiful, spacious and uniquely-decorated. Oddly, and completely dissociated from the rest of this home, the bathrooms sustained a somewhat musty odor, which was never discussed with the owners, who were gracious, accommodating and multilingual. This B&B is centrally-located and in walking distance to the National Museum, plazas, artisan markets, universities and other cultural interests. Complementary internet service available. Very nice breakfast buffet served till 10am. I would definitely stay again.

“A nice, friendly place.”

No lasting damage from our late arrival. A nice, friendly place with unique decor.

“Great Place.”

Really enjoyed our stay...the owners really make you feel at home!

“Great B & B”

We got a taxi from the airport direct to the airport ($20) after a late flight and got a great welcome from the staff. The rooms are a good size, clean and comfortable each one themed tastefully to old films. Free WiFi was a real asset in planning our onward trip. We returned later in our trip so got to try several rooms both good. Moving around Costa Rica is very easy with a great inter hotel bus service who will drop you door to door then local trips can be booked from there. The location of the B & B is great for a short walk into the main centre of San Jose but there is a Pizza Hut discreetly located behind the B & B for those not wanting to walk far after dark. The B & B is very secure with staff letting you in on return. We feel happy to recommend this place for a place to stay. If planning a local tour with an operator make sure you check if it’s an adults only tour as we got stuck on a trip with two screaming children on it! Not good if you are on a wildlife spotting trip!

“Would stay again”

Great place to stay! It's a small and old mansion. The rooms are decorated in different themes. We stayed in the "Romeo and Juliet" room and it was very lovely; not overly done. The ceilings are high and there was a loft with a large pillow on the floor. The shower was a "modern" stand alone unit that had a radio but felt a little on the small side even for this 5' but Staff is very friendly and helpful. Breakfast is fruit, breads, juice, coffee and teas. The place is only a few blocks from good restaurants (Costa Rican and Argentinian), the nearest parks and the National and Jade Museums. There is a parking lot, bus stop, small liquor store and market nearby.

“Depends on your needs”

This was a very strange B&B. The staff and owners were very nice, but the room was very damp/musty smelling and the "breakfast" is best described as minimal continental. If you want a clean, cheap place and do not mind the smell, you will be fine. We would not stay there again, and were happy to pay only a little more on our return trip for a great room at one of the chains by the airport.

“Good for a quick overnight”

Overall, La Giocanda was perfect for a quick overnight stay in San Jose before departing for other parts of Costa Rica. My only complaints were the about the bathrooms (hot water very intermittent, general lack of ventilation), and the fact that only some of the hotel staff is helpful. The owners/managers are great, but the lower level staff not so much. We needed a restaurant for a quick dinner on Christmas Eve (a challenging request, I know), and were directed to Pizza Hut next door, with no other options given.

“Great place to stay in San Jose”

We only stayed here overnight, but enjoyed our time here, the room was nice, the staff was very friendly and informative. They helped us get going in the right direction, and pointed us to where the good food was. Very sweet, free wifi was a plus!