We had a great time and the hotel was beautiful, service was great, food was very good and staff was very nice and friendly and very helpful.
We are so glad to have choose this hotel and would stay there again.

La catalina offers a quiet and secluded stay that is in the hills overlooking San Jose. Next to a small town (Birri), we walked there a few times to enjoy a rustic meal, and also watch the kids play soccer (Futbol). San Jose was close too, via taxi or bus (in Birri). You can stay in the main building apartments, or have your own little apartment out away from the main building. The food served at La Catalina was very good, and everyone working there was very helpful, and spoke at least some English. We speak some Spanish, so that was not a problem, but if you only spoke English, I would not worry about that when staying here. We had a birthday while staying there, and they went out of their way to prepare a nice cake, and have a little celebration while we were eating dinner one night. Their driver was a very kind, and helpful person as well, pointing out local points of interest, and taking us wherever we needed to go. I would recommend this hotel to anyone!

First and foremost, this hotel is for one thing: getting away from the daily grind. One doesn't stay at La Catalina looking for a great nightlife or great shopping. The hotel is located atop a hill in the Heredia province, close to San Jose (about a 20-minute drive). Even though there is a small town within walking distance of the hotel, the hotel is so isolated from the more common San Jose hotels that most cab drivers don't know where it is. With that in mind, one of my biggest tips is that if you book this hotel, always carry its address and phone number with you. Also, get the phone number of the cab driver who can find his way to the hotel (it'll save you time and frustration in the future). The best thing you can tell a cab driver is that the hotel is in "Birri, Santa Barbara, Heredia." If that doesn't help, the cab driver will happily call the hotel for more specific directions. Whatever you do, don't rent a car if you stay at this hotel. The surrounding (winding) streets have no names, and drivers generally are aggressive. I think the hotel is considering a shuttle bus, which would be really nice. Another cautionary note: when I was at hotel, the electricity in San Jose (and even in all of Costa Rica!) went out; but I think this is rare. I don't know how many hotels in the San Jose area have generators, but La Catalina doesn't; nevertheless, the rooms (or at least the apartments one can rent, as I did) have an emergency light that one can use until the power is restored, so it's not too bad, especially for those who see such events as adventurous and fun. Still, it's a good idea to take a flashlight. Moreover, when the electricity goes out, so does the water, so keep plenty of water bottles. Those two notes aside, the hotel was highly enjoyable. The rooms -- and the entire property for that matter -- are very clean and spacious. The pools are clean. The gardens are beautiful. Management and staff members (who all speak English) are excellent, always friendly and willing to go out of their way to accomodate guests. Because of its hill-top location, one has a gorgeous view of the San Jose valley. Also due its location, one wakes up to the birds right outside one's windows. The food in the hotel's restaurant was good. In short, this is a hotel for lower-maintenance people who enjoy peace and quiet, nature, and a more "personalized" touch; if one's looking for the (mechanical) experience one would get at a Ritz-Carlton, don't pick this hotel. One last thing: when I booked our apartment online, I picked an apartment with air conditioning. When I got there, our apartment infact had no air conditioning; I think only one apartment on the property had air conditioning. At any rate, we didn't bring this to the staff's attention, because we found our apartment sufficiently cool as-is. Overall, a great hotel!

We stayed at La Catalina for 1 week and had our own car which they said was rare. It is very very remote and twice we got lost trying to find our way there. However, the apartment we had was lovely, the view of the central valley was terrific! We were not asked to attend a timeshare sales pitch although we were never there during the day. If you want someplace away from the hustle and bustle of San Jose and don't mind a little adventure (finding the hotel) I would highly recommend it.