Barceló San José

8.8

Excellent

1408 Guest reviews

8.8

Excellent

1408 Verified Reviews

Read all reviews

Cleanliness9.2/10

Service8.8/10

Comfort9.0/10

Condition8.8/10

Amenities8.8/10

The staff is very accommodating when they have a very beautiful facility.

Its 2025 and time you modernize your rooms and amenities at that location. I was not impressed for it to be Barcelo San Jose.

Very nice clean and the food amazing

We had a beautiful corner suite

Great

Place was great and had what I needed for my short stay, little outdated but still worked fine.

Perfect

Quiet and comfortable

Beautiful location and close to San Jose airport.

Quiet and peaceful. Centrally located which allowed for easy and inexpensive transportation service to shopping areas, local sights and restaurants. It rained every day throughout my stay.

Very nice hotel with a friendly staff.

The hotel was overall, good. Our favorite part was the pool, and the lobby was spectacular. However, the rooms need updating and more thorough cleaning. The carpet needs replacing.

Great stay, staff and phenomenal food at the japanese restaurant on site. Breakfast was not at the same standard - was ok, but thats it.

A classic nice hotel, really nice grounds, great staff, many features, including swimming, gardens, squash club, great dark wood paneling, VERY classy, yet affordable

Always great. Stay in a premium level for VIP lounge. A bit aged but a classic.

Hotel staff was nice, close to airport, shuttle bus to airport is a nice thing to have. Good services like laundry and restaurants inside hotel. Overall good experience

Beautiful property

Some of the staff were nice, most were not knowledgeable at all. I had VIP service which was mentioned when I inquired about 3 days later. The shower are flooded daily including the toilet. I checked out 2 days early because of the condition of the room and they refused to give me a refund. There’s nothing to do in the area. Everything is so far. Traffic is ridiculous. Will never return to that place

Great

During the check in process, the

WIFI

Everything was excellent, service, food and the most beautiful people. One thing that really annoyed me, every time your phone is unused for more than 10 minutes, you have to re-enter the WiFi code, as well as with your laptop

.

Restaurants were very good. Didn’t get a chance to see the pool area. The loud music that lasted at least to 3:00 in the morning was the biggest drawback of this hotel. Make sure to call early for the shuttle to the airport. It was full at 6 am so we had to take the shuttle at 5 am.

Lov

Beware this hotel if you arrive at night…we chose this hotel because we were arriving at night and they offered a shuttle service. We thought since we’d be traveling all day to get to Costa Rica we would stay near the airport the night of our arrival and liked the idea of not having to worry about getting to our hotel. Our flight was slightly delayed but, I wasn’t concerned since I assumed that’s why we supply our flight information. We came out 25-30 minutes past original time(because the flight was delayed). We asked around about the shuttle at the pick up spot and were told to where to wait. After 10-15 minutes we started asking for help…we were tired from traveling all day and had two kids with. We had two different people call the hotel for us because we couldn’t figure out how to call at first. They both called and one of them even had the personal cell number of one of Barcelo’s drivers so she tried him as well. We also figured out how to call and also tried calling. We literally spent 20 minutes on hold and no one ever picked up any of the three callers. We should have immediately taken a taxi. But, since there’s a warning you’ll be charged if you don’t show up for a scheduled shuttle we were really trying to get a hold of the hotel we’d arranged transportation with. After 35-40 mins we took a taxi. At check in when I explained about being stranded he told me to speak to the manager Kenia the next morning to reimbursed the $25. She said she would ‘get back to me’

Older hotel but very classy. VIP is on the premium level and is definitely worth the upgrade. I stay here a lot.

Work

Overall great place to stay. Only thing that would make it better is if the bar could be a little more lively. But, yes clean and great staff

Great service. Very happy with stay. Would recommend

The amenities

Great property just noisy with construction right now

Everybody at the hotel was very nice and friendly.

Amazing stay, great view, comfortable bed! It was our engagement celebration (& a business trip) & the staff sent up chocolate & gold covered strawberries our first night with champagne!!! Juan at check in was great- in fact all staff were so courteous & nice. We will def be back & recommend :) Thank you Hotel Barceló for a great quick trip!!

We have stayed at this hotwl in 3 countries and have always been impreased. They upgraded me to a suite which made my husband very happy. Took about 35 mins in traffic on a sunday from airport to get there. The rooms are beautiful. If i could ask for one thing the pool be heated. The breakfast was veey good woth lots of options. I got the omlet, the lady gave me the insane amount of cheese i asked for. I recommend the hotel.

Great hotel

Great hotel with wonderful staff and beautiful grounds

M

Good food and excellent staff. Easy check in and check out. Great rooms.

Room 614 is a very noisy room you hear car horns and trucks passing by all day and all night long. Need to upgrade the windows in the room it was a very noisy stay while being there. Would not recommend this room. Very disappointed

The staff is always super friendly, and the rooms always clean!!

Hotel is very nice. Staff was decent.

I love Barcelo San Jose and the level of perfection that is executed at this property. Room are spacious and well appointed, staff is always courteous and will to help , food is award winning, and the grounds and amenities are unparalleled!!!! I love to do a full tour of every room type offered at this resort and review them all!!

Beautiful hotel! VERY clean.

Beautiful hotel

Excelente muy lindo hotel comida rica buena atención

Property is absolutely amazing for what we paid. Rooms were spotless and spacious with comfortable beds. The grounds, pool and everything else is like a resort. I can’t say enough good things about our stay here. If we ever get to return, I will definitely stay here again.

Very nice property

10/10

Great place to stay in Costa Rica

I have never left a review, but my recent experience at Barceló San José compels me to warn future travelers. My wife and I were placed on the sixth floor, which we later discovered was undergoing active construction and painting. The entire floor was filled with strong paint fumes, which caused immediate headaches and discomfort especially for my pregnant wife. Shockingly, the hotel never warned us about this in advance, even though it was clear enough that workers—like the outdoor painter—were wearing face masks for protection. When we raised our concerns, we were gaslit by hotel staff, who repeatedly told us there was no smell, no construction, and that no manager was available to speak with us. This was blatantly false, as evidenced by photos and our continued symptoms days later. The way this was handled was unacceptable. Not only did we suffer physical discomfort and health concerns, but the complete lack of accountability and refusal to offer a refund made the situation worse. We followed the hotel’s advice to contact Expedia, who then deflected back to the hotel—leaving us caught in the middle with no resolution. We had paid for a premium experience, but what we received was anything but. I sincerely hope the hotel takes responsibility for exposing guests to unsafe conditions and rethinks how they handle guest concerns in the future. Until then, I strongly caution anyone considering this property.

Hotel was in a safe area

Nice property

The people were excellent. The service was excellent and the facilities were excellent. I enjoyed my stay very much.

High mantainance

Make sure you ask for a room at the back away from the traffic noise

El hotel es hermoso,las habitaciones grandes y comodas.El desayuno buffet muy bueno.El personal muy arento y agradable.

Good very good

Good very good

We liked the premium setup but it more than two setup. The big downside was in the bathroom which is big reason for the low scores. In the entrance way was blood spots which my wife saw right away since she works in the medical field.

Close to the city but somehow quiet and intimate. Rooms were clean and full of amenities.

Classic

Always nice. Stay on premium level for the lounge. Definitely worth it.

Very good , restaurants and amenities. We did not receive access to VIP room and I wish the staff were more friendly at least a simple GOOD morning will make this trip more pleasant I do love Costa Rica. Great food ….. I do love hotel Barceló, clean and easy to navigate inside , in others countries staffs are more friendly 😊

Everything was superb…make sure to check out the beach below the hotel

The hotel staff was friendly, however, the hotel is very dated. the pool was freezing. Also, there was a constant language barrier.

Terrible Wifi Network

We stayed here twice at the end and beginning of a tour. The rooms are comfortable with quality bedding and beds. We love the sofa and balcony. I would not hesitate to stay here again if I were to be in San Jose

Gr8 value!

Fantastic Value. Comfortable and clean, good gym, excellent breakfast and a free airport shuttle

The rooms were comfortable. The bed was comfortable, towels and bedding were nice. The food in the grill and bar was excellent.

Nice place and great staff

Dirty, outdated and uncomfortable. The guest is at the service of the hotel.

Some of the experiences with the staff was so wonderful and helpful. Thank you everyone at the hotel.

Great place, terrific price!

Very nice place and the price was very good.

Nice views, nice hotel, food was 7/10 & free shuttle was a plus.

Not like: property is isolated and not easy to get to any local markets, staff are super unfriendly and untrained, property is old and dated, furniture in the room is old and dated, pool is unheated and cold, lounge has repetitive, unappetizing options, and NO ONE CARES!

everything was great

No information given to us upon check in not even how to use the elevator with the key. Nothing about dining was mentioned. The buffet was expensive with few options (omelette lady was awesome) room service reluctant to give coffee

Good

Almost there to five star

Barcelo San Jose is a beautiful hotel we stayed for a total of eight days. Walking around the hotel is an amazing sight to see even with the steep hills down to the tennis court (one was locked). They changed our room to the front of the building right above the main entrance and near the highway which we thought was weired because they had plenty of empty room when we arrived. The hotel isnt near anything so you'll nees to get a car or driver. The staff while professional needs a lot of help, when asking for simple things, even going the extra mile to translate using my phone they seemed to act as if they'd never seen certain type of people in there hotel. Maybe because I was American but i noticed they would at least try with other people. They offered a service and whenI went to enquire I was swarmed by five employees. Each confused as to why I was there as if I walked off the street. When ordering food it would either take two hours for room service and it would be wrong. We went to the breakfast downstairs and couldn't get just a simple request on how we wanted our eggs made but watched as other people who spoke English get what they wanted and lunch by the pool the food was pretty decent but I would not get the burger. Then while taking a shower the tube burst sprayingnwater everywhere. Thankfully they arrived quickly to fix it.

This was the absolute worst property I’ve ever stayed at. The food was poor outside of breakfast. The staff wasn’t helpful, the pool was dirty the restaurant staff didn’t change gloves or anything. The area was run down and the staff couldn’t even help us with getting any activities even though they had a tour and activity desk. Will not recommend this to anyone. We had to go out and rent a vehicle to go out and find things to do. Absolute waste of money on that Hotel. We not go back

I will be back

I loved this hotel. The buffet was amazing. The others hotels we visited during our trip paled in comparison

El servicio muy bueno todo muy limpio, las condiciones del hotel están bien pero en mi baño cada ves que uno tomaba una ducha salía agua por todas partes, el desayuno no era bueno había mucho pero nada era bueno mucha de la comida no era fresca.

Stately

Stately hotel with some age. Service is great especially for vip suites. Mattresses are old but clean. Always a good stay.

It was a good experience, i will come back, very Coformtable

El hotel es excelente. Muy bien equipado

Over priced - accommodations were fine

Hotel was fine, the only restaurant that was open was the bar, the food was subpar. The hotel was overpriced for what it was. Bathroom was very outdated.

Clean and safe I enjoyed it very much

Nice pool area. Clean. Staff are friendly and efficient. Good pianist playing in the lobby .

NA

Check in process is very slow. Be prepared to wait and for it to take 20 minutes plus.

The check in process upon arrival is very slow. I recommend looking into reducing the amount of time it takes to check in. It almost makes me not want to return.

Good breakfast. Outdated

Great nature trail

I hope was bettery

If you key point is tbe cleanest, this is not bad but not excellent.if have allergy also is not, have a carpet floor. Mi desk was dirt. The people to friendly but have old process for all.

Shuttle service. Wonderful suite. Friendly staff.

I really recommend this hotel. Nothing to complain about.

I booked this hotel because it advertised airport transfer. Going there we waited for an hour at the airport along with other guests and getting back to the airport we could not find room on a shuttle and had to uber. We were told that the return trip to the airport had to be booked from the hotel and when we tried to book it, there was no space. We missed using the pool due to one employee telling us it was open later than it was. (Apparently he did not know the hours had changed). We were told breakfast was included for an extra $10 US per person and we were charged over $20 US pp. However, we had a relaxing stay here at the beginning and end of our travels. The hotel is comfortable and staff were friendly, if not well trained.

Perfect for first night in Costa Rica

Stayed for our first night on arriving in Costa Rica. Transport from airport to the hotel was provided and excellent. Room was very comfortable with good air conditioning. Breakfast was excellent. Amazing pool area. We have booked to stay the last night of our holidays and will definitely be taking a dip in the pool.

Need and nice hotel with good vibes. Standard room are well furnished and spacious. Close to highway has uses as well as minuses (noise). Nice fitness area. We had to catch early morning flight. Free shuttle was nice. Packed breakfast was made available. Limited dining options outside of the hotel.

Always enjoy my stay here, i stay at this property when i arrive late into san jose, love that they have a shuttle that runs late, property is beautiful, friendly staff

Quick check-in, friendly staff, beautiful room/hotel