www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I have stayed in both La Amistad and Taormina a couple of times in the last 18 months. Haven`t yet had the opportunity to stay at the newly remodeled Castillo.

I have had a great stay at both hotels. Both are within walking distance (or a short cab ride at night) to many bars / restaurants though I like the Taormina location a bit better. Main highlights (good and bad) of each for me:

La Amistad
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(1) The all inclusive is the best deal in town. For an extra $10 per day you get all you can eat (some of the best food in San Jose), all the local drinks you can consume (discount on others), free laundry, transport back to the airport and free calls to the states. They used to also give you round trip transportation to Jaco but now I believe it is just discounted.

(2) The smaller, non-suite rooms are priced a bit on the high side if you do not do the al inclusive but CRT discounts can bring down the price. All rooms are unique so you have to do your research to pick the one that best fits your needs. Note that the all inclusive described above makes the room rates extremely favorable.

(3) As I sometimes am visiting for significant dental work, the all inclusive plan is sometimes not the best deal for me.

Taormina
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(1) The standard rooms are ALL standard, ie. the same. No need to try to get one room vs. another. They are recently remodeled. Spacious bathroom, walk-in shower, plenty of hot water. King size bed is comfy and the room is pretty good size. Flat screen TV and in room safe.

(2) A very nice sports bar. Drink prices are very reasonable. They also have a lot of drink specials. The bar food is very reasonably priced and very good. I have enjoyed the pizza, ceviche, nachos and fish and chips. Girls also hang at the bar but it is very hit or miss. On occasion there is live music.

(3) Onsite casino (if that is your thing). The casino crowd seems to be mostly Ticos.

(4) Have gotten very good deals on third party sites (booking.com).

(5) Included breakfast is good. On site Italian restaurant is good but a bit expensive for dinner. Never had their executive lunch.

Personally, I don't think you can go wrong at either place and have never had a problem at either hotel making myself understood.