www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I've stayed at SL, ZB, and Castillo previously, and I have to say the HM is really a class apart.

facilities:
HM is tops -- no dripping air conditioners, no mismatched tile, fluffy towels, nice drapes, real marble, etc. I'm tempted to compare it to an american chain, maybe a park hyatt or ritz carlton, but that's not quite right. American luxury chains are polite as hell, but they're too big to really compare (i think HM has like 10-12 rooms) and frankly, as polite as those staff are, it's a fake politeness. Anyway, the facilities are really, really nice.

staff:
The HM staff is *awesome*. The bartenders are cute and funny, the security guys are truely helpful, and the key contact (I guess she's the assistant manager?) Marisol is the hottest kickboxing MILF you will *ever* meet. When I got in they had arranged a driver. My flight was late, and my new cellphone didn't work, so I ended up taking a cab. The driver had actually hung out waiting for me, and the crew at the hotel had waited up for me -- with a welcome drink. About a day into my stay I came down with a bad cold. The HM acountant went out and got me cold medicine. I am allergic to feathers -- they went out and bought foam pillows for me. I forget to place a bet on the stanford-cal game -- the owner did it for me on his own account at the last minute. I really cannot emphasize how great the staff is.

location:
the hotel is about a 5 minute cab ride from the gulch, and the truth is you will *need* to be able to help your cab find it late at night. It is in a pretty nice, upscale neighborhood (barrio dent, near the mall san pedro), and there are number of good restaurants nearby. It's a bit out of the way, frankly, so it's frankly not a great choice for your very first mongering trip. On the other hand, if you're sick of the crappy accomodations in the gulch, and have graduated from the HDR columiana hunt to the TLN-GFE mode, this is a much better ground zero.


value:
Personally, I got a great deal. When they annouced a $50 poker rate earlier this fall, I jumped on it. The poker game never actually happened, but they honored my rate anyway. I still spent a ton of money, but it really wasn't upsell. I paid $3.40 for a dewars, $8 for breakfast. Really, not out of line in any way If I had to pay $150/night instead of $50, it would still be a reasonable deal. I guess it's a marginal call. Frankly, even at the presidente or SL or castillo or amistad (the other places I was thinking about) you're still talking $80/night for a decent a/c room.


other:
Besides the fact the hotel is a bit too far away from the action, the only other real criticism i can make is about its size. I think with another 10 rooms, this place would be a solid upscale competor to SL. it's just too small to get that critical mass benefit of SL. I know scott is working on that part, but it's worth noting. As a solo, there weren't enough 'fellow travelers' to get a posse going to head out to dePoof's or whatever.


bottom line: A little more expensive, but very nice accomodations and an awesome staff. Best suited for experienced solos or small selfcontained groups. Personal high recommendation.

Hotel m is in a class by itself in San Jose.It is not cheap,my room last week was 215.00 per night less 10% crt discount.That said the staff at m is what makes it what it is,you are always greeted by name by everyone from the owner to the guards.I have never stayed in a sj hotel that treated the chicas with the respect given at m,I actually had repeats offered cheaper because of it.I usually stay at Presidente but I like better once in awhile and this is it.ymmv.

Great Review, Extremely helpful

Thanks for the info. I have been to poker games there and have found all that you said to be true.

_________________
Take a walk on the wild side.