InterContinental Real Hotel & Club Tower CR Rating: 4.5 Pearls

San Jose, Costa Rica

The Intercontinental wows with its sheer scale: The soaring lobby, the numerous help desks (the check-in counter, the rental car counter, the business services counter, the concierge counter...), the five restaurants, the big pool complex, and Central America's largest urban spa.

But all that size and efficiency comes at a small cost -- namely, the local charm that attracts many leisure travelers to Costa Rica. A few details -- wood on the lobby ceiling, colorful furniture in Azulejos restaurant, local art for sale in glass cases -- nod to the hotel's location, but for the most part the hotel still feels like it could be an Intercontinental anywhere in the world. For some travelers, the convenience, and the luxurious accommodations in the Executive Club Tower, will amply compensate.

View on a Larger Map

The InterContinental is located in Plaza Real in affluent Escazú, a suburban area six miles from downtown San Jose. Spread out on a hillside overlooking San José and Heredia, Escazú has one of the nicest views in the area. Three neighborhoods with three very different flavors compose the suburb: San Rafael is packed with shopping malls and chain restaurants; Escazú centro is more relaxed, with local shops and narrow streets; and entirely residential San Antonio offers spectacular views of the valley.

• 15-minute drive to the National Museum
• 15-minute drive to the National Center of Culture
• 15-minute drive to Valle del Sol golf course
• 20-minute drive to San José International Airport (Juan Santamaría Airport)
• 40-minute drive to Braulio Carrillo National Park
• 50-minute drive to Irazú Volcano National Park
• 90-minute drive to Jacó
• 2-hour drive to Arenal Volcano National Park
• 3-hour drive to the Central Pacific Coast beaches

Deluxe Room

The rooms are actually split between two different, connected buildings: the 274 standard rooms are in the original main building, which also houses the hotel’s meeting facilities and the restaurants; and the Executive rooms and suites are in the newer Club Tower, which also houses the spa and fitness center.

• Upgrading to the Club Tower gets you a bigger room with a separate soaking tub, plus an iPod dock (instead of a CD player), a free breakfast buffet, free drinks, free lunch and dinner snacks, valet service, and a separate check-in area.
• Upgrading to a suite gets you at least twice as much space, and a separate living room.
• Marble bathrooms are big and luxurious; even the bathrooms in the Deluxe Room, which have shower/tub combos, feel high-end.
• 37-inch flat-screen TVs
• Two-mug Cuisinart coffeemakers with free coffee and tea
• Hotel-brand terrycloth bathrobes

The pool

• Three outdoor swimming pools, including a kids pool
• 24-hour fitness center
• The InterContinental's 16,000 square-foot spa is the largest urban spa in Central America. It features 12 treatment rooms, a whirlpool, a sauna and a beauty salon, and offers facials, pedicures, body therapy, reflexology, hydrotherapy treatments, yoga classes and personal training. Open daily 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Tennis court
• Business center: Staffed between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.; features computers, printers, fax machines
• Wi-Fi for $15/day or $14/week
• Travel services: rental car desk, concierge, travel agents desk; foreign currency exchange
• 24-hour lobby lounge
• Meeting and events space: 23,143 square feet, including 21 meeting rooms and three ballrooms with balconies

• Azulejos: Casual, buffet-style restaurant serving international cuisine for breakfast and lunch
• Alfredo: Italian cuisine; open for lunch and dinner
• Steak and Lobster Factory: Serves imported beef and local fish for lunch and dinner; outdoor terrace
• Nau Lounge: Asian-inspired lounge serving fresh sushi and sashimi for lunch and dinner
• Zambra Lobby Bar: Cocktails from late morning through midnight; frequently features live music