Pros

  • Big, comfortable rooms with flat-screen Tvs
  • Five restaurants, including locally renowned Alfredo Italian restaurant
  • Attractive pool complex
  • Enormous luxury spa
  • Newer and nicer Executive Club Tower
  • Excellent business amenities
See More Pros

Cons

  • Wi-Fi is $15/day or $40/week
  • Cigarette smell in some hallways
  • Little local charm
See More Cons

Bottom Line

The 372-room Intercontinental is the biggest and best-equipped hotel in the San Jose area, with a pool complex, enormous spa, five restaurants, a rental car desk, and even foreign currency exchange. It's a haven for business travelers, and offers some truly luxe accommodations in its Club Tower. But it feels like a large chain hotel, so leisure travelers who want to experience some local charm might want to consider the nearby Marriott San Jose.

See More Bottom Line

Amenities

  • Cribs
  • Fitness Center
  • Internet
  • Jacuzzi
  • Pool
  • Spa

Oyster Hotel Review

Real InterContinental Costa Rica at Multiplaza Mall

Scene

Large and luxurious, but slightly generic

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.

See More Scene

Location

The hotel is located in Escazú, a short drive from downtown San José and home to malls and chain restaurants.

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
See More Location

Rooms

Big and luxurious, especially in the newer, nicer [/costa-rica/hotels/intercontinental-real-hotel-and-club-tower-cr/photos/the-hotel--v755382/ |Club Tower]]

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
See More Rooms

Features

Two swimming pools, a tennis court and Central America's largest urban spa

  • 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
See More Features

All-Inclusive / Food

Italian cuisine, an Asian-inspired lounge and a steak and lobster restaurant

  • 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
See More All-Inclusive / Food

Things You Should Know About Real InterContinental Costa Rica at Multiplaza Mall

Also Known As

  • InterContinental Real Hotel & Club Tower CR

Room Types

  • Accessible Room
  • Club Suite
  • Club Tower Pool View Room
  • Club Tower Room
  • Deluxe Room
  • Pool View Deluxe Room
  • Superior Room

Address

Prospero Fernandez Highway, In front of Multiplaza Shopping Center, Escazu 11856-1000, Costa Rica

Phone

0115 (062) 208-2100

Website

Oyster Hotel Review

Real InterContinental Costa Rica at Multiplaza Mall

Scene

Large and luxurious, but slightly generic

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.

See More Scene

Location

The hotel is located in Escazú, a short drive from downtown San José and home to malls and chain restaurants.

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
See More Location

Rooms

Big and luxurious, especially in the newer, nicer [/costa-rica/hotels/intercontinental-real-hotel-and-club-tower-cr/photos/the-hotel--v755382/ |Club Tower]]

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
See More Rooms

Features

Two swimming pools, a tennis court and Central America's largest urban spa

  • 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
See More Features

All-Inclusive / Food

Italian cuisine, an Asian-inspired lounge and a steak and lobster restaurant

  • 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
See More All-Inclusive / Food

Best Rates

Amenities

  • Air Conditioner

  • Airport Transportation

  • Babysitting Services

  • Balcony / Terrace / Patio

  • Beauty / Hair Salon

  • Business Center

  • Cable

  • Children's Pool

  • Concierge

  • Cribs

  • Dry Cleaning

  • Fitness Center

  • Free Breakfast

  • Internet

  • Jacuzzi

  • Kids Allowed

  • Laundry

  • Meeting / Conference Rooms

  • Mini Bar (with liquor)

  • Pool

  • Poolside Drink Service

  • Rental Car Service Desk Onsite

  • Room Service

  • Separate Bedroom / Living Room Space

  • Smoking Rooms Available

  • Spa

  • Swim-Up Bar

  • Tennis Court

Disclaimer: This content was accurate at the time the hotel was reviewed. Please check our partner sites when booking to verify that details are still correct.