Hotel La Amistad Inn - San Jose, Costa Rica

Hotel La Amistad Inn
Bed & Breakfast (Garni)
Best value for the money, German owned and operated

Updated again! - Now all rooms with card locks - Internet-Cafe - free room safe! Now all rooms with hair dryer in the bathroom!

New Features:

Card Key door locks: As part of an extensive remodeling, we have converted to Card Key door locks.	Internet Access: We have also created an Internet Cafe, where guests can rent a computer with E-Mail and Internet access for $2 per hour.	New electronic-coded, in-room safes While most hotels charge extra for an in-room safe, at La Amistad there is no additional charge along with the advantage of not having to carry a key.

Hotel La Amistad: What B&Bs Look Like All Grown-Up
By Miriam Holsinger, July 5 2005

Imagine a hotel with the cozy style of a bed and breakfast, but with the benefits of a larger establishment. La Amistad, in the historic northeast San José neighborhood of Otoya, brings that vision to life. Sustainable Growth: Hotel with a B&B feel.

Started as a bed and breakfast 10 years ago, the hotel has managed to retain an at-home look, while expanding to meet customer needs. This caused the five-bedroom house to turn into a 32-bedroom mansion. Yet the hotel keeps its small feel, partly because the staff has been there nearly as long as owner Wolfgang Hilbich, and partly because of the way Hilbich created and designed his business.

After traveling for many years, the German-born owner thought he knew what people wanted at the end of their day: a reading lamp, a television, and an orthopedic mattress. And to start the day? Good showers and a hearty breakfast. Based on this knowledge and several business trips to Costa Rica, Hilbich decided to start a bed and breakfast here.

Since then, he’s kept to his original goal."I am always thinking about what’s good for the clients," says Hilbich.This means he has added Internet connection, top-notch security and deluxe rooms.

The growth hasn’t been easy; it included buying neighboring properties and building new wings. Hilbich’s aversion to debt slowed the expansion process and motivated him to hire individual workers instead of construction crews. Consequently the hotel has several floors, and each floor may have several levels.The wood trimmings and partially tiled walls give the place an antique look that fits in well with the Otoya neighborhood. Famous prints, including artists such as Klimt and Monet, decorate the walls. The European décor and the paintings of Costa Rican wildlife in the spacious dining room give the hotel a multicultural feel.

Parking across the street ensures the safety of guests, although Hilbich says Otoya is "one of the last reasonable and safe places," in San José. The neighborhood is only a seven-minute walk from the Plaza de la Cultura, National Museum and several other landmarks in San José. Hilbich liked the location of his hotel so much that he moved into a custom-built apartment on the top floor.

Keeping an eye toward the future, Hilbich plans to build large personal safes for people to keep larger items, such as laptop computers. He also wants to add a cash machine and more rooms to keep with the growing popularity of the place.

An excellent place to stay if you want to explore the city, many tour companies will pick you up at the front door of La Amistad. The hotel gives you a great send-off with a buffet-style breakfast of eggs, fruit, gallo pinto (rice and beans), cereal, toast and juice, included in the room rate ($32-86, double occupancy).

A large part of La Amistad’s business is with OTS (Organization for Tropical Studies), Earth Watch and church groups. Hilbich credits the steady business from these groups and his early recognition of the potential the Internet to ensuring that his hotel didn’t fail. Of course, they wouldn’t keep coming back if they didn’t like what they experienced. One client moved in for a day and liked the place so much, he has lived there for the past month and a half.Hilbich considers La Amistad home. Before his 10 years in Costa Rica, he lived in Spain for 18 years. Now, settled in and recently remarried, the successful owner says he is doing all he can to give Costa Rica as much as he has received. He supports projects that help educate children and pays for half of all education costs for his staff. The maintenance man who worked at La Amistad for five years learned so much that he left (on good terms) to start his own construction crew.

La Amistad Inn Room Rates

We are well known and recommended by all major TOUR GUIDES. Our Price - Product - Ratio is outstanding and we keep our low prices valid all year round including the high season.

Our Prices include a superb Breakfast Buffet.

Room Type	Standard			Deluxe A/C, Refrigerator		Studio Apartment A/C, Jacuzzi		Large Standard Refrigerator
Beds	1 Queen or 2 Queen & 1 Standard			1 Queen & 1 Standard		1 Queen & 1 Standard		1 Queen & 3 Std or 2 Queens & 2 Std
Occupation	1	2	3	1	2	1	2	2	3	4
	$37	$50	$63	$47	$60	$57	$70	$60	$73	$86
Rates for Children - up to 3 years, no charge - 3 to 8 years, $5.00 - from 9 years, $13.00
*All rates plus 16% Costa Rican taxes.*
Special Group Rates (10 or more persons) We offer long term rates on request, weekly rates are 10% off

Address: We are located at Calle 15, Avenida 11
Taxi Directions: 100 metros al Oeste del Hospital Calderon Guardia, Entrada de Emergencia.
Show this to the taxi driver!
Cancellation Policy: You can cancel your reservation until one day (24 hours) prior to your arrival date without any charge. Please make all cancellations only by E-Mail or Fax, so we can reconfirm them to you and avoid any inconvenience to our Guests!

Our Rooms

Standard-Room	De-Luxe-Room	Apartment

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For Reservations

	LA AMISTAD INN OFFERS:
	FREE VOICE MAIL FREE LUGAGGE STORAGE FREE SAFE KEEPING FREE FAX AND MAIL SERVICE TRAVEL AGENCY SERVICE	FREE CABLE TV FREE BREAKFAST LAUNDRY SERVICE MONEY EXCHANGE HAIR DRYERS IN EVERY ROOM