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4.0
#3 of 17 hostels in Alajuela
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
To fly in and out of Costa Rica for convenience may need to stay near an airport and the Juan Santamaria in Alajuela. The hotel is conveniently located Cortez Azul near the most important airport in Costa Rica. Alajuela is located only 2 km away and about 5 minutes from airport.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Family
Business
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish
Location
Avenue 5, between Calle 2 and 4, Alajuela 20101 Costa Rica
Hotel Cortez Azul
55 reviews
Getting there
Good for walkers
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
We chose this hotel as it was located nearby the airport so easy location. Nothing much to do in the area and we were recommended to a shopping center to have dinner (but it was closed). Entrance door always knocked so you need to ring and disturb the owner every time you need to enter or exit the hostel. Noisy room from the street but mainly the stairs. Not a bad choice for short stays.
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Date of stay: December 2019
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Â don't choose the one behind the stairs
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I rented the group room with 6 bunks for $15 US and also reserved a 6am taxi to the airport, a 15 minute trip, for only $6 (about 3000 colones), which is wonderful because my previous experiences with gringo-pricing taxis cost a lot more. (I absolutely tipped my taxi driver well for this) The private room with a FREE taxi to the airport (other destinations too, if you're starting your journey in Alajuela) was only $25. The Hostel Cortez Azul was the only one open when I was lost in Alajuela the day before my flight. It is walking distance from the central park, museum and church, which together make a lovely place to visit. The facilities were well cleaned with fresh linens, beautiful split-wooden walls, and comfortable public spaces where I could charge my phone and write in my journal in peace. What made my stay incredible, though, was the information and kindness of Ivan, the person working at the desk both the afternoon I arrived and the morning I left. After finding so many hostels closed, though their websites claimed they were open, I was so grateful that Cortez Azul was open, cheap and very nice and clean inside.
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Date of stay: July 2017
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip:Â Six-person group room isn't very crowded, but the private rooms also looked very nice!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
When we visited the place it was undergoing a huge renovation, new mattresses, paint and furniture was the first plan of the new administration. The Hostel is located at walking distance of the main attractions in town, the central market and some cool restaurants. If you want to have a fun time without going out, then you have to talk to the new owners. If you want to stay in a nice place, away from the madness of San Jose, Alajuela is the city and Cortez Azul is the place.
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Date of stay: May 2017
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chose this hotel due to proximity to airport & nice photos in booking.com. Arrived after being advised to use 'orange official taxis' by hotel. They fleeced us. Room was dirty, bedsheets unclean, smelt & had hair in them. Mattress battered- could feel every spring. Shower- just a dribble of hot water.room didnt look like the photos! Squalid experience which ruined our first impressions of CR.noisy in the morinings.breakfast area unfriendly included a guest who let his dog defecate on the astro turf then walked off and left it, giving us a really pleasant aroma at breakfast. Save your money & go elsewhere. Thankfully we found much better places in san jose for the outward bound journey
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Date of stay: February 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Oh my god, this was a little creepy there and I am happy I got out alive. It did not even start well. We were greeted by an elderly lady who was visibly and outspoken uncomfortable giving a double room to two same sex guests. The rooms themselves were ok, the style of the beds was interesting. There are no windows though. It was pretty annoying we only had the keys of the room and always had to find somebody of the staff have us open the door each time we want to come and leave. Many times it took quite a while to find the lady. The walls are thin and you can hear everything.
Sometimes the old lady was passing by our room and singing religious chants, maybe to pray for our immoral souls. The other day we locked our room when leaving for a day trip and when we got back the room was not only unlocked, but standing wide open. It was obviously not to clean the room, everything was the same as we left. Not a nice feeling.
It was not all bad though. The breakfast was quite ok in the little garden although we had to prepare it ourselves. And on checkout we got a taxi called and paid to the airport.
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Date of stay: October 2019
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reception (Tony) was very helpful and friendly, although with limited English. Hotel conveniently located, 10-15 min drive to the airport. Nice common area to relax in with hammocks. Comes with simple free breakfast of fruits, cereal, milk, plain bread, coffee. My room was very spacious for one person. Hot shower. Free airport shuttle for private room booking. Provided bath towel, toilet paper. It's okay if you just need somewhere basic to sleep and shower before flying out.
Cons:
At night, everything is closed, nowhere to buy food or supplies. The bathroom/toilet has an overwhelming strong smell of bleach, very hard to stay inside for long. The water from the shower comes down at an angle (not straight) so the water pressure is weak and it's hard to shower. Also, some tiles are broken and pipes are sticking out. The bedsheet of the top bunk was dirty, covered with dust/dirt particles, not sure from where. There's no electric fan inside the room, the only ventilation is the window at the top, so might get hot and stuffy in summer/daytime. The refrigerator was not working. There's a dog who lives in the hotel, so not suitable for people afraid of dogs. Guests need to wash the utensils and plates they use. I don't think it's safe to walk around the area at night.
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Date of stay: October 2017
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip:Â Not sure what the other rooms look like, the place is somewhat under construction
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed at the Hotel Cortez Azul for one night as we flew into SJO airport very late at night and needed a place to stay before carrying onto our travels. At 11:00pm, our taxi brought us to the hotel and we were initially very nervous about the area and confused as the hotel lights were out and the front door locked. Once we rang the doorbell, we were greeted by a lovely Costa Rican woman who got us quickly checked in so we could head to bed. This hostel is ran by a young woman and she does an excellent job at caring for her customers. We felt very safe and comfortable in the hostel and were provided with help on how to travel to our next location. Only complaint is that the walls are quite thin, causing disturbances to other travellers and the location was not the most comfortable.
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Date of stay: February 2019Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stayed when I first flew in to San Jose and at the end of my trip before I flew out. Rooms are nice and big and the place is clean, comfortable, and the owner Alexa was exceptional. I had lost my cellphone and she personally woke up at 4am to make sure I was up and called me a taxi. Warm, kind, and honest-Alexa makes for an enjoyable stay at an amazing price.
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Date of stay: September 2018
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Always nice to be in room with personal shower, but hallway bathroom was completely fine!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alexa the owner was charming, helpful and had fantastic English. She went out of her way to make our two night stay a highlight. The triple room was clean with comfortable beds and a good bathroom. The breakfast of cereal, fresh fruit, toast and coffee was good and the free airport shuttle an added bonus. Through the reception I was able to book a fantastic $5 massage. Highly recommend
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Date of stay: July 2018Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We had our last two sleepovers before going home at Cortez Azul. After travelling for four weeks with two children (3 and 6 year) this was a nice last stop. Alexa (who is running the place for the moment) is very helpful and our children just loved the dogs! The place has been renovated the last year, so don't look at old reviews. For the price it is a very nice stay and we would recommend it for sure.
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Date of stay: July 2018
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Alajuela area.
PRICE RANGE
C$41 - C$43 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
cortez azul hotel alajuela
LOCATION
Costa RicaProvince of AlajuelaAlajuela
NUMBER OF ROOMS
11
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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Hotel Cortez Azul - UPDATED 2024 Prices, Reviews & Photos
Frequently Asked Questions about Hotel Cortez Azul
Which popular attractions are close to Hotel Cortez Azul?
Nearby attractions include Our Lady of the Pillar Cathedral (0.3 km), Juan Santamaria Historical Cultural Museum (0.2 km), and Tour Adventure Costa Rica S.A. (0.4 km).
