SanJoseTraveller.info

San Jose City Guide

admin — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:39:51 +0000

San Jose, the capital city of Costa Rica, certainly isn’t as bad as it is painted. Take some time to have a wander in the cities underbelly and you’ll find some great places. Just make sure you leave your valuables in your hotel and take out only what you need.

The thing that is the best for me is to look up. You can see a load of concrete buildings, but then you realize that it is all surrounded by volcanoes and mountains and dramatic skies. Take some time to sit in the squares and parks and watch the Josefinos whisk by.

San Jose its a nice place to visit, you can go to the National Theater, The Museo de Oro, Museo de Jade, Museo Nacional and many more places.

Plaza Esmerelda

admin — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:05:40 +0000

Part working jewelry factory, part shopping center, part tourist trap, this is still a good place to come to buy replicas of pre-Columbian jewelry. The several shops here carry a wide range of typical tourist souvenirs and locally produced arts and craftworks at fair prices. Visitors are treated to a 15-minute guided tour where you can see some of the jewelry being manufactured.

Galería Amón

admin — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:05:06 +0000

Located in a stylish old house in the historic Barrio Amón district, this gallery features contemporary artists from Central and South America. The spaces are ample and well-lit, giving this place almost a museum-like feel.

Boutique Annemarie

admin — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:04:19 +0000

Occupying two floors at the Hotel Don Carlos, this shop has an amazing array of wood products, leather goods, papier-mâché figurines, paintings, books, cards, posters, and jewelry. You’ll see most of this stuff at the other shops, but not in such quantities or in such a relaxed and pressure-free environment.

Biesanz Woodworks

admin — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:03:42 +0000

Biesanz makes a wide range of high-quality items, including bowls, jewelry boxes, humidors, and some wonderful sets of wooden chopsticks. Biesanz Woodworks is actively involved in local reforestation.

Arte Latino

admin — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:02:50 +0000

This gallery carries original artwork in a variety of media, featuring predominantly Central American themes. Some of it is pretty gaudy, but this is a good place to find Nicaraguan and Costa Rican “primitive” paintings. The gallery also has storefronts in the Multiplaza Mall in Escazú and at the Mall Cariari, which is located on the Interamerican Highway, about halfway between the airport and downtown, across the street from the Hotel Herradura.

Grano de Oro Restaurant

admin — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:53:31 +0000

Even after a relocation, remodeling, and expansion, this elegant restaurant is set around a lovely interior courtyard of the wonderful Hotel Grano de Oro. The atmosphere here remains intimate, relaxed, and refined, all at the same time. The menu features a wide range of meat and fish dishes. The lomito piemontes is two medallions of filet mignon stuffed with Gorgonzola cheese in a sherry sauce, while the pernil de conejo is a rabbit thigh stuffed with a mushroom pâté and served with a Dijon mustard sauce.

If you opt for fish, I recommend the macadamia-encrusted corvina, which is served with a light and tangy orange sauce. Be sure to save room for the “Grano de Oro pie,” a decadent dessert with various layers of chocolate and coffee mousses and creams. This place has a good wine list, including a range of options by the glass. When the weather’s nice, grab a table around the fountain in the courtyard, a particularly nice option for lunch.

El Chicote

admin — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:51:41 +0000

This is one of San José’s most popular steakhouses. The large room is divided by half-walls planted with tropical flora and a bevy of hanging ferns. There are heavy wooden beams and plenty of varnished-wood accents all around. True meat aficionados should order the imported rib-eye or pound-and-a-half T-bone. There’s an extensive selection of fish and poultry dishes as well. Everything comes with a choice of baked or mashed potatoes, black beans, and fresh tortillas. The wine list features a broad range of Italian, Spanish, French, and Californian wines. Waiters wear black jackets, white shirts, and black bow ties — typical of the unusually formal (for Costa Rica) service.

Cafeteria 1830

admin — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:50:48 +0000

With veranda and patio seating directly fronting the Plaza de la Cultura, this is one of the most atmospheric spots for a casual bite and some good people-watching. A wrought-iron railing, white columns, and arches create an old-world atmosphere; on the plaza in front of the cafe, a marimba band performs and vendors sell handicrafts. Stop by for the breakfast and watch the plaza vendors set up their booths, or peruse the Tico Times over coffee while you have your shoes polished. The menu is basic and the food is unspectacular, but there isn’t a better place downtown to bask in the tropical sunshine while you sip a beer or have a light lunch, and it’s a great place to come before or after a show at the Teatro Nacional.

Café Mundo

admin — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:50:14 +0000

This popular place mixes creative cuisine with an ambience of casual elegance. Wood tables and Art Deco wrought-iron chairs are spread spaciously around several rooms in this former colonial mansion. There’s additional seating on the open-air veranda and in the small gardens both front and back. The appetizers include vegetable tempura, crab cakes, and chicken satay alongside more traditional Tico standards such as patacones (fried plantain chips) and fried yuca. There’s a long list of pastas and pizzas, as well as more substantial main courses. There are nightly specials and delicious desserts. One room here boasts colorful wall murals by Costa Rican artist Miguel Cassafont. This place is almost always filled with a broad mix of San José’s gay, bohemian, theater, arts, and university crowds.