This hotel has a lot of charm. You would not guess it from the street as to what is behind this fully gated property. An egg, toast, fruit, juice, coffee breakfast was included in price. One can either pull out your laptop or read a book or just sit and relax in the several quiet and social areas with tables and seating, including in small inner garden areas.

Having booked many similar stays through booking.com, we have come to learn alot as to not assume anything. Here is what we learned with Hotel Tomas. We were first offered a room at the back corner of the building, located down a long corridor with no windows and no alternate fire egress. Not only did this not feel safe, it was dark and gloomy. Needless to say, we were very disappointed. We asked to see another room and were shown one with 2 higher up square windows yet being our last 2 nights in Costa Rica, we did not want to end our visit this way after staying at 6 other places in our 13 Days in CR. that offered better rooms and value for the money. After being reminded that ours was an economy booking, we were willing to negotiate a cancellation or an upgrade to an acceptable room at a reasonable price. Ephraim, our hotel front desk fellow finally secured a third room with windows and a view. When asked about the cost difference and since we were staying 2 days, Ephraim waived any additional costs which was very satisfactory. Finally, settled into our room and not wanting to ever go through a similar hassle again, I reviewed my confirmation and low and behold it turns out that we were right to expect a room with an inner courtyard view which is what we ended up with in the end. :) Our feedback here is to illustrate that there was a hassle that could have been avoided and it was eventually resolved. It's always a good thing to make sure to clarify every detail that is important to you if not 100% clearly stated in your confirmation. We never thought that we would ever be offered a room without windows until this one. Now I will ensure this is spelled out in the future. To end on a good note - Our conversations with Ephraim were calm and polite. He was quick to address our disappointment and concerns in a very professional manner. I would still recommend them as the hotel property itself is lovely on the inside and even your car is 100% safe.

It is located in the center of San Jose. everything is close - within a walking distance. It is a historical property yet has a jacuzzi and swimming pool upgrade. It is calm and is unique.

lovely set up

location difficult to find, included breakfast rather poor..

enjoyed colonial charm, size, staff and location

I’d choose a room with a bigger window next time

Comfortable bed and so quiet at night!

Great location with lots of local amenities near the property. Owner and staff were all very engaging and courteous. Comfortable and clean rooms, an overall great stay and great price! Safe and secure location.

Having a small refrigerator in our room to allow for cold drinks. Hot water in shower was inconsistent. There really were not many issues with our stay!

The swimming pool and hot tub was fantastic and the breakfast hit the spot!

liked the feel and atmosphere of the place. location was good to walk into centre with museums. Was easy to chat to other guests in common areas.

coffee for breakfast quite disappointing, limited options for breakfast. No safe available.

Pool and slide were great. Many common lounge areas. Car park in the centre of town

Breakfast. Terrible coffee

fast chceck In, good breakfast

The hotel was correctly represented by the website's description and photos. I picked this hotel for its bygone atmosphere and its location. I could walk to the center of the city without any problems. Barrio Amon, where the hotel is located looks very safe and has several good dining possibilities for different budgets in walking distance from the hotel. The owner, greeted his guests at breakfast and gave advice for travel in Costa Rica if solicited. Everyone at the hotel went out of their way to meet my needs for the stay. I could not have chosen a better hotel for my purpose in San Jose. Thank you very much.

Really nice and helpful Staff with 24/7 Reception. Has a really good Wlan which let you work there. It's really safe and has a good breakfast.

The courtyard pool and the hot tub were the highlights of the stay. They were beautiful and clean. The aesthetic of the inner courtyard is very nice.

We will not be returning to stay here. We met the owner -- an American man who moved here -- upon arrival, and within half an hour of conversation, his commentary was peppered with racism, sexism, colonialism and exoticism. He made us feel very uncomfortable.

The building and decor, the location, the pool and hot tub, the wonderful staff, the cleanliness. The breakfast room and the breakfast as well. We loved the old building with high ceilings and tiled floors. The staff especially Juan were wonderful. Our daughter loved the pool/hot tub. The location is very convenient to visit major sites or drive out to Irazú volcano National park. They served breakfast early for us to eat before catching our flight back. The room was clean and comfortable. It is large, nicely decorated and the bathroom is clean and nice. We enjoyed talking to the owner and the whole atmosphere of the hotel, something you don’t get in big chain hotels.

Nothing really. Our room was on the back with a window opening to the corridor, so it was a bit dark.

friend staff, convenient location, colonial charm

difficult to find/initially access parking—entrance not viable on one way stree.There are small ants in bathroom. sheets and shower curtain have blood stains. I was not aware it did not have air conditioning.

I loved the old world charm of the hotel. it didn’t have the feel of a chain ho

I liked everything about the property.

We liked the location and the historical athmosphere of the hotel. The staff was friendly, breakfast good. There is a nice restaurant close by (Cafe rojo).

We enjoyed two nights at Hotel Santo Tomas at the end of a long trip around Costa Rica. Everything was clean and surprisingly spacious considering its location right in the city. Our room was large with comfortable beds. Breakfast was simple but tasty and filling (we could choose a Tico or American style breakfast). The kids enjoyed the hot tub and pool. There are several covered outdoor common areas that felt comfortable and inviting. We easily walked to the Plaza de Cultura, the children's museum and Cafe Rojo (amazing Vietnamese/Costa Rican fusion food) from the hotel.

Be careful on the slide from the hot tub to the pool -- you could get banged up if you just zoom straight down (my husband has bruises to prove it). Our kids did well by holding on to the sides of the slide until they were around the bend and then letting themselves go down. Of course, you probably shouldn't walk around the neighborhood at night.

location was good walking to many attractions in San José

no external windows in some of the rooms. it’s a historic building so some things are just Old. old and small towels.

We met the owner when arriving who showed us around and had lots of great tips about the local neighborhood. Beautiful property with gorgeous wrought iron details and hand painted tiles throughout.

A very cozy & nice setting. It really lives up to being dubbed as a historical property. Well preserved & renovated. Good size rooms with high ceilings. Clean, comfortable and pleasant, with a nostalgic European touch.

There was nothing really that I didn't like!