Costa Rica 3: San Jose and Heredia

7-25-2008

Hotel Bouganvillea, Santo Domingo de Heredia, Costa Rica

Spend the night before last in the Hotel America in downtown Heredia. It was a real disappointment and a good example of how guidebooks can lead you astray. It was described as pleasantly furnished. In reality it was a cramped hovel with wiry old mattresses and nearly no space to move around the mattresses.

The national university in Heredia is a bit of a diasappointment. It looks a lot like an urban community college in the States. Moreover, I don’t find any bookstores or, for that matter, anyone reading. This is in line with the stereotypes of Costa Rica's literary life. The country has not produced famous writers like those of Chile or Mexico. On the other hand, it was nice to see so many students in a less developed country. The taverns and pizza shops were full of eager young people engaged in vigorous discussion. Still, I assume there are other campuses. It may be that the elite campus is in another suburb.

The town itself presents a bit of a contradiction. Clearly the residents are prosperous and industrious. Men, women, and children stroll the streets and the central park at all hours of the day and most are well dressed. And yet, there are heavily armed guards and police at nearly every corner. A shotgun-wielding guard at the Mango Surf Shop suggests a real possibility of violent crime. Also, nearly every home and business in the San Jose area is barred and gated and razor wire surrounds the property.

Our hotel was situated in the heart of a typically boisterous Latin American shopping district: small shops selling shoes and clothing, banks, sodas, a crowded central market, and a constant flow of diesel powered buses, cars, and motorbikes. We were only one short block from the crowded central plaza and, in another direction, the courthouse. I asked the hotel receptionist about the guns in the neighborhood and she at first attributed them to the proximity of the police station and courthouse. However, when I noted that I do not recall seeing so many weapons when I visited fifteen years earlier, she agreed that things had changed a great deal in those years.

Catalina, however, got a great haircut in a local hair salon for children. Plagiarized Mickey Mouse logos cover the walls and Mickey is proudly displayed in the front window. The nice woman there spent a half hour on Catalina’s hair, even French braiding a pony tail. The total cost was 1300 colones or about $2.50. Amazing how some things in the country, such as food, are so overpriced and yet labor is clearly undervalued.


We left Hotel America in Heredia and headed for Hotel Bouganvillea in Santo Domingo as soon as I realized it was possible. This hotel set amid suburban San Jose homes, all of which are enclosed in razor wire, has 8 acres of carefully tended gardens and is thoroughly modern and clean. Each room includes a nice porch and it is pleasant enough to just sit and enjoy the view. The variety, colors, and remarkable size of Costa Rican flowers is impressive. This garden alone could entertain a botanist for hours. Hiking in the rainforests is even more impressive.

The next morning we moved to the Hotel Grano de Oro in downtown San Jose. This beautiful new Victorian styled hotel is an oasis of unique charm in a sea of Latin American urban mediocrity. Oddly enough, I think it is the finest hotel I've stayed in anywhere. The restaurant is outstanding. It's fine wood furnishings, beautiful lighting, red carpeting, tasteful artwork, live classical guitar, and attentive waiters all suggest a fine 19th century hotel. We enjoyed a truly excellent bottle of 2006 Marques Casa de Concha Merlot. It's by Concha y Toro and I should look for it at home. The also make a Syrah.