The capital of Costa Rica is not an especially appealing city. I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to visit San José, but often one’s flight schedule requires an overnight in or near the capital. Central San José can be aggressively ugly, even in wealthier neighborhoods, making it wise to overnight in a suburb. For that reason, I decided to check up on our longtime recommendation of Finca Rosa Blanca Coffee Plantation Resort, located about 20 to 40 minutes from the airport, depending on traffic, on a hillside overlooking tropical gardens and the distant lights of the city.

Finca Rosa Blanca Coffee Plantation Resort

The 14 accommodations occupy a whitewashed mansion with unusual tropical art nouveau-style architecture, as well as two separate villas that are ideal for families. (Several suites can also accommodate children.) There is no air-conditioning, but San José is situated at an elevation of 3,845 feet.

Our hardwood-floored Master Suite, El Guarumo, offered plenty of space, with a large living room separated by a mushroom-shaped arch from a hallway. A mural of a motmot (a colorful Central American bird) decorated the bedroom beyond. In the bath was a free-form built-in tub overlooking a terrace, which had fine views over treetops to a sliver of San José. The living room’s brown-and-green botanical-print sofa was hideous. Nevertheless, I was glad to be in a suite with some sense of place, rather than in an anonymous chain hotel downtown.