Gran Hotel Costa Rica

An old-world grande dame of pastel salmon reinforced concrete, this hotel sits proudly across from the neo-classic Teatro Nacional, on the southwest corner of the vibrant Plaza de la Cultura. Its four bottom floors were built in the 1930s to satisfy the government's need for a first-class hotel to accommodate distinguished international visitors, and then topped a decade later by a fifth floor that features gracefully arched windows.Declared a Historical-Architectural Landmark of Costa Rica, the hotel fortunately took out the jarring casino that once filled the ground floor. It is now a spacious lobby with a tropical wood front desk and a series of lounges adorned by Victorian-style furnishings and massive flower-filled vases atop Spanish colonial tiled floors. The effect, along with old photographs on the walls, celebrates the hotel's grand past.

* The hotel's 24-hour Parisians-style Cafeteria 1930 that opens to a spacious treed and flowered sidewalk cafe, offering an international menu, is a popular see-and-be-seen spot among locals and made more appealing by classical music (and occasional livelier fare) played on a grand piano. Cafe Teandro, at one end of Cafeteria 1930, offers specialty coffees. For more gourmet dining, guests can opt for the indoor restaurant across from the lobby that opens at noon. * The Bufo Dorado bar and nightclub, jiving until midnight, is located a few steps down from the back lounges and features a huge flat-screen TV and live music. A glass wall separates the bar area from a spacious room used for private parties and special events. * An active tour desk and car rental desk await guests who want to book one of the many and varied day trips, from whitewater rafting to hiking volcanoes. A nicely stocked little gift shop is on-site. * Security is good here. Guards stand at all entries, roam the halls around the clock and monitor the cameras mounted in public spaces. There are smoke detectors in the halls, and fire evacuation plans in all of the rooms. Forty rooms are smoke-free; one is wheelchair-accessible. Pets are not allowed. Same-day laundry service is available, and room service runs 24 hours.

* There are 104 guest rooms and five suites spanning five floors, all of which offer antique reproduction furnishings and neo-classical decor. * Guest quarters, all carpeted, vary from tiny to spacious, air conditioning is usually functional, and the mix of modern and reproduction pieces is the result of piecemeal renovation. All rooms feature one or two double beds, phones, small TVs, minibars, coffeemakers, ample closets and free wireless Internet access. * Older tiled baths (mostly combination models) make up for the little to no counter space by offering several wooden drawers under the sink. The toiletries, made in Costa Rica, are biodegradable. Rooms away from the noisy Plaza are quieter, but travelers seeking a plaza view can opt for 309 with bay windows. Junior suites offer slightly more elegant furnishings.