Hotels in Escazú, Costa Rica: San Rafael, the Old Town, or the Hills

If you're looking at hotels in Escazú, Costa Rica, you are almost certainly looking at San Rafael de Escazú, the flat district along the Ruta 27 highway where Avenida Escazú, Multiplaza and the international chain hotels sit. That is the right base for most families and anyone wanting a calm, easy night or two near San José. The old town and the hills above it are a different kind of stay, and they suit fewer trips.

Escazú is its own canton, west of the city of San José and part of the same metro area (Wikipedia, citing the national territorial division). Downtown San José is about 6 km away (James Kaiser). The canton splits into three districts: Escazú (the old center), San Rafael and San Antonio. They feel like three different places.

Still deciding whether you want Escazú at all, or the airport side or downtown instead? Start with our main guide, Where to Stay in San José: Airport Side, Downtown or Escazú. This page picks up once Escazú is the answer.

Escazú at a glance: which area suits whom

Area	What it is like	Best for	Think twice if
San Rafael (Avenida Escazú, Multiplaza, the highway)	Malls, chain hotels, aparthotels, restaurants, easy road access	Families, first and last nights, travelers who want everything close	You want to walk to old streets and local life
Escazú Centro (the old town)	The San Miguel church, a plaza, narrower streets on a slope	Travelers who want a neighborhood that still feels Costa Rican	You need a big hotel with a pool and a gym
San Antonio and the hills	Higher, greener, steep roads toward the Cerros de Escazú	Longer stays with a car and a reason to be up there	You are here one night between a flight and a beach

San Rafael: where the Escazú hotels actually are

San Rafael is where you find most of the hotels people search for. The names on our own hotel list for the San José area that carry "Escazú" are all here or close by: the AC Hotel San Jose Escazu on Avenida Escazú, the Residence Inn by Marriott San Jose Escazu in the Avenida Escazú complex, the Courtyard by Marriott San Jose Escazu on the Autopista Próspero Fernández, and Apartotel & Suites Villas del Rio on the east side of the Costa Rica Country Club. The Real InterContinental sits across from Multiplaza.

This is the Escazú of the Spanish searches for "hotel en Avenida Escazú". Avenida Escazú is a mixed complex of shops, restaurants and offices, and the hotels on it let you walk to dinner without crossing a highway. For a family arriving tired, that matters more than charm. A suite with a kitchen, a pool and a pharmacy down the block takes a lot of strain out of the first evening.

The tradeoff is that San Rafael feels like a modern suburb. Kaiser notes that the main entrance from the highway is marked by a giant Walmart. If you want old Costa Rica, you have to drive up the hill for it.

The Wyndham in Escazú, and the other Wyndham

The most searched hotel name in Escazú is the Wyndham, and there are two Wyndhams that people mix up.

Wyndham Garden San Jose Escazu is the one in Escazú. Costa Rica's tourism board lists it 200 meters east of the Escazú toll on Ruta 27, with 111 rooms, a pool and a restaurant (visitcostarica.com). Other listings place it by the EPA hardware store, and Travel Weekly puts it about 12 miles from Juan Santamaría airport (Travel Weekly).

Wyndham San Jose Herradura is a different hotel, on the General Cañas highway across from Mall Real Cariari, in Belén, Heredia (Wyndham). It is much closer to the airport and nowhere near Escazú. If your booking says Herradura, you are not staying in Escazú. Check the name before you give a driver the address.

Escazú Centro: the old town up the slope

Above San Rafael, the old center grew up around the church of San Miguel, built between 1796 and 1799 (Wikipedia). Escazú still carries the nickname "the City of Witches", and a witch on a broomstick is on the municipal seal. Kaiser describes the old center and San Antonio as traditional neighborhoods that have mostly escaped the development below.

There are far fewer places to sleep here than in San Rafael, and they tend to be small guesthouses and private rentals rather than full service hotels. Check the exact location of anything you book. A listing called "Escazú" can be anywhere from the highway to the hillside, and the difference shows up when you want to walk somewhere.

San Antonio and the hills: only with a car and a reason

San Antonio de Escazú climbs toward the Cerros de Escazú, the ridge that marks the canton's southern edge. It is greener and steep. It suits a longer stay where you have a car and want views over the Central Valley. For a night between a flight and the coast, the extra climb adds time without adding much to the trip.

When Escazú is the wrong pick

For a very early flight, the hotels around the airport are closer than anything in Escazú; we compare them in Where to Stay in Alajuela. If you want to walk to museums, the market and the theater, a hotel nearer downtown puts you closer, and One Day in San José covers what is open which day.

Traffic decides more than distance in the Central Valley. Escazú to the airport or downtown is a short hop on a quiet road and a slow one at rush hour, so leave margin before any flight. Getting to San José explains the airport run.

What a stay in Escazú costs

Escazú runs from mid range to upscale. The chain hotels and aparthotels in San Rafael sit at the upper end of what you will pay near San José, and the guesthouses and rentals cost less. Rates move a lot with dates, so we do not print hotel prices here. Tell us your dates and who is coming and we will compare the live rates for the hotels that fit.

Day trips from an Escazú base

Many day tours from San José collect guests from hotels around the city. A few we offer:

• Poás Volcano, waterfalls and coffee from San José, from $149.42 per person
• White water rafting on the Pacuare from San José, from $125 per person, ages 12 and up. Our Pacuare guide explains the age rule.
• San José Bites and Sights walking food tour, from $35 per person

Pickup zones differ by operator, so ask us whether a tour collects from your Escazú hotel before you book it. For choosing between day trips, see One Day Out of San José.

How to book

Tell us when you land, when you leave, who is traveling and what the Escazú nights are for. We will match a hotel in the right part of Escazú to your dates and line up the rest of the route around it. Ask us on WhatsApp or by email.

Part of the San Jose guide

Where to stay: the main guide

• Where to Stay in San Jose: Airport Side, Downtown or Escazu