We flew in to San Jose Int'l Airport (located in the nearby city of Alajuela), and stayed the night at the Adventure Inn which is only 10 minutes from the airport. We left within just minutes of our arrival at the hotel with Norlan, one of their tour guides. He took us on a 6-hour private driving tour (in a van) that took us to some of the city's highlights but also in a huge circle in the mountains surrounding that city. It included stopping several times to see things closer plus stopping for a fresh drink late afternoon, later a cup of fresh coffee in the coffee plantation areas just after sunset and then a typical Costa Rican dinner at a restaurant back in the city before the tour ended. The tour was enlightening and worth the $82/per person cost (which included our beverages and meal) but the driving practices there were pretty scary for me! About half-way through the tour I decided in order to try and calm myself down, I could only look straight left or right but NOT out the front windshield! The other negative was that it got dark about half-way through our tour so the rest was in nighttime lighting, with visibility and photo opportunities not very good. Our hotel was really nice and included free shuttle ride to/from the airport (if flying international) a full, hot American breakfast, restaurant & bar on-site, WiFi, computer business area, an outdoor pool/Jacuzzi and a fitness room. I highly recommend this hotel. http://www.booking.com/hotel/cr/adventure-inn.html?aid=342992 I'd requested a "first-floor room". They gave us one, but we didn't realize that we'd be in a handicapped-accessible room. It felt a bit strange for us when using the toilet or shower facilities, which is why I included a picture of the bathroom.