Getting to the Hemingway from SJO airport (Alajuela) and points west of the city.

If you are a first-time visitor to Costa Rica or new to San Jose or Latin American driving, we recommend that you use our airport pick-up service or take a taxi into town. If you want to rent a car in Costa Rica, we can arrange a rental car that will be dropped off and picked up at the hotel.

It really isn't too hard to get here, but if you don't know what to look for, it can be a little bit tricky. there are almost no street signs in the city, so most everything will be done based on landmarks.From the airport, ask the rental place for a map and directions to get on the freeway towards San Jose . From the freeway (there is really only one highway), take the exit for Sabana (may say Sabana Parque or Sabana Norte). Once you get off, take a left at the second light onto Paseo Colon (this is a major boulevard that runs E-W through the city, and should be hard to miss). On Paseo Colon, keep going until you get to an area where it quickly narrows a lot and turns one-way in your direction. There is a stoplight at Calle 14 (may or may not be a sign for Calle 14, but I doubt it). Take a right there (almost everyone else will do the same thing here), go a block, and take a left. This is Avenida 2, and again, most of the traffic on Paseo Colon will end up here with you.Go for about 5 minutes on Ave. 2, and you will see on the left the Gran Hotel de Costa Rica and the National Theatre. Turn left at the next street past the theatre (huge green building).

Go 5 blocks north and turn right at the stoplight (this is Ave. 7, but again I doubt there is a sign. Go about 3-4 more blocks, and you will see on your left a tall (20 or so stories) ugly building (this is INS, and should be marked on your map). We are located directly behind the INS building. All of the streets here are one-way, so drive past the INS building and take you first left (this is a really curvy, short street). Go one block up the hill, and turn left at the stop sign. The Hemingway is located on the right-hand corner, one block down the hill. Park between the two trees to check in. We usually have orange cones out to mark the spot.

Please take our phone number (2257-8630 or 2221 1804) with you to call in case you get lost. Or, if you have to ask anyone for directions, ask them how to get to the INS building.