San Jose, Costa Rica Hotels, Vacations, Tourism

Sprawling smack in the middle of the fertile Valle Central, SAN JOSÉ has a spectacular setting, ringed by the jagged silhouettes of soaring mountains – some of them volcanoes – on all sides. That's where the compliments end, however, and you'll be hard pressed to find anyone who has much good to say about the city's potholed streets and car-dealership architecture – not to mention the choking diesel fumes, kamikaze drivers and chaotically unplanned expansion. In the gridlocked centre things are wearingly hectic, with vendors of fruit, lottery tickets and cigarettes … more »