Kap's Place -

Posted by: Gina Dehmer
E-Mail: dehmer@earthlink.net Date: 05/Sep/2007

I love it here. Highly recommended by Alex at Kasasana. I look forward to stay each time I come to study here in CR. Thanks for all your hard work. Namaste, Gina Dehmer (NJ)

Posted by: Phil Scott-Smith
E-Mail: petrocrab@yahoo.com Date: 24/Sep/2006

In March of 2006, I was in the middle of downtown San Jose - without a clue about my lodging arrangements. I found Kap\'s Place in Fodor\'s, and called Fidelia from a pay-phone. She reserved a room for me on the spot! I was able to stay there for the rest of my visit to Costa Rica. The rooms are all hand-crafted, and each is an art gem. I stayed in Chalet #4, and loved it! Fidelia was so helpful with all my tour arrangements (I was out every day!), and the time simply flew by. I think Kap\'s Place is my favorite hotel: charming, immaculate, and eager to help. I\'ll be back!

Posted by: Bill and Jo Ann Wichmann
E-Mail: ncmgram@msn.com Date: 15/Ago/2006

Our visit was in May 2006. We loved it here so much that we cancelled other reservations elsewhere and returned at the end of our trip. Fidelia was wonderful, making reservations and arranging tours for us.She never failed us! This clean, cute, safe and homey place is the only place I will ever stay in San Jose! Thanks to the entire staff for making our stay so perfect!

Posted by: Maria Kolevas
E-Mail: MKolevas@msn.com Date: 30/Jul/2006

We visited San Jose this June 06. Kaps place was the perfect two day stop for us before heading out to the Caribean Coast. I can not say enough about the helpful staff. Main House #4 was immaculately kept. What a pleasure this little gem in the middle of a big city was. I will certainly recommend to anyone coming to Costa Rica

Posted by: milena
E-Mail: mycubanita80@yahoo.it Date: 29/May/2006

Estuve ahì al final de marzo con una amiga.. Kap's Place es verdaderamente lindisimo y un lugar seguro donde uno se siente protegido! Me parecía de estar en mi casa... Seguramente lo voy a aconsejar ..

Posted by: Taylor
E-Mail: rtmoncur@hotmail.com Date: 03/Abr/2006

Kap\'s place is my favorite place to stay while in San Jose. My wife was relieved to finally stay somewhere nice after having a couple bad experiences at other places.

Posted by: John y Patricia
E-Mail: osolioso@hotmail.com Date: 13/Feb/2006

Llegamos en su atractivo sitio por recomendacion de Lonely Planet y estamos bien impresionados por el ambiente casero asi como las facilidades proporcionadas por su website. Esperamos visitarles pronto.

Posted by: Abe Hurdle
E-Mail: tightwhip@gmail.com Date: 29/Nov/2005

An awesome hotel. I will definetly come back. I very much enjoyed the service that teh staff provided. An excellent place to stay for all. It really is as described on the website. I stayed in two different rooms, 9 and 4. 4 was great with a private bathroom and its own balcony!

Posted by: Kathleen Syron
E-Mail: kathleen.syron@villanova.edu Date: 25/Sep/2005

Kap's place is a truly unique find in San Jose. The staff is helpful, friendly and knowledgeable. They provide a plethora of services and go out of their way to accomodate your needs. They help you plan everything from a massage to a canopy tour through the jungle. (I've even seen doctors visiting the hotel to care for post-surgery patients.) If you are expecting a big American hotel, this is not the place for you. The rooms are immaculate, bright and cheery. For budget travelers there are a few rooms with a shared bathroom. However, the majority of rooms have a private bathroom and double bed. There is even an apartment which is perfect for families. (The trampoline and playroom are also great for people traveling with children.) I am currently a volunteer living in rural Costa Rica and I cannot express how much look forward to my trips to Kap's Place. It's my home away from home.

Posted by: Michael Jeppson
E-Mail: michael@cpd2.usu.edu Date: 21/Jul/2004

Kap's Place was great! We really enjoyed our stay. Everyone there was great! I highly recomend them to anybody and everybody. Also monteverdeinfo.com was great if you are headed to Monteverde Cloud forest.

Posted by: Patricia and Lewis

E-Mail: tom.desmedt@ugent.be Date: 10/Jul/2004

The highlight of our visit to San Jose, this hotel should be a "destination" in and of itself. Amazing layout, wonderful staff, Karla was instantly our best friend,perfect concierge, and wonderful host. You won't find a better place to stay in San Jose.

Posted by: Jeanna and Ryan Stewart

E-Mail: jeanna@stuboo.com Date: 28/Oct/2003

Kap's Place is the best in Costa Rica! We showed up in San Jose without a place to stay and on somewhat of a budge. Just by chance we found Kap's Place. It has truly been our home away from home. We have been traveling for three months and every now and then we end up back here to re-energize ourselves. We always look forward to the wonderful atmosphere and Karla's smiling face and always helpful attitude! Kap's Place is a must see/do in San Jose!!

Posted by: Isabel & Tom

E-Mail: tom.desmedt@ugent.be Date: 13/Oct/2003

We arrived in the middle of the night at SJ airport, tired after a 24 hour odyssey via Madrid and Miami. Clouded skies, dark and empty streets, crazy taxi drivers, dirty industry plants along the road. There are better ways to start your vacation! But then, we arrived at Kaps Place... a charming and colourful oasis, exactly what we needed! A couple of hours later - after a little rest and a big cup of tico-coffee - all our pessimism was gone: the start of a wonderful vacation. Of course, we were glad to return a couple of times during our journey in CR to Karla's welcoming hotel. Muchas gracias por todo y esperamos poder volver a San José!

Posted by: Gary & Cathy Hull

E-Mail: hulgar@aol.com Date: 26/Sep/2003

Karla place is a great place to visit. The apartment has plenty of room and is very comfortable. We enjoyed our visit and hope to return soon. Thanks for all of your help.

Posted by: Rosemarie Speth

E-Mail: rjspeth@hotmail.com Date: 24/Jun/2003

I discovered Kap's Place in the Lonely Planet travel guide. My sister and I arrived in Costa Rica without any reservations and called Karla from the airport to check for availability. (Not a practice I would recommend). Anyway, Karla was took us in and was very helpful. She helped us set up our plans for our Costa Rican adventure and stored our luggage during an overnight trip to Tortuguero. My favorite part of Kap's Place is the common living room and kitchen where we met lots of interesting travelers. You feel like family at Kap's Place....I highly recommend it. P.S. The water really is okay to drink. :-)

Posted by: Veh-Chi Chen, Tokyo Japan

E-Mail: vehchi@hotmail.com Date: 12/Ene/2003

Kap's Place was a great "home" for me during my travel for 3 weeks in Costa Rica. It's in a quiet residential area, but only 15 min. walk to downtown. Karla is so great, helpful and warm. I also met many great travelers at Kap's Place. I highly recommend staying at Kap's Place! I will be going back there again!

Posted by: Susan England

E-Mail: loscocos@loscocos.com Date: 30/Jun/2002

I live in Costa Rica, and during our off season from our own tourism business we spend plenty of time in San Jose. I always stay at Kap's. The reasonable prices, the access to the kitchen, and the friendly atmosphere are all good reasons, but Karla is really the main asset. We are always looking for particular items or services for our own business, and she is a never ending resource for information. She even went to the doctors with my husband when he needed a hand. Great woman.

Posted by: Emily

E-Mail: -- Date: 11/Jun/2002

I miss KAPS! And Karla! (and Iskander!) It's really a great "home base" in Costa Rica and I recommend it for people traveling through! (Normally, you'll get "stuck" there for a while just relaxing!) :-)

Posted by: Frank A. Fasick

E-Mail: Toronto ON Canada Date: 01/Dic/2001

When I learned that I could tell the world about this great guest house that I personally discovered in San Jose, I rushed to do so, only to discover that Chris MacGregor had preceded me. The best I can do is to assure you that Kap's Place is at least as good as Chris MacGregor claims it is. Still, I want to get in my two cents worth. First, the informal atmosphere, the comfortable accommodations with the usual amenities, and such creature comforts as the refrigerator, the morning coffee, the microwave, the stove, pans, dishes - not to mention the hammock - etc. etc. translate into an exceptionally agreeable and inexpensive spot for an extended stay. During my visit to Costa Rica, I was at Kap's Place for two weeks and found it eminently livable. For people who prefer the privacy and convenience that comes with a place of their own, the apartment next to the guest house is a great bargain. It combines complete independence with the assurance that assistance is just next door, if needed or desired. Kap's Place is great for extended stays, but - as you can tell from my comments and those of Chris MacGregor - it is also wonderful as an inexpensive stop over for visitors to Costa Rica who are heading to the countryside or as a base for excursions throughout the region. Second, although the accommodations and amenities of Kap's Place are truly exceptional, the greatest asset of Kap's Place is the owner (Karla). Because she has only a few guests at any one time, she can and does take account of every person's needs and wants. Although the vast majority of her visitors require only that she manage the guest house efficiently, she is willing and able to provide a wide range of services to her guests, as noted on her web site. The fact that the owner is completely bilingual in Spanish and English, as well as fluent in French, is a great help in its own right. Such services as scheduling transportation to and from the airport and making arrangements for excursions into the countryside, I found especially helpful. One benefit acruing to guests almost always goes unnoticed, except in rare circumstances. As her guest you have a local person who is responsible, capable and resourceful and who knows you personally. In costa Rica it is extremely unlikely that you will ever feel the need for such a personal relationship to a local, but the knowledge is reassuring. Since I was seventy one years old when I stayed at Kap's Place, I know whereof I speak. That's my two cents worth. Bon Voyage!

Posted by: Chris MacGregor; Marshfield, VT

E-Mail: -- Date: 01/Dic/2001

I visited Costa Rica 3 years ago, and deliberately avoided San Jose as I wanted to spend all of my time in the rainforest and near the beaches. My most recent trip, however, required me to stay near the city for business reasons. I still marvel at how lucky I was to have found Karla and her delightful guest house, Kap's Place, near the heart of the city. From the moment I arrived, I felt like part of a large extended family. Karla welcomed me personally with a fresh cup of tea. With 3 beautifully decorated guest rooms within the main building, each with their own spotless bathroom, cable TV, comfortable beds, and telephone, I was astounded to find such good value for my money. Each of the rooms open into the common living and dining area, and kitchen (with microwave, toaster oven and large refrigerator) that is available at all hours to guests. Coffee and tea are always on hand, and within a few blocks you can find any number of reasonably priced cafes and small local grocery stores (a list is provided by Karla, along with lots of practical information about San Jose and its services and attractions). In addition, there is a separate apartment that has its own kitchen facilities, that opens up, as does the guest house, onto a lovely covered patio area with lots of sunlight, flowers and hammocks for relaxing or taking an afternoon siesta. As for cleanliness, the place was spotless, appearing as a little oasis in the midst of the busy capital city. Although Kap's Place is located in the barrio of Aranjuez, it is less than a ten minute walk to the center of downtown San Jose, and in a safe neighborhood for walking day or night. Being rainy season while I was there, I found myself walking to town in the mornings, and returning "home" to Kap's Place in the late afternoon when the rainstorms usually hit, often spending the rest of the day settled in a hammock reading, writing, or just enjoying the sound of the rain hitting the roof above. Kap's Place may be one of the best kept secrets in San Jose, mostly due to the friendliness and helpfulness of Karla, its bilingual owner, who provides a wealth of information about San Jose and its environs. On top of all that, she is more than happy to assist in local travel arrangements and other adventures in most any other part of the country. I highly recommend Kap's Place without hesitation, to both young and old alike, and personally look forward my next opportunity to return.

Posted by: Carolyn Griffin-Bugert; Wenatchee, Washington

E-Mail: -- Date: 01/Dic/2001

Kap's Place was a great place to stay for our family of five. The apartment was roomy enough to spread out, but inexpensive for five. It's a bit of a walk to downtown--not something we wanted to do more than once a day--but it's located in a nice neighborhood with good Tico restaurants, banks, groceries, etc. We found it pleasant to stay outside of downtown--it was a bit of a shock to see all the tourists in the downtown core. Karla was exceedingly helpful. She truly wanted to help us with all our questions. Our son enjoyed playing with her young son in the courtyard-they invited my son into their home one evening for family games and he had a great time! Highly recommended!