Hyatt Place San Jose Pinares
120-room Hyatt Place inside Momentum Pinares, opposite Walmart in Curridabat, on the east side of San José
About this stay
Hyatt announced this hotel in 2011 as the first international brand on the east side of San José, and it still anchors Momentum Pinares, a mixed-use complex of shops, offices and restaurants in Curridabat. The Costa Rica Tourism Board gives its address simply as opposite Walmart. The 120 air-conditioned rooms come with a minibar and coffee maker, and the building has an outdoor pool, a fitness room and meeting space.
In guest review scores, location rates 10 out of 10 and breakfast 9.5: the buffet is served every morning. Service scores only 5 out of 10 on Kayak, with complaints about reception and room assignment, and other recurring reservations are traffic noise in some rooms and a 24-hour gym that some guests find poorly equipped. The National Museum is about 6 km west and the National Theatre about 7 km, so the historic centre means a taxi, not a walk.
- 120 air-conditioned rooms inside Momentum Pinares, opposite Walmart
- Buffet breakfast every morning, one of the best-rated points in reviews
- Outdoor pool, fitness room, bar and 24-hour business centre
- On-site parking for travellers with a rental car
- Rated 9.0 from 726 guest reviews
Our take
Hyatt Place San José Pinares sits inside Momentum Pinares, the mixed-use complex opposite Walmart in Curridabat, so dinner and coffee need no car. That eastern position is its real argument: Curridabat lies on the way out of the capital toward Cartago, the Orosi Valley and Irazú Volcano, while Juan Santamaría airport is about 23 km west, across the whole city. With 9.0 from 726 guest reviews, location and breakfast score highest, while service lags behind, with complaints about reception and room assignment. I would book it for a business trip or the first night of a route east, not for the eve of an early flight.
- ✓Ask for a room away from the road side: some guest reviews mention traffic noise in certain rooms.
- ✓Do not pick it as an airport hotel: SJO is about 23 km west and the drive crosses San José, so on a dawn flight a hotel in Alajuela makes more sense.
- ✓Heading to Cartago, the Orosi Valley or Irazú? Starting from Curridabat keeps you out of the city centre on the first morning of the drive east.
- ✓For supplies before the drive east, the Walmart across the road is enough; Terramall, about 2.5 km east on the Florencio del Castillo (Route 2) toward Cartago, has more shops.
Why we love it
- Restaurants, cafés and shops of Momentum Pinares at the door
- A buffet breakfast that guests rate among the hotel's strongest points
- Air-conditioned rooms with a minibar and coffee maker
- On-site parking for a rental car
Why guests love itFor a family, the useful part of Hyatt Place Pinares is what surrounds it. The Momentum Pinares restaurants are downstairs, so a tired child does not have to get back in the car for dinner, and the buffet breakfast saves the morning hunt for food before a long drive. The outdoor pool gives children a short swim after a day on the road. Expect a city setting with no garden around it. I would use it for one or two nights at the start of a family loop heading east toward Cartago, not for a longer stay or as a base to visit the historic centre, which is about 6 to 7 km away.