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If location is key, then Parque del Lago is the right hotel for you. Our hotel lies at the crossroads of a cultural, business and entertainment medley. Situated on Avenida Dos, also known as Paseo Colon, this once elegant residential neighborhood is today a bustling avenue, overflowing with banks, boutique hotels, business centers and restaurants. Avenida Dos is one of city’s vital transportation arteries. A five to ten minute drive down this road puts you in the heart of San Jose, where you can enjoy interesting museums, theaters, shopping centers and handicrafts markets. The Parque del Lago Hotel has the privilege of lying diagonally from the adjoining La Sabana Metropolitan Park, San José’s “Central Park”. This 72-hectare green, forested over the years with a large variety of eucalyptus and pine trees, acts as the city’s lung, while also offering optimal sport installations and leisure possibilities for the Ticos and visitors at large.
The hotel is conveniently located only 15 minutes away from the Juan Santamaría International Airport and a stepping stone away from the Inter American Highway, the road leading to major westbound natural attractions. The highway heading west towards the popular suburbs of Rohrmoser and Escazú is a 2-minute drive from the hotel’s parking lot. The smaller Tobias Bolaños Airport is located in Rohrmoser, where Nature Air, a local airline, offers daily flights to more than 15 destinations within the country. Their newly inaugurated international flight to Granada, Nicaragua is a great option for exploring this beautiful country out of San Jose. For more information call 220-3054.
Several large business centers are scattered around the hotel’s perimeter, among them the Centro Colon, the modern, glass-laced Torre Mercedes, the Oficentro La Sabana and the Oficentro in Plaza Mayor.
Some of San Jose’s best shopping alternatives are located within a 5-to-10 minute driving distance from the hotel. In the nearby Rohrmoser suburb are the Plaza Mayor shopping center and the soon-to-be inaugurated Plaza Rohrmoser, both featuring upscale boutiques, restaurants & bars, pharmacies, supermarkets, shoe stores and more. Plaza Mayor offers two very comfortable, modern movie theaters as well. Parallel to the popular Rohrmoser Boulevard is the Pavas road, a congested street with a chaotic commercial strip, lined with pharmacies, clinics, small restaurants and boutiques to Cemaco, one of the largest home goods store in the country.
Only 2 minutes from the hotel, heading westwards down the Prospero Fernandez Highway, popularly called “La Pista”, is the popular town of Escazú, housing the large and posh Multiplaza Mall. A multitude of high end stores, eight state-of-the-art cinemas and the upscale Auto Mercado Supermarket are all found under one roof.
Contrary to popular opinion, shopping in downtown San Jose can be a rewarding experience, letting you see, hear and smell the sounds and sights of this lively yet unfortunately disorganized and polluted capital. The city has a few hidden jewels lying behind the rubble of its unattractive buildings. The Mercado Central or the Central Market is a marvelous, vibrant place offering the freshest produce. The crunchiest vegetables and the tangiest fruits are gloriously squished next to some of the city’s best fish. Flowers and leather products are perfumed by the nearby fresh herbs and spice stand. The air smells like everything here and the friendliness of the people is perhaps its most charming reward. The Plaza de la Democracia has a nice, varied souvenir market. Once a beautiful turn-of-the century estate, the La Casona Souvenir house offers an extense variety of souvenirs at varying prices, so be sure to visit several stands before buying anything. A walk down the Central Avenue, recently converted into an attractive pedestrian zone, lets you do some great people watching, while also shopping in a variety of small stores and large department stores. Just don’t forget to leave your valuables in your hotel. Take the minimum necessary into downtown San Jose, so that your experience can be an enjoyable one!
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