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Travels with Baby Reviews: Hotel Villa Dolce, Alajuela (San Jose), Costa Rica
A cheerful pool awaits at the center of the Hotel Villa Dolce.
In this Review: Rooms and Villas Dining Amenities Activities Words to the Wise Bottom Line More Info & Helpful Links
The apartments and rooms at Hotel Villa Dolce Hotel Villa Dolce offers standard rooms sleeping up to 4, “mini apartments” with 1 bed and bath plus living room and kitchen, and villas sleeping up to 6 with 2 beds and 2 baths plus a living room and full kitchen. Apartments do not have air-conditioning, but we found the louvered glass windows with screens throughout ours and ceiling fan to be perfectly adequate during our stay.
The complimentary breakfast is cooked up fresh by the owners themselves, who serve the eggs, tropical fruit, and toast along with helpful tips for your day’s outings to the popular attractions in the area. Breakfast is served from 6:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Guests with earlier morning departures may request a breakfast-to-go packed up to take along to the airport—just one more way you begin to feel like family staying at this hotel.
Swimming pool - The swimming pool is open to guests from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at night. Fronted by Mayan statues and backed by a row of palm trees, it makes a pretty focal point as you enter the hotel or look out from the restaurant. With a shaded table and chairs, it also makes a nice spot for sipping the morning coffee provided in the restaurant. Only two lounge chairs are currently at the pool, however, so if you want to spend a morning at leisure before heading to your next stop, be sure to grab them early. Massage - Massage and select spa services are also available at the hotel, perfect for working out those knots after a long flight or polishing the toes before heading to Costa Rican beaches. To be added in November 2011: foot and hand reflexology, plus hot stone reflexology treatment as well.
Laundry - Laundry is available on request and is charged by the load. Airport shuttle - Since we had to be to the airport by 4:30 a.m. (yikes!), the owners were very helpful in booking a taxi for us with a reliable driver they use frequently for guests–who was also able to accommodate all six of us in his minivan. The driver can be booked through the hotel 24 hours a day for airport runs or sightseeing, with very reasonable rates. Zoo Ave is one of the best and most "accessible" animal sightseeing experiences you can enjoy with young children in Costa Rica, and is a must-see for families during your stay. The lovely animal sanctuary is located just 10 minutes from the hotel. The Doka Coffee Estate with its fun and informative tours is also just about 15 minutes away, and Poas Volcano National Park with nearby La Paz Waterfall Gardens (another highly recommended experience for tourists with young children) is a 45-minute drive from the hotel. You can plan your own independent outings, or let the hotel arrange a group tour for you if you prefer. Guests staying a minimum of 3 consecutive nights will also receive discounts on tours - ask for details on the sights and activities that interest you most.
Although it's close to the airport and near a busy highway, we only occasionally heard airplanes. The sounds of traffic were there in the background, but birds in the trees managed to out-sing them, and we had no problems sleeping with open windows through the night. The owners are fluent in Italian, Spanish, and English. Rates are based on room type and occupancy, with 1 child 3 or younger staying free per room. Payments are accepted in US Dollars, Costa Rican Colones, or by credit card with 7% surcharge. Check in 2 p.m., check out 11 a.m. Did we enjoy our stay at Hotel Villa Dolce? Yes. Would we recommend it to a friend? Yes. Would we stay there again? Yes. More Travels with Baby Hotel Reviews All photos, video, and content (c) 2011 by Shelly Rivoli.
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For
our group of six, we opted for the 2-bedroom / 2-story villa with a double
bed on the ground level in which we planned to stay with our 2-yr-old sleeping
in his travel bed. We were at once surprised by how much space we had in the
apartment. Little did we know that we would in fact have a king-size bed in our
room, with a twin bed as well (could be arranged as 3 twins), and we still had
plenty of room to move about and place our
toddler’s travel cot. The upstairs bedroom was even larger, comprising of the
entire upstairs level with its own bright bathroom. Three individual twin beds
were made up to the delight of our older children and their grandmother who got
the entire bedroom and second bathroom to themselves. Both bedrooms offered
large closet storage space as well, which was helpful with organizing our gear
and stowing suitcases.
Our
full kitchen included a refrigerator, microwave, oven/range, and breakfast
nook which seated four. It was stocked with dishes and silverware, and a variety
of mixing bowls and the like. I realized that with a full breakfast being served
to guests each morning, most guests eating lunches out during sightseeing, and
pizza dinners in the restaurant 6 nights a week, the kitchens here don’t
realistically see much actual cooking. But when I asked the owners about an
additional pan or two to help make dinner for my family, they were promptly
provided. However, returning late and exhausted from sightseeing at Poas Volcano
National Park (approx 45 minutes from the hotel) and La Paz Waterfall Gardens,
we all had to laugh when they saw us arrive in the restaurant the next night
instead. (You’ll never hear me complain about getting out of cooking!)
Most
guests with babies and toddlers may want to steer clear of the 2-story
apartments as the tiled staircase may pose some challenges and safety risks for
their tots. A 2-bedroom apartment on one level is also available (sleeping 5),
so just be sure to clarify which you want when you make your reservation. While
the long staircase, which is impossible to
block off, was at first a big attraction to all of our kids (with that exciting
huge, “3 Bears” bedroom at the top!), we were glad that eventually, with enough
toys and art supplies on the lower level, our toddler eventually shifted his
focus to the lower level. 
As
mentioned above, the
restaurant serves authentic hand-tossed
pizzas 6 nights a week
(closed Thursdays, but you can ask about other
options), and I admit that after eating our way across Costa Rica for two weeks,
some pizza and a delicious big green salad were exactly what I was craving. With
the owners on hand to visit about our days' adventures and their knowledge of
the area, and their charming mini schnauzers amusing my daughters in the
adjacent lobby as I slowly... enjoyed... my meal... the hotel was definitely a
nice place to end our travels in Costa Rica. (You can see them with the owner,
Jessica, below.) 
Free WiFi -
Free wireless internet access is available in the lobby area, beside the
restaurant, and a computer is available to guests there as well. Although the
WiFi doesn’t reach most of the apartments, we were able to get access in our
living room. 
On
our first approach to the hotel, we had trouble finding the entrance to the
hotel. Just watch
closely for the yellow sign with its arrow pointing to the gated entrance, buzz
for entry, and proceed down the drive.
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