DESTINATIONS SAN JOSE LATIN AMERICA 11.00: National Theatre


09.00: Escuela Buenaventura


as the owners work with Costa Rican growers to source quality, single- origin beans and will happily provide a tasting and masterclass in the best brewing techniques. franco.cr


14.00: Spend the afternoon exploring the area’s shops and galleries. Casa Escalante has fun, colourful pieces from furniture to jewellery, while Kúkara Mákara and Holalola are filled with unique, Costa Rican-made souvenirs. For a pit-stop, Plaza de Francia is a popular meeting spot with a cafe.


19.30: Join a craft beer tour with Carpe Chepe, from about £30 (extra with hotel pick-up). Stops vary but most breweries are in or around Barrio Escalante, with Wilk Craft Beer, Stiefel Pub and El Andén some of the standouts in this burgeoning scene.


The walking tour, led by a craft beer expert, includes tastings and food pairings at four pubs. carpechepe.com


22.30: If you need something more substantial, go to El Jardín de Lolita. This outdoor space has tiny bars dotted around different levels, plus pizza and burger stalls. facebook.com/eljardindelolita


w DAY TWO 09.00: Start at Central Market on Avenida Central, a busy pedestrianised street that runs through the heart of central San José. Its maze of narrow alleyways is lined with coffee shops, stalls with native fruits and spices, craft shops, and ‘sodas’ (small restaurants) selling empanadas and cakes.


11.00: Turn left from the market and walk 10 minutes to Plaza de la


Where to stay


SAVE In the quiet Rohrmoser district, Hilton Garden Inn San José La Sabana has modern rooms, many of which have views over the park and National Stadium, as does the pool jutting from one of the top floors. Doubles from £130.


hilton.com/en/hilton- garden-inn


SPEND Hotel Grano de Oro drips with old-world elegance, from the plant-filled lobby to rooms with mahogany accents and patios with trickling water features and palms. The inner-courtyard restaurant, which serves French Mediterranean dishes, is a local favourite. Doubles from £150. hotelgranodeoro.com


19.30: Craft beer tour 72 travelweekly.co.uk 7 February 2019


SPLURGE Gran Hotel Costa Rica is just a stroll away from central attractions, and has an illustrious history of its own – JFK stayed here in 1963. It relaunched last summer as part of the Hilton Curio Collection. Bright, stylish doubles start from £160. curiocollection3.hilton.com


PICTURES: SHUTTERSTOCK; ALEJANDROARIEL.COM


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