BB1, which hotel might you be referring to?
The first one? The resort? The last one?
The first one was a glorious building from days gone by, with one of a kind outside architecture. It had antiquated interior facilities, as most hotels of that time period will have. It was located in the center of San Jose, which is a city not all feel safe in.
Whether one appreciates history to the point of putting up with some minor inconveniences for one night is a matter of individual taste. I definitely choose the history and the beauty of architecture, but would likely not want the inconvenience for long. Have you seen the place? Alan posted a couple of pics. It is beautiful, and I enjoyed sitting in the outdoor restaurant watching life on the plaza, enjoying good food and company and being shielded from all the vendors at the same time.
Or are you talking about the resort? This was a tropical paradise. It had the bungalows I described earlier – I heard not a soul complain about them. They were charming and romantic and absolutely gorgeous.
Or perhaps the Hampton Captain and I spent the last night in San Jose in? This was a clone hotel as you find it in every town across the world, with all the conveniences modern life offers but no personality. It was a great place to cool off and rest up, but surely not something I would travel to experience.
I realize, all this is a matter of preference. I am an experienced traveller and I want to see the unique characteristics of the country I am visiting. I want the architecture, the people, the fauna and flora. I want the smell of the air, be it flowery, salty or farm like, I want the feel of being part of that society. Spending a night without air conditioning is secondary to those experiences to me.
That is what I want from a pleasure trip. If I travel for business and have meetings and work, I would want something like the Hampton, an impersonal clone but a place you emerge from with every hair in place and all your ducks in a row.
Should you look a gift horse in the mouth? Sure, if it is one you actually worked for and earned. I looked and mine had perfect teeth.
PS. Thank you for the wonderful pictures, Alan. I will be looking at them a lot. My husband will enjoy seeing them also. :bigsmile: