Hotel Grano de Oro, San José, Costa Rica
A taxi-ride from San José’s most popular attractions, this boutique ‘grain of gold’ is one of the city’s warmest, most welcoming hotels. Its owners first fell in love with the treasured tropical Victorian mansion on their travels, and since its purchase have exquisitely preserved its essence over the years. So while it lacks a larger hotel’s features, it’s worth going the extra mile for the pretty rooftop garden terrace, and its restaurant: one of the city’s top dining spots.