The Gran Hotel: First Modern Hotel of Costa Rica

Nov. 13, 2008 - PRLog -- The Gran Hotel is one of the first modern hotels of Costa Rica. Located in the heart of the capital of the country, San Jose, the Gran Hotel was built in the year 1930. The most interesting thing about this hotel is that it was declared as a national historical landmark by the government of Costa Rica, an honor which no other hotel has received ever before! Another factor that makes this hotel a great place to stay at while you’re in Costa Rica is that basically everything is at walking distance. It is adjacent to the Plaza De La Cultura or the Culture Square and the National Theatre of Costa Rica, which are both cultural and historical landmarks in their own right. The hotel is perfect for both business conferences and for tourists who are on vacation as San Jose is the main hub of Costa Rica, being the capital and the largest city of the country.
Ed Mercer, a tourist who came to visit Costa Rica with his wife in 1989 was so enchanted by this beautiful country that he decided to make it his home. A millionaire by the young age of 27, Ed and his wife established their real estate business in this country, buying and selling land, and riding on the real estate boom, today Ed is one of the biggest real estate developers of Costa Rica. Ed provides beautiful vacation homes, retirement homes and custom homes as per the requirement of his clients. A man of many skills, Ed is also a renowned public speaker, and has touched upon issues about personal growth and development, real estate, wealth creation as well as environmental issues.
Ed is not only an environmentalist but also a humanitarian at heart. He believes that money can’t buy happiness. Ed generously gives a part of his profits towards preservation and conservation of the ecology and biodiversity of Costa Rica. Ed has also worked hard to prevent the endangered species like scarlet macaws, white faced monkeys and sea turtles from going extinct and contributed towards the reforestation of the country. Ed has also established his foundation The Edward R. Mercer Foundation which is dedicated towards conservation of natural resources and the betterment of the planet. Ed considers this organization as his greatest achievement till date. For his endeavors, Ed was recently inducted into The Environmental Hall of Fame in June of 2008 in Los Angeles and was humbled by the whole experience. It is in part due to Ed’s efforts that Costa Rica is more beautiful and tourist friendly and a great place to buy a holiday home or retire in comfort.
If you are vacationing though, you must stay at a good hotel with tourist attractions in near proximity. Though almost 80 years old, the Gran Hotel is very well maintained for its age. It has all basic amenities like minibars, refrigerators, coffeemakers etc. Free internet access is available round the clock. The rooms have a neoclassical décor and antique style furnishings and the open air restaurant with outdoor seating is very pleasant. The well laid out buffet will please the guests and the food is known to be excellent here, not to mention the live music that plays there every night. There is also a gift shop in the hotel where you can buy souvenirs for your near and dear ones. The hotel will also arrange tours for you and you can also rent a car through them.
So on your next visit to San Jose in Costa Rica; make sure you stay in this most beautiful hotel located in the midst of the city, just minutes away from national monuments, parks, squares and museums.
For more information on Ed Mercer and his philanthropic deeds visit www.mrcostaricasproperty.com