Located in Desamparados, Hotel Pibi Boreal is on a river, within a 15-minute drive of Plaza Real Alajuela and Alajuela Cathedral. .This hotel is 8.9 mi (14.4 km) from Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center and 10.6 mi (17.1 km) from Hacienda Alsacia.
What's nearby
Alajuela Cathedral - 13 min drive - 6.7 km
Juan Santamaría Park - 14 min drive - 7.1 km
City Mall - 15 min drive - 7.7 km
Costa Rica Convention Center - 17 min drive - 11.9 km
Hacienda Alsacia - 26 min drive - 16.1 km
Getting around
San Antonio de Belen Station - 28 min drive
Juan Santamaria Intl. Airport (SJO) - 20 min drive
Restaurants
Dragón Dorado - 12 min drive
El Banco de los Mariscos - 7 min drive
Pipos Bar - 15 min drive
Sabor Urbano - 10 min drive
Sabores Alicante - 11 min drive
About this property
Hotel Pibi Boreal
Beaux Arts hotel with free breakfast and airport shuttle service
Hotel Pibi Boreal offers 9 accommodations, which are accessible via exterior corridors and feature complimentary bottled water and complimentary toiletries. Each accommodation is individually decorated. Beds feature Egyptian cotton sheets and premium bedding. A pillow menu is available. Guests can surf the web using the complimentary wireless Internet access. Coffee/tea makers and minibars are provided. Bathrooms include showers with rainfall showerheads. Additionally, rooms include ceiling fans and blackout drapes/curtains. Housekeeping is offered daily and hypo-allergenic bedding can be requested.
Make yourself at home in one of the 9 guestrooms featuring minibars. Complimentary wireless internet access is available to keep you connected. Private bathrooms with showers feature rainfall showerheads and complimentary toiletries. Conveniences include coffee/tea makers and complimentary bottled water, and housekeeping is provided daily.
Take in the views from a terrace and a garden and make use of amenities such as complimentary wireless internet access.
Take advantage of the hotel's room service (during limited hours). A complimentary full breakfast is served daily from 7 AM to 9:30 AM.
Featured amenities include express check-in, express check-out, and multilingual staff. A roundtrip airport shuttle is complimentary (available on request).
A complimentary full breakfast is served each morning between 7 AM and 9:30 AM.
Room service (during limited hours) is available.
Languages
English, French, Spanish
Property amenities
Internet
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi
Parking and transport
Free return airport shuttle from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM on request
Free secured self parking on site
Food and drink
Free full breakfast available daily 7 AM to 9:30 AM
Conveniences
Laundry facilities
Limited-hour front desk
Luggage storage
Safe at front desk
Water dispenser
Guest services
Concierge services
Housekeeping (daily)
Multilingual staff
Tour and ticket assistance
Outdoors
Garden
In the mountains
On a river
Terrace
Accessibility
If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
Accessible airport shuttle
No lift (single-level property)
Stair-free path to entrance
More
1 building
1 floor
Beaux Arts architecture
Built in 2018
Mosquito nets
Smoke-free property
Room amenities
Bedroom
Blackout drapes
Egyptian cotton sheets
Hypo-allergenic bedding
Pillow menu
Bathroom
Free toiletries
Private bathroom
Rainfall showerhead
Shampoo
Shower
Soap
Toilet paper
Towels provided
Food and drink
Coffee/tea maker
Free bottled water
Limited room service
Minibar
More
Access via exterior corridors
Ceiling fan
Individual decor
Policies
Check-in
Check-in start time: 2:00 PM; Check-in end time: 10:00 PM
Contactless check-in available
Express check-in available
Minimum check-in age: 18
Check-out
Check-out before 10 AM
Contactless check-out available
Express check-out available
Special check-in instructions
Guests must transfer via Airport shuttle to the property; guests must contact the property at least 48 hours before travel, using the contact information on the confirmation received after booking
This property offers transfers from the airport; to arrange pick-up, guests must contact the property 24 hours prior to arrival, using the contact information on the booking confirmation
The front desk is open daily from 2:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Guests planning to arrive outside of normal check-in hours must contact the property in advance for check-in instructions; front desk staffed during limited hours
To make arrangements for check-in please contact the property at least 48 hours before arrival using the information on the booking confirmation
If you are planning to arrive after 8:00 PM please contact the property in advance using the information on the booking confirmation
Renovations and closures
This property is closed from December 31 2025 to January 1 2026 (dates subject to change).
Access methods
Front desk (limited hours)
Pets
No pets or service animals allowed
Children and extra beds
Children 2 and younger are not allowed at this property; All guests older than 2 are welcome
Rollaway/extra beds are not available
Cribs (infant beds) are not available
Payment types
Important information
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
Minimum Spring Break check-in age is 18 years old
The name on the credit card used at check-in to pay for incidentals must be the primary name on the guestroom reservation
Tax ID - 3102765133
This property accepts credit cards and cash
Cashless transactions are available
Onsite parties or group events are strictly prohibited
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit
We should mention
This property does not have elevators
Children 2 years old and younger are not permitted at this property
Only registered guests are allowed in the guestrooms
No pets and no service animals are allowed at this property
Property is also known as
Hotel Pibi Boreal Alajuela
Pibi Boreal Alajuela
Pibi Boreal
Hotel Pibi Boreal Hotel
Hotel Pibi Boreal Desamparados
Hotel Pibi Boreal Hotel Desamparados
Hotel Pibi Boreal Reviews
Reviews
9.8
Exceptional
All reviews shown are from real guest experiences. Only travellers who have booked a stay with us can submit a review. We verify reviews according to our guidelines and publish all reviews, positive or negative.
Rating 10 - Excellent. 370 out of 417 reviews
10 - Excellent
370
Rating 8 - Good. 38 out of 417 reviews
8 - Good
38
Rating 6 - Okay. 5 out of 417 reviews
6 - Okay
5
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 417 reviews
4 - Poor
1
Rating 2 - Terrible. 3 out of 417 reviews
2 - Terrible
3
10/10
Cleanliness
10/10
Staff & service
9.2/10
Amenities
9.8/10
Property conditions & facilities
10/10
Eco-friendliness
Reviews
6/10 Okay
Verified traveller
Travelled with family
9 May 2025
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness
Would be 4 stars if not for our particular issue
Fine for a one night stay before the airport. Really enjoyed the balcony and breakfast out there was nice. Unfortunately, the room was infested with ants. They were all over the bathroom and, most problematically, the beds. We did not eat inside the room and when we informed the owner she said maybe the previous guest had had food :/
I am fine with bugs here and there, but the bed is where I draw the line. And both were crawling with them.
Matt went above and beyond to not only make sure we had transportation from the airport to the hotel but he set us up with transportation to where we needed to go the next day. Seriously made my stay allllll that much more enjoyable and smooth sailing. Seriously couldn’t thank them enough. Even his kids are well mannered and helpful! Great family, and family business they have!
We only had the pleasure of staying for one night, everything from our complimentary hotel pickup and breakfast and the hotel’s gorgeous property was the perfect start to our trip. I really enjoyed the small, quiet and quaint atmosphere. You can tell Matthieu and his wife put a lot of love into hosting their guests. Would love to return and stay longer on our next trip!
I'm so grateful I stayed here when I needed a hotel for 1 night before flying out of SJO. It felt like a continuation of my 2 weeks in the jungle/beach - away from the busyness of the city. The accommodations were great, the balcony looking right into the trees was a perfect spot to read, do some yoga/meditation and enjoy breakfast. I will definitely be staying here again next time I need a place near SJO and I highly recommend you do too. One note is they don't have a restaurant on site, so if you need dinner, pick something up along the way (which is what I did). There's a good sized refrigerator in the room to keep your items cold!
Beautiful place to relax and enjoy nature,with forrest view and river below yet relatively close to the airport.Listen to birds singing,river water passing by and beautiful stars at night(no light pollution)..Super clean and modern room. Stayed three nights and really enjoyed,no tv or phone in room(no need) but wifi super.Hosts Nidia and Matthieu were super with their hospitality,they recommended places to visit and restaurants.Breakfast delivered daily to your door at the time you wish,free airport shuttle.Highly recommend to everybody.
We spent our last night of vacation at the Pibi Boreal. What a beautiful gem tucked into the hills above Alajuela!
Family owned and operated inn offering first class hospitality and accommodations.
We highly recommend and will always stay here in the future.
Family run BnB in exquisite forest/garden setting 15 min from airport. Enjoy costa rican coffee and french croissants on your balcony watching birds before you take off for airport. Family are wonderful hosts and offer one-way transport to/from airport.
We were a group of 9 adults coming in to stay for one night before our morning flight out the next day. The hosts were very responsive and kind. They welcomed us and even picked us up from the rental car agency after dropping off our cars.
The balconies are really nice. We enjoyed sitting outside and relaxing on our last night in Costa Rica.
The next morning, we had a very early flight. Our host arranged for transportation for part of our group (since there were 9 of us with luggage) and shuttled us to the airport. His wife made warm croissants for us to take with us since we were leaving so early and missing breakfast.
We couldn't have asked for better hospitality.
This place is beautiful! We arrived very late and the hosts were so kind and made sure we had a quick check in and breakfast at our selected time. the directions took us straight there. the property is stunning and it really feels like you are right in the jungle. I would recommend this to anyone who needs a place with airport accessibility but does not want to be in the city. we hope to return!
I stayed one night before catching a flight out of San Jose. The property is beautiful, and the hosts Nidia and Michael are very welcoming and attentive. They speak multiple languages including Spanish, English, French and I believe German. The room was very clean, and had a balcony surrounded by flowers. A breakfast of fresh fruit, croissants, toast and jam, and tea was delivered to my room. In the morning, Michael drove me to the airport at no extra charge. There is a small fish pond and garden. The property itself is small and protected by a fence/gate. I wasn't there long enough to explore outside of the gate. Uber Eats delivers to the property. There is wifi, but no tv in the room. If you are looking for a peaceful place to stay fairly close to the airport, I highly recommend Hotel Pibi.
Amazing room overlooking a great view. Owners were very friendly and helpful with providing information on things to do in the area and transport to the airport.