Priority Pass Lounges in San Jose
Last month we traveled to Costa Rica and flew through San Jose. We were delighted and surprised to discover that they have two Priority Pass Lounges and decided to visit them both so we could do a comparison for you. Our 2-year-old and 4-year-old were with us, so we also took note of family friendly features in each lounge for those of you traveling with kids! Here’s our experience and which lounge we thought edged out the other to take the top spot.
Santamaria VIP Lounge
The first lounge we visited was the Santamaria VIP Lounge by American Express, located next to gate 5 on level 3. This lounge has been undergoing renovations in 2025, but everything seemed to be done when we arrived. It definitely looks different than the photos on the American Express lounge site, and we thought it looked really lovely with beautiful wallpaper, quite a lot of comfy seating, and some tables that could accommodate large groups, which is often lacking in lounges. We especially enjoyed the long bar height tables facing the runway where we could watch planes taxi and take off. We set up there with the kids and they loved watching the planes. There were lots of outlets, which we appreciated as we were able to charge phones and tablets for the trip home. The food was decent with some rice and curry, muffins, cookies, salad, and pureed fruit and veggie squeezie pouches that the kids enjoyed. We haven’t seen those often in lounges, so it garnered them some family friendly points. The curry had meat and there wasn’t any other entrees, so not the best for vegetarians, but we got some anyways and just picked out the chunks of chicken and found it pretty tasty. The coffee bar was decent with options from a pot or machine that makes lattes, cappuccinos etc. The nice thing about the machine was that you could also get warm milk from it, so I was able to get a cup for our 2-year-old, which she loved.
Pros
Stylish remodeled interior
Lots of seating, counters, and tables, including tables that seat larger groups
Lots of outlets
High chairs
Nice clean bathrooms with changing table and shower
Decent food options, including food that might be more appealing to kiddos like pureed fruit squeezie pouches and warm milk
Nice views out onto the runway
Darkened area of the lounge with oversized chairs for napping
Cons
Extra charges apply for using the shower according to their lounge website
Limited vegetarian food. No vegetarian entree during our visit.
Good to Know
Open daily from 4:30am - 8:00pm
Children 10 and under are free
Access is only permitted 3 hours prior to your scheduled flight departure time
Beautiful wallpaper throughout the Santamaria VIP Lounge
Lots of seating
Nice long rows of counter seating looking out at the runway, complete with comfy chairs and charging plugs
Our view out onto the runway from the counter in the Santamaria VIP Lounge
Decent drinks bar with coffee, teas, and iced lemon mint water
Salad bar
Our kiddos appreciated the pureed fruit pouches and muffins and we thought the curry was tasty, just wished there was also a vegetarian entree option
Our 2-year-old enjoying a cup of warm milk :)
Very nice that they have highchairs
A slightly more darkened area with oversized chairs were a lot of people were napping
The bathroom
Private family stall with changing table
VIP Lounge Costa Rica
It’s a little confusing that both lounges have VIP in the name, but they are indeed two separate lounges. VIP Lounge Costa Rica is located near gate 18 on the upper level, and we hustled over after eating at the VIP Santamaria Lounge. It’s not a big airport so it only took about 5 minutes to get there, making it easy to visit both lounges if you want. They warned us as we were checking in that their AC was broken and that it was very hot and they weren’t joking. It was probably at least 80F in the lounge with a few giant floor fans positioned here and there trying to cool things down a bit but not really succeeding. We headed to the back of the lounge and were delighted to discover a little play area for kids. There was no one else at the back of the lounge, probably due to the heat, so we had it all to ourselves for the kiddos to play for a bit while we got food. Food options were fairly similar with the exact same salad bar and muffins - same caterer or under cover American Express lounge? The food options were less extensive in this lounge, but they did have some vegetarian cheese and spinach rolls, which we appreciated. Nothing particular for kids and no fancy coffee option. I made a quick trip to the bathroom and there was a private bathroom with a changing table and shower. The sign by the shower said to ask at reception regarding shower services, so it’s unclear whether there’s an extra charge. If you have your own shower supplies you can most likely just go ahead and take a quick shower.
Pros
Kids play area
Decent amount of seating
Slightly more vegetarian options than the other lounge, at least on the day we visited
Private bathroom with baby changing table and shower
High chairs
Nice views out onto the runway
Cons
AC broken during our visit, but obviously not a permanent issue with this lounge
Less food options overall
No “fancy” coffee options
Overall more worn and shabby appearance
Good to Know (all the same as Santamaria VIP Lounge)
Open daily from 4:30am - 8:00pm
Children 10 and under are free
Access is only permitted 3 hours prior to your scheduled flight departure time
Trying to cool off in front of one of the fans during our visit to the VIP Costa Rica Lounge
Plenty of open seating (probably due to the heat) but an overall shabbier and worn appearance than the other lounge
Main seating area
The same counters with views onto the runway as the other lounge
Kids play area in the VIP Costa Rica Lounge. A definite hit with our kiddos despite being pretty small.
We had the corner by the play area all to ourselves
High chairs
Simple coffee bar
One non-vegetarian entree option same as the other lounge
Same salad bar options, but they did have a vegetarian cheese and spinach roll option next to it, which was tasty
Bathroom with a sign saying to check with reception for shower service
So Which Lounge is Better?
While both lounges were weirdly similar (Run by same parent company maybe or built by same contractors and use same caterers? Couldn’t find info connecting them online), the Santamaria VIP Lounge won out for us due to its updated and more spacious interior, more extensive food options overall, and nicer coffee options. The fact it had working AC during our visit couldn’t help but influence us a little too! Most other folks seem to agree with us as the Santamaria VIP Lounge as a 4.0 star Google review rating compared to VIP Costa Rica Lounge’s 2.5 star Google review rating. That said, the little play area in the VIP Costa Rica Lounge was a nice touch for kiddos, so if you have little ones and have the time to visit both Priority Pass Lounges, stopping by VIP Costa Rica to let them play after eating and relaxing at Santamaria VIP would be a good option!
Have you visited both Priority Pass Lounges in San Jose and have a different opinion or experience than us? We and our readers would love to hear about it, especially if you used a shower at either lounge since we didn’t do that. Leave us a comment!