El Establo Mountain Hotel

The rooms at El Establo are larger by far than most New York City studio apartments. Ours, and did all the others, featured spectacular views across the Gulf of Colorado and the mountains of the pennisula to its west. Others have commented that noise from the hallways bleeds into the sleeping rooms. It's true but it's not terrible. And they sound can […] be reduced by closing ventilation louvers. The noise was infrequent during our stay; we may not have even noticed had it not been pointed out by others. The grounds follow the rather steep slope of the mountain on which they are laid out. Vans are provided to ferry one up and down. This served us well when we wanted to explore the top of the mountain, a nature reserve with well maintained trails, or pop up to one of the two pools (the other was just out our front foo) or the fancier of the two restaurants. Apart from the resort's various buildings, the setting is remarkable. During our three days there we spotted three rainbows and were simultaneously warmed by the tropical sun and cooled by the mountain breezes. Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

This was our first time traveling to Monteverde, and we brought our 10 month old baby with us, so we wanted a comfortable stay. El Establo is located on a beautiful property, only a 10 minute (bumpy) ride to the Monteverde reserve, and has a lot going for it but missed the mark on a few key things. PROS: Offered a clean pack n play for baby (we brought […] our own so we didn't need one) Friendly, helpful staff Beautiful views of the valley Comfortable mattress and soft bedding Soaking tub Large, tiled bathroom Balcony Grassy areas to let baby crawl around Delicious food at both restaurants (we primarily ate at Laggus) CONS: The overall con of El Establo is they have some luxury materials and beautiful furniture, but it is constructed poorly. For example, the shower glass doors were glued to the tile and the glue had oozed out of the seams. It looked bad. There was no toilet paper holder. The roll just sat on the floor. The carpet was not vacuumed and was very dated, along with the wooden furniture in the room. The grounds are very large, so you must call a shuttle to get from your room to the restaurant and anywhere else. It would have been nice to have a little more freedom and not be dependent on the staff to get back to your room (especially crucial when it is raining) We did enjoy our stay. As I said, the staff is so friendly and I didn't mind the outdated and poorly thought out rooms, but I wouldn't recommend this to anyone ISO a luxury stay based on these cons. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

The hotel room was very noisy. You could hear every one as they passed by in the hallways (especially rolling suitcases). Poor ventilation: no airconditioners, the only windows that would open were in the bathroom that connected to the common hallways. No windows or doors to the outside with screens. No ceiling fans or anything.

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

Pros- great location, clean spacious rooms with beautiful views. Mountain lodge feel. zip line at top of property! Cons - rooms have lack of attention to detail, thick uncomfortable pillows, shower has no light in it so dark, bare bones service from staff. No wifi in rooms. Overall a comfortable place without the "extras"

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

you have to wear color-coded bracelets they give you, they carefully police how many people there are per room, lobby service is very rude, and unless you have a gps or a phone you will never find the place because it does not even have an address. also: if you dont like being surrounded by tour groups of 20-30, avoid this place, they come by the b […] usload. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

Nice hotel in the hills of Monteverde. Newer rooms are nice, but older ones are extremely noisy and run down. Reception staff is undertrained and not friendly at all. Had to change rooms 3 times and they were not friendly at all. Probably the nicer hotel in Monteverde, but needs better trained staff and some care.

Genuine Expedia guest review

Nice hotel in the hills of Monteverde. Newer rooms are nice, but older ones are extremely noisy and run down. Reception staff is undertrained and not friendly at all. Had to change rooms 3 times and they were not friendly at all. Probably the nicer hotel in Monteverde, but needs better trained staff and some care.

Genuine Expedia guest review

Hotel El Establo sits magnificently on the mountain hilltop. The setting is wonderful. The drive to the hotel is unbelievable. Looks beautiful from the outside, but now the interior details. The welcome mat was rude. The hotel is spread out, so walking to pool or restaurants was tough. If you have a rental car as we did, that helps. Parking is limited. […] The pre-scheduled tours will pick you up from the hotel for a day of fun. We opted to drive ourselves. The morning zip-lining tour, which is a "must do", does not return you to the hotel until after check out times and asking for an hour or two late check out seems to be a problem unlike most hotels in the states. A quick shower after the tour would have been nice. One night stay in Monte Verde is all you need to see it all. Love the area. We stayed in a beautiful deluxe room at the very top of the mountain. The views were spectacular, but the walls were paper thin. We could hear both neighbors easily and they were not being out of the ordinary...just laughing and talking at normal tones. The breakfast buffet was really good and the hostess provided excellent service. Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

This hotel looks very nice upon arrival - the building structure, exterior, and lobby are all very nice. Upon entering our room - everything is clean, carpet and tile were clean. However, the bathroom was outdated - stuck in the 90's look, and also there were glass panes/windows in the bathroom that exposed the room to the interior of the hotel that […] were not 'closeable', so we could hear everything in the hallways throughout the night. It was especially bothersome when the weather was windy because it would cause the bathroom and room door to make noises that seemed as if someone was knocking the entire night. Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review

We stayed at El Establo for the Monteverde leg of our honeymoon trip to Costa Rica. We went during the green season, when the hotel was not full and they upgraded us to a larger room when we checked in. The exterior of the hotel is really nice, very ski lodge chic. The room decor is also very 90s, but clean. The rooms are carpeted unlike most of the […] other hotels we stayed at in CR. The breakfast buffet is delicious!! The hotel is located between the town of Santa Elena and the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. There are some great restaurants (Chimera, Sofia) within a block of the hotel, but the town of Santa Elena is about a 10 minute walk away. A cab to the Cloud Forest costs about $8. The concierge was great with helping us book activities, most of which included transportation that picks up at the hotel. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

In terms of comfort and amenities, the hotel felt more like a nice budget hotel or hostel than what has been billed as the nicest, most luxurious hotel in Monteverde. The bathroom was okay, but cheap. The bed wasn't very comfortable. There were barely any lights in our room. The mini fridge smelled of mildew. And the restaurant at the top of the hill, […] supposedly "elegant dining," was the worst food I've ever eaten. Read more

Genuine Expedia guest review

We stayed at suit 301 and it was an old room with floor carpets and torn blue curtains. The 2nd floor stairs were slippery and we numbed our head in the triangle like ceiling twice. The bathroom and toilets are ventilated to the public corridor using a high window you can't close. The hotel is trying to be first class but it won't make it with these […] old rooms, as big as they are (and they are spacious). Read more

Genuine Hotels.com guest review