El Establo Mountain Hotel

A lot of the reviews I've read of this place seem to be expecting a 4 or 5 star hotel experience. It is not listed as such. While El Establo has some issues, it was not as bad as some folks have made it out to be. First, the good: The views are gorgeous, our double was spacious, the shower hot and with good pressure. The breakfast was delicious and generous, all of the staff friendly and helpful. The mid: The rooms don't have AC or heat, but in October that wasn't a problem for us. One of our open windows didn't have screens so a few bugs got in (not a big deal for us). The hotel is on a steep incline which makes moving between your room and the pool/gym/restaurant a little tough but they have a shuttle service for you. The bad: Mostly pricing for non-breakfast food and activities. We opted out of everything you can do at the hotel because it was all as expensive as doing it elsewhere. You would expect guests to get a break. Overall, we were happy with our stay here, and wouldn't recommend anyone not stay here.

We stayed 3 nights and it was worth. Rooms are modern and minimalist style enhancing the backdrop of the beautiful mountains surrounding the hotel. There is no room with a bad view. The chef is an artist. We tasted some of the best steaks and fish. They have lots of activities and their service is phenomenal. Best time of the year is late December to early March of you want to avoid the rain. However, this is the Rainforest and nothing wrong experiencing the rain and listen to the thousands of birds singing afterwards.

Stayed here for 3 nightsbin a room in the 700 range, which was pretty much at the top of the hill. We were glad that there was a taxi shuttle service in the grounds if the hotel - we did attempt the walk up to our room once but wished we'd have just had the taxi. After learning the hard way we didn't make that mistake again.||The room was lovely and clean and had everything we needed. The patio opened up to a gorgeous mountain Vista view and there was plenty of nature just getting in outside the window. We saw coati, hummingbirds, and toucan.||The hotel was situated just outside of the small town, still walking distance for us, but not necessarily for everybody. This allowed various adventures and trips to local attractions and amenities.||We had a great time and would highly recommend the hotel.

The staff are robotic and lack any real interest (other than the receptionist from Birmingham who goes above and beyond). Rooms appear on surface good but after a few hours you notice things like - lighting only small bedside lamps no ceiling lights so rooms are very dark at night, toilet stinks when you lift the seat lid, shower is so powerful it hurts, tv is useless no signal and you can’t connect it to internet for Netflix app to work, you can literally hear everything going on in corridors and neighbouring rooms. Ask reception to call a taxi, they called an unregulated taxi which cost double the red cabs, male receptionist when quizzed decided he didn’t understand English but the day previous gave full hotel overview and times, and rules in very good English. Asked for more coffee, said they’d send some to room, still waiting! Breakfast food is cold even the hot stuff and not restocked when runs out and staff are quite curt. Not a great hotel really.

I was a little weary due to some of the bad reviews, and although it's true that there isn't AC/heating or a fan in the rooms, the elevation and October weather made it very pleasant. If you come here expecting 4-5 star luxury this isn't it, but if you want amazing views, friendly service, a delicious breakfast - this is a more than fine option. We did get the hotel through our travel company (gate 1) and our breakfast was included, which made it a great deal, and since I speak Spanish the staff felt incredibly warm and accommodating (not everyone speaks English well and that is okay! Learning a little Spanish before you travel goes a long way) I'd skip the internal restaurant and activities because they're definitely pricey for what you get, but Monteverde is small enough that you can find options nearby.

Great hotel with amazing views from the room! Our room was spacious with an area to put away all our gear. The view from the porch was spectacular and the pool is warm! We had a lot of fun at the hotel pool - we didn't use it but they have a bar and happy hour at the pool. Breakfast was great and the buffet made it fast when we wanted to get going in the morning. Really nice shower and the kids loved the bathtub. One thing to consider is that it is a mile from reception to the top of the resort, uphill. We had a vehicle so it was easy for us to just drive up and down the resort. They had a shuttle but at busy times it may take awhile, especially if you are in the 800s or 900s. We only ate breakfast at the hotel as you had to make reservations for dinner and we were more go with the flow of the day. We may have stopped for dinner if we didn't need reservations.||My only complaint is that they have about 2.5 miles of trails but you had to pay per a person to use them. We didn't go on the trails because you had to go back down to reception to pay and get a bracelet to go on them. I think the trails should be included and if they want to make sure it's for overnight guests only then give you bracelets or tell you to make sure you have your room key on you. We would have done a short 60 min walk/hike with the kids if it had been included but we didn't think it was worth the cost and having to go get bracelets.

The experience at this hotel does not fully match the price paid. **Highlights:** - The natural surroundings are stunning, with internal trails perfect for daytime walks. - The staff is friendly and helpful. - The buffet-style breakfast is excellent in flavor and variety, although it lacks sustainable practices. **Expensive aspects:** - The stay is considerably pricey. - Food is also expensive, without the quality or taste to fully justify the cost (it's average). - The tours offered by the hotel are costly compared to other options in the area. **Criticisms:** - The bed sheets contain polyester, which may be uncomfortable for those who prefer cooler, natural fabrics. - The mattresses use traditional spring technology, similar to those from decades ago. They lack modern features like memory foam or hybrid systems, which affects sleep quality. **Worth noting:** - The facilities, including the pool, are spacious and pleasant. However, they do not use modern water treatment systems, and the presence of traditional chlorine can cause discomfort such as skin or eye irritation, or allergic reactions in sensitive individuals.

An absolutely beautiful location with wildlife in abundance. |Great staff, comfy bed, good sized TV with fridge and coffee maker.|Room was huge but really lacked character which was such a shame as two pictures and maybe a plant would have completely altered the clinicalness of it. Especially as each block of rooms is a little grey and dark looking.|Also toiletries were a bit stingy with no shower gel and we were only supplied with two coffee pods. |That said, the zip line trip offered for a small price was one of the most amazing experiences of our lives.|And when you can sit on your balcony and watch the wildlife ten feet away, any niggles fade into the background.