I agree with everything the last reviewer said. We also have traveled a lot and always pick simple, locally owned hotels, so we are not looking for a five star, Americanized, sanitized version of a hotel in our travels, however we do like things clean and this hotel was anything but that. The hotel grounds, restaurant and pool would have been acceptable (not fabulous but acceptable and for us the location was perfect during the day with a path across the street to the beach. However, at night the road is dark and is dangerous due to the traffic, potholes and deep catch basins on either side of the road, so if any of that gives you pause, you need to be aware that unless you take cabs you will be walking back in the dark from town. We happened to think the breakfast was great and found the staff to be very friendly, but we went out of our way to talk to them and say hello. We spoke enough Spanish to be able to at least be friendly with everyone and we got friendly responses back. Several of the reception staff spoke very good English. Our big complaint was the room and it is for this reason I would not return, nor could I suggest this hotel. The lighting was less than dim and the ceiling fan did not work well leaving to use the air conditioner even if you would rather not. The bathroom was in very, very poor condition and never looked clean. The sheets, pillows, mattress and towels all were old and dirty looking. For a lower priced hotel you might let this go, but not at what this hotel is charging now. Luckily with fabulous weather we spent very little time in the room ---- if that had been different, it would have totally changed the tone of our whole vacation. One other note to be aware of - it is next door to the Best Western bar and for a couple of nights you can expect a loud dance party late into the night - we enjoyed that and one night even went over to join the "party" but if you need an early nights sleep, it is something nice to know about. Tamarindo in general is undergoing a building boom and there is construction everywhere. This hotel being on the outskirts was quieter than some located in the town.

This hotel may have once have possessed the "charm" that the Moon guide to CR mentions, but this has long, long since gone. For the price ($90), our expectation was that we would find a simple, but pleasant and CLEAN hotel close to amenities of Tamarindo.
Simple and basic it was. It was also dirty and very poorly maintained. The sink had been broken and fixed with glue, there was gum stuck to one of the window frames & the room was generally dark and dingy. We booked a non-smoking room, but it really smelt like the morning after in a bar's smoking room!!! Not particularly charming or quaint and definitely not worth $90 US!! It has a pool, but it was not clean and not in a relaxing location (next to the main road running through Tamarindo)

The owner was very apologetic and pleasant - obviously not the first complaint. He suggested I expected 5 star accommodation - this was only 3 star (I think he failed to notice that the 3 stars had fallen off!)

I have traveled extensively around the world in East Africa, South America, South East Asia, Europe & Australia, most of it backpacking in hostels, and cheap accommodation, and this is the 1st time I have ever not stayed a night in a hotel...
I might have considered staying here when backpacking … if I could have got a room that did not stink of smoke, with a sink that was not broken and it cost $20 a night instead of $90. There are better places to stay in Tamarindo – don’t waste your money!!

The hotel is very well maintained and the rooms are nicely decorated. The swimming pool is very nice as wll. The hotel is well located. The only disadvantage was that the person behind the front desk was not very pleasant.

We stayed at the El Milagro in late September 2005. I would not return. The rooms very basic. Upon checking in, I found an extremely loud airconditioner, a puddle of water under my bed and a shower that spurted water out the side. When I complained, the front desk just shrugged and suggested I move to another room. The pool was dirty and the breakfast was cold. Other meals are the hotel were ok. The grounds were pretty and it was in a great location, and the price was right, but if you are looking for a friendly and helpful staff, and good food, this is not in my opinion, the place to go in Tamarindo.