Liked:
The spacious, bright rooms with fantastic views. The rockers are a nice touch.
The tour desk is extremely helpful and wonderful at organizing tours for you.

Disliked:
That we had to be 'banded' during our entire stay.
The restaurant. Very dismal and depressing and the food was just plain awful.
The huge climb from the restaurant / reception area up to our room (in the 700 block).
The lack of privacy in the rooms on the lower level ... people walking past can look right in.
The bathrooms vent out onto the common passageway outside the rooms.
The fact that the hotel is trying to be too many things to too many different people; with several different categories of rooms.
The service at the cafe/bar was downright rude. We went at about 4pm thinking to have a cup of coffee. Were very rudely told that they only served alcohol. In which case, do not term it a cafe.

We stayed one night at El Establo and loved it!
We were a little worried booking this hotel because some of the reviews were negative.
After checking into our room I couldn't understand how there could be a negative review on this place.
The place was stunning!
The room was very nice and clean. The view was spectacular.
We booked a couples massage at the spa and it was heaven.
We slept very well. The bed was very comfortable and the rooms were quiet.
The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel and it was one of the best meals I had on the trip. The food was to die for.
If you are staying here and love adventure please sign up for the zip line.
We loved this place!

My husband and I just returned from Costa Rica and spent 4 nights at El Establo hotel. First of all, the people in Costa Rica are very nice and friendly and the staff of El Establo was no exception. The rooms at the hotel are very nice and clean. However, there is no air conditioning and bugs do tend to get into the room. On the plus side, the inclusive breakfast is good and the zip line at the hotel is excellent!! Also, the hotel is in walking distance of many restaurnts and "downtown" so you have good options for lunch and dinner.
The hotel staff is very helpful in helping you find and book day trips to areas such as Arenal volcano, coffee plantation tour, etc.
My only suggesstion is that when you book, request them to give you a room closer to the reception/main entrance area, or you'll have to rely on the hotel shuttle bus, like we did, to bring you up and down from your room every time.

El Establo offers an amazing view of Monte Verde. I stayed in 4 hotels in Costa Rica over 10 days and El Establo had the best linens (towels, sheets, pillows) of any of the hotels I was at. This may be trivial to some people and an overlooked item when booking a hotel, but in Costa Rica I found most of the pillows small and sheets thin; providing a less then adequate sleep. However, El Establo's linens were fresh and their pool and bathroom towels were brand new.