I contacted the hotel directly to book accommodations at the El Establo. We were looking for nice accommodations as it was our honeymoon. I asked the receptionist to put us in the nicest room. She said that we would be very pleased. While on our honeymoon, we called to request one of the rooms in the 900 block. They assured us we would get this. By the way, these rooms are OK - just avoid the honeymoon suites.
Monteverde was the third destination of 5 destinations that we stayed at. All of our other experiences were very enjoyable and exceeded expectations.
Our room was one of the honeymoon suites. There were a variety of issues:
1. There were no screens and at night the outside lights could not be shut off and no air conditioning so the room was very hot
2. There was no wall/door between the bathroom and bedroom and there was a light that came through the bathroom window directly on us all night. There was no blind and no way to turn off the outside light.
3. There was nowhere to hang our clothes and the general appearance of the room was very cheap.
4. There was very poor insulation and as the building had multiple units, every time someone would come or go, we would hear them. We also heard our neighbors.
The service was poor as well. The concierge refused to book a tour at a competing zip line company as the hotel offered zip lines. We had to call ourselves.
It seemed like the management was manipulative and was trying to take advantage of us. Throughout Costa Rica, you enjoy happy hour with other travelors. We showed up at the bar and it was empty. Instead of 2 for 1, they raised their normal prices to make it seem like you were getting a better deal. Which was why we were the only 2 poeple there. Check their spa prices - double compared to local prices and more than Tamarindo, Manuel Antonio and Arenal. A bottle of water cost $6!
We came down the next morning and told them that we wanted to leave at around 8 am due to our negative experience. When we complained, we were made to feel like we were being unreasonable to ask for a better room. We immediately booked other accommodations for the following night and endured another night. They would not refund the remaining nights. I wrote a 3 page letter, left my business card, phone and email. They never contacted me. Now, I have to take it up with my AMEX....
Costa Rica was awesome. We were able to turn the trip around....The rest of the trip was amazing. I'll post details soon.
