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.

The rooms are beautiful, beds are a dream, but the noise level ruined it for me. You could hear the hall noise and the noise from the nearby rooms (just talking, not even loudly). For a place with so much space, they really should put down some carpeting or otherwise dampen the noise from all the vaulted ceilings and hard surfaces.

After feeling ill from a ridiculously fast journey in a minibus over the famously bad roads in the area, walking into this fabulous room was just what I needed . Sitting in the rocking chair on the balcony for even five minutes made the hellish journey feel like a distant memory.

The room was huge, clean and incredibly comfortable. The bathroom was also big and clean and everything felt luxurious.

The tour desk was brilliant, helpful and efficient and organised all tours that I wanted and they weren't expensive.

The hotel is a bit out of the town via very steep hills but I don't think anyone can complain about a $4 roundtrip taxi fare into town, which is worth it for the tree house cafe alone.

Perhaps the one downside was how spread out over the mountain the hotel is but the shuttle buses were quick and frequent enough for me.

This hotel was so impressive that I had to double check how much I had paid for it and I definitely got a bargain.

I did, however, refuse to wear the armband identifying me as a guest, that's just not me.

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.