We had chosen this hotel after reading the description in Lonely Planet Guide but we were very disappointed. Had the author stayed there or invested in the place? True, it is attractive looking from the outside but the rooms inside were damp and dreary. There was loads of space but none of it well designed. We had a balcony but we couldnt open the sliding glass doors to access it. Took 3 phone calls and 3 visits from different levels of staff to finally open the door.
We took a suite that was on the hill. Be warned the wind whips over the hill side and makes this a cold and long walk back to the room. You can still hear the wind howling long after you shut the door for the night.
Three of the four jacuzzis listed in the guidebook were filthy and luke warm - couldnt beleive they don't let guests use them for free (the clean one!). If its a jacuzzi tub you're after, then stay at Monteverde Lodge - a beautiful hot jacuzzi free to guests.
Finally, we ate one night at the hotel's restaurant and would definitely advise guests to skip the experience. Very mediocre food and service. Across the street is Moon Shiva - fantastic food, nice atmosphere, good prices.

We stayed in a family suite at the top of the property. Huge with a loft but expensive and no breakfast. Food at the property was very overpriced so we ate down the road in a smaller hotel which was wonderful and they also gave us internet access. Front desk were helpful but keen to push their own tours. I wouldn't recommend staying in St Elena - Did the zip lines at Salvardura which my family said were incredible and far better than any other they have done in Costa Rica. This town is in a wonderful location - the drive up there is horrendous but worth it. WE did a lot of it in torrential rain which made visibility pretty bad but we all agreed it was a fantastic experience. You need to book in advance to go to Monteverde Cloud forest. We hadn't and couldn't get in which was sad.

The hotel room and staff were okay - nothing exceptional. The food was way too pricy for what you got. However, the view was indeed exceptional. The town is quaint and the Heliconia is right in the midst of it all.

I would recommend this hotel!

Sara

saralee0604@verizon.net

My fiance and I stayed in a Family suite which is a seperate little house up on the hill. We had total privacy, a nice big soaking tub, large stand up shower, front porch,and clean dry linens.

Even though it was just the two of us, and we didn't require the upstairs loft at all, for 110$ a night, the private entrance and huge floorplan was well worth it. We just walked into St Elena for dinner, etc. but took a cab on the ways back (uphill, whew!).

The Cloud Forest is worth even the seemingly neverending mini-nightmare of a drive. While never feeling unsafe, the bumpy, swerving craziness had me munching dramamine like candy.

The hotel staff was nothing but friendly. They helped us make phone calls, gave us a few drinks on the house, and were just generally all around pleasant.

We saw lizards and a few monkeys on the way up to Monteverde in some fruit trees on the side of the road. Other than that and a magnitude of bugs we didn''t see as many animals as we did in say, Manuel Antonio, but the Cloud Forest is so incredible we abandoned our monkey quest to take in the breathtaking density and beauty of the reserve.