Monteverde and Santa Elena offer many budget-friendly accommodations, and at $6/night for a dorm bed, or $10/night for a shared room, Sleepers Sleep Cheaper is one of the best options. I pre-booked my stay by contacting the owner, Ronny directly by email. He, along with his wife and three kids, run a clean and efficient hostel. Our room was basic but tidy, with comfortable mattresses and fresh towels, and the bathroom was sparkling. Only downfall to our room was how humid it became, especially with three people sleeping in it. A fan would have been a huge improvement. Ronny and his wife serve breakfast from 6am to 9am: Eggs scrambled or fried, toast, granola with milk, and a generous helping of fresh fruit. Coffee and tea are always free and available in the all-access kitchen. There's a comfortable common-area with benches, magazines, a dining table and TV (cartoons are on in the morning for Ronny's kids...it helped me learn basic Spanish!). Best of all, Ronny provides honest advice on the many tourist attractions, and books them for you with (seemingly) no cut to himself. He's a big fan of the 'Extremo' Zipline tour and enthusiasticly shows you a video of two fellows singing La Bamba as they glide through the canopy. Ronny met us at the bus stop and walked us to Sleepers when we arrived in Santa Elena. I'm not sure how he managed to know what bus we'd be on, or if he just guessed, but it was a welcome and exceptional gesture.
I loved my Monteverde experience, and at the price offered at Sleepers, I'd be excited to return for another visit.

I relied heavily on tripadvisor reviews to prepare our Costa Rica Itinerary. I found an excellent Hostel in Monteverde/Santa Elena. Booked by emailing Ronnie, the owner. He was very responsive and answered all my questions. He set up our Jeep Boat Jeep from the LaFortuna/Arenal area, and the fee was much less than that quoted by another hotel for that trip.

Ronnie greeted me by name when we arrived. Room was very clean. We paid $20/night for a private room with bath, a double and single bed, perfect for my husband, myself and our six year old. Our daughter enjoyed playing with Ronnie's children. A family friendly place, but we also met college students and older adults here who all spoke well of the accomodations.

Great breakfast including fresh fruit, granola, eggs either scrambled or fried, and toast.

Free Internet access available, one computer shared with all guests, but we never found it busy.

They also provide laundry service, where they wash and dry for you. I paid $6 for a full grocery bag size of laundry. It helped me to pack for 5 days instead of 10.

Ronnie also gave us good information about trips in the area and booked our canopy trip and also set up our shuttle on to Manuel Antonio. GREAT HOSTEL and Ronnie is wonderful.

We stayed at this hostel for 2 weeks during green season and paid $8 per night, which included a triple room with private en-suite bathroom and breakfast, a bargain! There was also free internet access, always a bonus when in the mountains of Costa Rica with no mobile reception for miles!!!

The breakfast was delightful and consisted of granola, fresh, tropical fruit, Costa Rican coffee or tea and eggs (how you like em) with toast...It is served by the owners every morning before 9am, a rarity at hostels!!!

Rooms are spotless, beds are comfy and warm, even in the rainy season! Hot water aplenty and electric thermo so available all day long, something essential because in CR, this can be a big problem!

Even though it rained every day during our stay, the views from Sleeepers are amazing on a clear day and one can see all the way to Puntarenas and the Gulf of Nicoya. The wildlife in and around Santa Elena is beautiful and the hostel is well located for visiting all the animal museums and reserves.

The hostel is suitable for couples, singles and those with children since the family that run the hostel have three, delightful, young children of their own. The family could not have been more welcoming and truly made our stay more enjoyable :)