I had only planned on staying here one night, on my way from Manuel Antonio to Monteverde. I chose the hotel because it offered vegan options. I had reserved a four-wheel-drive sport utility vehicle with Europcar through Expedia, but when I arrived in San Jose, Europcar pulled a bait-and-switch and all they had was a beat-up Toyota Corolla with manual everything and no hubcaps. It became clear after a few days with this jalopy that we weren't going to make it up to Monteverde, so I had to cancel (and lost a night's hotel charge), and stay in Montezuma for three nights.

The rooms at El Sano Banano are pretty basic, with saltillo tile floors, colorful bedspreads, and a small television, which we never used. Our room had dormer-style windows, and the double bed was under the slope of the roof and against the wall, so it was a bit claustrophobic. The batteries were falling out of the door of the room safe, so we didn't risk using it. We never got clean towels or fresh sheets, so things got pretty gritty by the last day.

There is no shampoo or drinking cups, let alone in-room coffee, so make sure to bring all the essentials. The shower never really got hot. The WiFi worked very well, though.

The good thing about El Sano Banano is that guests can use the facilities at the much nicer Ylang Ylang resort, which is a 400-meter walk up the beach, so we spent a lot of time there at the pool and restaurant.

Breakfast at El Sano Banano is okay. I had the scrambled tofu one day. It was tasty, but runny. Stick with the fruit. You will get one refill on your coffee and that's it.

There is an evening movie, but they expect you to order food or drink if you want to watch it, even if you are a guest at the hotel.

We only had dinner at El Sano Banano one night, and it was very good. I had veggie fajitas, and they were accompanied by little fried tortilla cups filled with salsa, beans, and guacamole.

I've stayed here in januari 2012 with my parents and my husband. The location is great and so is Montezuma!
We had separate rooms in El sano banano and they were horrible! The beds are hard and there wasn't any space between the bed and the walls. My parents room didn't had a window, just a high placed no-see-tru window. Our room had a 'indoor window', facing the hallway. With all the other guests walking straight by it wasn't an option to keep the window open and not even an option to open the curtains. (really like my privacy!)
After taking a shower it became very musty in the room. It really wasn't very sano (healty)!
I think being in jail feels like this.
The staff however was very friendly and helpfull. The breakfast was great and the pies are to die for!
Luckely it is possible too use the restaurant without sleeping in the hotel. I recommend eating in El Sano Banano but I definitly do not recommend sleeping there!!

When we first arrived in Montezuma we were staying at a different hotel. When we were walking down the street, however, we saw a sign in front of El Sano Banano advertising a reduced room rate. Upon walking in and checking out the hotel, we were sold.
* The Staff (Martin, et al) were amazing! They went out of their way to make our stay fantastic.
* The cost (June, 2012) was $45 a night for an air conditioned double room, right in the center of town that included an amazing breakfast. The rooms were cleaned every day.
* The breakfast was no ordinary hotel breakfast. We got to choose off of a menu that included the typical Costa Rican breakfast, banana pancakes, french toast, yogurt/fruit/granola, coffee or juice. It was fantastic.
* The restaurant downstairs shows popular movies every night, in English with Spanish subtitles.
* One of the best things about El Sano Banano is the fact that it's linked to the Ylang Ylang resort so you can go over and use their facilities (which you should!).

I would definitely stay there again.

Two of stayed here for three nights, and overall we were happy with our stay. The positives: the location (right in the center of Montezuma); staff is nice; rooms were clean; when booking reservation, staff was very helpful in arranging transportation to and from Montezuma; ability to use facilities at Ylang Ylang. The negatives: although they advertise sound proof rooms, this is not the case; windows cannot be opened in room and A/C in rooms was pretty weak. As far as food goes, we ate breakfast there because it was included in the room rate, but for every other meal we went elsewhere (there is some really great food in Montezuma). Overall, I think we probably would stay here again on a return visit, primarily because the surrounding hotels do not really seem to be that much better.