El Establo Mountain Hotel

El Establo did not refund my stay after my flights to Costa Rica were cancelled by the airline two and a half months before I was due to check in. I understand that times are tough due to Covid-19, but this was the only reservation in my 3 week itinerary that didn't come through with a refund. Boo!

The staff was very friendly and helpful, particularly the guide named Rony. The room was a bit dated (particularly the worn carpeting), but the view was spectacular. The grounds are extensive with lots of tours available. The restaurant was ok, but a bit overpriced.

We stayed at El Establo for one night only but was totally impressed by everything we experienced here. The hotel concierge was very efficient and helpful. We arrived at 12:00 at noon and was still able to sign up for a tour that was going to start at 1:00pm. We also signed up for zipline that was operated by the hotel and had a blast! Another highlight is the various levels of hiking trails on the hotel property. Some of them are quite strenuous but sone are moderate. Overall we enjoyed our stay at El Establo very much!

We loved the installations the friendly service and amazing and welcoming staff, we felt welcome and the experience was amazing

We loved it! The hotel was absolutely beautiful and the whole property was incredible. We did the TreeTop canopy tour in the hotel and we are so glad we did, we do not regret it at all! Luis and Didier were so patient and nice with everyone! We enjoyed a few meals inside the hotel and as per Costa Rica in general, the food was a bit expensive, but not overly expensive. The room was great but we did find a few things that would have made it better for example: air conditioning in the room, as we're not used to the heat we did struggle sometimes with the heat, especially as we couldn't put the blinds down and have the door open. This was because of a couple of things, the door opened to the inside and if we left the door open at night, bugs could get in. The other thing about the room was that we stayed in the honeymoon suite and we found that having the bathroom with no doors a bit off putting. Now these points should not take anything away from the hotel at all. These would just be improvements as it's a truly incredible place with great staff and amazing surroundings! We were truly happy to have stayed here and we are for sure coming back as there were a few things we did not do!

The views were incredible! Nice hiking trails on property. Best mango daiquiri I've ever had!

Upgraded us to a king bed but didn’t mention it was a loft bed with the bathroom downstairs. Not great for someone with some mobility issues but a beautiful view. Then we discovered at night the widows couldn’t be shut and that caused the privacy shade to bang in the strong wind that is typical for that time of year. And the ants in our bed. Not a lot but a few. The grounds are lovely. Nice pool area. Shuttle service around the steep hilly grounds. But I was glad to check out.Oh, and the bathroom door to bang shut because we couldn’t shut the windows there either. We heard wind blown doors bang shut in rooms nearby once in a while.

The view was great - the service was terrible. They wouldn’t change my dates even after explaining their was a death in the family. Kept calling me a no show when i was there. Then kept forgetting that I paid for an included breakfast - had to keep proving it by showing my Expedia itinerary. Generally unwilling to help.

Note that the property is set on very steep hills - not a good idea for anyone who isn't in pretty hearty condition. The wifi, for all intents and purposes, didn't work. Also note that there is no a/c. This wasn't a problem except for the day we arrived, when it was extremely hot in the room. Otherwise, the ambient temp cooperated and we were very comfortable. The property has the potential to be noisy if heavily booked (there are jalousie windows in the bathrooms that open into the very echo-y hallways). Breakfast was good, although the buffet was not particularly inspired. But there was an easily missed chef station making omelets, eggs any style, and waffles that raised the bar a bit. The pool is a real disappointment, too small, under a canopy-like building, and half of it is an ankle-deep kiddie pool (although, I don't think an kid would like it!). The staff was friendly and helpful, and booked some good trips for us, got us van transfers and hailed cabs.

Very beautiful property, landscaping, details, outbuildings and views. Rooms very close to roads and have windows that don’t close - very noisy overnight. No fan or air conditioner.