Overall Ratings & Reviews El Establo Mountain Hotel

It is a huge property with everything you need. Shuttle service was excellent. Activities could be arranged at the property. Breakfast was brilliant. Lighting in the room was poor and room was outdated. Staff was great. However, waiter service at the restaurant was very poor for an empty restaurant.

Amazing staff, lovely rooms and beautiful greenery throughout the entire hotel

Service as superb, food was great and tours were fantastic. Will return again

A great location near downtown while staying in the middle of nature. The property is full of wildlife and all of the staff is super helpful. Breakfast is delicious and definitely recommend the banana bread! Austin the bartender is great, we visited him for a few happy hours. While you’re there check out the spa and excellent way to recover from zip lining! The property was larger than expected so we were thankful for the shuttle to get us around. One flag is that there was no AC in the hotel rooms but at night it cooled off.

Fair

Great property; building maintenance can be better

booked an ocean view room expecting, well… a view of the ocean. What I got was a major letdown. There is absolutely no way you can see the ocean from these rooms – it's way too far. It honestly felt like a scam. If I had known, I would’ve just saved the money and gone with a standard room. They really shouldn’t be advertising these as “ocean view” unless you’re actually seeing the ocean. The hotel itself is massive, overall beautiful! Another issue was the lighting in the room. There was barely any natural or artificial light, which made the room super dark, especially in the mornings when trying to get ready. Not ideal at all. On the brighter side, breakfast was really good and the staff were very friendly. But check-in took forever.

Beautiful property and awesome views. Lots of wildlife on the resort- coati, hummingbirds, crested guan, among others. Offered private reserve and night tours on property. Convenient to national park. Restaurant had good food. Large rooms, modern and comfortable

Beautiful

The open stone bathroom in our villa made you feel like one with nature, it also allowed nature feel at home in the villa..

This property is a great place to stay but it definitely needs an upgrade. It's like stepping back into the late 70s and 80s. The views were amazing and the activities they have on the property are great but do costs, and as much as you wanna belive that all Central America is cheap, Costa Rica is not. So be ready to shell out the cash for extra curricular activities as if you were back in the US.

This property is set on a mountain and gives a very nice nature feel. Check in was very nice. Lunch, including vege options was very good. Breakfast was also very good. On the hand room had very dim lights, very limited furniture. One lamp was not working and required two calls to get it replaced. Only one soap - for hand was or shower. No body wash or lotion. Only shampoo; no conditioner.For breakfast you have to drive down for over a mile depending on your room location.

the hotel is very dated we had 3 in our room as stated on the reservation we only had towels and cups for 2 we ran out of toilet paper asked several people several times they even cleaned the room but gave us no toilet paper we ended up having to go buy some. you can hear everything your neighbors are saying and doing. the food was probably the worst i have had in the whole country. the property was great loved the trails and wildlife that is about the only thing positive

El Establo is in great location with it own private hiking trails at an addition cost. Great views from the rooms. Access to you room building is via their shuttle buses so at times there can be upto 20 minutes. The roads going upto the buildings is very steep .Great workout if you are in good shape. Buildings have two floor with no elevators which can be difficult if you are traveling with elderly family as we were. Make sure you let hotel know prior to arrival you need ground floors. Bathrooms are dated but in good condition, and there is heating or AC in the hotel.Very basic toiletries are provided. No iron on property let alone the rooms. Breakfast is not the best if you are a vegan or vegetarain and buffet items are not labeled. We had a family medical emergency in the middle of the night and the one staff member on duty was very helpful.

The property is clean and updated. The views are spectacular. Overall a great hotel, would totally recommend.

Spacious rooms

Hotel with a beautiful view! There is an observation tower at the top of the property for great sunset views. The restaurants had great food- nice to have right on property. Only downside was no air conditioning (spoiled, I know) and the wildlife was quite loud early morning since windows were open. Would stay again!

The room we booked showed a beautiful view and a balcony and the room we were given was a ground floor with no view and no balcony. The hotel has no A/C and travelers should be aware. We could hear the other rooms talking. The staff offered no luggage assistance although they knew the room required we carry the luggage down several flights of stairs, The reception staff stated that we should have emailed them and requested a better view and balcony. I would not return to the property.

Lovely property with great views of mountains & ocean. We saw lots of wildlife, esp at the mirador away from other guests. Dining was overpriced & they tried to cheat us too, but luckily i spotted it. so be on guard. $25 trail is not worth it, in our opinion. Staff were very friendly & helpful

The property is beautiful with nice rooms and great views. But the rooms are a little old-fashioned - for example they have small/key-locked safe boxes instead of modern electronic safes. The hotel is also not particularly convenient as it is built on a very steep slope, meaning that getting around the property is by "shuttle" vans. (Believe me, you will not try walking this more than once - and even then, only downhill.) The ONLY way to request a van is to call reception, and the line is often busy, particularly during busy times, like breakfast. You are on hold and then it arbitrarily cuts you off and you have to call again. I also had TWO very bad experiences with the lunch/dinner restaurant. Two sandwiches, at two different meals, contained foreign/inedible objects. One sandwich included avocado skins (not slices) and I had one sandwich where melted cheese on the sandwich was still attached to the paper in which it was packaged. I was still forced to pay for these sandwiches. All they offered me was a free -- but at that point entirely unwanted - dessert. DO NOT EAT AT THE RESTAURANT. Finally, be aware that the property is very popular with large bus tours, so breakfast is a circus.