The journey from the hotel office to the rooms on the upper section of the hill was a challenge! The hotel did offer a shuttle up the hill. The rooms were very spacious and the walls were all wood. It was a very rustic look. The bathroom was simple, yet clean. The shower was very large. After a long day of hiking it would have been nice to have a dip in a pool but there was only a poorly maintained hot tub.
We found the front desk staff to be helpful enough. They did not believe in going that extra mile for you however. The bartenders and restaurant help were another story. We found their service to be excellent and the quality of food was equally as good...expecially the pizza. The breakfast buffet was also very tasty.
The location of Heliconia was ideal. It was far enough out of town to provide a beautiful view and yet close enough to make a walk into town easy enough.
Our favourite attraction while in Monteverde was the Canopy Cloud Forest zip lines!! It was thrilling and the workers were professional and attentive.

Our family was traveling through Costa Rica during our sons' spring break. We used one of the Costa Rica online travel agencies who directed us to great hotels in Arenal and Manuel Antonio. Unfortunately, this was a bad recommendation.

We were in a lodge-type room up the hill. It was quite a hike but they could give you a ride. We're a young enough family to deal with that. And my boys were excited to sleep in the loft part where they could have their own beds. Views from up the hlll were beautiful and the location was close enough to town and other attractions (like the fun but slightly overrated Bat Jungle).

But this place was a dive. The floors creaked badly - if someone got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, we all knew about it. It was hot but we couldn't open the windows at night because they have no screens so bugs fly in. The door bangs in the wind. The bath tub backed up with dirty water when the shower was used. The faucet was not sturdy. The hot tubs on the grounds were filthy. One was full of blue water - the kind of blue you see from a toilet bowl cleaner. The bed was not comfortable. And we are not allowed to flush toilet paper (wipe and throw in a pail), thoughtI understand that to be common inthe area.

The male afternoon reception helper was not very friendly. My wife asked him to make a reservation at a restaurant but he told her she'd have to find the number herself. There was a woman there in the evening that was incredibly helpful and friendly. Wish she had been the person we dealth with.

Breakfast buffet was decent, but paled to what we had at our hotels in Arenal, Manuel Antonio and San Jose (where we stayed overnight only after landing at the airport).

Also, there is no pool. Nothing I hold against the hotel, but if you have kids and want to relax after and active day of zip lining or hiking, you might want to find a hotel that does

After reading other people's reviews of this hotel, it is good to know that we were not the only ones who received terrible service from the reception staff. We were made to feel as though we were intruding when we went to check in!

The room was VERY basic, and obviously very quickly cleaned. Aside from being basic, the worst thing about the room was the bed. We barely slept as we both had springs in our backs and legs.

Had we been staying in a backpackers, we would have been content, however in what was meant to be a hotel, which we paid hotel rates for, I expected a lot better. Definitely look elsewhere for accom in Monteverde.

On a plus, they do make a really good pizza in the restaurant!

If you want the feel of a Bavarian ski lodge, this is a great little hotel. It is set up like cabins. We stayed at one way on top of the hill - nice because it was quiet and private. The downside was that we needed the hotel shuttle to drive us up with our luggage and it was actually quite windy and cool up there. At least 10 degrees colder up there than at the bottom of the hill. Fortunately, we are young and athletic. That hill was steep and would be a tough climb for an older person. There is a shuttle from 6am-10pm that will take you to and from you room and the lobby if you call for it from your room. It has several outdoor hot tubs and the campus is pretty large. Beautiful woodworking in the room. They have a water treatment facility on site and request that you do not flush toilet paper. There is no trash barrel, only recycling. They are very eco conscious and if you are familiar with the Costa Rican ecolodge ratings, they have received 3 leaves. The hotel staff is helpful enough and nice enough, Good location - within walking distance of 2 great breakfast places and an adorable little downtown. Less than 2 miles from the cloud forest, butterfly garden, women's coop, coffee plantation and sugar cane plantation. The internet was down our entire stay here. We did not take advantage of the restaurant as it was expensive and looked like nothing special. I would give Monteverde and Santa Elena a thumbs up, but this hotel neither impressed not offended me. You can stay in the area for about 1/3 of the price. In all of the places I've stayed in Costa Rica, I felt the safest and most welcomed in Santa Elena.