Are you looking for an economical, relaxed, beautiful place to stay in Monteverde? “Cabanas La Pradera” is a good choice. This is a family run collection of small cabins in a beautiful, country location just outside Santa Elena (Santa Elena is the only real town in Monteverde). The cabins are simple but clean and kitchen equipped. The gardens and plantings are beautiful. From your small porch you can see to the Gulf of Nicoya.
The hosts, Jenny and Felo and their children are very helpful and will do all the little things to make your holiday a success. Information and reservations for tours for all over the Monteverde area are available here. They can also do or arrange shuttle or taxi service to the airport and other areas of Costa Rica. Felo and his employee Sandro are both exceptional and very safe drivers.
On the property there is a small and very clean swimming pool (non-heated) and a special building for family BBQs. Well kept walking or running trails go through the primary and secondary forest and farm land surrounding the resort. The property although close is located away from the dust and noise of the town.
Both the cabins and the resort are very secure. Not only are the cabins equipped with wall safes and window grates but the family keeps a close eye out for your welfare.
After looking over many places in the area we have chosen to return to La Pradera each year for most of the winter. I think that is a recommendation in itself.
Cost of staying starts at about $20 a person for 2 or more people.

I recently got back from a week long trip to Costa Rica and this place was by far the best place our group stayed. Anyone traveling in a group that can fit into a cabin, this place is perfect for you! We had 9 so took up two cabins and have full kitchen, hot water, everything was clean and best of all great views in a very safe part of the countryside. The family who owned the place was very accommodating and friendly. Really cool swimming pool area with free high speed internet as well.

This place is a MUST if you are anywhere near the Monteverde/Santa Elena area.

Also, if you turn right out of the driveway and follow the road up the hill (10 min walk) there is an excellent restaurant in a lady's house named Candy.

We had a very enjoyable 4 nights in cabin #7 over New Years 2007. We found the cabins to be inexpensive, very clean and spacious. The owners were very friendly although they didn't speak a lot of English. Our 11 year old son made friends with owner's 12 year old boy (who speaks good English).

The cabins are in a quiet location featuring a very nice view and are away from the hustle and bustle of town. For horse riding enthusiasts, they are right beside Sabine's smiling horses (also recommended).

There is a short nature trail on the property with a small butterfly enclosure. In spite of being a bit more isolated, all of the tours will pick you up from here if you don't feel like driving.

The units did not have air conditioning, but with the mountain breeze, it was not really required. There is "hot" water in the showers only which must be run a quite a low pressure to get a sufficient temperature.

This is a great place for families looking for a cottage style accommodation (fully equipped kitchenette).

We stayed at Cabin # 3 for 4 nights and it was wonderful. For the price this was an amazing find if you don't mind the cottage feel. Each cabin has hot water, a fridge, stove, dishes and at least a double bed. We found the place to be relatively free of bugs considering it was a cabin. There were lovely grounds to walk around and a 1.5 km nature path to hike around. The 2 resident dogs took the time on numerous occassion to walk us thru the trail which had a coffee & banana plantation. The owners were very accomodating and helpful. You could pay a reasonable amount to have your laundry done on site which was very convenient. The Cabins were spaced apart so that they were private. The veiw was amazing since they were situated on the top of a mountain range. Where you can see the pacific ocean and watch the sunset everynight and feel the clouds roll in. We love the outdoors and this place was fantastic for an outdoorsy family or couple.