View from room

Reviews of Hotel Forest Dreams Manakin

3 out of 5
Hotel Forest Dreams Manakin
50m del Establo Monteverde, Cerro plano, Monteverde, Puntarenas

Reviews

7.2

Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 24 out of 85 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 26 out of 85 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 15 out of 85 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 14 out of 85 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 6 out of 85 reviews" "

7.6/10

Cleanliness

8.2/10

Staff & service

8.0/10

Amenities

6.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good choice for basic, no-frills lodging
The brothers who run the place are very friendly and helpful; we had a family unit with a lot of space and beds, plus a balcony; breakfast is basic (eggs, toast, slice of watermelon); coffee was below par, too weak; good location, between the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve and the little town of Santa Elena
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019

2/10 Terrible

J.Lobo

Travelled with family
Disliked: Staff & service
I personally would not recommend this place. I’ll say communication it’s 0 to none, as a tourist looking for a place to rest late at night this is not for you, hotel does not explain or express with accuracy late check in its till 9pm, which owner says it’s at 8:30 the latest, it’s not what (Expedia said) get there after that and you’re out of luck, you will have to scramble yourself to find a place to spend the night... call the numbers and nothing... couple of locals pass by and said to us that this people are usually late at night getting waste at the local bars and they sure feel sorry for the town because of this type of people. Yes, I went there the next day to have an explanation of why this happens and there no reasoning with management things started to escalate and things could of go badly so I took the owners advice and left the premises... oh BTW Expedia advices that this place have a 24 hrs help, which obviously does not! Overall it’s up to you if you stay there and I hope this place be a better host to you and yours, happy travels... Monte Verde it’s beautiful... do yourself a favor and look for something else to spend your time in!
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2019
Response from CVS on 26 June 2019
all this is a big lie we have this client came with a gun very very out of control and we have to call the police and kick it out from our property.. sad that people lie like that.

10/10 Excellent

KVB

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Staff very friendly and helpful great location as long as you are willing to walk a bit - right next to a bakery so it always smelled delicious - great vegan options at restaurants within a mile. Family room was HUGE and had a vary private but small balcony over looking the forest - bathroom was the only space that was cramped for four ladies but everything else was very open - coyldnt have asked for more.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2019
Response from FDM on 22 June 2019
Thank you for your comment!

8/10 Good

Heidi, New Hampshire

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Friendly owners - 3 brothers - eager to help us. Our balcony looked out on the forest where we could watch monkeys in the trees! Short walk to sunset views of distant Pacific Ocean. Between the villages of Santa Elena and Monteverde with restaurants, cafe's and market nearby.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2019

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
They are not open 24/7 to check in
They close after 8pm no one is in the reception if you don't arrive before 8pm you won't be able to stay there.
Response from Jonathan on 11 July 2017
When a guest arrive after 8pm we put all the info and keys inside the room. So for sure you have your room.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Where not to stay in Monteverde
The Manakin had a solid metal gate that they rolled across the parking area in the early evening. They had forgotten to tell us that we could roll it back, as it was not locked. The other problem with the gate was that when the wind hit it the noise was horrendous and kept us awake. In the room the washroom area was separated from the rest of the room. By sliding doors, that were very noisy when moved.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice place to stay....good location.
I enjoyed my stay at Forest Dreams Manakin. The staff were always very helpful and accommodating and the location was good for walking to different things to do. I enjoyed the fact that there was forest around.....birds and monkeys to be enjoyed from the balcony of the room which was awesome. The price was right, the breakfast in the morning was good and I would have extended my stay here but they were booked. If I am ever in the area again I would definitely stay here....good value for the price.

10/10 Excellent

Chloe

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Monkeys right on your door
Great value for money, very friendly owner/reception. Monkeys even visited at breakfast on our balcony. Bed could be a little more comfy.

2/10 Terrible

Sylvie, Sudbury Ontario

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Not worth the $
Smelly rooms, windows don't open, no fan, smokers smoking outside our room that made our room stink, old bedding, difficult to park your car. They charge $20 more for our daughter they said it was because of breakfast but their small limited portions weren't enough and she had no juice only tea or coffee
Very few birds one monkey

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Room comfort
You get what you pay for.

8/10 Good

Emily, Vancouver, Canada

Liked: Staff & service
Unique experience
Pros: friendly and helpful staff, delicious breakfast, cool setting with jungle sounds at night, hummingbirds outside the window in the morning, funky murals on the wall Cons: beds are a bit stiff, some mold in bathroom, cold lighting, not a luxury hotel by any means. All in all, I liked this hotel because it had character. Perfect for a brief stay in beautiful Monteverde.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Excellent location, lovely staff
This hotel, although a little rustic is a lovely place to stay. I really enjoyed my time there due to the friendly staff, location and monkeys that visited.

4/10 Poor

Gladys, Seattle

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Backpacker Hostel. Not a hotel. NO Hot water
If you are a backpacker it is ok. Not adequate for other couples or families. No hot water at all. No a/c or heat. Towels were threadbare. No toiletries Breakfast was great , wifi ok and the staff were very nice. More like a hostel than hotel but the price was right

10/10 Excellent

Jo, Los Angeles

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
View and location perfect!!
Jonathan checked us in, he was wonderful. Gave us a recommendation for a night tour, which was fantastic! Hotel room was large, bed comfy, view was incredible! Hummingbirds fly all around. Wind at night sounds haunting but cool. Good parking, close enough to walk to stores and restaurants, but far enough away from noise. I loved this place, wish we had spent more time here. The food in Monteverde is soo good!!

4/10 Poor

Rowena, Toronto

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Call it a cabin
This is a cabin not hotel accommodation. The tv is better than other in the neighbourhood. The bed is a bunk bed. Great for students or for a short stay. There's really not a lot of choices for accommodation but if you are looking for a hotel this is not the one. It's a bit pricy for what they offer

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
We enjoy the Monte Verde visit and the time on the Forest Dreams Manakin Hotel.
Response from FDM Team on 26 Mar 2016
Dear Guest. Thank you for your positive comments. We so glad to hear that you enjoyed your stay with us! I hope your next stay and just around the corner. Call us if there is anything we can help you with.

10/10 Excellent

jk, Baltimore, MD

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very nice place in downtown Monteverde. Easily walkable to anything in town. Lots of hummingbirds on the property and sometimes monkeys too. Staff was very friendly a day helpful about recommending places in the area.

4/10 Poor

Ann , Nova Scotia

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Location surprised us.
Ad on Expedia did not prepare us for this hotel's location, etc. Had a difficult time finding it to begin with, had to ask at three places before someone recognized the name, Forest Dreams, only when we said Manakin did someone realize where it was. Our first reaction to the location was "we can't stay here!" If it was not for the fact that we had aleady paid for the three rooms, we would have gone elsewhere.

6/10 Okay

Gabi, North Carolina

Disliked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Hotel Manakin
Overall, it was a little less than expected for the price. The owner apologized and said it was not quite correctly featured. There was no refrigerator, and no coffee machine. The older mattress was held by crude boards... Other than that, - we enjoyed our stay. The personnel was friendly and accommodating.

8/10 Good

Evgenia, Madison Wi

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Not a bad place
Not a bad place. People are friendly, rooms are clean. You can book tours right there etc. The only thing is, our room wasn't that cozy and a little bit chilly. And the breakfast was good but not very big and not that fulfilling.

6/10 Okay

susan, california

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good rate for budget travelers
Very helpful and friendly staff.Book our tour for selvatural park and recommended delicious local restaurant at good price .ok if need to spend a night or two .

2/10 Terrible

ZenEncrusted, New York, NY

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hotel Forest NIGHTMARE!!!!
Expedia gave us a refund because this place was so bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do not stay here! The hotel is only staffed for limited hours during the day. We arrived there around 8:30pm and were left a note saying our room number, how to open a large gate to park our car and that there would be NO electricity the next day. When we got to our room the comforter and pillows were GROSS!!!! We spent only a few hours there and left early the next morning. Do not stay here. This place is really horrible. Worse part was that we left a note for the manager and the next day were given so much Attitude and treated very badly when we wanted to discuss a refund. He was upset that we left him a note.....just like he had left us the night before!!! Also he said that we did not specifically write to him prior to arriving stating that we needed electricity and wifi 24/7.....really dude? Anyway Expedia saw right through the horrible conditions here and his bad business practices and we got the refund. DO NOT STAY HERE!!!!! Costa Ricans are for the majority loving and kind people but the manager CHRIS V is horrible.

8/10 Good

Marilyn, NM

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Nice hotel in a beautiful location
We loved our upstairs rooms with balconies. We had the feeling on being in a tree house. It was excellent for viewing birds, including Toucans, although we did not see any monkeys here. It was quiet, safe and very relaxing.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Boo yeah!
just stay here. super friendly/helpful workers. breakfast was awesome, room was clean. parked car in a safe/convenient spot, friendly cats and dogs everywhere. short walk to town/rainforest

4/10 Poor

Steve, Victoria, B.C.

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
nice view from room but disappointing generally.
There was no hot water for the shower. Even when complaints were raised, there were only poor excuses given. I had to change the light bulbs (twice) in the bathroom. The staff was nice but the hotel is falling into neglect and at the bottom of a hill in a somewhat ragged neighborhood, complete with barking dogs. The website gives the impression it would be nicer.

6/10 Okay

Alex, Canada

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Nice with a beautiful view (of a forest).
Basic stuff; coherent with price charged. Rooms in the back have a beautiful view. Our was at top floor. Animals roamed around during the night makine a lot of noise.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Quaint hotel in heart of Monteverde
Although difficult to find in the town of Monteverde, Manakin Lodge is a little inn near all the amenities, with very courteous staff, comfy bed, and very good breakfast.

6/10 Okay

Hummer, USA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Room comfort
A place you can give a try - very basic
A place you can give a try to test yourself, one tiny bar of soap, no hot water for the sink, yes hot water for shower, no fan, no a/c due to the weather I assume, no chair , no table, yes TV, and old mattress and pillow. Perhaps it is what it is in the small town unless you stay at the finer hotel that cost a lot higher. The hotel location is in residential zone and a bit hard to find. The owners (two brothers) were very helpful. Breakfast items were just okay - eggs and rice n bean, or eggs and toast with coffee and orange juice; can't ask for too much in small town. By the way beware of rough riding on unpaved road.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
more than adequate
One of the owners was onsite everyday. The room was a typical Monteverde room.

6/10 Okay

Larry, Syracuse

Liked: Staff & service
Not high end, but not bad

8/10 Good

Markus, Hobbs, NM

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Not there but there
A bit hard to find, and once we found it we were told that they are booked out and our actual room would be in a different hotel. The room we got in the end was adequate and spacious.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great People
The hotel owner and his family were so great. They really went above and beyond to help us find things to do in Monteverde. The hotel is located very close to everything. Breakfast was served both mornings and was absolutely delicious.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
You get what you pay for.
We booked 2 standard rooms. Both were dingy and one had no window at all in the bedroom. Our bathroom was unclean - I don't mind old but I do expect clean! The location was ok and I guess overall you get what you pay for as it was a good price.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice Hotel
Nice experience, very friendly staff, good location. Clean room. Good example of a typical Costa Rica hotel. Excellent value.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

8/10 Good

B Ann, Kansas

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Basic Accommodations at a Fair Price.
Clean and comfortable with a friendly and helpful staff (family operated). Breakfast is made to order and very tasty.

10/10 Excellent

Lea, Montreal, QC

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great inexpensive hotel
We stayed at Manakin for 2 nights in June and really enjoyed our stay. Our room was nice, with a king sized bed, flat screen tv and beautiful balcony with a forest view. We even had moneys come on to our balcony one morning. The brothers who run the hotel are extremely friendly and helpful and made our stay that much more enjoyable.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A Good Short Stop
The owner Chris is very nice. He gave us lots of useful traveling information. Our room is very small, with 2 full-size bed. The bathroom is very simple, but towers were folded artisticly. This hotel is a good place to stop and to sleep.

6/10 Okay

Moah

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Not sure about this one
The location was good, the room was ok. No shampoo and conditioner or body lotion, but soap and towels. Beds a bit hard. Breakfast was excellent, and so was the staff. I may return, not sure.

2/10 Terrible

Anna K, Philadelphia

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Forest nightmares
Words cant really describe the low standard (hot water only in the shower) and sleazy conditions (mold and spider webs with spiders) in this hotel. We booked this hotel last minute after reading a few reviews. The good reviews were obviously written by management of the hotel. This place is not for the faint hearted and looks more like a very cheap hostel or a low rent motel. It is located outside of town the local neighborhood area with dirt roads. The view is on the roofs of the small houses. There is NO way you can walk to the town or (if you still want to do that) get your backpack ready for 30-40 min hike to the restaurants, stores, and life. Do yourself a favor and stay away from this overpriced dump!

10/10 Excellent

Mike

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Don't think there is a better place to stay here
At an amazingly low rate, you get great rooms in a small hotel, with the personal attention of the two owners (brothers). Great location, and right on a forest. I had >8 monkeys and other wildlife coming up to us and taking fruit. Likely the most memorable part of my entire CR trip. Can not recommend more highly.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Convenient Monteverde Hotel
Moderate hotel with very nice staff. First impression is of quite dumpy surroundings, but hotel is neat and clean. Guest parking is tight but inside closed gate for security. Only charged us $5 to do a large load of laundry, on site. Rooms at rear of hotel are view rooms to trees with some bird sightings. Nice breakfast included.

8/10 Good

Curt & Katie, Montana, USA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great comfortable room.
This is a very small hotel not far from the street. It looks like it is in a crowded area from the street, but when you are in the restaurant or looking out from the back porch, you look into the woods. It was very cheap and comfortable and decorated nicely. The TV didn't get the best reception, but we weren't spending much time in the room anyway. The breakfast was very nice. The hotel is within walking distance to some other restaurants for dinner. It is not a bad drive to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve from the hotel. There is so much to do in the area, all you need is a nice room and this was definitely it.

6/10 Okay

Sara

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Room comfort
Great customer service and location
The location of this hotel is ideal and has a real family atmosphere. Unfortunately, the 'standard' room is hidden away in a corner with a tree as your scenery. No fan or a/c. I wouldn't stay again unless I am forced to pay extra for another room. There is only 1 standard room which is hidden away, if you want to be by garbage and tucked away from other rooms this is what you'll get.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good for the money.
Good for the money. Included breakfast was delicious. Monteverde is a great area to visit; the roads to get there however, are HORRIBLE, especially coming from Arenal area. They're not dirt roads, they're rock roads! If driving I would definitely advise a SUV or 4WD truck.

10/10 Excellent

sandra

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Friendliest little hotel in Monteverde
The best thing about this hotel is the friendliness of the brothers who run it. They couldn't do enough for us, booking an arranging tours as well as printing off maps for our next location The rooms are basic but very clean and a hearty breakfast was served. The outside of this hotel doesn't look like much but it is safe and friendly on the inside

8/10 Good

Heather

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Nice accomodations for a small price
We originally booked this based on information within the hotel listing that stated it was 20 kms from Volcan Arenal. After a full day at Arenal we prepared for what we thought was a short drive but ended up being 3.5 hours and certainly not 20 kms. The hotel was good value for money and close to all tours and sights within Monteverde. The drive to Monteverde is treacherous and I would recommend having 4 wheel drive and a lot of patience! Overall a good experience.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

8/10 Good

Alexey

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Room comfort