See all properties
Save

Pensión Santa Elena

3.0 star property

Photo gallery for Pensión Santa Elena

Exterior
Grand Standard
Exterior
Breakfast, lunch, dinner served; Mexican cuisine
Petite Suite

Reviews

8.6 out of 10
Excellent

Popular amenities

  • Pet-friendly
  • Housekeeping
  • Laundry
  • Free WiFi
  • Restaurant

Explore the area

Map
Santa Elena, Monteverde, Monteverde, 5655
  • Reserva Biológica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde
    ‪3 min drive‬
  • Monteverde Butterfly Gardens
    ‪3 min drive‬
  • Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve
    ‪9 min drive‬
  • La Fortuna (FON-Arenal)

Room options

View all photos for Petite Suite

Petite Suite

Petite Suite

  • 24 sq m
  • Sleeps 4
  • 2 Double Beds

View all photos for Standard Room

Standard Room

Standard Room

  • 12 sq m
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

View all photos for Grand Cabin

Grand Cabin

Grand Cabin

  • 24 sq m
  • Sleeps 6
  • 2 Queen Beds and 2 Twin Bunk Beds

View all photos for Grand Standard

Grand Standard

Grand Standard

  • 14 sq m
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

Similar properties

Standard Apartment, Mountain View

Cabinas Selva Verde

  • Parking included
  • Free WiFi
  • Breakfast available
4.3 out of 5, Excellent, (27)
The price is AU$55
for 1 room
includes taxes & fees
22 May - 23 May
Cabinas Selva Verde

About the area

Monteverde

With a stay at Pensión Santa Elena in Monteverde, you'll be in the mountains, within a 10-minute drive of Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve and Jardín de Orquídeas. .This hostal is 26.5 mi (42.7 km) from Lake Arenal and 0.2 mi (0.3 km) from Monteverde Orchid Garden.

What's nearby

  • Monteverde Orchid Garden - 3 min walk - 0.3 km
  • Reserva Biológica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde - 3 min drive - 1.8 km
  • Monteverde Butterfly Gardens - 3 min drive - 1.4 km
  • Curi-Cancha Reserve - 4 min drive - 2.5 km
  • Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve - 9 min drive - 4.6 km

Getting around

  • Juan Santamaria Intl. Airport (SJO) - 153 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Café Monteverde - ‬2 min walk
  • ‪Las Riendas Restaurant - ‬16 min walk
  • ‪Tree House Restaurante & Cafe - ‬1 min walk
  • ‪Restaurante Sabor Tico - ‬3 min walk
  • ‪Bon Appetit! - ‬9 min walk

About this property

Pensión Santa Elena

Hostal in Monteverde with a restaurant
Pensión Santa Elena offers 35 accommodations. Guests can surf the web using the complimentary wireless Internet access. Bathrooms include showers. Housekeeping is provided daily.
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.
Make yourself at home in one of the 35 guestrooms. Complimentary wireless internet access is available to keep you connected. Bathrooms with showers are provided.
Take in the views from a garden and make use of amenities such as complimentary wireless internet access and concierge services.
At Pensión Santa Elena, enjoy a satisfying meal at the restaurant.
Featured amenities include complimentary newspapers in the lobby, luggage storage, and laundry facilities. Limited parking is available onsite.
Onsite venue - This restaurant specializes in Mexican cuisine and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Languages

English, Spanish

Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transport

  • Limited on-site parking

Food and drink

  • A restaurant

Family friendly

  • Laundry facilities

Conveniences

  • Free newspapers in lobby
  • Laundry facilities
  • Limited-hour front desk
  • Luggage storage
  • Safe at front desk

Guest services

  • Concierge services
  • Housekeeping (daily)
  • Tour and ticket assistance

Outdoors

  • Garden
  • In the mountains
  • Picnic area

Accessibility

  • If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
  • No lift
  • Wheelchair accessible (may have limitations)
  • Wheelchair-accessible path of travel
  • Wheelchair-accessible public bathroom
  • Wheelchair-accessible registration desk

More

  • Designated smoking areas

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Bedsheets provided

Bathroom

  • Private or shared bathroom
  • Shower
  • Soap
  • Toilet paper
  • Towels provided

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 2:00 PM; Check-in end time: 9:00 PM
Minimum check-in age: 18

Check-out

Check-out before 10:00 AM

Special check-in instructions

The front desk is open daily from 6:30 AM - 9:30 PM
Front desk staffed during limited hours

Access methods

Front desk (limited hours)

Pets

Pets allowed for an extra charge of USD 25 per pet, per stay
Service animals are welcome, and are exempt from fees
Welcoming dogs only
1 total pets
Specific rooms only, restrictions apply; pet-friendly rooms can be requested by contacting the property at the number on the booking confirmation

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome
2 children, up to the age of 7 years, can stay for free if using existing beds when occupying the parent or guardian's room
Rollaway/extra beds are not available
Cribs (infant beds) are not available

Payment types

Important information

Optional extras

  • Pet fee: USD 25 per pet, per stay
  • Service animals are exempt from fees

The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards, debit cards, and cash
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit

We should mention

This property does not have elevators

Property is also known as

Pensión Santa Elena Hostel Monteverde
Pensión Santa Elena Monteverde
Pensión Santa Elena
Pensión Santa Elena Hostal Monteverde
Pensión Santa Elena Hostal
Pensión ta ena Montever
Pensión Santa Elena Hostal
Pensión Santa Elena Monteverde
Pensión Santa Elena Hostal Monteverde

Pensión Santa Elena Reviews

Reviews

8.6

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 169 out of 354 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 134 out of 354 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 33 out of 354 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 10 out of 354 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 8 out of 354 reviews

8.4/10

Cleanliness

9.2/10

Staff & service

8.2/10

Amenities

8.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.8/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

8/10 Good

Pilar

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
In general the place was good. Not enough tables for breakfast, you had to make your own coffee and breakfast portions were small. Bed a little on a firm side, not enough water pressure for the shower
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2025

8/10 Good

Jeffrey

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
No frills, but perfectly adequate accomodations. Wonderful, hot shower with good pressure.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2025

8/10 Good

Michelle

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
La piscina estaba sucia y nunca pudimos hacer uso de la misma. El personal es amable como en todo CR.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2025

10/10 Excellent

Pramod

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very helpful. Place had everyting wr needed.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2025

4/10 Poor

Ronald

Travelled with partner
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
I understand that this is a budget hotel, but I have to admit we were disappointed. First off, the photos online were misleading regarding the standard rooms with bath. It turns out that our room was small, dingy and run down. We ended up going elsewhere after a couple nights. The bed was hard and uncomfortable. Housekeeping service is apparently only on Saturday. It was fairly noisy, but that was expected since we were centrally located. On the positive side, the location was good, staff was as friendly and as helpful as possible. The breakfast was generous and good. The communal kitchen seems to function quite well, and there was room in the lobby to hang out or eat. We prepaid and were not offered any refund options when we asked (our fault for prepaying). In short, this hotel might work well for the price providing you know what you’re in for. Again, better photos would help.
Stayed 5 nights in Feb 2025

6/10 Okay

Kyle

Travelled with group
Disliked: Staff & service, room comfort

Aging hostel

It is an aging hostel right on the main street, expect uncomfortable beds, unclean floors, and lots of road noise all night. The breakfast was good
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2025

10/10 Excellent

Lorene

Travelled with group
The photos make the rooms look bigger. They also don’t show they count a double bed as a loft that has a low ceiling.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2025

8/10 Good

Anjelica

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Wonderfully walkable to restaurants, shops, etc with about a 10 min drive to all the reserves. Loved the communal kitchen and games in the shared gathering area with free tea and coffee all day. This is an older property, but the location is great, the staff are helpful, and it is clean.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2024

8/10 Good

K

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities

Great for the solo female traveller

As a female traveller, I felt completely safe here and would definitely stay again if I'm ever back in Monteverde. Great place for a solo traveller with a communal kitchen to help keep down expenses of eating out. WiFi in all the rooms. Staff were extremely friendly, welcoming and helpful 😊 My only complaint would be the floors in my room hadn't been cleaned (but in fairness it's a 2 star hostel, not a 5 star hotel). Make sure you have some flip flops or slippers for the room and then its not a problem 👌
Stayed 6 nights in Mar 2024

8/10 Good

Olivia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service

Comfortable, convenient.

Super convenient location, very clean and comfy bed, warm shower, staff helpful and breakfast included with ease. Downside: noisy road, lots of dust and exhaust fumes. However, if you’re staying here it’s likely because you want the central location and it’s right in the centre so it’s perfect. Wouldn’t stay if I had a car. The kitchen facilities could also do with updating: better pans and more fridge space.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Donal

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities

Good location, but…

Santa Elena Pension is in a central spot of Monteverde. However, there is poor noise isolation so you can really hear the traffic outside. In addition, some of the staff were a bit rude and unhelpful. The room itself is fine, but the floor is concrete and uneven.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

8/10 Good

Cecilia, austin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Pension was good the breakfast was perfect, the kitchen worked well too and room was great. They had free yoga and they helped us book tours and things to do.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Sylvie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Très belle expérience. Réception très efficace. Très propre. Cuisine communautaire bien organisée. Espace commun correct. Emplacement central près de tout à pied.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2024

8/10 Good

Eszter, Gloucester

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Basic but well kept property in a very convenient location. Staff were friendly and helpful.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024

8/10 Good

Fraser

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Friendly, convenient and good value place in the centre of Santa Elena
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024

6/10 Okay

Maria

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Excellent location, well equipped and clean common area, free breakfast. Paper thin walls, squeaky bed.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024

6/10 Okay

Erika

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The concept is interesting. Makes for a lovely youth hostel. Was surprised it was so much in the city. Breakfast was very good.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024

6/10 Okay

xuejun

Travelled with family
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

Christopher

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

Best hostel experience!

This is an amazing place to stay. Feels like a cozy bed and breakfast up in the mountains. The staff is so friendly and accommodating! Common areas are comfortable and the free breakfast is a great way to start your day.
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2024

10/10 Excellent

Katherine

Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2024

10/10 Excellent

Lee

Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2024

4/10 Poor

Bryson

Disliked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Definitely a hostel in terms of quality of facilities. Very small rooms. Loud since it is located on a busy road.
Stayed 5 nights in Dec 2023

8/10 Good

LAURA

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Amenities
We really enjoyed our stay at the pension. We had the chance to meet with beautiful people and share parts of our trip with them. The place is very well located, but the area is quite busy and get somehow quite noisy with traffic noise in the background.
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Louise

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

Great stay in Santa Elena

Great hostel close to restaurants. Easily walkable. Great breakfast. The staff is amazing.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023