Hotel Monte Campana — Hotel in Jesús

Ok. I struggled to write this review because I really liked some of the people we met here. BUT... I want to be honest In hopes they can make a few changes that would make a big difference.

The good...

People are friendly. Activities for kids are fun and entertaining. Paint ball, water slides, zip lining, hiking, etc. this place likes spas! And the groundskeepers seem on top of it. Cleaning the water every day. Lots of chlorine or whatever they used keeps the water clear and inviting.

Fun people at the bar. John, Ronnie, etc. they are locals and a lot of fun and really enjoyable to talk with.

Food at the restaurant is ok. Not outstanding but good enough. View of pool from restaurant was good and made it nice to enjoy happy hour while kids swam.

Location is good. Pretty central. Uber worked great and we also had a rental. Found some great places to eat and places to explore.

Ok. Now for the bad. We stayed one night (the night we flew in) in the tree house. It was ok. Clean enough. I’d call it nicer camping. Nothing more. The tree house was a cool experience for one night. I wouldn’t have wanted more. Then we went to another place for 3 nights in another Provence. We had already booked the end of the trip here (we came for soccer so we had to be near Heredia) so we came back. (Despite me telling hubby I thought one night here was fun but enough). Anyway, we stayed in the 3 bedroom. 9 and 88. It was dirty. Dark. Old matresses. Sheets had hairs and stains. Curtains didn’t fit windows. Invaded with ants. Sofa with collapsed seats. Etc. my daughter slept on the sofa and I slept on the chair, sitting up, with a sheet over it. Husband told them and they offered us other rooms. (I wanted to leave) but husband agreed to other rooms. They looked better at a glance, but when bedtime came and I pulled back the comforter (also old and worn) it was a different story. Hair. Not one but many. All sizes. And stains. Some looked fresh. Pink in color. Wrinkled sheets and old linens. Once again I slept sitting up with a towel below me.

We left the next day and forfeited our last night for a hotel. I refused to do it again.

Let me clarify... I am not high maintenance. I love different experiences and adventures. But I do demand clean. We gave them 2 chances and they failed both. It’s really a bummmer because the place could be awesome. My suggestion... get some updated linens. White. Bleachable. Not old and worn and ratted. And don’t ignore details (like laundering linens). I wanted to like this place because of the people but I just had to be honest. I will not stay here again. And I was relieved to pack my bags and leave. It was a blemish on an otherwise...

I reserved the room through expedia at 5:25 pm.

When we arrived, I sent my boyfriend to check in with the reservation under my name. The receptionist told him she couldn’t check him in. I then went up with the confirmation, but she claimed she couldn’t verify it because it was through Expedia, and that Expedia “doesn’t let them know” about reservations after 3pm. I then showed her the reservation visually, sent it through WhatsApp, and showed her on my phone.

I explained that I had booked and paid for the Exclusive House with panoramic glass windows. Instead, she assigned us a standard room with two beds and no view—a room we had not booked or paid for.

When we returned to the front desk to clarify after seeing the room she assigned us, she insisted that I could not have reserved the Exclusive House because “someone has been there since 3:00.” That turned out to be false—the house was completely vacant and hadn’t been used in a while. I showed her my Expedia confirmation, which clearly stated I had paid for the Exclusive House, not a standard double room. Even after seeing the proof, she still doubted it and made a comment that I should have paid “double” what I paid.

The reality is that Expedia had given me a credit, so I only paid part of the total upfront—but regardless, the property would receive full payment from Expedia. What I paid personally is not the receptionist’s business. After an unnecessary argument and a ₡10,000 deposit, she finally gave us the house we had reserved and paid for. To top it off, she made an unprofessional comment to a coworker: “Well, it’s only two of them, why do they want a house for 7?” The answer is simple—we booked it for the panoramic view. Guests shouldn’t be questioned or judged for their choices.

Finally, when we entered the house, the refrigerator was left unplugged with the door wide open, leaving the entire place smelling of a musty fridge smell.

Most of the outlets in the “Exclusive House” didn’t work, the house had a strong odor, there was dust everywhere, and the bedsheets were questionable and stained. The only redeeming feature was the beautiful koi pond.

On a positive note, the restaurant server was a delight, and the owner was welcoming. I’m not sure if he is aware of how guests are treated by the night receptionist. Unfortunately, if she is the first point of contact for guests, she is driving clients away. Her attitude was far from welcoming, and I left feeling upset and disrespected.

I am not a difficult person, but her rudeness left me with a lot of frustration and disappointment. I wouldn’t choose to stay here again. I won’t tell others not to book, but I do recommend reading my experience and taking it into account...

Coming from Toronto, we stayed four nights here with our 9 year old son in two different rooms (one by the large pool and one cabin). I must say, I have mixed feelings about this place. Generally, I liked my stay here. Back in Canada we are used to tent camping and portaging so we are used to non-luxurious bare minimum type of stuff. You can think of this place as 'glamping'. There was some really cool stuff they added into the rooms like a shower area that resembles a cave. Even the shower head is built so it resembles a waterfall. Access to the large pool from this number 47 room is super quick. Just hop out of your bed into the pool. Super convenient for my little guy as he loves to swim. The cabin room was cool also - it was a wooden lodge with a propane stove top, small fridge, an actual fireplace (they provide the wood, kindling, and fire starter). Beware of rather large spiders lurking around in the cabins (there was a huuuuge spider in the sink and since the cabins are dimly lit, I didn't realize the whole time I was washing my hands). But hey, it is a nature camping vibe so I cannot really complain about that. We loved sitting in front of the fire in our cabin during sunset and hearing the fire crackle (very memorable). There are also countless little things the kids can do like zip-lining, hiking, swimming with safe good condition slides.

That being said, here are some things I wish can be improved upon:

The bedding, sheets and pillows could use improvement.

Towels were super old, yet clean. Could use newer towels as they were well beyond their life.

For some reason the reception is behind a metal cage where you are not allowed to go back there. Perhaps this is a security thing because they may have large sums of cash back there. But during the day, and dealing with your guests who have wrist bands? I think it is a little much. They should be more inviting to guests rather than keep this weird separation.

Pools needed more attention as there were lots of bugs and leaves in there.

The food situation could improve wayyy more. I wouldn't have to go out of the resort to get food had the restaurant been descent. Currently, I would not recommend the food there. Since the resort is so kid-friendly, they really need to liven up their menu with fun things like freshly squeezed juices and chicken wings that are not so dry. My kid is not picky with food and he didn't enjoy the food at all.

Wifi did not work in the room close to the large pool or the cabin. 1 bar maybe if you are lucky. Had to go to a spot near reception to get...