We loved the natural environment of the facility tremendously. We were in a second story unit with a balcony facing out to the Golfo. Walking the grounds, we seemed to frequently be in danger of sliding off cliffs in the dark or injury from hidden rebar sticking out of the ground. There were no marked paths except between the living units.

A big disadvantage of this hotel is that guests cannot drive their own vehicles to or park near their units. Parking is only at the lobby/restaurant area. From there, guests must walk uphill about 200 yards on a dirt road to get to their rooms.

When we arrived, about 2 hours after check-in time, we were told that our room was not ready. We asked when it would be and were told "20-30 mins". After sitting in the hotel lobby for half an hour, we were brought a cold and refreshing fruit drink. We then waited another hour and a half before we were told our room was available. At that time we discovered that we had to, essentially, unpack the car into a golf cart in order to get our luggage up to our rooms.

Units were equipped with a full kitchen with some basic cooking instruments, air conditioning, microwave, refrigerator, full tub and bath, jack and jill sinks, king sized bed, table and chairs, sofa, bureau, night stands, 2 easy chairs, full length mirrors, patio chairs on the balcony, TV and very spotty internet connections, even in the main parts of the hotel.

The wildlife views and sounds were absolutely amazing! One human highlight was Carlos Bello Suazo, the resort's excursions director at the time of our stay. He shared some empathy, good humor and sensible suggestions with us and was a pleasure to interact with.

My mom and I stayed at the Monarch and had the best time. Its not a big fancy place. Very simple but had everything we wanted. The lobby, bar and restaurant are together. All open. The pool is near by and down a little path is a quiet little beach. The staff are so accomodating and friendly and speak English well. The manager is also very friendly and accessible if you have any questions. The food was delicious!! There are other areas near by to go and have dinner. The rooms were spacious and clean and had nice decor. There is a gorgeous villa that sleeps six. perfect for families. The big bonus was having the convenience of a tour guide/company right in the lobby. We set up our daily activities for the week when we got there. Very reliable and friendly guys. definetely do the Adventure tour!! such an active funfilled day. oh also got sight of the Howler monkeys everyday in the trees near our place. Basically, if your not looking for a big expensive crowded resort this place is perfect and peaceful to suit your needs. check out Monarch website. cheers!

We loved our vacation! This is not the place to go if you are expecting to be entertained, no activities by the pool, no disco and the bar closes at 10 p.m. But if you are looking for a quet get away and get excited when you hear howler monkesy salut the sun rising and setting, you'll be happy! We saw so much wild life right on the resort property. Iguanas, monkeys, parakees, a large variety of birds, squrrels, coatis.
The surise vew from our balcony was stunning. And the snorkelling/sunset cruise was incredible. Lots of marine life, including sea turtles. Staff was extremely friendly and helpful, but be aware of 'special' deals they might offer you 'under the table'... Karla at the front desk made friends with us and offered a 'special rate' on a car rental, $89/day. We needed a small car and ended up renting it for $33/day... http://www.rental-car-costa-rica.com/
She also told us she could organize an airport transfer for half price, $50. The cab to the airport would have cost us $35. The locals seem to think that gringo's have unlimited cash reserves and like to throw it around.... but the local tour company was great, we definitely got our money's worth... recommend ziplining/horsebackriding/springs combo tour and nicaragua. An incredible experience.
The room was very spacious, had a separate living room and kitchen area. We could make our own brekfast or dinner when we wanted to. Grocery shopping was about 30 minutes walk, and much cheaper grocery shopping if you have a car and drive for 15 mintues to Sardinal, where the locals shop. And there is a nice restaraunt withn walking distance, off the beach - Beach Club. REasonably priced and good food. We got an all inclusive package, which included 3 meals and unilimited drinks & fruit all day. But the management was flexible enough to offer room only option when we were away siteseeing and didn't need the food. The food was excellent. The variety wasn't huge, so if you are there for an extended stay you might get bored with it, but we alternated Monarch reastarant, Beach Club and cooking, got the best of all. If you like fish - we highly recommend cevice, the best we ever tasted.
Overall, we highly recommend the resort.

I visited several attractive Hotels in the Guanacaste Province in Costa Rica during the past season. Exchanging the winter in the mid-west for the Tropical Central America was great! It was exceptionally pleasant during my week stay at Monarch Resort. The environment of this place was essentially restful and peaceful. The food and the service people of Monarch were exceptionally pleasant. I have suggested to several of my friends to go to Monarch for a Tropical get-a-way. It was all that I expected and MORE!
The wildlife is also truly amazing!!!