The El mirador Hotel has a great view, offers many activities, and has a friendly staff, but if mildew bothers you, I would avoid this hotel. The pillows and bed linens are extemely mildewed. My husband, who doesn't have allergies, was bothered. After a horrible night, we checked out early and found another hotel. We had no problem getting our refund and the staff was very nice about it, but we wish we had been warned.

We had reservations for 2 nights and when we got there (after a tough ride from San Jose), they said they did not have room for us and moved us to another hotel. Same thing happened to 2 other couples we met at the other hotel. The other hotel was not so great but from what I am reading about the Mirador here, it seems that the Mirador is overrated too.
I emailed them after I got back for an explanation and they said that they were expecting that some new cabanas there were building would be ready by the time we got there but they were not. I wish I had checked so I would not have been in the position to take whatever place they put us because we could have stayed in Arenal or in Santa Elena for a lot less and had a better time.
Be careful and read the other reviews for an accurate description of the place before you book.

Yes, it's isolated but you have to know that coming out. We loved it here. Our place at El Sapo Dorado in town was way too noisy with construction and had a nothing-view so we went to Monteverde and then came out to El Mirador for an escape. It's hard to find, but IS marked with signs if you look closely. The last few miles are on a one-lane dirt road that looks like it wouldn't last long in a rain storm. I kept thinking "it CAN'T be this far" but indeed it was. The day we arrived the view was absolutely magnificent. You're looking off the top of a mountain over Arenal Lake and the volcano. It seemed like we could see for miles. We went for a hike on one of the trails leading to a waterfall which was very nice. However, the next two days it was cloudy and we couldn't see anything. We kept busy by going to Selvatura for a suspended bridges walk (it's very close by). The fog and mist appears to only be on the very top of the mountain. The cabin was cute and comfortable (we didn't have a wood stove) but rather noisy at night when it poured rain and the wind roared. We found it cozy but probably not everyone would agree. The food was good but not cheap. Our only problem was the hot water because our water tank kept failing. They were very accommodating though and did fix it. The manager doesn't speak any English so brush up on your Spanish, but he and his staff were nice and helpful.

While this hotel does have nice looking cabins, and great views, it also comes with plenty of problems. Firstly the views are only possible 20-25% of the year due to the fact that it is a "cloudforest" afterall. During our 2 night stay it rained almost constantly, and although it did look "etheral" there was definately no view of the volcano.

Mirador is highly overpriced for what it offers: cold, musty rooms, wood burning stoves that are difficult to get going since the staff offer no kindling, only wet wood, and firestarter cubes. The fireplace is very smokey once it gets burning. The food is mediocre as is the service. And most importantly you are WAY out of town. As another reviewer mentioned, I normally like places that are kind of out of the way, but for that to work well, the accomodations must be welcoming with lots to do nearby, which is not at all the case here. We had to do the almost half hour drive into town every day to eat and do activities.

All in all not worth the time or money!