Perched in the misty cloud forests of Costa Rica, Monteverde is known as one of the most tranquil, peaceful places in a country known for the concept of pura vida. Monteverde was founded by Quakers from the US who objected to the Vietnam War’s draft, and they found common ground with Costa Rica’s anti-war beliefs. In this way, even the very creation of Monteverde was an act of peaceful protest.

The values of the Ocotea Boutique Hotel from the very start have been to prioritize sustainable, local, ethical products and services with an uncompromising dedication to luxury-level quality. For Founders Karen and Valeria Fallas, there would be no other way to deliver the absolute best that Monteverde has to offer while staying true to the foundational values of Monteverde itself.

Seasonal migrations of numerous bird species throughout the year make birdwatching in Monteverde a dynamic activity, where each month can bring a vastly different experience for birders seeking the rare and magnificent birds that visit Monteverde. 

In Monteverde, there are no clear lines between where civilization ends and nature begins. Instead, it’s a gradual change, where carefully trodden paths offer us the chance to explore cloud forest reserves, where the natural world comes right up to your front porch, and beauty both ecological and manmade is constantly intertwined with each other. 

I have been fortunate to travel a great deal in life so far, both for work as a travel and hospitality writer as well as to satiate my own oft-insatiable desire for new adventures and experiences, and in that time I have come to deeply appreciate the value of seeing new destinations through the eyes of the people who live there. 

You can’t talk about the Ocotea Boutique Hotel without discussing Nectandra, the restaurant at the heart of this welcoming place in the mountains of Monteverde. From the very beginning, founders Karen and Valeria Fallas knew Nectandra needed to capture the soul of Monteverde, with fresh ingredients, warm hospitality, and an understated elegant atmosphere. 

Any artist who’s had a chance to visit Costa Rica will tell you that the experience is inspiring. The landscapes are dramatic and striking, the natural world is vibrant and exploding with color, the sunsets are breathtaking, and the blend of welcoming hospitality and pulse-pounding adventure provides a broad spectrum of emotions from which to draw. 

The very first blog published by our team was titled Deep Roots and Big Wings | The Story of Karen and Valeria Fallas, which dove into the story of Karen and Valeria, the founders of the Ocotea Boutique Hotel, and the turbulent challenges that they had navigated to open this gorgeous hotel in the mountains of Monteverde. 

Monteverde is one of the most unique places in Costa Rica and features a combination of geography, climate, plants, and animals that are found nowhere else on Earth. In the heart of the global ecotourism capital, Monteverde offers something a little different than the steamy tropical rainforests Costa Rica has become known for.