Karen Fallas is "petite," with big intelligent eyes and a strength that you can witness if you are lucky enough to have a long conversation with this prodigious woman and her daughter Valeria. I myself was lucky to met her more than a decade ago. I worked as a travel agent, and she worked for a hotel that we used for our passengers. Little did I know then the treasure behind this amiable girl.
Karen grew up in a traditional Costa Rican family with solid values regarding hard work and simple yet rich life, and she has built a solid business amidst big storms with a vision beyond simply making money.
In her view, her companies are made to enjoy an active and productive life that she can share with her family.
She aims to attract guests who can enjoy the beauty of a glass of wine sipped while watching, in silence, the distant sun setting over the Nicoya Gulf. She aims to give visitors the best moments of her own life.
A Bit Of History
Karen was not born in Monteverde, but her story starts here with love — both of this beautiful place and between people here. Karen’s mother came to Monteverde when Karen was only about a year old and fell in love with a hard-working dairy farmer from the region. It wasn’t long before the two were married, and it was their love — as well as their love of Monteverde — that formed the loving home Karen grew up in.
Later on, her mother began working as a cleaning maid for the different scientific organizations that first came to research the incredible diversity and unique environment of Monteverde. Hence, she grew up surrounded by wild nature, and developed in an atmosphere of highly educated people from all over the world that came to enjoy or study the breathtaking cloud forests of the region.
And, we must not forget about the Quaker base of the community of Monteverde. This outstanding group of people stood for their values back in the 1950s and made Monteverde a place to live in a thoughtful, peaceful, sustainable way of life.
Combine these unique circumstances with a sharp intelligence and a true spirit of collaboration, and you have Karen Fallas. A woman who knows to see beyond and into the future with great respect for nature. A life explorer who knows how to connect with travelers. Someone with deep roots and enormous wings now aims to provide a sense of easy tranquility to her hotel guests.
Karen is a mother, a daughter, a sister, a businesswoman, a fantastic host, and a great human being.
Building a Life in Monteverde, Costa Rica
Karen’s first job in her early teens was as a guide for horseback riding tours, and much later in life, this self-made woman went through the different venues of the travel industry. After work in hotels, travel agencies, and tour operations, a day came in her life when she decided she wanted to have her own project.
"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."
Anaïs Nin
Karen had become a mother and an active member of the touristic community of Monteverde. And she could see the need for a trustworthy local tour operator, so finally, in 2008, she created Ocotea Tours. From scratch.
Ocotea Monteverdensis is a beautiful tree and an essential food source for several large frugivorous birds, like the resplendent quetzal, the black guan, and the three-wattled bellbird.
It is one of the most important trees in the cloud forest and for the community of Monteverde. Thousands and thousands of people come every year to see these magnificent birds, and their presence depends on having enough ocoteas — and other similar trees — for their meals.
The symbol that this tree holds is as beautiful as it is accurate.
Karen found Ocotea Tours and Transfers to provide work to dozens of people in Monteverde, directly and indirectly. Tour guides, drivers, restaurants, hotels, and many small projects started to get more and more visitors as Karen created one of the most important tour operators in the area.
It’s fair to say that, true to their namesake, Ocotea Tours and Transfers have created an ecosystem in the region where everyone gets satisfied.
It wasn’t always easy. Ocotea started strenuously in 2008 when the financial world collapsed in a recession that hit the travel industry directly. And yet, Karen never stopped. She worked, paid salaries, and took passengers to unique places and experiences with a smile and great attitude.
When the crisis passed, Karen was on her feet.
Her faith in God and her determination had guided her through the difficult times, and Ocotea Tours and Transfers soared.
A New Seed for the Ocotea Journey
Ten years later, and already with the tour operator thriving through every obstacle, she decided that it was time to go back to the hotel business, this time with her vision applied to every detail.
She bought a magnificent house and property to turn into a vacation rental — Villa Ocotea.
People rented it frequently and came back to it often. Her service, spontaneous joy, and amiability conquered the hearts of many guests, and she decided she was ready for a more significant step: Converting this successful rental house into an actual hotel.
Her vision? A place where guests can enjoy the easiness of this region, the beauty of all Monteverde scenarios, and the calmness of simply observing nature from an open balcony.
Again, it was not without struggle. Opening a hotel takes a lot of paperwork, and in Costa Rica and Monteverde especially, permits regarding the environment also take time and a lot of patience.
She additionally encountered resistance in the macho men attitude of banks and government officers. But it seems they didn't know who they were bullying, she elevated the case, and after a long-fought fight, lastly, in January 2020, she got all she needed to build the hotel the way she had dreamed.
But it seemed the story of struggle and triumph had more to offer. On the 12th anniversary of Ocotea Tours and Transfers, on March 16th, Costa Rica closed its borders due to Covid-19.
The hotel construction and the pandemic kicked off at the same time.
Everything stopped in Monteverde.
The lockdown was on, and not for the first time in her life; she was faced with uncertainty. But yet, with faith in herself and her vision, she kept the construction going, slowly, expectant but knowing that this storm had to pass and they would survive, as much as she had survived everything else before.
She involved her daughter Valeria, who had recently graduated from business school, and together these two women faced the most challenging times ever for the travel industry — and being constantly underestimated — with faith and joy. Together, they kept building her dream hotel, even when lodges were closing down all around.
Now that sunrise is finally coming to Monteverde, and as travelers return to the region, Karen is ready to open the luxurious Ocotea Hotel in December 2021.
A Chat with Karen and Valeria
Costa Rica
After telling me the impressive story of her life, I had some questions for Karen and Valeria. There are so many things to talk about with these two impressive women!
If you have a question that I might have missed, leave a comment below, and we’ll be sure to ask them more in a future article!
Olga: What does the word "luxury" mean to you?
Karen: To be able to enjoy your environment at all times. Having a rainbow in your window and having the time and will to enjoy it is my definition of luxury. I sincerely believe that the hotel must be that experience of complete human luxury, a place where you feel so comfortable you want to entirely stop and take the time to enjoy the forest, the ocean in the distance, or the mystery of fog. An environment where your senses are invited to enjoy everything.
Olga: Would this be your life project?
Karen: My life project is my daughter. When you bear a child, you know where your heart will be forever. I have a deep faith in God, God without a name or a creed. He is my life partner; whatever His project is for me, that is my project.
Searching for meaning in my life, I could say that many families have been supported and encouraged to develop through our work; But I know I am just the manager of all this (Looks around at the hotel in construction); God is the Real Owner of it all.
Olga: What is your competitive advantage in regards to the hotels in the area?
Karen: I do not compete. I don't believe in competition. I love what I do. I love taking care of details. I love to create something and see the faces of the people enjoying it. I love pampering guests, and listening to others, and giving a helping hand whenever I can, and it is needed. I put my heart into everything, not looking out the window at my neighbor but living the connection with my guests.
Olga: You are two women in charge. What could you tell solo women coming to your hotel?
Karen: My first answer is, "I hear you Sister." I am you.
I will make sure you have all you need to clear your mind and emotions and create a space for peace to grow from here on. I cannot give you the peace you crave, but I'll make sure that you have the environment to find it within.
Olga: Will the hotel be friendly to people of all races, beliefs, and lifestyles?
Valeria interrupts to answer this time- A quick response that summarizes everything: We are a human-friendly hotel.
Olga: How about couples? What can you tell those who are craving a romantic escapade with their loved ones? Is this a place to fall in love?
Karen: Monteverde is a place to fall in love.
Ocotea Hotel is made to enjoy all types of love. But of course, I am willing to provide everything for a romantic stage, and beyond that, be my guests' accomplice for surprises and unique moments. We can create your dream setting. Just tell me what you dream of.
Olga: The Ocotea Hotel is aimed at adults only, could you elaborate on that a bit further?
Karen: I commit with my guests to provide quietness, easiness, and a place to hear yourself. Happy children are loud and playful, and there are many places in Monteverde where they can be free to be exactly that. In Ocotea Hotel, we are focused on a place where the sounds of Monteverde, in all their beauty, are fully heard through big open windows. I want the silence of nature at Ocotea Hotel to embrace our guests like a warm blanket to give them cozy and calmed moments.
Valeria had remained silent almost throughout the whole interview. This young and beautiful girl has the same intelligent eyes as her mother, behind red-framed glasses.
My interview goes to her. She is the future of Ocotea Hotel and Ocotea Tours and Travel... Is she going to go on?
Olga: Valeria, you have been in tourism even before you were born. Are you willing to stay on this path for the rest of your life?
Valeria: Yes, of course. The travel industry is life. And like life itself, it is different from day to day. It is a thrilling activity! I love this industry. It benefits everyone, and we believe in training our staff under a philosophy of working from the heart and with a genuine service drive.
We work in providing experiences of life. It is an inspiring job, and yes, I am willing to make it my life.
Olga: You grew up in Monteverde. What can you tell me about it?
Valeria: I think that what makes a difference growing here is the Quakers' elementary school (Los Amigos School). Quakers have a very different philosophy of life. A very open view towards everything, starting with God and extending to how we see other people.Quakers see all people as equal and deserving of respect. They also believe that all people are good and truthful and reject value judgments based on race or gender. We were taught to value and embrace diversity.
The essence of the Quakers is to believe and follow the Inner Self.
I was privileged to have the freedom of the Quakers learned from my very early years. And with the usual and direct contact with travelers and scientists from all over the world, I think I grew up at a different pace, up till his day.
(Karen interrupts here, looking at her with a proud smile)
Karen: She is my partner in everything. And all my years of experience in the industry are hers as she has fully lived them with me. There is little I know that she doesn't know.
The End of a Journey, and The Start of a New One
When Karen earned her first money as a teenager, she went to a store in Santa Elena and bought an engagement ring. A solitary stone.
After my long conversation with her and Valeria, I could understand that definitive early gesture. She decided to get engaged with herself, with her work, and with her life.
When you get to the Ocotea Boutique Hotel, you feel this life commitment in every detail.
These brave women are the heart and soul of the hotel, a connection with the roots of the breathtaking community of Monteverde, a glimpse of a happy life projected onto everything, and they have created a gate to peace. You will probably meet them when you get to the Ocotea Hotel, even if they are not around when you stay. Their spirit lies in everything in this place, and you can tell they are successful but never done.
