The moment you drive up the hill and catch a glimpse of the Ocotea Hotel’s graceful lines and striking modern design, you understand that you are about to experience something new and unique. The stark white walls and expansive windows certainly stand out against the lush greenery of the gardens and the spreading branches of damas trees like a cool and comforting oasis.
It’s an honor to be able to share the stories and experiences of those who have come to stay with us in the Ocotea Boutique Hotel. Today, our guest writer Joy Detlor explores her own “Misty Morning in the Clouds.”
When you’ve been in the tour business for as long as we have you pick up on a few local favorites. Especially when you have watched them grow and evolve over the course of 15 years working together.
Designing, and building the Ocotea Boutique Hotel has been a complex and lengthy labor of love, and everyone on the Ocotea team is extremely proud of our accomplishment. It’s a joy to help people learn about Monteverde and all that it has to offer and to provide them with the best possible experience here so that they go home and tell everyone about our incredible corner of the world.
When I was a naturalist tour guide, I met a couple of amateur photographers who I traveled with for a while (I shared their passion for photography. We had been in different areas of Costa Rica and wherever we went, I could see their passion for finding beauty in the most simple places. But what they really taught me is that you can have and enjoy a photographic eye even without a camera (or phone) in your hand.
As the Ocotea Boutique Hotel continues to grow and thrive, it's natural to look back at our team’s humble beginnings and smile. The journey that brought us from a small family-owned and operated tour company to where we are now hasn’t always been easy. But it has been incredible, and that’s why we would like to take this opportunity to share a bit about Ocotea Tours & Transfer and what it means to our family.
Do you ever wish we could go back in time to when life moved a little slower, communities were a little closer, and people appreciated the detail, time, and effort that went into something more than the brand name on its label?
It happens every day in the sunny season. People in Monteverde gather in different places to see the sunset. There are a couple of spots with benches where visitors and locals get together and see the magnificence of the multicolored sky reflecting in the stillness of the distant Pacific Ocean.
A few days ago, talking to a friend, he was saying how indispensable his smartwatch was becoming in his life. From my side, with a different lifestyle and living in Monteverde, I told him I didn't have a watch since a long time ago, nor a clock anywhere in my house. I guess the phone clock is enough for me.