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. 

A while ago we posted some articles about the unique and sustainable architecture and design that went into the Ocotea Boutique Hotel in beautiful Monteverde.

The Ocotea Boutique Hotel is an extremely unique business in Monteverde for a number of reasons. Not only is it run by an exceptional mother-daughter team (which, in Costa Rica, is still pretty rare), but it was also designed and built with nature in mind, from the eco-friendly, sustainable features to the low-impact construction using locally-sourced materials.

We recently did an article that discusses the Natural Modern style of design and how it was used to draw our guest’s focus to the beauty that surrounds the hotel and pulls that beauty inside providing a calm and relaxing space.

About halfway from the Inter-American highway to Monteverde, you’ll start to find cars stopped on the shoulder of the narrow mountain roads. It’s impossible to build a viewpoint for every stunning view stretching out across the rolling hills towards the Golfo de Nicoya, or up through valley corridors to where the mountains meet the clouds. So you make do with little dirt paths and sheepish waves to the locals and the occasional traveler when your car can’t quite get out off the road. 

As an ex-pat who lives in Costa Rica almost year-round, I often get asked about what it’s like in the less busy times of the year, like the green season… and my answer is always that Costa Rica is an amazing place to visit at any time of year.

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.