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.

As we look ahead to 2023, we’re happy to share international recognition for Costa Rica once again, this time from renowned international publication Forbes Centroamerica. 

While it is not my habit to write these posts from a personal place, this post is a little bit special. I recently had a bit of an epiphany, and it happened while seated in a big comfortable chair, early in the morning, in Ocotea’s back garden.

“Mom, I am going to take you to the best Italian restaurant in town,” my daughter said, starting the car when I first arrived.  She had lived and worked in Monteverde when the pandemic started and when she visited later on she treated me to the best dinner in Monteverde.

December 24th marked the first anniversary of the Ocotea Boutique Hotel, and passing that milestone naturally makes us think back on the events of the past year and reflect. We are happy to say, our first year has been spectacular, and we couldn’t be more proud of the wonderful team of people who have made that possible.