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.
It all started in 2008 when Karen Fallas decided that what Monteverde needed was a tour company that cared more than making money. She dreamt of creating a company dedicated to protecting and sustaining the beauty of Monteverde while sharing it with the world.
Teaching visitors about the delicate ecosystem that sustains us and the many creatures that live and work together to maintain that balance was important, of course. But tours and exploration had to be noninvasive — not just for the environment, but for the community as well. It was from this desire to help that Ocotea Tours & Transfers was born, and from that day to this, we have used sustainable practices and education to safely share the beauty around us with our clients.
With 25+ years of experience in the industry, Karen quickly grew a name for herself, not only for her vast stores of knowledge but also for her personal service and attention. As the company grew, several family members joined the Ocotea Tours team, ensuring that the values and dedication to great service are woven through everything the team did. Karen’s late father drove for them and shared his knowledge and love of the country along the way. Her brother, Bernie, is a forestry engineer and avid birder, who also doubles as a talented guide who to this day teaches guests about the forest and the relationships that exist within.
With a group like this, it’s easy to understand their success in the industry. More than 15 years later, Ocotea Tours was still going strong, and Karen (and her daughter Valeria) were ready to take the next step. As with Ocotea Tours, they saw a need and yearned to fill it. A need for a hotel with the same dedication to sustainable, eco-friendly practices and personal service that had led to the success of the tours.
What defines Ocotea Tours is more than just making a conscious decision to limit the footprint left by their tours. It was also a pledge to become an integral part of Monteverde’s tight-knit community. To make a difference, not only through enticing global tourism and sharing knowledge, but by supporting local artisans, businesses, and industries.
Every member of Ocotea Tours has committed to being a good neighbor… and as simple as that may sound, it involves taking that one step further than most. By designing every aspect of the business with Monteverde’s best interests at heart- not just our own- we foster a sense of responsibility, and connection that carries through to you, our guests.
Every detail has been intentionally chosen to represent the very best that our town has to offer, and it is our belief that this careful curation carries with it a sense of the extraordinary so that you leave with the sense that you have been given the chance to embrace the beautiful Monteverde the locals know, and love so much. To us, that is the inspiration that drives us through the day — to provide an unmatched experience that you could not find anywhere else in the world.
It was from that idea, that we could give a truly life-changing experience here in Monteverde, that the Ocotea Boutique Hotel was born, and that inspiration permeates every detail you’ll experience while on the grounds.
They enlisted the skills of Karen’s nephew Andrés, an interior designer, and his partner Sebastián, a graphic designer, and together they designed the look and feel of the Ocotea Boutique Hotel. The goal was to offer a cozy place to call home, a platform where others could learn to appreciate the beauty and wonder of life in Monteverde, and one day, a beacon of sustainability and hope and to lead them towards a greener more eco-friendly future.
You can see that today throughout the hotel, but also throughout all of the Ocotea Boutique Hotel’s visual identity — built from the ground up to reflect the importance of nature in our society and our dependence on its bounty.
The website describes it best.
“The name Ocotea was chosen in honor of the Aguacatillo (Avocado) tree. Its fruit is considered one of the most important foods of the Quetzal, perhaps the rarest and most emblematic species of the Monteverde Cloud Forest.”
As a group, we recognize that true success requires interaction and cooperation with the world around us- and that includes nature and neighbors. That’s why we have taken our commitment to Monteverde one step further. We work to promote, not only our own business but the businesses around us, who make this amazing community what it is.
Making Monteverde great means helping it to grow and thrive, as well as keeping it tied to its roots and its culture through local projects, indigenous organizations, and cultural events. When you visit Ocotea Tours, we share with you all that we love about Monteverde, including its history, its traditions, and its people… because it's not just about our family.
Living the pura vida means being part of a larger family. A global family which works together shares information and experiences and helps each other to grow and learn so the world can be a better place. When you walk in our door, we want you to feel two things… that you are important, and that you belong. We want to welcome you into our world, and perhaps share some of yours, because we care about you.
We hope that one day, you’ll have the chance to come to visit and learn to care about our little piece of heaven. Through it, we have learned an incredible amount about the delicate balance and amazing interconnectivity of the planet we live on, and we hope to share that same fascinating truth with you.
Perhaps it's selfish of us, but we believe that when you love something- you will work towards protecting it — the way we do, every single day.
We hope you will visit us in person and let us show you what we do. To do so, just click here, give us a call at +506-4002-2599, or write to us at info@ocoteatours.com. We would love to hear from you.