Our Behind the Lobby series brings you intimate conversations with the brilliant minds shaping Costa Rica’s luxury travel landscape. Join us to explore the philosophies, passions, and innovative thinking driving the country’s most exceptional guest experiences.
Hacienda Altagracia is hands down one of our favorites to get off grid in Costa Rica. What makes it unique? It’s the sense of being far from your roots while feeling like part of the family, connecting with a little-known side of the country’s personality, having access to immersive contemplations of nature, and enriching cultural exchange at your fingertips – it’s a place where stories are made. You’ll be telling your friends and family about the heavenly spa pavilion and the luxurious guest casitas, but also about the warmth of people you met, how they made you feel, and what it taught you about life.
Our Co-founder and Managing Director, Javier Echecopar, sat down with Hacienda AltaGracia’s visionary general manager, Koen Masschelein, to chat about their unified approach to hospitality and what makes the property tick. Read on to uncover five takeaways from their conversation.
Hospitality Makes a Destination
Hacienda AltaGracia is the definition of stepping outside the everyday. It’s off the beaten path, tucked into the foothills of the Talamanca mountains, away from the popular beach destinations and the crowds. That doesn’t mean you’re cut off from the Costa Rican experience though. A stay at the property—which feels more like being welcomed to a friend’s expansive estate—is a window into an authentic slice of a lesser-seen side of the country’s culture.
We love the contrast, taking our guests for sun-soaked coastal explorations in Guanacaste, volcanic hikes and hot springs in Arenal, then coordinating a private plane to the mountains, flying over a dramatic landscape of rolling hills and coffee plantations to touch down right in the property’s grounds. A true cinematic arrival.
Koen knows this contrast firsthand. Having always worked in big cities, it was quite an adjustment moving to the remote Pérez Zeledón province. What’s the big draw about a region you’ve probably never heard of? That’s where hospitality comes in. AltaGracia has captured the essence of its long-existing surroundings and translated it into an all-encompassing guest experience. A home away from home.
While most properties strive to be gateways to their settings, the hacienda has mastered the art of being the destination itself. Every experience, every interaction, every moment is deeply rooted in its location and the local way of life. “Everything we do ties back to where we are and what we do,” Koen explains, his passion evident. “We often say that staying with us is the true Costa Rican experience… guests have to experience it to know what we mean… more than anything when guests depart the property, most are truly enamored with where we are, what they’ve experienced.”
“The real Pura Vida doesn’t live in the beaches or the volcanoes – it lives in the people, the community, the bonds you make while being here. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Luxury is Cutting Out the Noise
We pride ourselves on pushing boundaries—creating what has never been done before and seeking new ways to propose the well-trodden. While we love dreaming big, we also know there’s a quiet type of luxury that often reveals itself in life’s simplest moments.
Imagine the smell of coffee and warmth between your palms as you sit and sip on your private veranda. Taking a deep, freeing breath of fresh mountain air and realizing you’ve left the rush behind for a while. Meeting AltaGracia’s newest member, a baby horse, at the stables and stroking its soft nose, a symbol of innocence and wonder. AltaGracia is a hotbed for these kinds of small, intimate revelations. They’re highly personal to each guest and yet universal.
A positive power lives in the moments that bring you back to authentic connection. Koen captured the essence perfectly: “The real Pura Vida doesn’t live in the beaches or the volcanoes – it lives in the people, the community, the bonds you make while being here. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Transferring Positive Impact
Sustainable tourism is more than just protecting the environment – it’s about creating meaningful connections that benefit both travelers and local communities. As Hans says, “Sustainable tourism only works if it benefits the visitor and the visited.” Years ago, he realized that you can’t have a five-star hotel in a one-star community. To make tourism truly sustainable, it must uplift everyone. That’s why Cayuga hotels are deeply integrated with their surrounding areas, hiring locals who are often involved in neighborhood organizations, from school boards to environmental groups. This connection goes beyond staffing. Guests are encouraged to explore outside the hotel – hire a local guide, eat at a restaurant outside the hotel, or shop at a nearby store. It’s about spreading the tourism dollar, not keeping it contained.
One of the most heartwarming examples is Cayuga’s employee stayover program, where the team’s families are invited to stay at the hotel, enjoy the same moments as paying guests, and feel part of the hotel community. This creates a knock-on effect as the special guests go home, talk about their experiences, and become advocates for Cayuga’s work. When communities are empowered, so is responsible tourism, proving that a shared experience is a stronger one.
Luxury Rewilded
For a long time, there was hesitation to pair the words “luxury” and “sustainability.” But now, with confidence, Cayuga embraces the idea of “Luxury Rewilded” – a concept that proves these two worlds can not only coexist but thrive together. Hans explained that their journey begins with the land itself. “Arenas del Mar used to be a pasture for goats. Aguas Claras was a cacao plantation. Isla Palenque had subsistence farming, and Senda’s buildings were abandoned for ten years before we took over and brought life back to it.” It’s about regeneration, not just for nature, but for the people too. Locals become guardians of these once-forgotten lands, excited to protect and restore them, passing that passion on to guests.
This is not about the most polished, traditional sense of luxury, but a more genuine, rough-around-the-edges version. In the words of Hans, “Maybe not the most luxurious kind of luxury, but the most authentic.” As Hans sees it, the future of luxury travel will divide into two paths: those seeking a self-contained, manicured experience, and those who crave something more real – a luxury that’s imperfect but profoundly meaningful.
Spreading the Word
At Cayuga, sustainability is all about making a positive impact – without being preachy. It’s something guests experience in fun, engaging ways that feels accessible and enjoyable. As Hans says, “We’ve been fine-tuning this for years, finding ways to make sustainability fun, not a reprimand.” One of the longest-running initiatives is Cayuga’s back-of-house sustainability tour, where guests get a transparent look at the inner workings of the hotel. From seeing the laundry operations to meeting the chickens and touring the treatment plant, guests leave with a deeper understanding of what it takes to run a sustainable hotel. It’s a behind-the-scenes peek that often turns guests into sustainability advocates.
Hans also penned the amazing “Cayuga Way Journal”—a beautifully crafted coffee table book filled with stories of the people and practices behind the scenes. Guests at Cayuga hotels can sit on the terrace, sip their coffee, and immerse themselves in these stories, often reading about people they might meet during their stay. And for hands-on learning, Cayuga offers snackable, bite-sized activities like salsa dancing, coffee roasting, or even a rum-tasting class, where guests can engage with staff and learn in a playful, interactive way. These experiences spark conversations about sustainability and inspire guests to take a bit of the Cayuga Way home with them.
STAY WITH THE CAYUGA COLLECTION ON YOUR NEXT COSTA RICA ADVENTURE!
A heartfelt thank you to Hans Pfister for sharing his wisdom and dedication to sustainable travel. Get in touch with Journey Costa Rica’s expert travel planners and experience the Cayuga Collection firsthand. We’ll help you craft a tailormade itinerary that lets you explore these extraordinary hotels while immersing yourself in the beauty and authenticity of Costa Rica. Your adventure awaits – let’s make it unforgettable!
