The Art of a Warm Welcome: Senda Monteverde with Hans Pfister

Senda Monteverde opened its doors in 2018, acquired by the owner and transformed in partnership with The Cayuga Collection, who’ve been proving that luxury and sustainability can go hand in hand for the past two decades.

“I always tell people; you haven’t been to Costa Rica if you haven’t been to the cloud forest.”
– Hans Pfister, The Cayuga Collection’s co-founder

Senda is like a pause; a place to take a breath between all the adventure of Costa Rica and contemplate the magic of silence. Tucked into the cloud forest mountains of Monteverde, the hotel’s cozy cabins scatter through beautifully kept grounds hugged by native trees – a natural habitat for the area’s biodiverse wildlife.

Journey Costa Rica’s Managing Director Javier Echecopar sat down with Cayuga’s Co-founder Hans Pfister, for an enlightening conversation all about Senda’s vision of hospitality. Dive into these five key takeaways from their chat.

Located at the Heart of an Incredibly Unique Ecosystem

“When I’m at Senda I get up at five in the morning and I go for a walk along the street to the reserve, and the peace and the fog and the clouds rolling in, and that kind of mystique…you look down and see the mountain tops and the clouds below…it’s really something special. So, I think it’s that peace…that’s so special about the cloud forest. Then you come back, and you sit on your deck having a cup of coffee and just be.”

Cloud forests are delicate ecosystems, scattered in patches across tropical and subtropical mountainous regions, where persistent cloud cover hovers at canopy level. Less than 2.5% of the world’s tropical forests are classified as cloud forests – making them a rare wonder. Monteverde’s cloud forest is among the most biodiverse places on Earth, home to over 2,500 plant species, 400 birds, 100 mammals, and 120 amphibians and reptiles – including more than 420 types of orchids.

Constant mist and fog weave through the forest, supporting an ecosystem where nearly every surface is covered in moss, ferns, and lichens. Monteverde’s ethereal cloud forests are like a living museum of tropical mountain ecology and home to some of the world’s rarest flora and fauna, like elusive ocelots and the resplendent quetzal. Located in Costa Rica’s North-Western highlands, a 2-hour drive from San Jose and a 2.5-hour drive from Libera, this is somewhere you come intentionally rather than pass through.

Staying at Senda is a journey into nature; the hotel is part of the ecosystem itself. It’s all around. Sit out on your cabin’s porch with a cup of Senda’s homegrown coffee. Sip and see who you meet in the stillness – hummingbirds, monkeys, or perhaps a curious coati! The individual lodges are spread out enough to feel off the beaten path while still providing a stylish, spacious, personal headquarters where you can really unwind. You’ll look forward to some cozy hours spent here between exploring. Wander Senda’s scenic trails, carefully preserved with local plants, and visit the Ficus tree by El Sapo restaurant. As Hans told us:

“Two or three times a year it just becomes like a biology experiment. All the guides from the community come to that tree because all the animals are in there just being! It’s really special.”

Walk across the hanging bridge that connects Senda to the Aguti Wildlife Reserve – your admission is included and contributes to the reserve’s preservation – home to old-growth trees and captivating wildlife. The hotel is tucked away at the foot of a cloud forest, so it’s a perfect base for day trips deeper into this fascinating ecosystem.

Senda Embodies Cayuga’s Luxury Rewilded Philosophy

“What’s more sustainable than using an existing building? That’s really the gold standard, not building something new and using up more space.”

The Cayuga Collection’s mission has always been clear: to pioneer the symbiosis of sustainability and luxury. It’s this mindset, developed and perfected over twenty years, that defines their approach to hospitality. While the environmental and social initiatives of Cayuga properties, like Senda Monteverde, don’t mean skimping on comfort and quality, the concept of luxury shifts from consumption to contribution and connection. At its core, it’s Luxury Rewilded, a term coined by Hans and his team to describe their take on luxury hospitality as something unconventional that revives and restores.

“Senda is an interesting story because the structures that are Senda today were one of the first hotels in Monteverde – El Sapo Dorado. In the past we’ve had guests show us pictures from twenty years ago when they came to Costa Rica saying “look!”. It’s really quite special to see people that come back to El Sapo Dorado and now see it as Senda. I think that history is something that makes Senda special.”

The transformation began by healing the land and working with what was left behind.

“It’s the perfect example of taking an existing infrastructure, a rundown garden – it was totally abandoned – and now you’re there today and the buildings are alive again and especially the gardens – those gardens are a reserve of their own. We made an effort to make the landscape 100% local flora, and it shows – that’s why the animals are repopulating like crazy. It’s a great example of Luxury Rewilded, where we took an ecosystem that was negatively impacted and brought it back – and it’s thriving.”

This comes on the same week that wild pigs – peccaries – are spotted running through the garden.

Making a deeper, meaningful connection to what surrounds you and enjoying simple pleasures are at the core of what Senda’s hospitality is all about, and it has a profound impact on guests. Some become advocates for sustainability in their own lives, taking home lessons they’ve learned at the hotel, planting native species in their own gardens, and changing how they travel.

“There have been guests that say, “this isn’t luxury – where’s the TV?”, guests who come in with certain expectations, but then the team turn those expectations of ‘luxury’ around, and in the end, they don’t want to leave! Realizing that sometimes luxury can be just sitting there on that deck with a cup of Senda coffee and watching the agoutis go by, and listening to the birds, and the wind, and the leaves…it offers them a different kind of luxury to what they expected, making them realize you don’t need a TV and if you can leave your phone a while, even better – just be, just relax.”

Monteverde’s Cloud Forest is Under Threat

“During the pandemic I went with my daughter to the hotel, and we were the only ones – it was super special. I think it’s one of the places where you can really see the changes that are happening on Earth to the climate…like glaciers are very visual and one of those things you can see disappearing, I think the cloud forest is something similar.”

Senda is a gift for those seeking to live the magic of Monteverde’s cloud forests. There’s an intimacy, even a romance, about the guest lifestyle Hans and his team encourage. Wander the gardens to spot wild animals roaming freely and thriving organically (“…employees become the guardians; there’s nobody feeding animals…”). Rest on your porch with nothing but the sound of the breeze rustling forest leaves. Walk into town to rub shoulders with local Monteverdinos and sip a craft beer. Spend days deep in the cloud forest and cozy evenings by the fire nursing a glass of red wine.

“It’s a good balance between connecting with the local community, being connected with the wildlife reserve and being this Luxury Rewilded project itself.”

It can be both poignant and beautiful to discover this bubble of local culture and nature – somewhere you want to share with loved ones before it changes. We know that these enigmatic forests are retreating uphill, chased by rising temperatures leading to lower humidity and increased hours of sun. What we love about Senda Monteverde’s approach to hospitality, is that it enables us to tune into nature, while minimizing its negative footprint and maximizing positive impact.

The property is plastic free, solar panels heat water year-round, and fully biodegradable cleaning products replace harmful chemicals. Produce for El Sapo restaurant is sourced close to home from farmers and fishermen; minibars stock only local drinks and snacks; art is made by a women’s cooperative in the town, and bathroom amenities are local too. The property backs onto the Aguti Wildlife Reserve, and includes unlimited access for every Senda guest, contributing to its conservation.

It’s impossible to stay at Senda and not be rooting for the cloud forest’s survival long into the future.

Service Is More than a Job, It’s Culture

The heart of any hospitality project is service. By hiring locally and offering opportunities for growth, Senda empowers its team members to become genuine ambassadors of the brand, its broader sustainability mission, and a unique guest experience. This philosophy nurtures a sense of authentic pride, love, and service – values that are central to Senda’s vision of reimagining luxury hospitality with purpose and heart.

The Journey Costa Rica team recently spent a night at Senda Monteverde. During check-in, our operations manager, Ivan, mentioned he was excited about the Saprissa kick-off in the evening – his ride-or-die soccer team from San José. Arriving at the hotel restaurant for dinner that night, a member of the wait staff welcomed him, saying “the game’s already on – we heard that you love Saprissa!”, while handing him a drink to sit at the bar and enjoy. It’s exactly this attention to detail – listening, anticipating, reacting and delivering – that makes the difference between just a hotel and true hospitality. When reflecting on how Senda cultivates a great guest experience, Hans shared:

“I think it’s about culture…you can train but it might even feel a little contrived when you train too hard on certain things, so I think it’s more about culture and at Cayuga we’ve been creating this for 20+ years – ‘The Cayuga Way’ – our training program for service is called “Soy Servicio” (I am service) so the employees really understand that it’s about me, what I do and my impact.”

While training influences actions, stories influence emotions. Next-level service, as Hans says, “is about creating a culture of stories and sharing those stories”. Just as Ivan will delight in telling his family about the Saprissa moment, so will Hans, as he celebrates it with the Senda team.

Maintaining the Reimagined Luxury Standard, the Senda Way

“The thing I’m really excited about is the Explora Center – these three round pods with a green roof which create a space for learning, gathering, exchanging. You go there before a hike or after a hike, or one of our guides gives a presentation about the cloud forest or the bellbird, and I really feel like that’s become the central part of the hotel. It’s a special place that goes with the concept of Monteverde and the cloud forest.”

The guest experience continues to evolve through thoughtful enhancements rooted in comfort, design, and a deep connection to place.

“We upgraded the rooms to give them a bit more comfort and style and design to make sure that the guests that we share with Arenas del Mar, Nayara, Andaz, for example, feel a similar level. It’s still got a mountain lodge feeling – we don’t want it to become cookie-cutter – but just a little bit nicer. So, we invested in the rooms, and we just have two more family suites to go.”

The restaurant has also been reimagined, as Hans describes:

“We inherited an old building with weird spaces and weird distribution, so we had to make sense of it and build around it and that worked out well – now we have a nice restaurant where people feel really at ease.

The culinary experience is not only pleasant because the food is great and very local, inspired by indigenous concepts – Monteverde cheese, coffee, farm-to-table – but also it just feels nice to be there because it’s very open.”

Looking ahead, Hans is excited about the next nature-inspired creation: “We’re building a really cool water feature “pool” done in the Senda way – a waterfall between levels with boulders all around in the middle of the forest area. We’re digging a hole in ten days, and it should be ready by the end of October!”

Through it all, Senda remains committed to meaningful, elevated hospitality – true to its place and purpose. We think this is the perfect place to experience the precious ecosystem of the Costa Rican cloud forest, staying connected with your surroundings without compromising on comfort and topped off with service that feels immensely personal and authentic. We left the chat with Hans feeling inspired, and excited to take a dip in the new forest pool on our next trip to Senda.

EXPERIENCE LUXURY REWILDED FOR YOURSELF

At Journey Costa Rica, we’re passionate about creating meaningful luxury experiences that connect travelers to the soul of Costa Rica. Our partnership with Senda Monteverde brings that vision to life – with immersive stays that celebrate nature, community, and intentional hospitality. Talk to our expert team about designing a custom itinerary that includes Senda; we’d be thrilled to help you plan something truly unforgettable.

The Art of a Warm Welcome Series