EVERY FAMILY HAS A STORY
Welcome to Our Story
Chapter 1: Chasing a Dream
Originally from Italy and after years of working and raising our young family in London, UK, we were ready for a real adventure, one which would have a permanent impact and leave a true legacy. We had already come across the awe-inspiring Osa Peninsula almost by accident during our travels. We discovered that the less well-known Golfo Dulce in the unexplored southern part of Costa Rica was rich of the unfiltered nature we so longed for from our urban setting: this tropical fjord, adjacent to the Osa Peninsula, is one of the last places in the world where primary, lowland rainforests meet wild pristine seas, untouched coastlines and unexplored mangroves.
A few years earlier, during a heart-breaking flight over Borneo, we had realised that for all their might, rainforests were unscrupulously being cut down and desperately needed protection. So our search for a piece of rainforest to protect began, naturally along the Golfo Dulce we loved. It took us years to finally come across a magnificent plot of land comprising 1,000 acres of pristine, tropical jungle with direct access to a wild, palm-fringed beach and whose owner Esther, a pioneering conservationist from Switzerland, was longing to find new stewards for. This 'island that never was' in Costa Rica, accessible only by boat yet enveloped within mainland, was going to be the perfect place where we could start making a real difference and let our dreams come true.
This is how Golfo Dulce Retreat came to be.
Chapter 2: Building a Team
Nothing could have prepared us to the challenges of real rainforest living. We created our new home in a harsh environment, where humidity and powerful downpours can turn a simple task into an ordeal. Where every single item that we need has to be brought in by boat, sometimes in choppy waters. Where we are only dependent on ourselves for the water we drink, the electricity we produce and the internet signal we rely on. And mostly, where we are at the very mercy of nature and its elements - often gentle and deeply nurturing, at times menacing and powerful.
It didn’t take long to realise that city slickers from the capital and hospitality managers simply don’t cut it here in the rainforest. We also felt the responsibility to involve local people as much as possible so that their families could directly benefit from protecting the rainforest. All our staff comes from neighbouring villages and the majority of them never had a stable job before. Training and sharing skills has been paramount: we learnt together the secrets of surviving in the rainforest with minimal impact as well as what it means to be running an environmentally friendly, world-class hospitality operation. Most importantly, we realised that conservation is not only ethically and morally right, but it also provides a sustainable way of living for generations to come. Our staff are the ones that continue to make it all possible, by helping us run and improve our home in the rainforest every day and by making our guests always feel welcome.
We honestly couldn’t do it without them all!
Chapter 3: Asking for Help
Our dream was also made possible by the hard work and the knowledge of many loving people, family and friends. Amongst them, Andrea who inspired us with some of our signature dishes, Ettore who taught us the secrets of construction and Damiano, our go-to devil’s advocate and architect in chief. Our project would have been much harder were it not for Juan Pablo, our beach neighbour, master carpenter and all-round problem solver. Agustine, the wise man of Playa San Josecito de Gallardo, became our rainforest guru while Steve was here to remind us about the simplicity of life. We feel indebted to our multi talented, hard-working, gentle friend Dario who helped us on so many projects it’s almost impossible to remember them all - from carving and painting all the signs around the lodge, to putting together infographics, logos and various information sheets, to sorting out the mess in an old storage unit we were too scared to even touch, to helping us with our staff’s training and running of the kitchen and, most of all, for being part of our family for many years. Grazie fratello!
Chapter 4: Learning the Science
Our new home in the jungle has also become the home to a long line of brilliant, funny, loving young biologists from the University of Cambridge, UK, and other remarkable academic institutions. With us, they have a chance to witness first hand many of the biological processes they have so passionately learnt about in books. With them, we are able to slowly make sense of the overwhelming complexity of the natural world that surrounds us, from giant humpback whales to tiny bioluminescent algae. For our guests, they provide an invaluable source of scientific knowledge, whether it’s during a visit to the mangroves, a hike in the forest or a night tour.
So, throughout the years, their help has been immeasurable: from nature guiding to cocktail shaking, from homeschooling to dog grooming, and from tropical garden landscaping to origami making, they have enriched our lives beyond expectations and have all become forever members of our rainforest family!
Chapter 5: Building the Dream
In our new home in the wilderness, we wanted to create more than just elegance within a stunning surrounding - we were looking for authenticity and adventure in a totally relaxed and private setting. However, with no road access and far away from ‘civilisation’ this was not going to be an easy feat. The logistics of delivering building materials, appliances, furniture, crew and food during a year and a half of construction, rain or sunshine, were always going to be a nightmare. We were also determined to minimise our impact on our pristine surroundings. We decided we were not going to use any heavy machinery such as diggers or tractors and that we were going to source small-scale and locally; this did not make our life easier.
Our best intentions were often crushed and beaten to the ground when confronted with the reality of taking materials by boat to our beach and by shoulder where they were needed. Not that sourcing them in the first place from the surrounding villages was any easier. We often recall one October day, during a mighty thunderstorm, when we had to venture out on our boat to the local hardware store to buy two kilos of stainless steel nails and all they had were five… five plain, rusty nails.
At the mercy of the rainforest and its ocean, it quickly became clear that our plans, carefully crafted from the comforts of our previous lives, were simply not viable. Coming from a world where everything, including life itself, has to be carefully thought out and planned to the smallest detail, this was no easy learning lesson. So we did what we had to: we surrendered to the rainforest. However, we did not give up on our dream. We binned our fancy Design Boards and 3D models and became masters of improvisation, making the most of what we had and following our heart at every step of the way. Most importantly, we worked around what nature had in mind for us on a day to day basis.
Surely this is what ‘Pura Vida’ is all about.
