Who is MONKEY ADVENTURES COSTA RICA
Our company is unique in many ways, and each of us brings an important and unique element to the group, we joined forces because we are good friends and working together is already a joy, we have many things in common and think alike so making decisions is an easy process.
We have known each other for many years and it was the right time to take on a project together, something we have talked about many times, but I guess we had to wait for the right time to come.
www.monkeyadventurescostarica.com is our newborn and we are all excited to put each of our skills to your services.
2 families, a range of ages from early twenties to not so early 50´s, which allows us to cater to clients from different backgrounds, ages and cultures.
We are Costa Ricans with a twist, a blend of ticas, British and Briticas, too confusing? Ok, keep reading, I will explain it all to you (at some point)...
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LET ME INTRODUCE MYSELF!
My name is Sylvia, I am from Costa Rica, my passion is traveling and everything that involves traveling makes me excited, from arranging my bag before a trip, to arriving to go to an unknown location.
I am the proud mom of a beautiful girl, Sofia, she is my life and joy, my partner in crime, she gives me courage when I am down and I push her to be the best version of herself she can be, sometimes more than she would like to. We are so much alike and working together is a constant challenge, but also an amazing reward when we see our clients enjoying what we put together for them (after a few disagreements, ha, ha). The beauty of all of this is that you get both the experience and a fresh point of view from both of us.
My background
I ran my own travel agency business here in Costa Rica for over fifteen years, during which time I got to know my beautiful country from A to Z. It is this experience which allows me to design all kinds of customized trips within this tropical paradise.
I also founded a Destination Wedding Planner Company, as an answer to our client’s demands, it was an instant hit, hundreds of sunsets and cute couples dressed in in white, a very demanding job, but also, very gratifying.
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A few years ago, it was my love for travel which prompted me to make a radical change... We sold the business, and exchanged stability for adventure, and I am talking in plural because my beloved family had no other option than to follow my crazy plans.
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So, next step was convincing my hubby Gary ( which wasn't very hard by the way ) and after selling/giving away all our belongs, renting our house out, organizing and throwing away the rest of the many material possessions we accumulated over the years and sending our daughter to study in a very far away country, we were free to travel !
Over the past 3 years, we have visited more than 25 countries together and each place and each person we met has left a mark on our souls.
But our hearts know better and they always bring us back to our roots, which is why we created www.monkeyadventurescostarica.com
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I put all my heart into every trip I plan, so much so, that in the end I want to travel with all my clients!, (seriously!), I am a Rottweiler when it comes to getting discounts, and I am a planning freak, which means not leaving any loose ends... I want my customers to have a fulfilling experience in the same way I would when I travel.
Traveling has pushed me outside my comfort zone and my goal as your travel planner is to allow you to experience Costa Rica as a local, take the trip, get in the boat, explore the forest, take the photo, eat the food, travel the unpaved road (literally), swim, fly, jump, hike, I take pride in showing you all the secret beauties of my beautiful Costa Rica.
One of my secret pleasures is eating street food and I dare to try anything and everything, life is short, as they say.
One thing I should stop doing when I travel is buying the local traditional clothing from some of the countries I visit, it seems like a great idea at the time, but not so much after, long story short, I am the proud owner of 3 fisherman pants from Thailand, 2 men’s turbans from Jordan, 1 over the top and colorful dress from south Africa, 1 knitted purple blouse from Rumania, 1 old lady’s Italian dress ( as described by my daughter) and way too many hats !!
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Jaqueline (Jacqui)
Customer service
Hello, my name is Jacqueline, (Jacqui), I am Costa Rican , since I was young I had the feeling that I needed to travel, have the experience of living in another country, travel and meet people of different nationalities, cultures, try different food, etc., so after finishing high school, I left university and went to live in Los Angeles for a year to continue studying English there.
When I returned to Costa Rica to continue my studies, I met my husband in the British Institute and decided to move to England for 5 years, being there gave us the opportunity to travel a lot to incredible places such Tunisia and South Africa where we experienced an amazing Safari trip. We also visited beautiful places in Europe and those experiences made me realize how much I enjoyed traveling and that I would love to get involved in helping other people visit my country.
After returning to Costa Rica in 1992 and having the experience of living on one of the most beautiful beaches there (Flamingo beach), as my husband had the opportunity to work there as a realtor, I got involved in working in a Travel Agency and managed to travel around the area advising tourists about the different tours they could take. We have a lovely daughter called Melissa, my father says she is the best of me, she likes to help everyone, she also likes to travel, she is studying for a master’s degree and working.
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Now when I met my beloved friend Silvia whom I have known since our daughters where in kindergarten together, and who has a lot of experience having been the owner of a travel agency for many years specializing in wedding vacations, we decided to join all our enthusiasm together to make this dream come true to provide the best service to our clients. We want to provide an experience that they will never forget and that they will want to repeat. We will assure you that you will recommend us to all your family and friends, and we will be more than happy to assist them with the same enthusiasm and friendly attitude that differentiates us from other agencies. We want you to feel you can call us at any time and ask for advice where to go or what to do according to your needs, so give us the opportunity to make your trip an unforgettable one, call us now!
Sofia
Our international connection
Hello! My name is Sofia, I was born in sunny Costa Rica and grew up waterfall chasing and palm tree climbing (not recommended) , when I was 18 I moved to Europe to experience new things and get to know more cultures, I currently study International Business in Rotterdam.
I get super excited when people tell me they want to go to Costa Rica, I can talk for hours about my little country, my specialty is off the beaten path adventures and secret spots!
I can’t wait to sit down with you and plan your perfect Costarrican adventure!
The beauty of having Sofi at the other side is that she speaks German, Dutch and a little French , besides English and Spanish.
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Melissa
Product
Hi everybody! My name is Meli, daughter of Jacqueline. I come from the most beautiful country in the world! I am 23 years old and I`ve lived in Costa Rica my entire life. Although I like to travel and discover new places, I always compare them to my country, and I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else!
If you have the opportunity to visit Costa Rica, please do not hesitate nor think twice, I can assure you that you won`t regret a second spent in this paradise. If you are a fan of nature you`d be interested to know that Costa Rica contains 5% of the world’s biodiversity, so just picture yourself exploring rainforests, waterfalls, oceans and hiking trails full of flora and fauna. Did you also know that many of our volcanoes are active? We have 5 active volcanoes! All of them with spectacular views and history. I invite you to look through our page and see everything we have to offer! Come and visit this central American jewel and find out for yourselves why Costa Rica is categorized as one of the happiest countries in the world.
Gary
Administrative
He loves people and showing the country that adopted him.
After the cultural shock he not only understand how the Ticos think, but he gets the jokes, he speaks the slang, he drives like one of us and he knows all the back roads.
Having Gary joining this adventure is great because he takes care of the administration side of things and keep us in order.
TIM
The real estate agent
If you have visited Costa Rica, fall in love with it and now you want to move here, then, first thing you need is a house…. No matter the size, location, rented or bought, Tim Baker is the perfect local agent to find your dreamed property.
Tim is from England, with more than 28 years living the dream in paradise… Tim’s profile and more about real estate.
Of the 28 years I have lived in Costa Rica, almost 15 have been spent selling and / or developing beach properties on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and Nicaragua. The Costa Rican coastline is as long as it is varied, and each beach community has its own characteristics and personality. Some people like the lighter coloured sand and drier climate of Guanacaste whereas others prefer to be in a more jungle like, greener year-round environment such as the Central or Southern Pacific beach areas. The budget that you have for your dream home or condo may often dictate where you choose to invest since certain beach areas are pricier than others. As is the case anywhere in the world, as a newcomer, it is important to have an experienced, bilingual professional on your side to guide you through the whole purchase process so you can achieve your goal of making your home in paradise whilst making sure all the necessary due diligence is done correctly and therefore your investment is protected. I have many clients I have represented here who can provide references if necessary.