Vida was born from both joy and frustration. Joy in sharing trusted homes and hosts with friends, and frustration at seeing travelers misled by faceless apps and corporations.
The frustration was specific. Rental homes here are sold as luxury but rarely built to last — beautiful houses in the jungle with nothing behind them, run at arm's length by management companies who have never met the neighbors. Nothing joined the dots between a place to sleep and the life happening around it.
So we built the other thing. We handle the whole of it, from before you arrive to after you leave: homes designed to a real sustainability standard, and a stay plugged into what is actually going on nearby — the events, the food, the healers and practitioners, the adventures, the culture. Not a home in the jungle. A way into the place.
The Vida Seal is our pledge: every property we stand behind honors Costa Rica first — its people, its land, its traditions, and beyond. It means each host is someone we know and trust, each home is cared for with love, and each stay contributes to the life of the community around it.
The name Vida means life. And our seal means we protect that life — with respect, with integrity, with heart. When you see the seal, you can arrive with reassurance, knowing you'll be welcomed as more than a guest.
“Our vision is to build a bridge between conscious travelers and the communities who call this land home.”
To be a catalyst for a way of living in deeper harmony with nature and with each other — and to do it with integrity, in cooperation with the people of this land.
We site our homes in and around thriving neighborhoods and eco-villages, so that access to that life is a walk down the road rather than a package you buy. Stay long enough and you don't visit a community, you're part of one.
To build spaces and craft experiences for people who want a real taste of alternative living, sustainable community and regenerative neighborhoods — and to support that movement rather than sell a version of it.
Transformation takes time. That is why our homes are made for longer stays: long enough to connect properly to community, wellness, nature and the wisdom already held here.
Whether you join a cooking class, shop at a farmers market, or spend the day with a local guide, your presence directly supports families and communities. Every dollar stays close to home. Every gesture of kindness strengthens the fabric of this local life.
At Vida, leaving places better is how we live. From hosts who tend gardens and restore land to homeowners who build with reclaimed wood and solar power, care runs through every choice. When you leave, you carry memories — and what remains is a community and environment enhanced by your stay.
Our vision is to build a bridge between conscious travelers and the communities who call this land home — siting our homes in and around thriving neighborhoods and eco-villages, so that access to another way of living is a walk down the road rather than a package you buy.
Our homes are designed for medium and longer stays, because a town only opens up to you slowly. Given time, you stop visiting and start participating — in the markets, the practices, the friendships. That is the difference between a holiday and belonging.
How we do anything is how we do everything. The Seal is a set of standards we hold both for the properties we work with and the guests we serve — a quality of experience that is comfortable and sustainable at the same time, pushing the edge in how we build and design while respecting what people actually need: health and wellness, family, fun, longer stays, positive impact on the community, and a real cultural experience.
Vida means life. The Seal means we protect that life — with respect, with integrity, with heart. When you see it, you can arrive knowing you'll be welcomed as more than a guest.
I’ve been producing events and retreats for the last eighteen years. Growing up in New York City I was organizing everything from 7,000-person gatherings to boutique events at top venues — but after some years in the fast-paced event industry I realized a shift was needed, and turned toward more conscious gatherings and a new way of living.
I started going on retreats, joining communities, and finally went to Burning Man. So inspired by that level of experience, I worked there for a year learning everything I could from the founders, then spent the next years visiting the top retreat centers around the world, meeting teachers, healers and practitioners whose wisdom had a profound impact on my life. I wanted nothing more than to share it.
That’s when VIDA, our retreat center, was born — and we chose Costa Rica to paint this canvas. VIDA hosted some of the most incredible teachers and retreat leaders in the world, and thousands of lives passed through our doors before we sold it to Selina Hotel Group, where I spent five years helping scale a dozen more across the region.
Since then I’ve advised more than forty projects across six countries, from one-acre sanctuaries to communities of over a thousand acres, and closed more than $50M in real estate. Regenesis-trained in regenerative development. Featured in the New York Times.
…through LIVE THE POSSIBILITY, we are building the bridge for people to live their next story…
I was born and raised in Costa Rica and have been passionate about hospitality and property management since I first listed my family ranch on Airbnb in 2011. We were the 7th Airbnb in Costa Rica at the time — now there are 25,000 properties here and counting.
As the movement grew I started collaborating with Airbnb in 2017 to expand their presence in Latin America and launch the brand new Airbnb Experiences. Property owners in my network saw the success I was having with my ranch and wanted my help getting into the short-term rental market. In response I started a side hustle called Travel Kings to manage properties across the region, while leading Supply Chain Management for Procter & Gamble in Latin America. Travel Kings grew to 60+ properties and was eventually acquired by Vacasa.
In the acquisition I joined Vacasa’s business development team and now lead growth for all current and emerging territories in Latin America — we’ve added over 700 properties in the last four years and now have 1,000+ across the region. My mission is to enable owners to provide best-in-class experiences to their guests, and maximize their revenue potential.
Property owners want to offer unforgettable experiences — and guests crave a more conscious, connected way of traveling. Vida Collection is where the future of hospitality is heading.
When there is a will, there is a way — especially if that will results in a life-changing experience…
VIDA Collection is operated by VIDA Hospitality SRL, our development advisory and hospitality firm. With a collective twenty-plus years in global real estate development and hospitality, we have consulted international hotel brands and regenerative community developers, built and operated retreat centers, produced unique events around the globe, and worked with top thought leaders in the personal growth and wellness space.
Our passion is working on projects that push the boundaries of social impact and alternative living — from creative hospitality and retreat centers to regenerative communities and start-ups that better the planet. As natural-born connectors, we link people to the resources, wisdom and communities that allow them to reach their potential and live a more meaningful life.
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