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Grettel Calderon
An Interview with Grettel Calderon Central America Program Director
What did you do before?
I studied to be an executive bilingual secretary but immediately was hired as a tour operations manager at a leading Costa Rica tour company where I remained for 10 years. During my employment there I started in the Walk-In department assisting customers who would walk into the office to book tours for one day trips. I moved through the company to become the top sales agent developing trips for the most important accounts including Wildland Adventures, Abercrombie and Kent, and all Virtuoso Agencies for which I became the in-house expert in designing custom trips for the most discriminating travelers. Then, in 2005-2006 I moved to Seattle, Washington where I worked for Wildland Adventures as their Central America Program Director. This was a great experience for me to work directly with American travelers and travel agents combining my knowledge of my country, our growing ecotourism infrastructure, and my experience in how tourism works on the ground here. Now, I have moved back to my native country where I have opened the Wildland Adventures Central America field office. Costa Rica is Wildland Adventures' number one destination in worldwide sales.
What is your specialty, what it is you know best and are most passionate about?
I am a specialist in Central America, but especially my home country of Costa Rica, and particularly planning trips of a lifetime for families and active romantic adventures for couples. I thoroughly enjoy and am very adept at putting together tailor made itineraries that exceed the expectations of every traveler, especially in mixed multi-generational family groups with extreme age combinations and varied interests. Wildland travelers comment to me about how much attention to detail I give them, both in terms of listening and understanding their needs and knowing details about the places and services I recommend to fit their vacation.
How often do you get out to travel and inspect the places you are recommending?
I don't remember exactly all of the trips I've taken because there are many one-day and short weekend trips I take. You can fly to either coast in 30 minutes and be back the next day and I normally do that on long weekends, which are twice a month. I use my flex days at Wildland to make frequent inspection trips. During the trips I inspect all the preferred ecolodges and hotels in the area and their environmental practices, for example solar power, waste management, native landscaping and reforestation, employment and training of local people to support the community, recycling programs, food sources (ie. locally grown, organic, etc), and how they help the local community like building bridges, roads, sidewalks, school classrooms, etc.
These trips also help me to find out where exactly the hotel is located (since it is impossible to know exact location by the confusing address system in my country), what the road conditions are like, and what recommended restaurants and attractions are close by. And, I try as many restaurants and attractions as possible to have a better criteria when recommending activities to our travelers! I meet the managers (and owners too) and I keep a record of how many rooms, floors, the category of the rooms, if there are rooms for guests with physical limitations, how pools are treated, if they offer room service, baby sitter services, how meals are served (family style, buffet, a la carte, etc), if they have child friendly options available. I like to know if they lend raincoats and rubber boots for rainforest walks.
These trips also give me the opportunity to meet very interesting local people living in the area where I can create opportunities for our guests to interact with them on a first name basis when possible. This often results in benefits for the locals as well as some of the most meaningful and memorable experiences for our travelers.
A lot of safety issues are taken into account when I do these trips as well. I get to test bike routes from point A to point B, hike lava flow trails open to tourists and inspect those areas designated by the government as volcanic danger zones for travelers to avoid, etc. I try the zip-line canopy tours and inspect the safety guidelines followed; whether they use helmets, gloves, how they control the crowd, if there is consistency on safety rules and protocols (the most important preventive measure), and if the safety system is redundant. These are all things I can share with clients, especially when families are taking their young children who want to go on zip lines, and I can provide confidence that we are making the safest recommendations for them.
I also travel with my nieces and nephews to understand travel with young children and teenagers here. It helps me understand their preferences according to their age. For example, teens want to take surfing lessons, zip-line canopy tours, ATV tours, spa treatments, even yoga classes, etc. Younger children are easier to please as long as traveling and hiking is easy and not too long, they visit places where wildlife is more easily spotted, and we even take them on a night walk with headlamps to look for nocturnal creatures. This way they are usually happy travelers!
Recently, in Costa Rica I've traveled to the Arenal volcano region. See my reviews for La Paloma Lodge in the Osa Peninsula, and for El Silencio Lodge and Spa in highland cloud forests. I'm always visiting the beach areas on the Pacific (Manuel Antonio, Tamarindo, and Punta Islita) as well as up and down the Caribbean coast. In the past two years I've also traveled to Belize and Nicaragua.
What are the highlights that a traveler to this destination absolutely shouldn't miss?
As a premier ecotourism destination, I generally recommend that clients shouldn't miss the opportunity to visit at least a few different ecosytems (rain forest and cloud forest) with different wildlife habitats, to see Mayan ruins, to snorkel or dive over coral reefs in Belize and Panama, and to enjoy an opportunity to relax on the beach at the end of their trip. Otherwise, what to see and not to miss depends on the particular interests of the travelers and the time of the year they will travel. For example, in Costa Rica I highly recommend to visit Tortuguero National Park on the north Atlantic coast and/or the Osa Peninsula on the south Pacific coast for the wilderness found here and the fact that these are two of the best places in the country to see wildlife. Even though Costa Rica is not well-known for its beaches with blue turquoise waters like the ones found in Belize and Panama, there are very nice secluded (and not so secluded) beach areas that children and adults enjoy a lot. Combined with any of our numerous natural wilderness destinations, a boutique beach lodge is the perfect end for a Costa Rica family adventure or Belize honeymoon vacation. Also, for honeymoon or romantic experiences there are a number of incredible nature lodges in intimate natural settings.
What are your favorite lesser-known areas of this region?
In Belize the Toledo District in the south is still relatively unknown and our Undiscovered Belize Adventure highlights all the caves, ruins, rivers, rainforests, and coral reef environments of this area. In Costa Rica the south Atlantic Caribbean coast is not well known. There are great national parks, wildlife refuges and beaches but the area lacks infrastructure. In Panama, our Darien Explorer Trek penetrates a region that remains a true rainforest wilderness where jaguars roam freely and many endemic birds fly.
Has Costa Rica become overdeveloped?
Over the last two decades, Costa Rica has faced rapid tourism growth and development. I hear from many prospective travelers that they are afraid Costa Rica has become overdeveloped and too "touristy." I tell them yes, certain areas of the country are over developed, mainly large beach resorts. However, I inform our travelers that even though my country is only the size of the state of West Virginia, there are many small private nature reserves and lodges as well as new community development projects that are not well-known and present ever more opportunities to experience nature, wildlife and the "true" Costa Rica. Some of these old and new discoveries include places like Dona Mireya's hot spring and family stop near Arenal Volcano, Harmony Hotel in Nosara Beach for budget-oriented families, or Flor Blanca for families and couples looking for more amenities, and a number of other specific regions and properties to fit specific budgets, styles and interests of our travelers.
What are the challenges and concerns about travel in Costa Rica in particular?
One of the greatest challenges from the standpoint of travelers is the fact that availability has become much more restricted in the premier, small properties we prefer. As a result, we encourage travelers to book early, at least a year in advance during the Dec-Jan holiday for the premier properties. Although there are new hotel/lodge/condo developments that impact wildlife habitat and alter the character of some natural regions, it is still easy to avoid these uncharacteristic developments. Sometimes travelers express concern about the natural potential for earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. While these natural phenomena are active possibilities in Costa Rica and have had impacts on people and property in recent decades, travelers are rarely affected. The government has taken greater precautions over the years to reduce risks from volcanic eruptions by establishing recommended red zones to avoid while visiting.
Which local hotels do you use, and why?
We use a lot of small boutique properties that deliver personalized service and the ultimate beach, wilderness, or city lodging experience that is most characteristic of the landscape and culture. I decide which hotels to recommend to each traveler after I talk to them and listen to their particular needs and style. Families with young children and teenagers prefer to stay at hotels with a swimming pool, couples prefer remote and intimate style accommodations, and some people want to avoid lodges with rugged trails or stairs to get around. All of the hotels, ecolodges and small resorts are distinctive in their own way and offer a lot of local flavor such as a few of my favorites in Costa Rica listed below:
San Jose and vicinity:
Hotel Grano de Oro reflects Victorian Colonial architecture, provides the warm 'at home' feeling upon arrival and offers an outstanding tropical breakfast.
Xandari Plantation for guests who have a bit of time to stay outside of San Jose to appreciate the beauty and peace of nature on in the Central Valley, also spa services are available.
Beach Properties:
Capitan Suizo located on the North Pacific Tamarindo beach it is designed for open-air ambiance with a natural pool in front of the sea and it has direct access to a safe swimming beach.
Flor Blanca is an upscale and intimate beach retreat great for couples looking for romance
Punta Islita for families where kids can be free to venture out on the extensive hotel grounds and take surfing lessons
Wildlife Ecolodges:
Tortuga Lodge in the Amazon-like flooded rainforests of the Caribbean coast is one of the best places to see wildlife in Costa Rica.
Lapa Rios is an award-winning ecolodge in a private nature reserve with abundant wildlife observed from your porch including many activities, gourmet dining, and benefits to the community.
La Paloma Lodge is our best recommendation for families in the Osa Peninusla with plenty of activities including night walks with The Bug Lady. See my hotel review.
What percentage of clients do you set up with guides you haven't met in person?
I normally know all of the guides because I usually participate in annual guide training meetings that sometimes take 2 full days. Working in Central America for so many years has given me the chance to not only meet incredible guides but to share with them, be in the field with them, and to sit for hours to discuss dozens and dozens of itinerary ideas for different types of travelers. Learning about their different personalities helps me to decide who would be a good match for any particular family or client. There are some guides that I request for families with young children and others I request for families traveling with teenagers, for example. Needless to say if there are travelers with particular interests like birding, orchids, amphibians, bugs, etc., I know who to call for each party. Being in-country I often meet up with our guides at parties or other social occasions. I frequently encounter guides in the field and have an opportunity to watch them in action.
What advantages do you give clients that they wouldn't get by booking on their own?
As a native "Tica" I am intimately familiar with my country in particular, its culture and especially our tourism infrastructure. I am in a particularly advantageous position to use my first-hand knowledge of North American culture and extensive experience in customer sales to American travelers that helps me match their interests and style with what my country has to offer.
I'm based here in the region, so if a customer has a problem, I can give them immediate help, no matter what the problem is.
I block space and manage it to offer our guests essential elements of a trip they would not get otherwise.
I have over 15 years of experience and it helps to put together an itinerary with the best logistics to ensure they use their precious vacation time in the best possible way, especially to avoid extra overnights in the city between trip segments. For example there are customers who want to cover certain areas but a particular hotel is not available for the dates requested. This requires starting the reservations process over with new logistics (switching around itineraries and interconnecting flights), or alternative arrangements are offered that they wouldnt think of because they are not familiar with all the options.
I keep good business relations with hotel managers/owners including their reservations agents, etc. Maintaining this type of relationship helps create goodwill for them to walk the extra mile when our travelers have special needs, or when I want to plan something they normally dont do for regular customers who book directly, etc. For example, Lapa Rios offers private dinners by the pool for their guests, but I know that if I call Arnay or Jorge or Hans and ask them to help me arrange a more romantic and private dinner for two at the beach with a personal waiter, torches, and even a couple of musicians, they'll do anything possible to make it happen. I can ask Esteban at Flor Blanca to light 15 candles around the room of a honeymoon couple, throw rose petals all around the bed, and have a bottle of champagne ready with soft music on ready for when they return to their room from dinner.
This is also very important when I need to ask for a particular room feature or location depending special needs of our guests.
I'm always updated with information on new properties, services, etc. and I have easy access to inspect any new hotel/tour/attractions, etc. I can tell our guests whether a place is recommended for them based on my own personal experience.
I can help our customers find the best value by recommending properties that are offering special deals, etc.
What sets you apart from other travel consultants who claim the same area of expertise?
I'm committed to not be an order taker. I'm a very good listener and also ask a lot of questions. I try to understand what our travelers want to get out of their vacation time: A rest? A chance to be more physically active than at home? An opportunity to learn about Costa Rican culture, ecology and natural history? A chance to see as much wildlife as possible and learn about the tropical rainforest? A desire to spend some R&R at the end of the trip at the beach? Would you rather dedicate the entire trip to wildlife? Would you rather dedicate most of the trip to the beach or some combination? Knowing this helps me identify your particular needs and offer you the best alternatives.
I sell what I believe in and respect, not just anything that's offered on the market.
As a Costa Rican living in my country working as a field expert for Wildland Adventures, I represent the interests of the traveler and not the special interests of any Costa Rican tour company, hotel, or service provider. Customers contact me through the toll free telephone of Wildland Adventures or via email as if I was located in the US.
I make sure customers are the right match with other participants in a group, especially families with kids of the same age.
Under what circumstances do you recommend to clients that they buy travel insurance?
I always recommend the clients protect their trip investment and their personal well-being by purchasing travel insurance, no exceptions. We have an extensive process of offering insurance throughout the booking process both in the mail and from our company website.
For further information see:
View all trips in Costa Rica
View all trips in Panama
View all trips in Belize
Grettel Calderon's Biography
