Tierra Pacifica is not just another green retirement development near the beach. Many of our residents work remotely, run a local business, or get involved in local organizations to keep busy. Two such residents, Doug & Sheri Monge, just celebrated the first anniversary of their tourism business, Tierra Pacifica Vacations. Based out of the Plaza Tierra Pacifica condominiums, Doug & Sheri provide personalized, all-inclusive vacation packages, transport service, and guided tours to the best restaurants and attractions in the area.

We spoke with Doug about why they made the move to Costa Rica to start up a business; here is his perspective on living and working in Tierra Pacifica.


When and why did you decide to relocate to Costa Rica and open a business here?

Many factors have come into the making of this idea. Our children were grown, we had just finished 20 years of law enforcement and we were ready to move on to the next phase of our lives.  We had visited many times and thought it would be great to open up a vacation business in Costa Rica; I was actually born here. So we looked all over Costa Rica and settled in Playa Junquillal, Guanacaste.  We chose Playa Junquillal, because it is a small beach community that still has the Costa Rican feel without the tourist trap feel.   We just love it here.


Roughly how many travelers have you worked with since you started?

We have worked with several hundreds of people.(350-450 range) Some have done the All-inclusive vacations which includes condo, tours, 3 meals a day, driving and translation; some just rented the condo; others we drove on tours or picked up from the airport.  We have also helped many travelers that have come through the Welcome Center this year. 


What has been the best part about running a business here?

The People. It is nice to get to know who they are, and what they have accomplished or want to accomplish in their lives. Most everyone we have worked with is wonderful.  This would include tourists and the locals (foreign and domestic). It is fun to see the excitement on their faces when they see a monkey or iguana for the first time or when they overcome a fear of heights and push off onto a zip-line.


What is your favorite anecdote from your first year running the business? 

Too many to narrow down to one….. the first time a monkey jumps on a client…..when you wash your hands in the river, check for crocodiles first……four wheel drive is needed here – its not for show, same goes for mountain bikes…..wow coffee takes a lot of work to grow, but easy to drink…..toads are huge, frogs are colorful and sometimes poisonous …..howler monkeys are small but very loud, and they wake up at sunrise…..fish in a tide pool could be someone’s lunch/dinner……pipas frias are good for dehydration….SUNSCREEN…..iguanas bite your finger when you feed them by hand…..turtles are huge and tiny, depending on age……crocodiles like chicken on a stick….”this “IS” the good road”…..your meal today was swimming or walking yesterday…..yes, I know where I am going….
Looking forward to many more years of fun in the Costa Rican sun!

What is your favorite tour and why?

My favorite tour is the Guachipelin mega tour.  You get to zip-line through a canyon, ride horses to a waterfall, float in a tube down the river and end at the hot springs and mud bath.  Sheri has two favorites.  The first is the Palo Verde Boat tour, where you can see all kinds of wildlife from white faced monkeys to crocodiles. Her second is the sunset sailboat tour where you can sit back and sail to a little cove, snorkel and sail back as the sun is setting over the pacific ocean.

Pura Vida!  Looking forward to many more years of fun here in the area with our new extended family.