Hospitality experience in Turrialba, an authentic little city in Costa Rica

Details

• 

  Description

  It’s no surprise that travelers all over the world flock to Costa Rica - it’s one of the most amazing countries on the planet given its biodiversity. But because of its popularity, oftentimes parts of the country are oversaturated with tourists. This can make it difficult to have an authentic Costa Rican experience. If that is what you are in search for - an opportunity to live like and amongsts the ‘ticos’ then continue reading!
  
  Welcome to our Hotel. We are a boutique hotel, located in the heart of Turrialba, a small city, watched over by Volcano Turrialba. With only 10 rooms, our Hotel specializes in offering our guests an intimate and personalized experience. We take great pride in having guests rate us as one of the best places to stay in Turrialba, paying close personal attention to details and cleanliness.
  
  We are a team of 5 people who share a passion for meeting and connecting with people from different cultures and backgrounds. We’re always looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help at the front desk reception and be part of the team.
  
  We host a fair number of locals, making it essential to have intermediate Spanish speaking skills. However, the majority of our guests are tourists visiting Turrialba for its unmatched adventures. Turrialba has become famous for its world class whitewater on the Pacuare river. Additionally there are nature tours, horseback riding, hiking the volcano, repelling down waterfalls, chocolate tours, coffee tours, and more.
  
  Our Hotel is also a Tourist Information Center so it is essential to have a good understanding of the different activities in the area to provide information to guests and book tours for them.

• 

  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Gardening

  Help around the house

  Hospitality/Tourism

  General Maintenance
• 

  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  This volunteer project offers the opportunity to gain genuine experience in running a small hotel and learn hospitality skills that are applicable across the entire service industry. You will also have the chance to explore the area's endless natural beauty participating in the wide range of outdoor activities. Most of all, this is one of the remaining cities in the country that has not been taken over by tourism; this is an experience that is true to what living in Costa Rica is actually like.
  
  It can be difficult to practice Spanish in Costa Rica as the country has done a tremendous job adapting to the booming tourist industry resulting in many locals speaking English. In Turrialba, your Spanish skills will be put to the test.
  
  Thankfully, regardless of how confident you are with your Spanish speaking skills, Turrialba is the perfect environment to develop it further. The people are friendly and are excited to speak with you and there is plenty of opportunity to do so. Every Friday and Saturday there is a market where all the local farmers sell their produce and it truly is an experience worthy of its own description page. There is a wide variety of fruits and vegetables that likely you’ve never heard of or tried before and simply they all taste incredibly fresh and flavorful. Immerse yourself in the Turrialba culture and become a part of this wonderful community.
  
  Take your cultural immersion to the next step if you’d like and venture further into the Talamanca mountains to visit the indigenous villages of the Cabecar people, only two hours by bus from Turrialba.

• 

  Help

  The help:
  If you have prior experience running the reception at a hotel, then the time commitment is not as stringent as you will require a shorter training period. However, Spanish speaking skills are a must - especially the desire and willingness to continue learning the language while you are here. By no means must you be fluent but a positive attitude goes a long way. Of course it can be overwhelming to attend to guests while only communicating in Spanish and we expect mistakes to be made, again what we are looking for is someone who is willing to engage with our guests and do their best to accommodate their needs.
  
  - Age requirement for volunteers: 20+
  - Minimum commitment of 2 months (unless prior experience working at a hotel, in which case a shorter stay is possible)
  - English AND Spanish speaking is a must
  - Previous experience in customer service/reception desk is a big plus but not necessary.
  
  Having up to date knowledge on how to operate a laptop. The entirety of our system is run digitally so being able to learn the system quickly is essential to having a successful experience at this project. We communicate with clients through email and online travel agencies websites, being comfortable doing so is imperative.
  
  Aside from general computer literacy, what we are most looking for in a volunteer is someone who is motivated, proactive, personable, and understands fully the scope of this help which is to help facilitate a comfortable experience for our guests. We maintain a friendly and homey yet professional atmosphere here at so it's absolutely essential that you can bring that perfect balance during your time volunteering.
  
  If interested please add your current location, date of availability, intended length of stay and the reason why you think we will be a good match for each other.
  
  If you have a Whatsapp number please include that in your message.

• 

  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent
  Dutch: Fluent

• 

  Accommodation

  A private room with private bathroom if available. In high season you might share with other volunteers.
  You get to use all the communal areas, the fully equipped kitchen, the chill garden and the rooftop terrace.

• 

  What else ...

  It is very easy to reach Turrialba as there are hourly buses to and from San Jose and others coming in from the Caribbean coast via Limon and Siquirres.. From San Jose it’s around a 3 hour bus ride. You will have plenty of free time to explore a lesser known part of Costa Rica through adventures like whitewater rafting, hiking the volcano, and chasing waterfalls. Keep in mind this comes with a price tag! Or take to the streets and get to know the people who call this place home. The rooftop terrace and garden are also other great places to spend your time relaxing as well.

• 

  A little more information

  • 

    Internet access

  • 

    Limited internet access

  • 

    We have pets

  • 

    We are smokers

  • 

    Can host families

• 

  Can host digital nomads

  We have a fast WIFI connection throughout the whole house . So perfect if you would like to work online on other jobs/ projects.

• 

  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

• 

  Hours expected

  25 hours a week

Feedback (35)