Connection in the Clouds 
Vera Zeledón, Pedro Belmar, Soledad Belmar, & Vera Belmar

Writer Ruby DaviesImages Michal Rzepecki

The Belmar family’s Monteverde hotel has united generations around a shared mission: to give as much back to the land and community as they have received from it.

In the heart of Monteverde's cloud forest, where 2.5% of the world's species find sanctuary, four family members have created something extraordinary. Hotel Belmar is a living testament to what happens when hospitality, sustainability, and art converge.

Founded in 1985 by Vera Zeledón and her then-husband, Pedro Belmar. Hotel Belmar was inspired by the alpine guesthouses of Austria. Importing this sensibility to Monteverde meant recreating that charm, blending the warmth of alpine chalets with tropical vibrancy. From the beginning, their vision centered on sustainability and community impact. Today, the hotel is run by the next generation: her children, Soledad, Vera, and Pedro Belmar.

We sat down with the family to talk about the founding vision of Hotel Belmar, how they work across generations, and the forest they call home.

When you look back at the early days of Hotel Belmar, which part of your original vision feels most important to protect today and why?

Vera Zeledón: The part I would most want to protect is our relationship with nature. It sustains us, gives meaning to what we do, and draws travelers aligned with this place.

How do you keep the idea of “hospitality with soul” alive as the project evolves?

VZ: By never losing sight of the human side of hospitality. It lives in how we welcome people, the care we put into details, and the respect we show for nature and our team. We listen, stay connected to the land and community, and lead by example. Hospitality with soul is not something you design once—it’s something you practice every day.

What has been the most rewarding part of building and evolving this project together as a family?

Pedro Belmar: The most rewarding part has been learning to grow together without losing our sense of care for one another. Building Hotel Belmar has required us to listen deeply, navigate differences, and understand each other across generations. We’re reminded that this project is not only about a hotel, but about shared responsibility—to the place, to the people who work with us, and to each other.

How do you make important decisions together while honoring different perspectives and generations?

Soledad Belmar: Decision-making at Hotel Belmar is rooted in dialogue and shared values. Working across generations means listening deeply and recognizing that each perspective brings something essential—experience, intuition, or imagination. We make decisions with a long-term view, honoring the legacy we inherited while remaining open to change. Every voice deserves to be heard.

How has your international experience changed the way you see Monteverde?

VB: Living abroad gave me perspective. When you step outside your place of origin, you see what is truly unique—not only its beauty, but its deeper meaning. Returning, I saw it through the eyes of guests seeking re-connection and authenticity.

What was the inspiration behind Finca Madre Tierra? What lessons has this project taught you?

VZ: Finca Madre Tierra was born from a desire to reconnect with the land and honor natural cycles. It has taught me patience, humility, and trust in natural processes. Real sustainability takes time, listening, and respect. When you work in harmony with nature, you cultivate awareness and responsibility.

Hotel Belmar is Monteverde’s first certified carbon-neutral hotel. Where do you go from here? How do you keep pushing the boundaries of sustainability?

Pedro Belmar: Becoming carbon neutral was an important milestone, but never the destination. The challenge now is moving from mitigation to regeneration—asking how the hotel can actively contribute to ecological health, food systems, education, and community resilience.

Through the development of our new villas, we are transforming our energy and water systems to significantly reduce our footprint, aiming for growth that approaches net negative impact relative to its scale. At the same time, we are launching a community development alliance, so a portion of our proceeds supports local projects, with the goal of building a wider, community-driven social and environmental program.

What does “holistic, nature-based well-being” mean to you?

VB: Wellbeing is not a checklist of treatments. It’s rooted in alignment and creating the right conditions for the body and nervous system to reset naturally. It’s connected to rest, sleep, movement, nourishment, and connection. At Savia, guests experience forest bathing, listening to the sounds of the forest, and breathing mountain air, complemented by gentle movement, breathwork, and nourishing food.

As the co-founder of Savia, what do you want guests to take away from this experience?

SB: Savia was created as an invitation to reconnect with nature, the body, and a slower rhythm of life. More than an activity, it is about presence and awareness. We hope guests leave feeling more connected to the forest and to themselves, carrying that sense of belonging beyond Monteverde.

What is your favorite spot on Hotel Belmar’s property and why?

SB: Outdoors, close to the forest. I am drawn to the quieter moments of the day, when the only sounds are nature itself. It is where I feel most at ease.

When you have a day off to spend together, where do you go and what do you like to do as a family?

PB: We usually stay close. We spend time in nature, share simple meals, and enjoy long conversations without a plan. We love music and art, so we often attend the shows we host at Hotel Belmar. Experiencing those moments together, alongside guests and the community, feels especially meaningful. Monteverde invites a slower rhythm, and being present with one another is what we value most.

How does your background in literature and art shape your approach to Belmar?

PB: My background in literature and art has given me a non-conventional way of looking at hospitality—less linear, more relational. Literature taught me to inhabit perspectives different from my own and to embrace complexity. Rather than aiming for a single simplified message, I’m interested in layered experiences where different worldviews and rhythms can coexist. The guest experience, like a good piece of literature, is not about imposing meaning. It’s about creating conditions for interpretation and dialogue.

Can you tell us about your artist residency?

PB: The residency was created to make space for artists, guests, staff, and the Monteverde community. The intention was to allow creation to become a shared and transformative experience. Hotels sit at the intersection of intimacy and anonymity, permanence and passage. That tension allows thought to move more freely. The residency is not about decoration. It is about dialogue—engaging deeply with the landscape and offering new ways of seeing it.

If there is one thing you’d like us to understand about the Belmar project, what would you like it to be?

VB: Hotel Belmar is not a finished idea. It is a living project shaped by nature, community, and time. Everything we do is guided by care—for the land, for the people who work with us, and for the experience we want to offer. It is less about perfection and more about intention, learning, and staying connected to the place we call home.