CorporateTravel Info

Your Ultimate Guide to Corporate Retreat Planning in Costa Rica

  • June 14, 2024
  • Christien

Your Ultimate Guide to Corporate Retreat

When it comes to successful corporate retreat planning, the destination is your canvas that should lead the strategic planning process. It sets the stage for the mood, productivity levels, and, ultimately, the outcome of your investment! So, when selecting where to host your next corporate meeting or event, or if you’re hosting for the first time, it’s important to choose consciously. 

At Villa Punto de Vista Estate in Manuel Antonio, we welcome corporate groups of all sorts annually—no stuffy, windowless meeting rooms that stifle innovation in sight! Whether you’re hosting a solo business retreat or are looking for an annual gathering place for your remote company and its virtual team, solidifying a company retreat location should be your first step.

That’s why in this blog post, we’re going to share all the reasons why Villa Punto de Vista is the ideal spot for your team to build relationships, come up with new ideas, and gain a sense of deep camaraderie. While they can get into nature to spark those creative ideas, participants can indulge in luxury and focus solely on your company for the week.

The Best Destination in Costa Rica for a Luxury Company Retreat

Manuel Antonio, located on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, is best described as a quaint hillside and beachfront enclave. This charming town is well-known across the globe for its unparalleled exotic flora and fauna, infinite adventure tours, delectable restaurants, stunning beaches, as well as some of the friendliest people on Earth! When on business trips, all these features are important to ensure your team is entertained and connecting with one another. 

When you choose a tropical locale for your corporate meeting or event, you can expect unbridled results. Outside the traditional office setting, far away from the responsibilities of home, your team will be able to immerse themselves in a way they can’t when the meeting is hosted in your backyard. Plus, your team will form strong bonds through the incredible bucket list-worthy experiences they’ll have throughout your meeting or event.

Our team is our lifeblood at Villa Punto de Vista Estate, so we understand just how transformational a close-knit team can be for an organization!

So, how do you get here?

Travel Time: Nonstop Flights from the USA to Costa Rica

The best part about getting to our little oasis in Central America? It’s super simple to travel here from anywhere in the United States. Nonstop flights to San Jose’s Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) are readily available from anywhere. 

They’re often very affordable if booked in advance, too. 

Here’s a snippet of what you can expect for travel time, depending on which region you’re traveling from (spoiler alert: they’re all less time than a business day!):

New York (JFK) or Newark (EWR) to San Jose (SJO): 5.5 Hours

Los Angeles (LAX) to San Jose (SJO): 5.5 Hours

Chicago (ORD) to San Jose (SJO): 5.25 Hours

Atlanta (ATL) to San Jose (SJO): 4 Hours

Miami (MIA) to San Jose (SJO): 2.5 Hours

Dallas (DFW) to San Jose (SJO): 4 Hours

Once you get to San Jose, our team can help you arrange transportation for individuals to and from the airport efficiently and comfortably. The journey is about three hours by private, air-conditioned vehicle, or 20-minutes by flight to the local Quepos airport. Your choice which suits your group best! Once you decide, we can handle the logistics, so you don’t have to manage this tedious task.

When to Plan Your Meeting in Manuel Antonio

One of the huge positives of Manuel Antonio for a company retreat is the weather.  Any time of year will provide an idyllic backdrop for your corporate meeting in Costa Rica.

In Manuel Antonio, the temps during the day are typically between 80º and 85º F (26.5º to 29.5º C) year-round. At night, they fall to about 70º to 75º F (18º to 24º C) — the perfect climate for dining al fresco on the magnificent terrace or at an exquisite local restaurant. Perfection! There are a few “seasons” in our area, but it’s more about the rainfall than the climate.

High Season: November to May –– Little to No Rain, Sunshine All Day

Green Season: May to October – Afternoon Showers, Sunny Mornings, and Evenings

Even if rain is in the forecast, remember you’re visiting the rainforest, and rainfall in the rainforest is a magical thing! Plus, the pitter-patter of rain on the roof is very calming for innovation and brainstorming sessions at the villa.

Types of Business Events Flawlessly Hosted at Villa Punto de Vista Estate

Okay, now that logistics are out of the way, it’s time to get down to business objectives for your corporate retreat to move the business forward!

Of course, not all business events are created equal. Each comes with a unique goal and purpose. But regardless of what you’re looking to achieve, Villa Punto de Vista Estate can customize your experience to meet—and exceed—those expectations.

Here are a few of the types of events we love hosting—but keep in mind, the sky is the limit!

Corporate Retreats

A corporate retreat can come in many forms. It’s a way to welcome new employees to the family. Perhaps you think you need to spark a little creativity away from the hustle and bustle of your hub city. Whatever the reason you want to meet, Villa Punto de Vista Estate can host 5-star retreats for up to 30 team members, investors, and partners!

Incentive Trips

Is there any better way to say thank you than a trip to a serene, tropical locale? We think not! And our return clients would argue the same. Top performers need a break to continue to accomplish their goals and produce at the levels they do.

We can help them forget about the challenges for just a second by curating a relaxing, rejuvenating, and inspirational retreat to revitalize them for the next quarter! 

Plus, if you plan in the future it gives your top performers something to work toward.

Team Building Events

In the words of Mark Twain, “I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” And when teams leave Villa Punto de Vista, they always leave closer than when they arrived.

With a wealth of natural adventures, space to connect, and five-star service that allows your team to focus on their goals, relationships are built with a strong foundation at Villa Punto de Vista Estate. We help your team and, in turn, your business grow.

There are so many incredible team bonding opportunities both at the villa and in the surrounding area! Some of our favorite team-building activities are:

  • LIST OUT TEAM BUILDING IDEAS

Group Mastermind Retreats

Entrepreneurs and creatives understand that you must invest in your success to create abundance. With that, there has been a boom in group mastermind retreats here in Costa Rica over the past few years. Intimate groups with a coach and just a few individuals allow business gurus to learn, grow, create, and reach that next level. In addition, the peaceful locales around the estate provide inspiration and serenity simultaneously, which are ideal elements for masterminds!

Have an idea for a corporate event? We’d love to hear it

Features of Villa Punto de Vista Estate to Make Your Corporate Event Simple

When you host your event at Villa Punto de Vista Estate, every requirement is taken care of with personalized attention. Here are a few things to expect when you meet with us:

Pre-Arrival Concierge

Your pre-arrival concierge is essentially your event planner’s trusted partner. They will work hand in hand with your planner to ensure that every detail of your event or meeting is organized and executed to perfection. Logistics is their passion! They can help you source anything you need locally, from daily food service to additional audio-visual equipment to transportation. There is nothing they can’t handle.

On-Site Estate Concierge & Private Staff

Once you arrive on-site, you’ll be cared for by your on-site concierge, who is the manager of the estate. They lead a private staff who will cater to your group’s every need for the duration of your retreat! You will enjoy daily housekeeping, plus maintenance and 24-hour security to keep your lush oasis and home away from home beautiful and safe.

Functional & Versatile Event-Ready Space

While we can sleep up to 30 at the villa, we can host many more for events. So if your team has multiple departments attending, partners and investors attending, etc. Some of the group can stay on-site at the villa, while we can help arrange accommodation at local hotels or other villas for the remainder of the group. This just adds a little more flexibility in terms of logistics for your corporate event in Manuel Antonio!

But it also doesn’t end at the villa. Beach Olympics, anyone? The villa sits just moments away from secluded, private white sand beaches with plenty of room for your team to relax or engage in a little bit of friendly competition!

The Rooftop Deck | Seated Capacity: 100

Punto de Vista’s fifth and highest floor is dedicated to an expansive rooftop deck – our guests’ preferred ceremony location. Hovering above the rainforest canopy, the rooftop deck opens onto sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean and the jungle below.

The Event Terrace | Seated Capacity: 50

Our dining terrace sits one level below the rooftop deck, treating you to even more ocean panoramas, sunset vistas, and rainforest canopy views. The spacious and tropically appointed terrace features teak wood beams, columns, natural rock, and other locally harvested fine materials.

The Ballroom | Seated Capacity: 100

Many destination weddings advertise venue spaces. Only our private beach villa has the proximity to the ocean and breathtaking panoramic jungle canopy and ocean views, truly offering anything but the standard hotel venue experience!

The Pool Deck | Seated Capacity: 25 

The pool deck is ideal for intimate events and smaller groups, seating up to 25 guests. The ambiance is one of casual elegance – an inviting space where you can gaze into the rain forest or out to sea, always enjoying the rhythm of the waves crashing on the beach below.

Plus, Social Areas Galore!

Want to see the rest of the social areas where your team will enjoy downtime together, from the living room to the game room? Check out the entire villa! There are plenty of spots for breakouts, private meetings, fun evening events, quiet brainstorms, and more.

All these spaces are surrounded by lush jungle meets sea views that take your team out of the stressors of daily life and into nature where creativity thrives. We guarantee no one will want to leave early!

Strong Wi-Fi Connection

We know it’s not all play during your visit to Villa Punto de Vista Estate. To ensure your meeting and event goes flawlessly, we ensure Wi-Fi connectivity for your entire team. Connectivity is key to productivity; this we understand!

Built-In Audio-Visual Equipment

While your team may spend the corporate retreat time in the jungle or on the beach, part of their time with us will be spent in meetings! Unlike a local hotel where you may not have state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment, or it may be an expensive add-on if they do have it, the equipment is included in your rates at Villa Punto de Vista.
Depending on the structure of your meeting, we have spaces throughout the villas for breakout rooms, plenary sessions, and team bonding. When you’re meeting, we have:

  • Built-in high-definition projectors in three separate spaces
  • Mobile projectors for smaller meetings
  • 120″ projector screens
  • Built-in control for audio/ sound integration
  • Easels with both flip charts and whiteboards with markers
  • Notepads and pens
  • HDMI/ VGA cords where required
  • Handheld microphone for larger sessions
  • 65″ and 75″ smart televisions with screencast capabilities in air-conditioned breakout spaces
  • Laser pointers

And, if there’s something additional you need, of course, we can always assist you in acquiring it.

Handicap Accessible

We want everyone to be able to participate in your company’s meeting. Our estate villas are accessible for all with elevators and features to make everyone comfortable and at home.

All-Inclusive Service Options

At Villa Punto de Vista Estate, we can provide as much or as little service as you’d like in terms of meals. By default, our chef whips up an incredible continental breakfast spread for every guest with your stay. However, if you’d like to make your stay all-inclusive, we can make that happen with a chef on-site for all meals and snacks. But, of course, it depends on your budget, event goals, and vision! 

We can create a service package that serves you exactly how you envision!

Private Villa vs. Hotel for Your Company Retreat: The Exclusive Difference

When it comes to selecting the venue for your corporate retreat in Manuel Antonio, you may be wondering about your options. Why would you choose a private villa over a hotel for your meeting? There are a few reasons that come to mind right off the bat:

Ultimate Privacy

Business is personal. You often don’t want to be discussing private topics in a large conference space where you don’t know who is in the building with you. At Villa Punto de Vista Estate, you will have ultimate privacy so you can speak and create freely. 

The monkeys may eavesdrop, but they won’t tell anyone your business secrets, don’t worry!

Attentive & Exclusive Service

While a hotel convention services manager may have multiple groups on-site at once, your team will have exclusive use of Villa Punto de Vista Estate every time. We are at the estate 24/7 to serve your group and your group only. This allows us to provide a level of 5-star service far beyond anything you’d receive at a hotel or resort property.

Flexibility

Hotels serve hundreds of guests at one time, which makes it difficult for them to cater to last-minute requests at times. However, when it’s only your group on-site, we can be flexible with things like mealtimes, set-up times, excursion availability, how many meals you have a day, and more. There are no set packages you must choose from. Our goal is to create an agenda that suits your every need but can also go with the flow at times!

And that’s just a few of the reasons!

Activities to Add to Your Corporate Event Agenda in Manuel Antonio

No corporate retreat in Costa Rica is complete without fun activities that will share the destination’s true Pura Vida lifestyle and culture. Some teams will make activities mandatory for their retreat itinerary, whereas others give a choice between an activity and a little free time to mingle and explore.

Here are a few we love:

Cooking Classes at the Villa

Don’t worry—the chef won’t necessarily take the night off! 

Try a Chopped-style challenge, or let the team follow a recipe and see who creates the most delicious Costa Rican dish. It’s a perfect way to inspire teamwork!

Canyoning & Canopy Tours 

Teams that are brave, bold, and courageous always win. And adventuring in the Costa Rican jungle is a perfect way to embolden those characteristics among your staff! Repelling down a cavernous mountainside with chilled waterfall spray spritzing your face or flying through the treetops high above can be the ultimate rush and inspiration. 

A lot of innovative ideas are born on the way down!

Spice Farm Tour

Unique to the Manuel Antonio area, we have a local working farm that produces many of the spices used in our local cuisine, as well as cuisine across the globe. The best part about this, though, is you’re giving back to the local economy by supporting the farmers who make their livelihood off this land. It’s an exceptional experience for all involved! 

Now, we could keep this list going for days! You could also consider a hike through Manuel Antonio National Park to meet the local critters (this makes a fun scavenger hunt, too), go horseback riding, take a tour of the local Isla Tortuga, go white water rafting, and more. 

One of the many wondrous things about the locale of Manuel Antonio is the sheer number of adventures available to you on any given day! 

How to Manage Excursions for Your Company Retreat

Some groups will choose to do an excursion for the entire team for team bonding versus team building exercises on-site at the villa. Whereas others decide to break off into small groups or departments for more intimate team-building opportunities.

We can work with your event planner to determine which excursions and activities will fit to help achieve your meeting goals. We can also organize group activities that foster collaboration right at the villa—it’s all up to you!

Beyond team-building exercises and excursions, you don’t want to forget fun social events for the team to spend time together. It’s not a business retreat without a little fun, we like to say!

You could plan off-site evening events and dinners at one of the many incredible local restaurants in Manuel Antonio and Quepos. An awards dinner overlooking the sunset, perhaps? We can help you choose the best spots or organize it on the rooftop terrace at the villa, too!

Adding a Charitable Component to Your Manuel Antonio Corporate Event

Many teams who visit us in Manuel Antonio inquire about ways they can give back during their corporate retreat in Costa Rica. Aside from supporting the local tour operators, restaurateurs, and artisans (maybe give your team a parting gift made locally!), we have a unique partnership we can share to add to your schedule. 

Our Pack for a Purpose program allows guests to contribute directly to local rural families in youth education, conservation education, and general support for impoverished communities. 

We can discuss how your team can get involved in a team-building activity on-site. Giving back is a great way to build camaraderie, show gratitude, and make a difference together!

Villa Punto de Vista Estate Awaits Your Arrival, Book Your Company Retreat in Manuel Antonio Today

While we covered all the most important things, but there is still so much to discover when hosting your corporate event at Villa Punto de Vista Estate. 

Whether you’re planning an incentive trip for your top performers, a team-building retreat for your startup company, or hosting investors and board members for an annual meeting, Villa Punto de Vista Estate is ready to welcome you. 

The ultimate goal of our exclusive private retreat program is to provide a carefully curated, personalized business event experience unlike any other. 

Our team will welcome yours, providing all the resources and amenities you need for a productive meeting filled with creativity, camaraderie, and once-in-a-lifetime Pura Vida experiences to solidify loyalty, boost morale, and rejuvenate your team’s valuable energy. 

Check availability and submit your inquiry now! We are excited to bring your company to Costa Rica for your next in-person retreat and, most importantly, make the planning process simple for you.

We may be a little biased, but we think our villa is the perfect place for your group to gather for a company retreat and get to know their colleagues with focused time spent together!

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