IVI Destination Management is in the “people business,” and Sonia Vargas is uniquely qualified for this special industry because she has a master’s degree in psychology. In addition to her people skills, she has an outgoing personality, and a great deal of professional experience in the hospitality industry in several countries.

Born in San Jose, Costa Rica, Ms. Vargas graduated from Costa Rica University with a masters degree in psychology. She began her career by practicing this specialty with juvenile delinquents for a Costa Rican social agency, and then moved to the United States to work with restaurants and hotels in the Los Angeles area.

Sonia then moved to Cancun to immerse herself in the hospitality industry. She worked with the Visa Viajes Inolvidables travel agency, the InterMar Caribe travel agency, BrazilianTravel Agency and Olympus Tours in a series of increasingly responsible sales and management positions.

Ms. Vargas joined IVI Costa Rica in 2005 as the business and planning manager, and now oversees these efforts for both Costa Rica and Panama.

In her leisure time, Sonia enjoys gardening, playing tennis and soccer, reading psychology-based books on the “human phenomenon,” and is a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.

Personal Favorites

Local Attraction – Almost any adventure sports activity. Costa Rica has a very large number of choices to get out and experience the country’s beautiful scenery, but my favorite is a canopy tour. Sliding along zip lines high above a rainforest can produce a real adrenaline rush.

Recreational Activity – Tennis. I love this game. If you don’t have a tennis partner, give me a call. I’ll be glad to arrange a match for us, and we’ll have a lot of fun.

Restaurant – Mar y Sol, which means sea and sun. It’s a great French restaurant on a hillside with marvelous views of Flamingo Beach and the Pacific Ocean. It has a wonderful torch-lit terrace, and Chef Jean-Luc cooks like an angel!

Local Tour – Actually I prefer combination tours. There are lots of these, letting you experience different adventures on a single tour. During my favorite, the Hacienda Combo, you can do a canopy tour, go horseback riding, visit waterfalls and water slides, and relaxing in the thermal waters of a hot springs spa.

Local Event – Copa de Café, a big tennis tournament held in January at the Costa Rica Country Club. It attracts youngsters and amateur players from all over the world, and it has launched the careers of several of today’s top tennis stars.