To watch Jane Moore bounding around the tennis courts at Peninsula Papagayo, or maybe enjoying lunch with her two kids at the Prieta Beach Club, you might think — how sweet —  tourists making the most of their vacation. But something’s a little off: the whole family is nicely tanned, not sunburned. They’re ordering in Spanish. And Jane seems to know the staff very, very well. She’s friendly with everyone, and if you listened in, you’d hear stories of an inner-circle nature.

“I’m an anomaly here,” Jane admits. “The majority of the condo and villa owners under contract with Papagayo Luxury live most of the year in North America and just come down for a week or two once or twice a year.” Papagayo Luxury, of course, is the company Jane started in 2012 to help other owners rent their properties to visitors on a short-term basis. With four villas and four condos currently under contract, this vacation rental firm has some choice options to offer discriminating visitors. Jane’s company has grown steadily. In this, her local status has been useful.

She commutes about once a month between the peninsula and her home in Costa Rica’s capital province of San Jose [Jane and family now live in Miami and she regularly commutes to Peninsula Papagayo]. As one of the original owners of a condo at Papagayo, Jane has seen the place blossom like a tropical flower. “The Peninsula was always special,” she said. “The developers designed it with conservancy in mind. Underground cables, protected areas, maintaining the wilderness corridor to keep wildlife moving through; they really have thought of everything. That’s what attracted us to buy here.”

Buying a lot and a condo at Peninsula Papagayo was an alternative to the boutique-hotel-on-the-beach plan she initially formulated when they moved to Costa Rica in 2004. Sound audacious? That’s Jane. The relocation to Costa Rica was rooted in the intention for long-term adventure. “I wanted my kids to grow up in a different culture, where they could learn another language,” she explained. “I’d always been attracted to Latin America. When I did the research, Costa Rica stood out for a lot of reasons: no military, good weather, friendly people, and a really beautiful country.” She laughed. “It was kind of a no-brainer.” So she and her husband packed up the car and headed south from L.A.

Making bold, risk-taking moves look easy seems to be in Jane’s nature. On the other hand, her base of reference is admittedly broad; she’s been traveling most of her life. “We started when I was in eighth grade when my family took a trip to Israel. We wanted something seriously different from Indiana and that worked.” Apparently, that trip to Israel did it. The travel bug bit her, but good.

She’s journeyed through over 33% of the earth’s countries since then, everywhere from Iceland to Africa, Russia to China, Taiwan to Australia, Europe, the Caribbean, etc. And fancy tour bus travel was never Jane’s style. Her college major in Asian Studies from DePauw University explained the summer in Taiwan and the semester in China, where she studied Mandarin, but she’s taken some, uh, unusual trips since then.

Her work in ad sales for magazines and companies such as Turner Broadcasting and National Geographic must have made the travel itch twitch. She has tracked and collared lions in Kenya as part of a scientific study of a particular breed of mane-less predators. She took a self-guided photographic safari in Botswana and Namibia, and her love of hiking, rock climbing, scuba diving, and adventures of a decidedly outdoor nature brought Jane from one breathtaking location to the next. But the eventual urge to settle in Costa Rica finally gave her a place to sink roots. “I handed in my resignation to National Geographic and the rest is history.”

Jane’s status as an owner and a Costa Rica resident gives her an insider’s perspective when it comes to finding the right house or villa for each client. Papagayo Luxury is a family-oriented business, and many of her clients arrive with three generations. “The condos can easily accommodate a grandparent or two along with the family,” she said. With the variety of activities available, from a relaxing round of golf on the Arnold Palmer signature course to a wild ride on a zip line, or a day of deep serenity at the Four Seasons Spa, each generation has a dream vacation just beyond the front door. At a villa, with five or six bedrooms available, two or more families can vacation together. The convenience of on-site private chefs makes this a comfortably workable arrangement. No fuss, no muss. If a night out is preferred, there are, literally, a dozen top-tier restaurants at hand, right on the Peninsula.

As Jane’s clients are also her neighbors, even on a temporary basis, she is a discerning agent. “This is a structured community,” she said. “Our roads are monitored with speed limits and guards who stop speeders. There are little kids around and wild animals crossing the roads, too. The guards are watching out for anyone driving too fast.” One speeding guest received not only a warning from a uniformed Peninsula guard, but an environmentalist’s lesson on the vulnerability of native wildlife. “I was impressed,” Jane said with a grin. “I’m glad the guard was conscientious enough to educate the guy. Now he knows better.”

As a traveler, mother and entrepreneur, Jane juggles a load of responsibilities. Her job is made easier, however, by the work of concierge Gerardo Chavez, associate member of Papagayo Luxury. A network of Peninsula professionals are dedicated to making visitors’ stay as delightful and carefree as possible. Jane and Gerardo and the rest of these associates stand ready to serve. So, do yourself a favor: check our luxury villas and condos and book one now!