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Hello, I just came back from Las Cumbres in Escazu, which has built it’s niche business on providing ’round-the-clock’ nursing care for patients recovering from dental, general, and cosmetic surgery, all included in the room rental.
Though I respect the owner’s intent, the geniality of the staff, and the low prices, the accommodations were less than desired, or expected. Las Cumbres also includes three meals per day, which it advertises as delicious and healthy, yet they ignore the conventional meals expected by it’s largely American patrons: meat/hash browns/eggs and toast for breakfast, soup and sandwiches for lunch, and three courses for dinner.
When I complained, I was taken for a cultural bully, or worse, an anti-health nut (I objected to the trans-fat margarine, and they smugly proclaimed it healthier than real butter-how mid-century!).
I was especially annoyed that the front desk felt free to schedule treatments for me that were ‘strongly recommended’, but not included in the rental. Boy, was I surprised when the bill came…
Las Cumbres also doesn’t cater to the family members who accompany the patient. Often husbands (who are not having any procedures done) are left to get bored, and tanked, morning, noon, and night, and sometimes for weeks!
Which leads me to this question, can anyone here recommend a four-star hotel with 24-hour nursing staff, as well as an entertainment director (like Julie on the Love Boat)?
Please assume I do not mean a hospital or Betty Ford-type clinic. I heard there was such a topnotch resort in CR, that had real gourmet chefs, room service, and luxury suites, besides spa facilities, a gym, spacious grounds, and adventure tours, but I forgot the name.
Anyone?
I too stayed at a place called chetica and it was the same as you are describing. No nurses. food terrible, no care….although they say they are full care. There is a place (i read in the paper tico times) that will open soon I will post the info when I have it or try to research the tico time last weeks addition. take care, Alice
My wife and I have stayed at Los Cumbres several times and were happy with everything there but during our last stay someone found another place farther up the mountain that they visited and raved about.
You can check out their website at
http://www.plasticsurgerycostaricaaftercarefacility.comLet us know what you think if you do go there.
PS What we enjoyed about Los Cumbres was the family atmosphere that made the people staying there open up to their fellow patients about their procedures and problems so that new people could know better what to expect. The steady stream of new people to replace the ones leaving meant always having new stories at mealtime. The staff was friendly and attentive and the meals were certainly not Tico style dishes although they did follow the policy of lunch being the big meal of the day. In all of our visits, each lasting about 2 weeks I ate much more than I normally do but when I returned home I had not gained any weight which I attribute to the meals served.
Thank you so much for the link to Villa Les Mas. I would have stayed there, instead of Las Cumbres, and for several reasons. First, the website includes many pictures of the rooms/mini suites available, giving me a much better idea of what to expect, unlike Las Cumbres, which didn’t provide a picture of my particular room, probably because it wouldn’t hold up to a side by side comparison with VLM. Second, the meals are prepared by an actual chef, not a Tika cook (Las Cumbres used to have a goumet chef, but lost him to another retreat, I wonder if he went to VLM?). Third, The villas are separate, meaning you won’t have to listen to your neighbors carrying on through the walls and floors. Fourth, the prices are much less (I paid top dollar for my mini-suite with two (uncomfortable) twin beds, and which looked like a closet compared to the cavernous bedrooms (with two king size beds) at VLM. Fifth, VLM offers room service first, not as a grudgingly given favor, as Las Cumbres demonstrated.
teksmith, I’m glad you enjoyed the ‘family’ atmosphere at Las Cumbres, but honestly, I didn’t. There’s always one person in the bunch who’s going to ruin things for everybody, and I happened to run into 3 of them. They complained constantly, and made taking meals a lesson in forced decorum. And when you are one day out of eye sculpture surgery, the last thing you want is people staring at you trying to eat. And talking incessantly about bloody procedures is not my idea of polite mealtime conversations.
And, oh, did I mention I’m not white? The first day I spent there the other guests assumed I was one of the servants. Even the servants had a hard time adjusting.
I kept thinking, “You’re not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy!”.
Please don’t get me wrong. I FINALLY had a number of candid and informative conversations with guests staying there, but I would have given them all up for the PRIVACY of a palatial villa, english speaking nurses/staff, comfortable high end furniture, a fabulous mountain view, my own DVD television, a personal aide, and most importantly, a chef who will cook what you want, not just what he cares to make for you. And all this for $85/day!
I know where I’m staying next time. The owners of VLM are Americans, which is good for me. Americans take pride in excellent service, compared to Tiko service, which often comes with poor excuses. Thanks again for the recommendation, if you find anymore, I’d certainly apreciate another notice. Can it get any better?
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