Guide book reccomended Spanish Language School, Hostel & Guest house, Volunteer and Spanish Immerison Group trips-Montaña Linda, Orosi Valley Costa Rica

Montaña Linda & Otiac's
Spanish School & Hotel Accommodations Costa Rica
Volunteer and Group Spanish Immersion Programs Costa Rica
Orosi Valley, Costa Rica, Central America

Please click on the buttons above to jump to another section for more information. 10% Discount on 1 month of Accommodations or Spanish Classes for 1 month of volunteering! No experience needed! If your arrival date is within ONE WEEK please call the office directly at 506 2533-3640... See calling details at the bottom of each page.

Costa Rican - General Information
For more details on travelling in Costa Rica please click on the side links

When calling internationally you must remember to Dial your local international code before dialing our number usually, 011 for north America or 001 for Europe then the country code 506 and the local number. If you're reaching Canada then you've forgotten to use international code. If you hear a Spanish voice mail it could be the business' box or it could also be the default voice message for the busy signal for that telephone number. If you hear the businesses name then it is their own answering machine or voice mail box and if not try again as the line may be just busy.

Tipping: We normally suggest a dollar when eating out in a soda or simple restaurant, the nicer the restaurant the nicer the tip. Suggested amount for families and teachers is $10.00 to $20.00 per each week of stay based on the service you have received.

Communication: in Costa Rica can at times be a bit difficult as international lines sometimes have a habit of going down just when you need them. Costa Rica is flooded with internet cafes throughout the country except for very very rural towns allowing you to keep in touch. Please remember that the average internet speed with ADSL is 512 kbps, Wi-Fi is hard to find and most hotels charge much more then an internet cafe in town.

Laundry: Most hotels offer laundry services but there are very few laundry mats in Costa Rica and almost never in a small town. In hotter and more humid climate it can sometimes take 3 days for your laundry to dry so if it must be ready fast be sure to ask if the laundry service includes a dryer. Some hotels even offer laundry services to non guests.

Bikes: As for biking in Costa Rica, it's depending upon your level of experience. The roads are quite dangerous but drivers are quite used to seeing bikes on the roads as it is a very popular sport here. Some of the road conditions around Costa Rica are excellent while others are not in such good shape. In general....be careful, plan ahead and do your homework before planning all your travels by bike.

Most larger Tourist towns do have bikes for rent so if you just like biking but not as your only mode of transport from town to town the bike opportunity will allow you stay within budget and "to reach out and touch", that much more!!

Water: Don't worry too much about the water in Costa Rica. The ICT, the Costa Rican Institute for Tourism, claims that the water is drinkable in most areas of Costa Rica. Please be sure to ask at each hotel before consuming the water just to be sure! We do suggest thought to wean onto it slowly as too many changes to the body at the same time can cause stomach upset.

Bank: There are banks located in many larger towns. If you are heading deep into the rural country please remember to ask when making your reservation as many hotels and tour companies do not like to take credit cards and want only dollar OR Colones. Most banks do have ATMs but do not always work with all international cards, most yes but all no! If for some reason it doesn't work then there are more options in the closest larger town. PLEASE be sure to have your bankcard authorized for international use and have something as a back up just in case.

Pay in dollars when the price is in Dollars
Pay in dollars at places that charge in dollars. WHY?...For the business to deposit your Colones back into their dollar account the bank will charge them the higher rate therefore the business will always charge YOU the higher rate but the bank will always give you the lower rate. So after you have just received the lower rate to change your dollars into Colones at the bank you will now be charged the higher rate to pay the business and have to pay more Colones then the bank has just given you as the buy and sell rate is different!!

Tourist Info: Almost every town in Costa Rica has a tourist information office. Many are located in hotels and are quite willing to set up tours or supply you with any necessary information. If you can go to the companies tour office as many places will give you a discount if booked directly. Sometimes up to 35% can be added to the price for commission payments to these tourist offices.

Airport Pick-up: Most hotels offer airport pickup services. Prices vary upon distance from the hotel to the airport. Please remember to email your airline company, flight number and expected time of arrival, to your hotel on time to be sure they're there for you. In most cases an airport pickup and drop is worth the money as taking buses with tons of luggage in a new country is not easy after a long flight.

Rent a car: Rent a car can be done upon arrival at the airport or from pretty much any hotel in Costa Rica. Prices vary immensely from car size and time of year. If you are travelling in peak season then you might want to book a car in advance and up to 2 months prior. Remember to ask where you can drop the car off and if there are any special offers or extras included. Mapache rent a car will include a free drop off within local areas on all rentals of 4 days or more.

Camping: Camping in Costa Rica can be a little difficult as there are not many places with camping spaces. We suggest to bring your own tent as many times there is space in a back gardens as it is here at Montaña Linda. Be sure to check your guide book for each town that you want to visit!

Voltage: The electrical voltage in Costa Rica is 110. Electrical transformers can be purchased in various electronic stores prior to arriving.

Post Office: Post offices are very limited in Costa Rica and are mainly found in larger towns. May hotels do offer stamps and a drop off service but packages over 2 kilos must be sent directly from an OFFICIAL post office. See below for instructions on receiving incoming mail in Costa Rica

Incoming mail: to Costa Rica can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months, so we suggest that nothing important be sent via regular mail. DHL and FedEx DO NOT come into the valley even thought they will normally tell you that they do!! DHL will allow package to be dropped of at the Jimenez and Tanzi in Cartago, San Jose and a few other areas in Costa Rica if that address is put as a C/O... if not most package will be left in their San Jose/Heredia offices and would have to be picked up there.

Regular mail: All packages bigger than a shoe box size will be held at customs in San Jose and must be picked up personally by the recipient and most Costa Ricans do not know how to go through the process. The retrieval process takes about 2 hours and has costs involved. The best would be to keep the package down in size or pack it in a soft envelope covered with clear tape etc. Please be sure to have a return address on the back or else post will be thrown out instead of sent back!

And Remember: Most rural hotels check the mail only once every 2 weeks and do not hold mail for guest after they've left.

Incoming flights to Costa Rica:

Officially the airline has the right to not let you fly into Costa Rica if you can't prove you have a ticket to leave the country. It doesn't have to be a airline ticket just any ticket out of the country be it a bus ticket or a flight to another country. The ticket must show departure from Costa Rica within 3 months of entering.

Normally 2 way tickets are about the same price as a one way. So those travelling a longer time the best would be a 2 way open ended or one year, with changes allowed, so you had a return ticket out of the country which you can always use to go home be it for a visit or otherwise if in the end you decided not to fly back from the same place. Year long tickets can sometimes be very cheap with students deals and other times very expensive depending upon what time of the year you are flying.

So if you're looking to stay a long while in Costa Rica and travel around in Central America and don't really know where, why and how or even if you'll even return back home then you're best bet would be to buy a one week trip ticket, which are usually the cheapest, in which case you would use only the first half and then you can get a bus ticket out to continue your travels or do your Visa Run for immigration. As for border crossing, you cannot be stopped coming in or going out as long as you have a ticket out of the country, so before crossing over buy a ticket back out of the country you are going into which usually costs about $15.00 at the border bus booths.

Visa information links:

http://www.costarica-embassy.org/consular/living/temporary_student_visa.htm

http://www.costarica-embassy.org/consular/visa/default.htm

Packing list in general for all of Costa Rica
Sleeping bag	Hiking shoes
Flashlight	Shoes that dry quickly for hiking in wet areas
Sun hat of some form	Own water bottle
Sunglasses	Personal feminine products as it can be hard to get the same brands etc. here in town
45+ SPF Sun Lotion	Bug spray-limited brands here in town
Umbrella	Sweater or fleece
Rain jacket or Poncho	Old shoes and clothes for dirty volunteer work.
	Cold and wet times of the year: A sweater is definitely a must as it can get pretty cold in certain areas of Costa Rica at night. Rubber boots can be bought here fairly cheap so wait until you are sure you need them!! As for the rainy season... Raincoats, umbrellas and some form of shoes for the rain that are still good for hiking. You should be okay just with a umbrella but if you plan to do a lot of hiking you will definitely want a rain jacket and maybe even rain pants.
	Bedding: Bringing towels is always a good idea but bed sheets are provided by the hotel and host family. You might want to bring a sleeping bag or an extra blanket as it does get a little chilly at nights especially in mountainous areas.
	Hiking: Most areas of Costa Rica have some form of hiking trails so good hiking shoes are advised. Remember that many trails will cross through water so an old pair of shoes that dry fast are also advisable. Don't forget to bring your bug spray as there are very few brands and most contain high amounts of Deet.

Costa Rican Travel info \| Costa Rican Links \| Orosi Photo gallery \| Price comparison \| Reviews&Testimonials
Montaña Linda & Otiac 300 meters south of the Plaza,Orosi center, Orosi, Paraiso, Cartago, COSTA RICA Tel: 506 2533-3640 E-mail: info@montanalinda.com & otiac@ice.co.cr Please remember to dial the international code usually (011) from the States and Canada and (00) from Europe
If your arrival date is within 7 days please call the office directly at 506 2533-3640	2 hours from the SJO airport and 1.5 hours from San Jose. Necessary buses leave 7 days a week every 30 mins.	Free Wi-Fi located in our Restaurant and Spanish school Building only

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