How To Make Payments

Pay Dr. Lev when you have your consultation with him before your surgery. You pay him with either cash, cashier's check or bank checks made out to Dr. Alejandro Lev. Remember, Dr. Lev's fee includes the anesthesiologist's fee as well.

Personally, I think a cashier's check is probably the easiest thing to bring to pay Dr. Lev. Then you don't have to sign a million traveler's checks over to him. If you're not sure what you are going to have done, bring a two thousand dollar cashier's check and let's say fifteen hundred more in traveler's checks and a few hundred dollars in cash. That should cover you, unless you are having more than one surgery.

You can pay the hospital fee, the dentists and the recovery retreat charges with a credit card. However, the Villa Plenitud recovery retreat only accepts Visa or U.S. cash or traveller's checks. Please note that if you pay with cash or traveller's checks you will get 60 free minutes of calls from your room to the U.S. and also free unlimited use of the computer in the patient lounge. However, if you bring a laptop and hook up to the internet from your room, you will be charged five cents a minute for that service.

Also, bring cash for tips. Although tipping is always strictly optional, you will probably want to tip a couple of the staff people at the retreat who take extra special care of you. Figure on leaving around $1-$3 a day a day per staff person, depending on whom you want to "thank" and exactly how thankful you are.

Also, just as a side note….if you are anything like me, you like to bring little "just in case gifty things" for people you wouldn't want to tip, but you might want to just show gratitude to…like the doctors, the private duty nurse, the owner of the recovery retreat, the kids of the staff person at the retreat…..people like that.

None of these people expect anything from you at all, but I always think it's nice to show appreciation to people who are taking care of me.

As far as other expenses you might incur while in Costa Rica, that will all depend on how you're feeling.

For instance. If you are feeling up to taking a tour to two, you will need money for that. Also, you might want to go souvenir shopping or go to the mall in your second week of recovery when you're feeling better. Most stores will take credit cards, but it's always good to have plain ole cash on you….everybody loves the U.S. dollar!

Well, that's all on the money front……at least for now.

Love, Didi