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Referrals
Read a letter from a recent guest to her friend, and better understand the joy of choosing CheTica Ranch as your Recovery Center:
WHY I CHOOSE CHETICA MEDICAL RECOVERY RANCH !!
I truly believe that where you choose to recover and how long you spend recovering is JUST as important as choosing your surgeries and your doctors. I stayed at CheTica Medical Recovery Ranch, a surgery recovery facility near San Jose, Costa Rica. My daily cost included room, meals, wifi, telephone, nursing care, laundry, and transportation.
I chose CheTica Ranch surgical recovery facility because it offered everything I needed -- follow-up care (changing 
bandages, shots, healthy food, sanitary conditions, experience), internet access, transportation, privacy, and an ideal setting to go through this transition. That does not mean that there are not other excellent places to stay. Just not for me.
After I looked at each room, I asked Ruben to pick the one that would be best for my husband and me. Two beds a must! Refrigerator, microwave, water dispenser, CD/DVD/TV player, coffee pot, internet access. Fincho will light your wood-burning fireplace for you every night. All this, including an electric blanket and a space heater -- it was the rainy season while I was there.
You won’t be bored. Several cable TV channels are in English. You can access the internet wirelessly if you have your own laptop or use one of the computers in the dining hall. Calling home is also free and easy on the Ranch’s Vonage line. They have a 400+ DVD library, books, magazines. Ruben and Lorena can recommend places to visit in town or more extensive local outings if you feel strong enough. My husband loved the coffee plantation and volcano tour.
Frances greeted me early my first day and was there to care for me upon my return. She gave me a monster anti-biotic shot every day and she was as gentle as she could be. She showered me for a week, changed dressings, called doctors, arranged outings, advised on better support garments (one I actually like), and generally comforted and reassured -- even taking my wine glass away from me one celebratory night because of those antibiotics. Tough/gentle love.
Personally, I liked having my own separate cottage. I had privacy if I wanted it, but I could go to the dining hall to be with others. My DVD bothered no one else and theirs didn’t bother me. Mykonos is at the top of the stairs, the highest and longest hike of any cottage, and I wanted that. It was part of my commitment to walk as much as I could and heal as fast as I could. Five other cottages are on the same level as the dining hall and driveway, if walking is a problem for you.
Transportation to and from the airport as well as to every doctor appointment is free. Conversations with Erik and Juan Carlos (Lorena’s brothers) made those pleasant journeys that helped me appreciate Costa Rica even more.
Magda’s magic massages will heal you spiritually and physically. Not to be gross, but you would rather have her massage fluids from you than wear a compression garment for extra months. After an hour in her hands, my swelling would decrease and I would be at peace. Back home, the closest thing to what she does is called therapeutic lymphatic massage and nobody in Oklahoma does one (and if they did, I could not afford it).
The food is incredible, three tasty healthy low fat low salt meals. Soups to die for! See if Lorena will share her recipes. With a lapband, I was afraid that much would be inedible, too gummy, pasta, etc. The only meal that didn’t work for me was the American style hamburgers and fries offered as a treat and Carla cooked me a wonderful chicken filet with grilled veggies. Fresh pineapple juice every morning, perfect fruits and avocados, and gallo pinto (my new favorite breakfast). Ruben’s Sunday barbecues -- Argentine sausage, chicken, steak, pork, and baguettes flown in from Paris -- are legendary for good reason. My blood sugars were almost too low.
Because I had such extensive surgery (and am a slow-healing diabetic), I was there a month. It is a courtesy to tip those who have served you well when you get ready to leave. I considered it an honor.
I’m sure everyone else has equally great stories to tell about other places. I was happier out there with the flowers, horses, cows, birds, dogs, cat, capuchin monkeys (at least one weekend). Notice I said nothing about scenery. Anyone who has stayed here will remember the Eagle’s Nest fondly, a covered wooden swing where you can view what seems to be Creation itself. The view will give you a peace that will help you heal. It is an extraordinarily quiet, spiritual place. A real retreat. In every sense of the word.
Sandra Effinger
June 2009
mseffie@mac.com
Greetings from Florida!
We visited your lovely facility upon recommendation of Bill Cook from Hospital Clinica Biblica as part of our site visits for our company MedTravInc on Saturday September 25, 2009.
To say that we were very impressed with your beautiful ranch would be an understatement! The tour you gave us, areas we were allowed to inspect, as well as the patient interview we were able to conduct all led us to the same conclusion: that Chetica Ranch is an amazing, restful, healing spiritual place for patients recovering from surgery, and one we would recommend without hesitation to our clients.
Thank you so much for your very gracious hospitality and the time spent with us, sharing patient stories, explaining your processes and philosophies, as well as your plans for expansion. We found your passion for Chetica Ranch inspiring!
Ruben, we look forward to seeing you again on our next visit, and will let our clients know of our wonderful impression of Chetica Ranch.
Warmest regards,
Alisa Fuller RN BSN
MedTravInc
afuller@medtravinc.com
I've been a guest at Che Tica Ranch four times over the past 5 years. Although my first visit was to recover from a surgical procedure, I have returned on subsequent visits even when I had no need for medical care simply because the proprietors and staff are the most gracious, caring and attentive hosts I have encountered anywhere I have traveled.
There are numerous good reasons to travel to Costa Rica for a variety of medical or dental procedures, and as many good reasons to stay at Che Tica for recovery. My personal experience has been that the doctors and facilities are as modern as can be found anywhere in the world, including the U.S. and Canada. The doctors are extremely well educated, many having obtained their degrees in the states. The Costa Rican government has no military but invests huge resources in the country's medical and educational infrastructures. As a result, top quality medical and dental care is available in Costa Rica for a fraction of what it would cost in the U.S. The savings easily pay for the air fare and modest cost of accommodations at Che Tica, many times over.
During my first stay at Che Tica I was recovering from facial cosmetic surgery, a face lift. I have met many other people there who were recovering from every imaginable type of procedure, from dental implants to hip replacements. Before, during and after my procedure the owners and staff attended to my every need, often before I even knew what I needed. I was greeted at the airport by a member of the family that owns and operates the property, and taken directly to the ranch. From there, all of my needs were taken care of by the Che Tica staff. They coordinated all of my doctor visits from the moment I arrived, through my surgery and post-operative care until the day I left, shuttling me wherever I needed to be.
After I returned from my surgery my meals were brought to me in the privacy of my spacious and comfortable room. Giant walk-in showers are a standard feature, in each guest cottage, which helps to facilitate post-surgical cleaning and care. They serve three fresh, delicious, healthy meals every day, prepared with the very best local fish, meat, and vegetables. The food in Costa Rica is incomparably fresh and delicious anywhere in the country, and the food at Che Tica rivals some of the best Tico restaurants I've tried. Once I was feeling up to it, I shared meals family style with other guests in the ranch's dining room.
One of Che Tica's best features its location in the Zurqui hills just outside of the Costa Rican capitol city of San Jose, which is where most of the clinics and hospitals are located. Like many large cities San Jose gets its share of traffic and smog, but the climate in Zurqui is considerably cooler than down in the city, and in the hills you're above the smog where the air is always clean and fresh. The landscape around the Che Tica is perfect for serene walks, and you may even catch some monkeys in the trees near the property.
Cable television, wireless internet, and international phone service are all provided at no additional cost. A huge DVD library is available to help pass the time while recovering. The proprietors, Ruben and Lorena Martin are without equal in their graciousness and care for their guests. They have treated me with such care and love that I have come to think of them like family.
Whether it's assistance with post-surgical hygiene, or arranging a regiment of therapeutic massage, or attending to any other conceivable need, Che Tica truly tends to the body, mind, and spirit. Staying with them is truly a rejuvenating experience in it's own right. I have referred my own family to them, and I would recommend them to anyone traveling to Costa Rica for any type of medical care.
Eric P.
Vancouver, B.C.
February 2010