Update: Finally got to Costa Rica - See this post
Last night I checked into visa requirements for Bermuda, Turks and Caicos and Costa Rica, the three destinations I am considering as my winter vacation. (See previous post for other info).
Tourist visa requirements at the Turks and Caicos tourism info site say 'no visa for 30 days except for some eastern bloc countries'; Bermuda is good, too, and Costa Rica, ditto. This means no additional fees for visas, or passport photos, etc. for any of them. It's always a good idea to carry two extra passport size photos, though, just in case you need them, like if you lose your passport on your trip. I talk about this and much else on my travel tips section on my website.
So, looking again at Costa Rica, the search engine results showed a site talking about medical tourism to Costa Rica, and the penny dropped. In my quest for an interesting and warm winter vacation spot, I had totally forgotten about Jurassic Park and the dinosaur connection, which came to mind when I saw the medical tourism site.
Ah, the movie came out a long time ago, and others have claimed my attention long since. But when Jurassic Park was all the rage, I remember reading articles about Costa Rica, and some of them were about how tourists were flocking to Costa Rica for inexpensive medical and cosmetic procedures. They discussed how safe Costa Rica was, how the doctors were board certified and North American or European trained, etc. I filed it away and promptly forgot about it.
Until last night. All of a sudden, my winter holiday has taken on a whole new aspect. Two weeks away is about right to have some (ahem) work done, and no one would be the wiser. I'll give that some thought :-)
About hotels: Bermuda is too rich for my blood, and the Turks is turning out to be the same as Bermuda. Turks hotels start at about $183 US /night, and that's basic. Costa Rica seems to meet most of my requirements for a good holiday -- interesting things to do, including looking for dinosaurs, good value for money, decent weather, and now, apparently, the chance to have a little Nip and Tuck. I'l let that simmer for a while then think about booking.
