Are you considering a trip to Costa Rica so you can really “see”. “feel” and “experience” the country?

Well, we are most pleased to inform you that Los Almendros de Ocotal is not one of those “compounds” you will see advertised for a billion bucks a day. All the free booze and numbness you can tolerate!

Sure, Los Almendros has an unobtrusive front gate and 24-hour security guard service but is “in no way, shape, form or manner” one of those highly constrictive resorts”that do all possible to keep guests “shielded” from the outside world. Leaving you wondering why you even booked a trip to a foreign country.

At Los Almendros you are always FREE to come and go as you please.

FREE to experience a $4 lunchtime cosada at a soda in the neighboring town.

FREE to meet the fun-loving locals. Known affectionately as “Ticos” and “Ticas”, as a result of their speech pattern. With a nationwide literacy rate well above 90%, many will converse with you in English. So, yes, you can communicate quite nicely even if you have no idea what “hola” means. And think “pura vida” is a menu item.

FREE to sip an Imperial beer and chat with locals and many other nationalities at a street side pub. Discovering why many residents drink their Pilsen over ice. You might even try the delightful rum (“Flor de Canas” – flower of the cane) imported from neighboring Nicaragua. All the time secure in the knowledge that no matter how much you consume, you can hitch an inexpensive 2.5-mile cab ride back to your place.

FREE to meet a vibrant dance partner at a local street side club. And dance the night away.

FREE to “shop ‘til you drop’ at the many souvenir shops.

FREE to savor the varied ethnic cuisines offered at area restaurants.

FREE to wander over to a real public (not restricted like at the compounds) beach and watch local families frolicking in the surf. All the time possibly wondering how they can be so darn happy with but a few pieces of fruit and bottles of tap water for refreshment.

And observing fishermen unloading the “catch of the day” you will be savoring tonight. It finally dawning on you that there is no marina or docks and the anglers are ferrying in their catches to a truck parked on that beach.

FREE to hop on the “three times daily” bus to Liberia. Learning first hand how well this “second world” country has managed to master the art of inexpensive public transportation.

FREE to engage the Los Almendros based tour company van to transport your party to wherever you darn well please. Maybe you’ll make the couple hour trip down to the Santa Cruz area and observe the pottery makers at work. Great gifts for friends back home. Or take a jaunt to the Flamingo/Tamarindo area and watch the surfer “dudes” doing their thing.

FREE to stop at the seafood market so you can bring a plethora of fresh fare back to Los Almendros. And remembering to stop next door at “Jimmy Burger” to order up a few squares of “tres leche” cake – a three-milk taste treat you really must try.

FREE to try your hand at a little black jack or “tute" at the local casino.

FREE to slip on over to the nearby city of Sardinal and play a round of golf.

FREE to book a “commuter” plane flight from nearby Liberia Airport to a near or even distant segment of the country.

And FREE to visit the meat counter at the local supermarket or at “Obandos” in Liberia so you can stock up for the poolside barbeque party you have planned at Los Almendros.

How many of these delightful things are you able to personally experience stuck behind massive rock walls at an all-inclusive compound?

Yes, at Los Almendros de Ocotal you are FREE to experience first hand why Costa Rica has become one of the worlds more popular tourism destinations. Certainly its well-earned reputation as an ecological-minded, majestic. bio-diverse nation makes it popular. But more importantly – it’s the people!

By the way. “hola” is “hello” and “pura vida” is “the good life”. These are the most common pleasantries exchanged by ALL folks passing each other in the streets.