Site
Summary
INTERNATIONAL 2015 SUKKOT SITE in CENTRAL AMERICA:
CARTAGO, COSTA RICA
We will be celebrating the Feast at Mount Zion (Monte de Sion), which is located about 1-1/4 hour drive south east from the San Jose airport (SJO) and 5 minutes from Tablon, Cartago. We are expecting people from the U.S., Costa Rica, Panama, and Nicaragua to gather together at this 8 day event.
The schedule will be very relaxed with speakers from the U.S., Panama, and Costa Rica. The planned activities Hebraic circle dancing, activities for the children, praise and worship, family fun night, midrash, mission work and time to do some touristy things as well. Please note that this is not a resort type international feast celebration. It is more adventurous, more local.
At this Sukkot our goal is to progress past talking Torah, to hands on walking Torah with others. If you are looking for a great family environment where unity is not just promoted but demonstrated or if you are wanting to learn about missions or wanting to get involved with an eleven year old mission work in Costa Rica and/or wanting to build personal relationships with other brothers and sisters that are following Torah in Central America, then this feast site is just right for you and your family. This is a small feast site and we are expecting 50 visitors and 100 Central Americans.
Format of Services
Format of services is casual, sometimes interactive, Hebrew roots. The messages will sometimes be in English, and sometimes in Spanish, and will usually be translated. The main meetings during the week will be held in the evenings to accommodate the Costa Ricans who must work during the day
Dress code is casual and respectful. Temps will be chilly for Costa Rica (60°-80°F) since this is higher elevations. Be sure to bring sweater/jacket for the evenings since there is no central heat. The Costa Ricans call this their winter!
Accommodations
Suggested accommodation for Sukkot is Hotel el Guarco which is located approximately 25 minutes from the Mount Sion festival site. Make your reservations directly with the hotel. You can email them at recepcion@hotelelguarco.com or call them at 506-2573-0000. Mention “Linda Roth, alaskasgirl57@yahoo.com” to obtain the following group rates (which include Breakfast and taxes):
- Standard Room:
- 2 people $70.00
- 3 people $85.00
- 1 double bed and 1 single bed
- Studio Room:
- 2 people $70.00
- 3 people $85.00
- 1 double bed and 1 single bed
- Junior Suite Room:
- 2 people $85.00
- 3 people $100.00
- 1 king bed and 1 sofa bed
- Apartment Room:
- 4 people $110.00
- 1 double bed and 2 single beds
Let the staff know the number of people in your party, and the days you intend to stay. Give them your credit card information to reserve your room. The earliest date available for us to stay at Hotel El Guarco is 2:00pm Monday, September 28, 2015 because they have an extended stay group leaving that morning. Arrangements can be made to stay at the Hyatt Place (see below) for any dates you need prior to that.
The Costa Ricans are planning to stay at the Mount Sion camp over the weekend in dormitory rooms.
If, for some reason, Hotel El Guarco does not meet all your needs, we recommend the Hyatt Place, which is 45 minutes away from Mount Sion. You can make your own arrangements there.
We recommend people rent a vehicle, head southeast to Cartago, and be able to travel back and forth between the hotel and the Mount Sion meeting hall.
Meals
Breakfast is included in your stay at Hotel El Guarco.
We are planning to have some group meals at the Mount Sion location. The prices per person for those meals are:
- Breakfast - 2500 colones (Approximately $5.25 USD)
- Lunch - 3500 colones (Approximately $7.50 USD)
- Supper - 3500 colones (Approximately $7.50 USD)
- Snack - 1200 colones (Approximately $3.00 USD)
When our Sukkot schedule is more complete, we will share that with you, and then we will need to know which meals each family wishes to participate in, so we can let the Mount Sion staff know how many people they will be feeding.
