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Your trip, all in one place

Thu · Sept 24 Arrival & welcome dinner Dinner 6:00 PM
Fri · Sept 25 SMARTA at Align HQ Hotel lobby 7:15 AM
Sat · Sept 26 Costa Rica excursion Hotel lobby 6:30 AM

Guests are welcome at both dinners. The excursion is for those who booked it.

Before you fly

  • Reserve your airport shuttle if you’d prefer not to take a taxi. It will not pick you up unless you booked a seat — how to book.
  • Check your passport is valid through your travel dates.
  • Pack a rain jacket and quick-dry layers. It rains most days in late September.
  • Plan to leave your phone and laptop at the hotel Friday. Neither is permitted inside Align HQ.

Getting here

Hotel
Costa Rica Marriott Hacienda Belén
San Antonio de Belén, Heredia
From SJO
15-minute drive, about 5 km
To Align HQ
15-minute walk
Check-in
4:00 PM
Your nights
Thursday and Friday are covered
Breakfast
Buffet, included each morning at Hacienda Kitchen

The hotel shuttle is free — but you have to reserve it

The Marriott runs a complimentary airport shuttle. It will not pick you up unless you have booked a seat in advance.

Do this before you fly

Reserve your shuttle seat: [email protected] or +506 2298-0000.

Airport → Hotel

6:00 AM · 8:00 AM
10:00 AM · 12:00 PM
2:00 PM · 4:00 PM
6:00 PM · 8:00 PM

Hotel → Airport

5:00 AM · 7:00 AM
9:00 AM · 11:00 AM
1:00 PM · 3:00 PM
5:00 PM · 7:00 PM

The shuttle runs every two hours, so check your landing time against the schedule before you book. If you land at 12:15, the next van is at 2:00.

  • Pickup is past customs, on your right. The van carries the hotel logo.
  • Airport rules only let it wait two minutes at the pickup area.

Or take a taxi

The official orange airport taxis are right outside the exit, toward the left. Tell them you are going to the Marriott in Belén. They take cards and Apple Pay.

Uber is not permitted to pick up at the airport. It works everywhere else in Costa Rica, so it is an option once you are in San José — just not for your arrival.

The hotel can also send a private van for up to seven people, $40 one way. Reserve it on the same number as the shuttle.

Day 1 · Arrival

Thursday, September 24

Nothing is scheduled during the day.

Check-in
4:00 PM
Welcome dinner
6:00–9:00 PM, at the hotel
Dress
Resort casual
Guests
Welcome
Day 2 · Course day

Friday, September 25

The full day at Align HQ.

Before you leave the hotel

No phones, laptops, or recording devices inside Align HQ. Align collects phones at reception and holds them for the whole day, including lunch. We are audio recording the lecture sessions — not the 10:00–12:00 CAD block — and the recordings will go into the post-event resources in your SMARTA course.

Have breakfast at the hotel before we head over. Meet in the hotel lobby at 7:15 AM and we walk to Align HQ together — about 15 minutes. Dress is SMARTA casual. Bring nothing else: your workbook and all materials are waiting for you there.

Reception at Align HQ

Reception takes about 15 minutes. You sign an NDA, photos are taken, and Align collects phones. Coffee and snacks are available through the day.

The day

  • 7:15 AMMeet in the hotel lobby, walk to Align HQ
  • 7:45 AMArrival and reception
  • 8:00 AMWelcome
  • 8:30 – 9:45Dr. Baird & Dr. Lee — the SMARTA template and your workbook
  • 10:00 – 12:00 One-on-one with your CAD designer Work directly with the designer who handles your setups — on the SMARTA template, and on the case-level instructions you take home. The centerpiece of the day
  • 12:00 – 1:00Lunch
  • 1:00 – 2:30Dr. Baird — Plan Editor & staging optimization
  • 2:30 – 4:00Dr. Lee — Beyond the Template
  • 4:00 – 4:15Close

Dinner · 6:00–9:00 PM

We walk back to the hotel after the 4:15 close, which leaves you about an hour and a half to change. Dinner is at the hotel. Resort casual. Guests are welcome.

For your guest on Friday

The Marriott has a pool, spa, restaurants, and grounds.

Day 3 · Excursion

Saturday, September 26

For doctors and guests who booked the Saturday excursion.

Lobby
6:30 AM
Bus leaves
6:40 AM
Back
Around 5:45 PM
Meals
Breakfast at Doka, lunch at La Paz — both included
Guides
Two bilingual guides, all day

We leave early to get ahead of the morning traffic. That also gives us more time at breakfast.

Three stops, in this order

1 · Doka Estate coffee plantation

The largest coffee plantation in Costa Rica — the sugar mill, the butterfly farm, and the whole process from cultivation to cup. Breakfast is served here.

2 · Poás Volcano National Park

An active crater at 8,885 feet — over a mile across and 1,050 feet deep, with sulfur fumaroles. Whether the crater is visible depends on the weather that morning.

3 · La Paz Waterfall Gardens

Hiking trails, waterfalls, and an animal sanctuary with over 100 species. Lunch is served here.

What the walking is like

All three stops are on paved ground. Wear closed, comfortable shoes.

  • Doka — flat, with very gentle slopes.
  • Poás — paved and flat. There are a few stairs at the crater, and it is a short walk.
  • La Paz — the park has 3.5 km of paved trail. There are stairs, but they only go down; you do not climb back up. Some of the trail is flat and some of it is uneven.

Money on Saturday

Cards are accepted at all three stops, so cash is not required. Tips are optional. There are places to buy souvenirs, coffee, and chocolate.

What to bring Saturday

  • Closed, comfortable walking shoes — sneakers or hiking shoes
  • A light jacket — Poás is at 8,885 feet
  • A raincoat
  • Insect repellent
  • A reusable water bottle
  • Comfortable clothes and a camera

What to pack

Late September is Costa Rica's green season. Warm, with temperatures in the mid-70s to low 80s, and humid. Rain falls most days, and when it comes it tends to arrive heavy rather than as a steady drizzle.

The Central Valley runs on microclimates. It can be raining where you are standing and sunny a ten-minute walk away, and it can change within five minutes. Mornings are usually dry, though not reliably.

Friday
SMARTA casual
Both dinners
Resort casual. No jacket needed
Saturday
Active and outdoors — see the excursion list above
  • A light rain jacket or a compact umbrella.
  • A swimsuit — the hotel has a pool and a spa.
  • Quick-dry layers.

Good to know

Currency
Costa Rican colón. US dollars widely accepted at the hotel and tourist stops; cards work nearly everywhere
Shopping bags
Costa Rica does not allow shops to hand out plastic bags. Reusable bags can be bought at the stops, or bring your own
Passport
Bring a valid passport. No visa required under 90 days. Check yours is valid through your travel dates
Altitude
Poás sits at 8,885 feet
Align HQ
Phones, laptops, and recording devices are not permitted in the building

SMARTA Ortho Solutions

Costa Rica · September 24–26, 2026