Hello! Thanks in advance for your help....

1) We arrive in CR at approx. 9 pm and have booked a shuttle to take us to Orchideas Inn for 1 night. I have reserved a car with Tricolor and hoped they would drop it off at the hotel, but they will only pick us up at the hotel to take us to the car. This seems like a hassle to me as our 2 year old will be with us....I don't want to install the car seat twice, and I just want to get on with the fun parts of the trip that morning. From what I've read in other posts, it is not advisable to drive at night, but is it really that bad if we're just driving from the hotel to the Orchideas Inn? It seems so much nicer to deal with the car upon arrival instead of the next morning. Has anyone had experience with the drive at night?

2) From other posts I've read that it is not advisable to leave your car unattended with luggage inside. We have some long drives, and with a 2 year old, we will definitely need to take breaks to eat and stretch our legs. Do I or my husband really have to stand by the car to guard it when we stop? What about at restaurants?

3) I'm starting to wonder if the drive to Monteverde will be too difficult for a 2 year old to endure. We have booked 3 nights there, and I'd really like to go. Has anyone made the drive with a small child? How did they handle it? Our trip is in Feb. if that matters.

Yes, you can't leave anything in your car unattended. Break-ins are very common; we met people on our last trip that parked in a "safe" parking lot while they ate lunch, and when they came out all their luggage, camera, etc. were gone. I would not do it ever. That's one of the reasons we like to hire a private driver; they can stay with the car while you stop.

If you're going to Monteverde from Arenal, you can do the Jeep Boat Jeep with Desafio and save yourself about an hour on the roads. The road is very bumpy and unpaved with potholes.

We drove to MV with a 6 month old. I took her out of the carseat and supported her head and body better. A 2 year old should be able to manage just fine. It is a pretty drive.

We have driven to Orquideas at night, but I am hesitant to advise it with a child. Orquideas gave us very good directions which we were able to follow until the very end when we kept trying to find the last turn before it was time for it. Also, we were experienced at driving in Costa Rican cities and knew parts of Alajuela.

You do not both need to go in to get the rental car. One of you stay with your child at Orquideas and enjoy the property. When your husband returns with the rental, you are right there on the road to Poas or la Paz Waterfall Gardens. To get to the highway for the drive to Arenal is simple. It will cost you very little time to do it that way, maybe 20 extra minutes.

Take turns watching the car, or park it in an area where you can both keep an eye on it--usually not so hard to do. Don't leave it ever. Many times at restaurants (many are open air) you can park where you can see it. If not, we go in and get food to go and eat at tables outside.

You're worrying too much. You are going to have a great time!

It is standard procedure to go

to the rental car agency

to check the car and do the paperwork.

Always try to rent something with

trunk storage stick everything of

value in there lock the car have never

had a problem that way...

short night trips for hotels food

wew no problem for me...

Thanks for the great advice everyone. I appreciate it!

That's weird--Tricolor dropped the car off for us at Orquideas last year.

As a first timer, I would avoid trying to navigate Alajuela at night--not so much because of safety as because it would be extremely easy to get lost--streets are not marked very well, poorly lit, roads are twisty and seemingly always going uphill and around a bend. Tricolor's office is by the airport, and it's about a 10-15 minute drive with multiple opportunities to get lost.

Unless we were changing overnight locations, we generally didn't put anything in our car that we couldn't and wouldn't take inside with us. When we did have stuff with us, we made sure to park near the window where we were sitting so we could see what was going on with our car. (The only places we stopped under such circumstances were Toad Hall, the German Bakery, and right in front of the soda by the Tarcoles crocodile bridge (next to a police car!)

I realize that I am on dangerous ground here, but it is possible for your problem 1) to be solved by staying at one of the airport hotels rather than the Fodor-Folks-Favorite. Try the Hampton Inn, which is a fraction of a mile from the airport. This hotel is within steps of the car rental offices.

You must guard your luggage while in transit. You must surrender to this unpleasant aspect of Costa Rican tourism.

We had 2-year-olds at our house a long time ago. They were each quite different, and I wouldn't have been able to predict how any of the four would react to that journey. Having made the journey once, I would hire a driver and van so that the parents could concentrate on looking at things out the windows with the child and play games with the road hazards by saying, "get ready for a big bump, he, he, he", etc. At worst, the standard model 2-year-old will cry. The child might even go to sleep.

I've rented from Tricolor 3 times and only on the first time did they drop the car off at Orchideas. There is a lot of paperwork and they need to make photocopies of your passport and drivers license.

Their office is right next to the highway that you would need to take to Monteverde. Unless you are familiar with Alajuela, it's best to all go with them to the office or else you are going to get lost trying to find your way back to Orchideas..

You can stop on the way - just avoid the larger truck stops where you cant keep an eye on the car. There are plenty of smaller restaurants and roadside stands along the way. Just be sure to keep the car in your sight - just use the same precautions you would in any AMERICAN city.