ShellD

I'm sorry mcwinery that you had such a horrible experience. Maybe we were niave, maybe we just had a great experience, maybe you just had a rare experience. Whatever the circumstances, I would really hate for your experience to scare away anyone from taking the time to rent a car and use the appropriate precautions and drive on their own. There are certainly risks in driving in a foreign country. However, there are risks driving right here in the US. I live in a suburb of Philly, which is now a city where the murder rate is approaching 350 and that is just murder. I don't often drive into "those" areas - but if I would - I would take precautions wouldn't I? I live way out in the country, where amish horse and buggies are found on nearly every back road and you would never speed on a winding hill at night - they don't have headlights, just like in Costa Rica. You'd hit a horse for sure. Patience and common sense come in every part of the world and taking that into consideration is a big part of travelling.

Personally, we loved the freedom of having a car, especially in La Fortuna. We only drove at night there from our hotel to and from restaurants. Everywhere else we stuck to daylight driving, when possible. I was a little caught off guard by the flat tire scam warnings, but also received a similar warning by the rental agent the last time we rented a car in Las Vegas!

It's true that there are not guard rails on most of the winding mountain roads and that there are cars passing everywhere and often people walking on the sides of the road, we took it slow when appropriate.

I had no second thoughts about renting a car on our next trip as well, with our kids...We will continue to follow the appropriate precautions. I really hope that you take a chance and visit again - I also hope that no one else has such a horrible experience that you did.

It really would be a shame if people stopped enjoying the freedom that comes with having their own vehicles.

mcwinery - I'm glad you were able to have some good times on your trip and that you enjoyed Arenal and some other portions. Sorry about the rains!

volcanogirl

If I remember correctly the attack in Manuel Antonio was in 2006 at Mar Y Sombra. I remember reading about it before we went. Mar Y Sombra was a bar on the beach known for late night partying and getting wild at a certain time. We were told to avoid it. I think it has closed down now. As far as MA goes, we never ever felt unsafe there at all. I would just take the same precautions I would at home about being out late, not drinking excessively, etc. It's awful that things like that happen, but I never got any kind of bad vibe or felt threatened there. San Jose is another story - I think all the bars on the windows are there for a reason. We always get out of there as quickly as possible and then get out to see the rest of the beautiful country. I do think it's awful that the police don't seem to do anything about the flat tire scam in San Jose - that one is infamous on these boards.

Suzie2

What a shame. Same story I have been hearing for over 15 years now. Some people even brought those cans of flat fix back then. Except for our first time to CR we don't rent a car in San Jose. We wait until we get to our first destination. Even better, we rent Orlando to drive us around a lot of the time so we can really enjoy the trip. We have learned so much from him over the years. It is true that thousands rent cars every year (probably every month) so when you average it out the chance of it happening is pretty small. I just don't feel good about the fact that it is becoming more common and more brazen. It does seem like the country is regressing in that respect. Even Guatemala has tourist police now in many places to escort people or to just be visible to deter problems. A boycott of car rentals might give CR a reality check. It would take only a couple of months before the rental companies start screaming. Maybe just boycotting the rental offices near the airport. Seems a little drastic but it is a latin american country and sometimes it needs a little shaking up for them to see what is really happening.

Jeff_Costa_Rica

Mcwinery, I'm so sorry to hear about your experience in Costa Rica. That's awful.

You know, I've never bought the "These things can happen at home too" response, which I've seen mentioned here. They can, but that doesn't change the fact that they happen in Costa Rica and many other popular travel destinations. The thing is, they don't happen often to you at home, because when you're at home, you know the lay of the land, you know what areas are good and bad, you know how to get around, and you know the language. You don't have that same home-field advantage when you travel.

The truly distressing thing about Costa Rica to me is that you can't count on the police. They are not very visible, and if something happens, there's little they can do. You should still file a police report if you plan to make an insurance claim for something you had stolen, and the police will be very nice, but they have almost no resources to solve the crime. They generally can't help you much.

The majority of visitors who come here have great times and problem-free vacations, and I wouldn't be here if I didn't love the place. But nobody should ever lull you into thinking that the situation in Costa Rica will be like it is back home. It's not.

As for visiting a second time, I wouldn't blame someone for saying, "Never again!" after an event like this. With +/-200 countries in the world, a traveler can afford to be fickle, and not go back voluntarily to a place where such a bad experience happened. It's a shame, but it's human nature to think that way. And when a small country like Costa Rica stakes so much on tourism, ever incident like this that happens to a visitor is a big problem. Negative accounts like these have far greater ripple effects than positive ones.

pdbwill

After reading this thread I decided to check with some well-traveled surfers through the coconut grapevine (many with houses/property in CR and thousands of days as visitors) .

Here is the gist of what I was told; 1) never leave a car unattended, hire someone to watch it if you have too, even for short runs to the store, 2) use extreme caution when travelling through the main towns, 3) don't drive at night if you can avoid it, and 4) the water at the mainland beaches is pretty dirty (Jaco, Boca Barranca, etc.), dose up on pepto or other stomach remedies if surfing there.

Hope that helps

colibri

We are renting a car out of Liberia and going to Monteverde. Since we don't arrive until mid-afternoon we are spending the first night in Liberia, leaving early the next morning. Are the same sort of flat tire scams experienced around Liberia airport and on the way to Monteverde? Or is it mainly a San Jose area problem?

Thanks.

shillmac

My vote goes to Tropico Latino, surfersmom. . .we really enjoyed it there. The beachfront cabina. . .

One_Lucky_Lady

I read this post and immediately wrote to NatureAir to change our tickets to fly from Puerto Jimenez onto Arenal (connection in San Juan). We had planned to fly to SJO and rent from Tricolor which has great rates and take the car to Arenal and back. I may still rent a car in Arenal and return in there. It doesn't seem worth it to rent near SJO. Armed robbery is serious!

ShellD

Again - in no way do I want to minimize anyone's experience. Crime happens. And for sure I hope I don't post anything after our next trip. But it seems like a thread of panic has starte here. Yes, armed robbery is serious, but a picture that seems a bit skewed seems to be happening here. Tricolor is not in downtown San Jose. Many car rental agencies are not downtown. The airport is not in San Jose. You do not need to go into San Jose to get to Arenal.

I slightly disagree with Jeff on the fact that yes - crime happens at home and outside of your comfort zone of your neighborhood - you are still travelling - even in the US. You are in a "foreign area". Maybe still in the US, but the police are still not all on the straight and narrow and many do not really care about tire slashings or luggage thefts. I've know very specific situations where serious crimes are reported and the police basically said - it's not our jurisdiction, your out of luck.

Costa Rica is a beautiful country. I think you'll find that the majority of people are kind and love the tourism that is brought there. They are not "out to get you". Sure we were only there once, but not one person we encountered was harsh to us or seemed ot try to take advantage of us in any way. We never saw any of the scams nor did we encounter any person that we met who did. I'm not saying that it doesn't happen or that it's not a problem or that it's not getting worse - maybe it is, but I honestly don't think it's cause for a mass panic. Just maybe cause to be a bit more aware of yourself than you would be at home. Follow the guidelines given about the driving at night, both for scams and the roads themselves. Be safe and hopefully everyone will be ok.

Floridafran

When we were in CR in May we had 2 SUVs for 6 adults. At a stop light the smaller vehicle, with a single couple aboard, experienced the stab the tire scenerio. We weren't far from a gas station where we'd just filled up so we didn't have an experience like mcwinery's, thank heavens.

Another difference was the attitude back at Tricolor. While we waited for them to get our friends a new spare, they got as much information from us as they could. Where it happened, description of the other vehicle and the occupants, as near as we could recall the exact time. They didn't ask us to wait until the police arrived, but they had called them and intended to file a full report. Everyone in the Tricolor office said it's an increasing problem and they (Tricolor) are doing all they can to fight it.

Tourism is a huge industry now for CR. If they don't get control of this it could be a costly mistake. As a small business owner I know that for every unsatisfied customer you have, you better have at least 14 satisfied ones. That one unhappy person will tell as many, or more, people of their experience with you as all 14 of your happy customers will combined.

mcwinery is more than unhappy - and he has every right to be - I don't fault him one bit for his post. His experience was far and above the usual tire scam.

Bottom line, the Costa Rican government has to decide that any tire scam is unacceptable and crack down on the guilty parties. I know money is an issue, but it will be more of an issue if the tourist trade drops.

Fran

ag123

Fran -
Where were you when this happened? my boyfriend and I leave in 2 weeks and are driving ourselves everywhere..and were really excited to be doing so.
Now I can't help but be very worried.
We are flying into Liberia, going to Arenal, up to Cano Negro then back to Playa Grande.

Jeff_Costa_Rica

Costa Rica is a fantastic country and there are probably no friendlier people on the face of the earth, but that doesn't change the fact that crime is a growing concern here, not just for tourists, but for people who live here too.

Travel requires an extra layer of vigilance, especially when coming to a place like this with a growing gap between the rich and poor. You don't have to be paranoid about it, and so suspicious of everybody that you neglect to interact with the people. (That's the real attraction of Costa Rica.) But you have to exercise caution to a greater degree than you do at home. I don't think anyone should lead you to believe otherwise.

Fran, I think you are completely right. Someone's negative experience generates far more publicity than someone's positive experience. Is that fair? Of course not. But it's human nature to listen more closely to the bad that happens, and to lose sight of the fact that the vast majority of people who visit have no problems and a wonderful time.

Many, like Shillmac, come back again and again, and for good reason.

But all it takes is one bad experience, and Costa Rica loses a potential return visitor, and that person tells a dozen people about their unfortunate experience, and there go 12 potential first-time visitors. It's a ripple effect. It may be unfair to Costa Rica, but it's understandable.

Floridafran

ag123,

We had made a wrong turn and were lost, but somewhere in Heredia, I think. This is not far from San Jose and nowhere near where you'll be when you get in at Liberia.

We plan to go back to Costa Rica, most likely in February or March of 2009, with the couple we shared our SUV with. And, we won't hesitate to rent a vehicle and drive ourselves again. Overall our experience was wonderful.

Yes, some of the drivers are insane or have an unknown death wish, or so it seems. And the same could be said of some pedestrians. But the beauty of the country and the warmth of the vast majority of the people are what will draw us back.

You do have to use extra caution driving in CR, but for us, it was the only way to do what we wanted, the way we wanted. The posted speed limits may seem too low, by our (U. S.) standards, but they make sense when you consider the condition of the roads and the traffic (vehicular, pedestrian, and animal). Just allow plenty of time to drive from one place to another and enjoy the changing scenery as you go.

Petty theft is a problem, no doubt. But it seems to be mostly crimes of opportunity - an unattended purse or camera, a car with valuables in plain sight - which are likely to happen just about anywhere. Most of the armed robberies I've heard about from the many surfers here who go to CR over and over, occur very late at night or in the wee hours of the morning. Those in daylight tend to occur in sketchy urban areas.

We never felt at all personally threatened driving or walking around once we got away from the greater San Jose area. We just used common sense with our valuables and vehicles, drove at night only in familiar or known to be safe areas, and didn't flash around our money.

Because I knew I'd be spending a lot of time on the beach, in the water, and easy hiking I left all my jewelry at home, even my wedding ring. But this is something I do on our hiking trips to the southwest here in the States and had nothing to do with CR. But any jewelry that you aren't able to wear at all times, even in the water, I'd leave home unless you know that the place you'll be staying has an excellent safe. Again, this is something I do where ever I travel.

Hope this helps you relax a bit, but if your gut instinct is telling you that you aren't going to enjoy this trip as much now if you rent a car, then maybe you shouldn't. There are many excellent drivers for hire. Tons of posts about that here.

Just remember - far more people DON'T have the negative experience of a slashed tire, much less the awful experience mcwinery had, than DO have such an experience. The odds are in your favor, especially considering your itinerary. But only you and your boyfriend know if any risk that something like this could happen is acceptable.

Hope you have a wonderful trip.

Fran

shillmac

We usually operate out of a "worst case scenario" mindset. I think it is helpful in many ways to be aware of what COULD happen and to take preventive measures in every way that is in our power to do so.

No doubt our many trips without incident have lulled us into being a bit too complacent, so, even for folks like us, it's a good reminder of the potential. And no, it isn't the U.S.A. When the police are virtually invisible or impotent (with regard to their impact upon criminals!!) it certainly makes it more tempting to commit the crimes. No consequences is quite an encouragement.

friendlyskies

I'm a single woman, traveling alone for work, and I just finished driving around Costa Rica for a month in a Daihatsu Terios, the most popular rental vehicle in the country. I logged more than 5000km. Someone attempted to break into my car once, in the parking lot of a $200/night hotel near Playas del Coco, Guanacaste. They failed to get into my car (which had a book and some paperwork in the front seat), but broke the lock, which cost me $18 to have fixed. I had no other problems, unless you count the potholes and San Jose traffic. (It's worth noting that roads have improved, particularly in Guanacaste. Unfortunately, this isn't saying much).

But, I always parked in guarded parking lots or paid someone to watch the vehicle. I kept my doors locked and windows up in congested urban areas. I almost never left anything at all in the car. I tried to avoid driving at night, though I often did. I would not have stopped for a flat tire, had I gotten one. Happily, that never happened. In fact, with the exception of a few dodgy river crossings (I caught the tale end of rainy season, too), it was a lovely trip filled with positive, professional and friendly interactions with all sorts of Ticos, tourists and expats. Certainly, no one held a gun to my head and forced me to perform oral sex.

I've lived and worked in Costa Rica for a while now, and I agree that renting a car can be a pricey hassle. The ridiculously expensive mandatory insurance and taxes probably aren't noted (prominently) in your online rental car reservations - check. Besides, buses are inexpensive, safe and reasonably comfortable, while private shuttles, personal taxis and convenient internal flights can be arranged quickly and cheaply at any hotel. And, for many destinations - Tortuguero, Osa, the "road" between La Fortuna and Monteverde - a car is a useless headache.

But if you do rent a car, which is an admittedly enjoyable option, it's not like you're going into some crazed Mad Max world. This is Costa Rica, where some of the roads are still unpaved, where the capital city and some touristy beach towns have crime problems. Take precautions, because it's worth a few colones for guarded parking, it's worth a few minutes to unload your car immediately. Upgrade to a 4WD if you're planning to travel on unpaved roads. But don't stress out too much and ruin your vacation.

travelqueen08

Well,mcwinery,you have managed to put me right off a trip to CR, with the posting of your obviously horrid experience. What a shock that must have been, poor you guys. I really feel so sorry that you had such a bad experience.

I have read all of the replies, etc. and although there were some very positive ones, I am still quite nervous about the trip I was trying to arrange for myself and my husband in Feb 08.

We originally wanted to go to Argentina, but our son persuaded us to try CR instead, which he visited a few years back and enjoyed tremendously. He is, of course, a very seasoned and adventurous traveller and younger than Mum and Dad, but still, we are not that old and very young at heart, so I started to investigate CR.

BUt, as I said earlier, I am quite worried about the driving part of the trip. I know we can get around by public transport, but it's not like having your own car, is it?? And some friends of ours, who had also visited CR recently, said that a car is a must, although it must be a 4x4.

So, I have to do some re-thinking now, unless I hear otherwise. I am also hoping to speak with my friend again and ask her more questions regarding her experiences with the driving part of their holiday.

Thanks

volcanogirl

travelqueen, we hired private drivers through our hotels and loved that option. It made us feel very safe, and we could just sit back and enjoy the ride. You might look into it. CR is definitely worth seeing.

tamararules

We were in Costa Rica in early part of December and drove all over with no problems. Three adults and two children. I read this posting before our trip and flipped out! Started researching pepper spray and other forms of protection but finally rationally calmed myself to realize that all that was needed was to be aware of our surroundings and always keep a alert eye out for any signs of possible trouble. We had the best time and never even a hint of trouble although my brother in law thought my sister and I were a little paranoid. I've also been to Argentina where they also have problems with crime and was cautioned by the Argentine family I was visiting with to be extremely careful. Once again everything was great but I was well protected there. Please don't let this posting stop you from visiting and enjoying such a beautiful country as Costa Rica. It was an unfortunate incident that really in this day could happen anywhere.

cmerrell

Travelqueen,

Like Tamararules, I read this post before my trip to CR last month and was quite nervous (even though I had driven there without incident in 2006).

We kept a wary eye out while we left the airport area and drove through bustling Alajuela. Once we were safely at our hotel, I never really gave it a second thought. Our driving adventures kept us out in the countryside away from the more congested areas, and aside from a pothole or two, we just didn't encounter any problems at all.

Costa Rica is a wonderful, beautiful place to visit. I've already got a few ideas for trip number 3 knocking around in my head!

vetteman

I have beento Costa Rica 5 times since 05 and headed there again the end of this month.
While i have not traveled the entire country (intend to some this trip) I have rented a car and never had a problem, and intend to rent again this trip. I belive in "anything can happen" but I also believe that the proper precautions greatly narrows the odds.