Great report AND photos, Keith. I am following posts about CR to be prepared for our upcoming 4-weeks travel in August and I have found it very explanatory. It's value for me is that many photos were taken "from the driver's seat". Thanks !

keith, loved it! it was like re-living my trips. thanks a lot :)

My wife and I are going to land near San Jose on 2/24. Should we exchange dollars to Colones? We would like to get to each coast. I especially want to go Tarpon fishing. Should I rent a 4x4? Is it safe to travel anywhere? I understand the roads can be rough. I also read you should not leave anything in your rental car if you don't want it stolen. I was told liability is mandatory for an additional $10.00/day. I would appreciate any input. Thanks, Tim

Tim, we have never had to exchange our money; dollars have been widely accepted everywhere we went. Definitely do not leave anything in your car; CR is notorious for car break-ins, and it doesn't take long.

There are other people here that know more about the country than I do, but for what its worth...

My experience renting was positive. I was more comfortable and had less stress than I have had driving in the UK or Mexico. I minimized the times that the rental vehicle was unattended and contained very much.

The little Suzuki didn't have a place to put luggage where it couldn't be seen outside the vehicle. So I pulled the panel that was over the spare tire, and set it above my luggage and the bags weren't visible.

The only place I would have felt unsafe was San Jose, so I never went there.

As far as dollars, in the tourist areas almost every price was quoted in dollars - gift shops, restaurants, hotels, parks & attractions. I was in the country for nearly 48 hours before I saw the local currency, and that was in change for dollars paid at the only restaurant that didn't take credit cards.

As far as rental insurance, Tricolor gave me a quote that included basic insurance, and said that using my credit card, I didn't need additional insurance. They did put a $1,200 hold on my charge account during the rental, but ripped up the voucher when I returned. My daily rate was $45 including every tax and fee. If you rent for a full week, the 7th day is free.

Keith