billruth

Thanks for the responses to my previous post about our family trip to Costa Rica between Dec. and Jan. Our flights are booked and we are going Jan. 3 - Jan. 9. I have not finalized the intinerary yet, but believe that at least 2 of the 3, Arenal, MA, and Monteverde will be the places we will go. My question now is how to get from place to place. I do not want to rent a car based on all the comments on this site. So, suggestions in the order to visit these, to maximize our time at our selected locations and minimize any backtracking would be appreciated and best way to get from location to location would be appreciated.
Thanks a lot.

allison04

Interbus. They've been great on our trips!

ekellyga

Any reasons why you don't want to rent a car?? We are in CR right now, leaving for home tomorrow. having our own car is always something I prefer. No problems using rental car here, going to the places you are talking about going.
EK

Millie64

I agree that renting a car is really wonderful. You get to see everything you want to and the driving isn't very difficult. On the other hand, I avoided going to Monteverde. (Read Nature Lover's trip) because I prefered not to drive what appears to be a difficult trip. Although Monteverde sounds great, La Bosque de Paz allowed us to get into our own private rain/cloud forest. Let me know if you want any more info on what I did.

billruth

Millie64,
Thanks, I would like more information on what you did. My husband is thinking that maybe we could drive some of the places. We will have 5 people, so we would need a larger vehicle. Any information would be greatly appreciated about rening a car and which places to drive to and which one not to drive to. We are still considering our itinerary, Arenal, MA, Monteverde, and someplace on the Caribbean side, of course we will not be able to do it all, but looking for someway to maximize our experiences.
Thanks for anyones input.

ekellyga

We just got back, drove from San Jose, to Manuel Antonio, to Monteverde, to Arenal, to Peace Lodge.
We both thought that the driving wasn't nearly as bad as some people say....that is...up around m'verde. Yes, there are a couple of hours of rocky roads, using 2nd and 3rd gear, but it wasn't brutal or anything like that.
If you go to those places, and get a driver, you're going to ride those roads anyway.
We just like the freedom of having a car to jump into and go somewhere, even if it is just up the road to get a Coke and people watch.

However, it seems like many people hire these drivers, who escort them for the whole trip, in a minivan. That doesn't sound bad to me. I didn't check into the cost of doing that. Where does the driver stay while the customers are sleeping overnight in these nice tourist hotel/resorts?? Do you pay for a room for him?
EK