Well, months ago I planned our CR honeymoon (booked villa, hotel, flights, etc.) We were arriving at SJO at 11:58 AM (Sunday, May 27) and were going to try to catch the last Sansa flight to MA at 1:30.

I decided to review our plans today, logged in to the flight plans, and lo and behold, they changed the arrival times on us (with no recourse but to get a refund). Now, we aren't arriving until 2:05 PM and will miss the last Sansa, and Natureair, flight to MA.

Staying the night in the SJ area is not an option, so it seems that we are "stuck" with a 3.5 hour drive to MA on Sunday.

We were going to rent a car once in MA anyway, so I am leaning towards just picking it up at SJO and driving myself, but will we be able to beat the darkness if we arrive at the airport at 2:05?
Are we going to run into traffic from people coming BACK from the beach?

Or should we just hire a driver to alleviate that concern?

Thanks in advance for the responses!
Tommy

You will probably get a ton of responses to your question, so only you can decide which is best. I do recommend renting a car, especially in MA. If you are staying on top of the hill, it is nice to have to get down to the park or down to Quepos.

The first time I went to CR, I drove to MA without knowing that it got dark at 6:30, so the last hour was spent driving in the dark on horrible roads with very little signs. My wife hated it and was scared. The roads were pitch black, full of pot holes, people and animals, and then there were a couple of single lane bridges. I loved it. It added so much to the entire experience, and once we arrived and my wife had a drink, she agreed that it was well worth it, but probably took a few years off of her life.

So, if you do not like to travel in these conditions, get easily lost in your own neighborhood, or just would prefer a safer route, then you might want to wait or hire a driver. It will probably take you 30 - 45 minutes to get thru the airport, then at least an additional 30 - 45 minutes to rent a car and get on the road, so take that into account as well. It has also been 3 years since I went to MA and the roads may have gotten better. When I was in CR this past summer, I noticed a huge improvement to many of the roads.

If it were em, I'd hire a driver and not bother renting a car in MA either...you don't really need one in the MA area.

If you're going someplace else after MA, then have the car delvired to your hotel the morning you leave.

Driving in Costa Rica isn't nearly as bad as presented by a lot on these message boards, especially driving from San Jose to Manuel Antonio. This is an easy drive compared to most. If you were going to Monteverde, I might advise to stay overnight somewhere halfway.

Having a car in MA allows you the freedom to go where you want, when you want. The driving is part of the adventure, enjoy it and just drive around the potholes like you would anywhere else!

Getting into SJO at noon gives you plenty of time (even with stops along the way) to get to MA before dark.

Don't get me wrong...I love driving in CR. But I still think that for MOST people, a car in the MA area is a most likely waste of money.

I'm not sure what tthom17's plans are, but if it's a typical MA vacation - meaning trip to the park / beach, ziplining tours, mangrove tours, etc...most of those activities will include transportation.

tthom17, if you are planning on going out on on your own exploring the area quite a bit, then by all means YES, I'd recommend a car. But if you're doing the park/beach/multiple tours thing, I still say a car will be a waste - it will end up sitting at your hotel all day, and I have never had an issue getting a taxi in the Quepos / MA area.

Good luck in whatever you choose!

Thanks everyone! We are more or less doing the park/beach thing with a few tours. However, we will be staying at a rented villa which is not a part of any other hotel, condo association, etc., which is precisely why I picked the place. So besides whatever food and drinks we pick up at the grocery store, we will have to travel quite some distance for each meal and we intend to dine out a good bit during our stay.

Basically, for me, the thought of calling a taxi to take me to and from each meal just doesn't pan out, so I think renting a car while at the villa in MA is an absolute for us. Had we been staying at a resort, however, I would be all for hoofing it around town to get where I wanted to be!

Also, are there alternative, yet safe, routes to take while driving between MA and SJ? Is there a more scenic route for the way back from MA to SJ?

Thanks for all the timely and helpful replies!

I don't know of any alternate routes between SJO and MA. If anything, you may want to stop over in Jaco or something like that if you want to see another beach town along the way. But IMO, I would say just get to MA, because there is lots to do there! Safe travels.

It's a great drive! Enjoy your trip.

At the very least, your last half hour or so will probably be in the dark. Do be careful going over those bridges. It is rainy season and those pesky afternoon showers can pop up and slow you down also. For your wedding present we will all wish you sunny skies.

Keep in mind that street signs are about nonexistent down there. Have a good map from the villa owners/managers before you head down. You shouldn't have trouble finding your way to Quepos (there is signage for that), it will be mostly trying to find your villa once you get there.

With a little luck truck traffic won't be too bad going over the mountains and you will be able to move along but I wouldn't count on it. There could be beach traffic coming back but that shouldn't effect you other than increased chances of someone passing on a curve to get around a truck from the other direction.

I am allowing 1 1/2 hr for immigration and car rental. Could be less.

We visited MA this past December and did the last 30 minutes or so of the drive after the sun had gone down. The roads between SJO and MA are in good shape overall. You'll pass through some winding, narrow, hilly sections the first half of the drive, but once you get closer to the coast the route flattens out quite a bit. As suzie2 mentioned, you'll have to traverse the 2 infamous, ricketty one-lane bridges. Those were definitely part of the adventure!

We did just fine making our way through Quepos and finding our MA hotel in the dark. Just take things nice and easy. Make sure you have directions to your villa and a good map. Drive defensively and don't stress out! We loved the flexibility the rental car afforded us. It was a great way to experience the beautiful countryside.

You may not have time to stop on your way in to MA, but on the drive back to SJO stop at the Rio Tarcoles bridge to check out the huge crocodiles that hang out in the river below. I loved seeing them!

Another vote for getting a car and heading on down to MA. No matter where we are, we always find it convenient to have a car for whatever reason we might need it. Who knows, you might decide to venture on down to Dominical (now that's a road you won't soon forget!) for further adventure!

Two routes, yes. At least the way we do it. . .

I'd stay out of the mountains en route to MA. Take the Interamerican west toward Puntarenas, then follow signs down to Quepos. Should take you about 3 hours or close to it. Immigration time, well, pretty darned unpredictable!

We got in about 25 min early (fast pilot!) last month, but our jetway wasn't ready, so sat on the runway until that time was lost. Then, despite the fact that we had only carry on (had gotten through immigration very quickly, 15 min), we had to wait about 20 for the car rental van to pick us up. The rep was there, but once he made the call for a van, there was a slight delay. THEN, at the car agency, they were shorthanded and there were a couple of people in front of us. We were in our car about 2 hours after our plane touched down. SHOULD'VE been about an hour. . . .you just never know.

At any rate, even if you get out of town by 4:00, you be almost there by the time it is dark.

On the return, take the road to Orotina, which will take you over the mountains to Atenas--this is a lovely route and very scenic. You can see both routes on the map easily. The drawback to this road is that it is a bit more narrow and traffic tends to back up (behind slow moving trucks, etc) a bit more.

Yours is a small dilemma, and I agree with others that it will add to the adventure. Happy travels and congratulations!

Thank you all for the advice and kind words!

As for the route down the Interamerican and getting off at the Puntarenas exit, I've read that the "section between Puntarenas and the exit for Orotina has been in terrible shape in recent years and is pocked with nearly constant, and often very deep, potholes."

Now, I personally would really enjoy a rough and rugged trip in a mud covered 4x4, but the lovely lady that I am marrying has expressed serious fear about a harrowing drive through the mountains in the rain and possibly in the dark.

Now, if it does come down to my driving to MA, and let's say we leave SJO at 4:00 PM, and it is raining pretty hard out there, which route is safer? Or at least, which route gives the perception of being safer to my trusty copilot?

The most direct route AND the safest is going toward Puntarenas and then following the signs to MA. The road around Quepos has some potholes etc., but its not bad at all. Just don't drive too fast and you'll be fine. I did the whole drive at night this past November with my wife and had no problems.

I would think you will have the last portion of your drive, an hour or so, at night. You could get to Jaco during daylight, but I think you will be fine just driving to MA.

Well heck, I can't remember when we were last on that section you mention south of Puntarenas, but I don't remember it being much of a problem--ever. Probably won't be raining at any rate. You'll be okay. It's the better route to take for that time of day. You should still be in the daylight hours when you get to that section (barely). . .tell your copilot that the roads really aren't as bad as lots of people make them out to be. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!