May trip
 

My wife and I are in the planning stages for a trip to MA next May, staying a Villa Mot Mot.
We are scheduled to arrive SJO at 3:30pm. Is that too late to try to get to MA with a private driver? I had one quote $320 for the round trip.
Does it make sense to rent a car?
We return to SJO for a flight out at 12:05pm. Is it logical to try to get from MA and make that plane?
Thanks to the posters on this site.

$320 seems a bit pricey, but maybe not by more that $20-30. We loved Mot Mot. .you'll enjoy it as well, I'm sure!

With a driver, you can certainly leave for MA later in the day and can probably get there by 8:00 p.m. or so. If you are unfamiliar with the road and want to rent, I'd wait until the next a.m. for sure.

On your last day, you would have to leave MA at 6:00 AT THE LATEST to make the plane (recommendation of 3 hours check is NOT an exaggeration at times). If anything unexpected happens en route (about a 20% possibility, maybe more), you would not have enough time.

Thank you shillmac for that information. I actually 'discovered" Mot Mot from one of your earlier posts. It looks great! I also have reservations at Villa Bonita (again from your information) The names on the reservation reply differ from the names you gave. Has the property been sold? Will it make any difference?

With a private driver, you can really arrive as late as you want to since you don't have to worry about doing the driving in the dark. We had a flight that got in at 9:00pm and still had a driver take us to our destination; it's nice to wake up at your hotel and have the day ahead of you. Totally agree with shillmac that if you're driving yourselves, you should wait until the next day. The roads aren't all that well marked, and can be confusing at night. Also have the chance of rain, fog, etc. If you have time in your schedule, you might want to schedule a couple of nights at the Peace Lodge at the end of your trip - it's a great property full of waterfalls and only an hour from the airport in SJO.

That actually isn't a bad price. We have been seeing transportation rates creep up as gas prices rise. That is the transportation company's biggest expense.

When we were there a few weeks ago, gas was topping over $5.00 per gallon.

Hope this helps. Let me know if I can offer more advice.

Warm Regards,
Pat Hewitt
Travel Professional

OP--I'm sending you an e-mail. . .