I am trying to make the oft-debated decision about whether to rent a car. A big factor for us is ease of getting around/exploring once we arrive in MA and La Fortuna. Is it easy to get cabs or walk places in town? On the other hand, is it hard to find "safe" parking at parks, restaurants, etc. if you're driving a rental car?

Our itinerary will probably be SJO, transferring to La Fortuna as part of a rafting trip, then possibly renting a car from there to drive to MA, then drive to Peace Lodge, and then back to SJO.

It's definitely not easy to walk in La Fortuna - the area is pretty spread out and things aren't that close together. We stayed at the Lost Iguana, and they offered a free shuttle into town around dinnertime, so we used that to go eat and then would get a cab back. Getting cabs was easy - restaurants will call for you and they're there in minutes or you can go to the central area of town and there's lots of them waiting there. If you want the convenience of a car, this would be the place to have one.

In MA, I don't think a car is necessary; we were able to walk to restaurants from our hotel. One restaurant was fairly far, so we took a cab there, and the total fare was 5 bucks. Your hotel/restaurants will call them for you, and they seemed plentiful. We took a guided tour of the park, and the guide picked us up at our hotel, so we found a car completely unnecessary in MA.

I second the car not being necessary in Manuel Antonio. The only way I could see it as more useful is if you are staying in a hotel located far from the main road (Makanda, Mango Moon, La Mansion, Parador). Staying there can involve long, uncomfortable walks to the main road to catch the bus. You'd probably find the car beneficial while staying at Lost Iguana, as that's a little off the beaten path and cab fare can be expensive. I honestly don't remember how much, but I'm sure someone on this board could answer that. If you are only at the Peace Lodge for one night, chances are you probably won't leave the property anyway so the car will just sit parked in the lot.

It is generally safe to park the car at parks and restaurants, but always leave your doors locked and never leave anything valuable in the car. (I learned that the hard way once). Crime, mainly theft, is becoming an increasing issue, but most touristy spots will have other cars around, so I do not see it being a huge problem. Hope that helps!

Quarters - we were just in La Fortuna/Arenal this past Thurs.-Sun. and would definitely second volcanogirl's recommendation for a rental car there. We drove all over the place for those three days and were very glad we had the freedom and spontaneity that the car provided.

Quarters, I wanted to add that the cab fare from town back to the Lost Iguana was about $15. More expensive than in MA because this area is more spread out, and Lost Iguana is set outside town a little bit in the hills - loved it though!

Thanks for the replies - it sounds like a car would be a good idea, at least for some of our trip.