Need Costa Rica Advice!
 

My boyfriend and I are going to CR the last week in February/first week of March. We are trying to decide whether or not to rent a car?? We would like to visit the beach for a few days and the Volcano area for a few days. Would anyone recommend renting a car and driving this route or should we fly to the coast and rent a car in Tamarindo/Liberia and drive back by way of teh volcano?

Renting a car is a good idea, its not too expensive; there are several rental agencys to choose from. The smallest car is usually enough, you do not need 4wd to go most places. If you charge the rental with a gold or platinum card you can go without the extra insurance. <BR>Dont miss Arenal area- active volcano, hot springs & waterfall. Good luck, you'll have fun!

We went to CR with a similar itinerary. A 4x4 was pretty inexpensive and for whatever reason hardly used any gas :). i'd also highly recommend the cloud forest, Monteverde. Some people think it's just a bunch of trees, but it was really neat to see all the fauna and flora in "real life". Arenal was great, too!

Thanks for your help Ingrid and David. Do we “need” a 4x4? How bad are the roads, really. Some of the postings I have read make them seem impassable at times. Someone suggested driving to Arenal, Monteverde, and finally to Tamarindo, and then flying back to San Jose. Is this a good idea? If we didn’t fly back is it feasible to drive down the Peninsula and drive back to San Jose by way of the ferry? Or would this route be too much for a one-week trip? How much is gas in CR? Can you recommend any hotels in Tamarindo or in the Arenal and Monteverde areas?

Thanks for your help Ingrid and David. Do we “need” a 4x4? How bad are the roads, really. Some of the postings I have read make them seem impassable at times. Someone suggested driving to Arenal, Monteverde, and finally to Tamarindo, and then flying back to San Jose. Is this a good idea? If we didn’t fly back is it feasible to drive down the Peninsula and drive back to San Jose by way of the ferry? Or would this route be too much for a one-week trip? How much is gas in CR? Can you recommend any hotels in Tamarindo or in the Arenal and Monteverde areas?

If you stick to the main roads, you don't necessarily need 4WD, but at times you DO need high ground clearance. Its tough to find a 2WD car that has high clearance, so I would still recommend getting a 4WD. For example, the road around the north side of Lake Arenal (the shortest route between Liberia and Volcan Arenal) has recently had several large landslides that took out parts of the road. Those sections now have giant potholes and big rocks that stick out of the 'roadbed' (and I use that word charitably) which could cause big problems if you have low ground clearance. Personally, I think the drive from San Jose to Liberia and on to the Guanacaste coast is kind of nice. You just need to be patient when stuck behind slow-moving trucks, and vigilant for potholes and over-agressive Tico drivers. Also, strictly adhere to speed limits, as there are an unbelievably high number of speed traps on most highways. Lastly, rent from a reputable company. I have heard horror stories of companies charging renters huge amounts for tiny dings or scratches that were probably there before. We have had a lot of success renting from Toyota, which seems to be more professional and service-oriented than other companies. Even if you choose to rent from Hertz/Avis/Budget/Alamo, you might not get great service, because those companies actually franchise their brand-name to local companies.

Do not do Monteverde wthout 4 wheel drive. The rest of the country is passable without it, but Monteverde is absolutely 4 wheeldrive only. <BR>the local folks here drve everywhere n 2 wheel drve sedans, but doubt even they try Monteverde wthout 4x4.<BR>There are both Interbus and Fantasy us available that canbe booked by any hotel for the followng day as a rule.<BR>you don't NEED to rent a car. But it isall amatter of how comfortale you are living on bus schedules, really.<BR>Enjoy your trip!<BR>Robbie