February 25th, 2017 Update – We have a special offer just for you! Check the end of the post for more details*
Welcome to our Costa Rica car rental guide! If you’re thinking about renting a car in Costa Rica for your vacation, here is everything you need to know. In this advice for renting a car in Costa Rica post, we give our best tips and advice on if you should rent a car, the kind of car, different car rental companies and how to save money on car rentals.
I have rented a car in Costa Rica many times and Yeison also gave us his insider tips as a Costa Rican who has worked in the tourism industry for over 10 years. I’ll help you decide if renting a car sounds like the right choice for your Costa Rica vacation, how to stay safe and save money so you can have a worry and stress free trip.
These are the topics we’ll go over in this article, click below to skip to the section.
Renting a Car in Costa Rica Advice
- Why rent?
- Reasons not to rent
- Our Personal Experiences
- What kind of car should you rent?
- Is a 4×4 necessary?
- Tips for Renting
- Important Things to Know
- Special offer (DISCOUNT!)
Why rent a car in Costa Rica?
Renting a car in Costa Rica is probably one of the best ways to take in all the sights and sounds of the country. Some of the advantages are obvious – go where you want, when you want. Make your own agenda and have more freedom!
You can stop whenever you want, take scenic detours, visit small towns off the main road, basically everything becomes available to you. You’re not on a time schedule or on anyone else’s schedule. Go off the beaten path and discover hidden beaches and oases all to yourself. The possibilities become endless when you are in control of your destination!
Once you get outside of San Jose or the main cities, public buses become rarer and it can be frustrating having to work your schedule around buses that don’t run all day, have few routes and get super full. Not the best idea for those with little ones or health problems. Plus taxis are expensive and don’t always go where you want them to go if you want to explore. For adventure seekers, this is extremely frustrating!
By renting a car, you won’t be restricted to bus schedules and you’ll save a ton of time. To maximize your vacation time, minimize the time spent waiting for your transportation.
If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t like being restricted, loves having the freedom to go wherever, wants the comfort and convenience of a car and prefer not to take public transportation, then renting a car is the right choice for your Costa Rica trip.
Reasons not to rent a car in Costa Rica
Here are some reasons why renting a car in Costa Rica may not be the best choice for you.
- You don’t want to worry about the stress of driving.
- You’re not that used to driving in foreign countries.
- You’re only staying in one or two destinations.
- On a budget.
The driving in Costa Rica can be scary sometimes for first time visitors since drivers here are not as careful or considerate as some other countries. They don’t signal, they love to pass even when it’s not allowed and many places don’t have accurate road signs.
I’m always very careful when it comes to recommending visitors to drive in Costa Rica. If even the thought of driving in a foreign country gives you anxiety or stress, then you will probably prefer to book shuttles or take the bus. Driving does give you freedom but it is another responsibility.
However if you’ve been here before or are used to different kinds of driving cultures, then renting a car should be at the top of your list of things to consider for your trip to Costa Rica.
One of Our Personal Experiences With Renting a Car in Costa Rica
When my brother came to Costa Rica in 2013, renting a car was one thing they were sure they wanted to do. With a big group, we wanted the flexibility and comfort of a car as they were coming with another couple so there would be 6 of us road tripping throughout the country for a week. Our plan was to drive from Playas del Coco – Arenal – Monteverde – Puntarenas – ferry to Mal Pais – Mal Pais – Playas del Coco. It was going to be one hell of a trip and we were all so excited.
How we chose what car to rent:
Obviously we needed something big enough to fit all 6 of us plus our luggage. A 4X4 was necessary since we knew the roads around Mal Pais and Monteverde weren’t the best. Through our research, we ended up renting a Ford Everest 4X4.
Without renting this car, we wouldn’t have made it back to Coco in one happy piece. We ended up taking the long way from Mal Pais to Coco which meant we drove on the beach, on the rocks and were on very unpaved roads. You can definitely say we did a good bit of exploring the jungle in our car!
Though we have our own car, we still need to rent one from time to time. We recently rented a Hyundai Tucson for our Turrialba trip in March 2017 and it was perfect. The Hyundai Tucson is a very common car to rent in Costa Rica, it’s 4×4, fits up to 5 passengers and comes in automatic and manual. It took us all throughout Turrialba, the volcano and the rural roads.
We also rented the same car to Uvita, where our hotel was in the mountains and required a 4×4. The car was great and worked very well, no problems at all going to the bumpy steep roads in the South Pacific.
What kind of car should you rent in Costa Rica?
If your itinerary sounds a bit like ours, then you must get a 4X4. This also includes routes around Nicoya Peninsula, Osa Peninsula, Monteverde and Costa Ballena. For the best 4×4 options with the most space, look for a Mitsubishi Montero Sport, Hyundai Santa Fe or Toyota Fortuner/Prado, these are all full size SUVs that fit up to 7 passengers.
If you aren’t coming with that many people and don’t need that big of a car, some recommendations are Suzuki Jimny, Daihatsu Bego, and Hyundai Tucson. These are also ideal for small families or couples.
If you are going to be staying in the city or on well-traveled routes, a sedan or compact will be fine. Some recommendations are Hyundai Accent Blue and Toyota Yaris, you can even get a Hyunda Gran i10. We traveled in both cars before with another couple and it fit all four of us comfortably and the trunk had more than enough space for our 6 pieces of luggage.
Automatic cars cost more to rent in Costa Rica so if you can drive a manual and want to save some money, rent a manual car instead.
A van is also another choice if your group is large, with young ones or seniors. They have the most room but it is not recommended to take one off the main road as they don’t do the best in poor road conditions.
Want to get in-depth information about the type of cars available? We took videos and pictures of the different cars you can rent in Costa Rica that you can check out here.
Is a 4×4 necessary in Costa Rica?
That’s a question we get a lot. It really depends on where you’re going and if you plan to do some exploring. Here are some examples of trips we’ve taken, the road conditions and which car we drove.
- From Guanacaste to Arenal, we drove a four door sedan as the entire route is nicely paved through the Inter-Americana highway, Tilaran, Canas and Nuevo Arenal. We have a post with pictures and videos of the Liberia to Arenal route you can see here.
- To Monteverde: The route to Monteverde (all routes from San Jose and Liberia) are unpaved for at least 20 kilometers and highly recommended to have a 4×4. We took our Hyundai Galloper which was awesome and we also drove there with the Ford Everest.
- From San Jose to Limon and Puerto Viejo, we took a 4 door sedan. This road is nicely paved. There are some places around Puerto Viejo where we went where the roads are not paved but they are not so terrible you have to have a 4X4. If you are driving to Veragua, a 4×4 is necessary.
- From San Jose to Dominical we took a Hyundai Galloper. The road to Dominical is well paved and wide. Dominical town itself does not have paved roads, some restaurants and hotels are located high up in the mountains on curved, unpaved roads and the road to the beaches are not paved making it necessary to get a 4X4.
- Around the Central Valley (Alajuela, San Jose, Cartago including Grecia, San Ramon and Zarcero), we took the Hyundai Accent Blue and it was great. Well paved roads, no off roading so no 4X4 needed.
- From Playas del Coco to Manuel Antonio (and Playa Jaco) we took a Toyota Yaris with no problems since it was all well paved, good conditions roads. Once in Manuel Antonio, the roads are still well paved up to the parking lot of the national park.
- From Playas del Coco to Rincon de la Vieja National Park, we drove a Suzuki Jimny which was great. We also took a Toyota Yaris once and it was quite bumpy. Roads in that national park are not paved and though it is not absolutely necessary to have a 4X4, it was much more comfortable in the Jimny.
- Around Uvita: We drove our Hyundai Galloper and rented a Hyundai Tuscon for Uvita as our hotels were up in the mountains and required a 4×4.
- Osa Peninsula like Carate, Drake Bay, Puerto Jimenez, Matapalo: A 4×4 is absolutely necessary. The main road to Puerto Jimenez is very nicely paved but it ends once you get to town. The road to Carate/Matapalo is extremely bumpy and has a ton of holes. Drake Bay is even worse and it is recommended not to drive to Drake Bay in rainy season since you have to cross some rivers and you could get rained in.
- Arenal to Tamarindo: This route is on a well paved main road. Neither destination required a 4×4.
- Ostional: We recommend getting a SUV to go to Ostional as that road is extremely bumpy and there is a river right before you enter the town. We saw many compact cars stuck there because their car was not high enough to cross. In dry season, the water level may be low enough but the road is still super bumpy.
- Turrialba: You can get by without a 4×4. The road up to the volcano national park is well paved. It gets unpaved around Guayabo monument but it is nothing horrible.
We have created a dedicated section to “driving around Costa Rica” with videos taken with our GoPro so you can see what the road conditions are like for every place we go. You can see all of them here. We also have a detailed guide to the road conditions in Costa Rica for popular routes and destinations with photos and videos.
Tips for Renting a Car in Costa Rica
- If you have car rental points, they might not work in Costa Rica. My friend tried to use his Hertz points here but they didn’t apply. Make sure to find this out before you book the car.
- If you’re planning on using your credit card for your trip, make sure you’ll have enough leftover on your limit. Car rentals will charge your card beforehand for a security deposit which can be anywhere from $300-$5000. It takes around 46-72 hours for these funds to be released after you return the car.
- For most car rental companies, the minimum age to rent a car is 23.
- Sometimes you can book a car rental at the airport when you get through customs but usually it is more expensive and it’s not guaranteed. It’s better to book it before your trip especially in high season and that way you can comparison shop and be 100% clear on what taxes and fees you have to pay and how much your total will be.
- Same goes for booking over the phone. You may find that the prices you get when you call versus the prices you get when you look online are different. Make sure to comparison shop!
- Every car rental company has different insurance policies so if you’re not sure what is what, contact them and ask for an explanation. Read Yeison’s post on Costa Rica car rental insurance to find out more.
- If you see a website that has extremely cheap car rentals and no insurance options, be wary. Many booking websites make it so the car rental seems super duper cheap ($5 a day or something) and that you don’t need to pay insurance, but when you get to the car rental office to pick up the car, they hit you with a crazy insurance fee which they say is mandatory. There is a mandatory insurance in Costa Rica but they just don’t put it on the website. And if you want to decline it using your credit card, you can’t because you need an official letter from your credit card company and you can’t get it when you’re already in Costa Rica.
- Make sure you take part in the inspection. Take pictures and tell them if you see any scratches, dents, or nicks so that you won’t get in trouble for those when you return the car.
- You are allowed to drive legally in Costa Rica as long as you bring your home country’s drivers license and your visa is valid.
- Make sure you return the car on time.
- Check where the car rental office is to the airport if you’re dropping off the car before your flight.
- If you have a smartphone with data from a prepaid sim card, download the app WAZE. It is the best navigation app since the information is supplemented by Costa Ricans themselves and you can see warnings for accidents, traffic and even traffic cops. You can also get a GPS which is included in our discount!
- Bring a Spanish phrasebook or download our free guide which has important direction phrases and words. Don’t expect locals to know English especially when you get outside of the city!
- Make sure you keep the receipts and documents.
Important Things to Know About Costa Rica Car Rentals
- There are plenty of car rental companies around the airport but they don’t all necessarily drop your car off there. If not, the car rental company will have a free shuttle (or an airport fee) to take you back to the office so you can finish the paperwork, charge your card and do the inspection.
- If you happen to get a ticket, you can pay it when you drop off the car. Unfortunately, driving tickets are fairly expensive here so I would try to avoid getting one at all costs. Make sure you pay it as there is a new law that can prohibit you from exiting the country if you do not.
- If you get into an accident, your deposit will be held until the case goes to court. Please be very careful when driving since court cases can take months and years to figure out and it’s a messy process in general. Please report to the car rental company asap if you get in an accident.
For driving tips, we have a post about tips for driving in Costa Rica. See what it’s really like driving in the city, the countryside and what the road conditions are like for your future destinations.
We have another in-depth driving guide (mostly city). Learn what it’s like to drive here straight from a Costa Rican, find out what kinds of things you need to look out for and the Costa Rican way of driving.
Overview (plus our Costa Rica car rental discount)
Phew! With all that being said, I still recommend renting a car in Costa Rica to anyone who wants to have a unique experience in Costa Rica. Not saying you won’t have a great time if you don’t, but like I said before, renting a car gives you the freedom you wouldn’t otherwise have if you depended on public transportation.
We’ve found gorgeous hidden beaches all to ourselves, stopped at beautiful scenic spots and stumbled upon some of the tastiest sodas when we drove around the country. Renting a car created one of the most memorable trips for my brother, his friends and I that we would have never been able to experience otherwise.
I am recommending renting a car in Costa Rica with a hint of caution however, it is something you do need to think long and hard about. What kind of trip are you looking for, what are you willing to spend and is driving even something you want to do while on vacation?
If so and you’re intent on renting a car in Costa Rica for your trip, then we’re happy to offer this special offer to you. We partnered up with Adobe Rent a Car to give our readers an exclusive discount, saving 10% and more plus 2 free drivers, a free cell phone with 1 hour of credit, free baby and booster seats, free surf racks and 33% off GPS rental. Book a car, have a trip of a lifetime and save money while doing it!
Get 10% and more off with our discount plus 2 free drivers and 33% off GPS
Watch our video to learn more about the Costa Rica car rental discount.
You can read about our experience with Adobe Rent a Car and why we recommend them.
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Hi Megan, there are a lot of horror stories on the web for renting a car in Costa Rica which is one of the main reasons we wrote this in-depth guide and partnered with Adobe because they are upfront and transparent about all rates, taxes, fees and insurances whereas other companies, are not and that is why people have such a bad experience with car rentals in Costa Rica. Over 2000 of our readers have rented a car with Adobe and they have all had great experiences since everything is up front and clear, no hidden fees/taxes/etc.
I checked your car rental information and the rate is actually a bit cheaper today, at $647 with the insurances except Total. Total Protection is optional but whenever we rent a car, we like to get it to be safe as you never know and because even though Yeison is obviously used to driving here, I’m not quite as used to it. Especially if it’s your first trip to Costa Rica/haven’t driven much internationally and aren’t familiar with the driving, road conditions, etc., I do recommend getting it.
The Car Protection can be declined by presenting a letter from your credit card company upon arrival which makes the rate about $48 cheaper.
Please let us know if you have other questions!
Thanks for all your tips and posts… This will be our FIRST trip to Costa Rica with 2 couples going. I keep reading HORROR stories about rental cars, but they still want to rent a car. We fly into San Jose end of July for 12 days. We are staying in Quepos. Do you recommend a 4×4? We wil be travelling some but not far outside of Quepos. Also we will be using a Southwest Credit Card. Ive heard if we purchase additional insurance through the agency it voids anything by our CC, have you heard that? Below is what the quote was from your Adobe site for car protection and mandatory liabilty BUT NOT the total protection. Do you recommend the total protection? Thanks in advance!
Hyundai Accent MT / GROUP P
Pickup Information
30/07/2017 12:30:00
San Jose
Return Information
11/08/2017 08:00:00
San Jose
Fare
MY TAN FEET 16
Estimate
$719.06
Hello Kathryn,
I hope you and your family are doing great! Regarding your questions, all the SUV’s are for 5 people actually and all the sedans are too. The reason why Adobe recommends 4 adults in the car is for luggage and size of the people to be comfortable but that is a recommendation. The best option will be a Hyundai Tucson because it has enough space in the back seat to use a booster seat for your 6 year old and there will be plenty of space for your other 2 children. The size of the Hyunda Tucson is very similar to a Nissan Rogue in the USA.
The drive from the airport in Liberia to Tamarindo is paved and easy, there are lots of signs in the road, once you get to Tamrindo there is a gravel road that will take you to Langosta but it is a very short gravel road, maybe like 2 or 3 miles max. You can still use a sedan but a mid size SUV like the Hyunda Tucson will be great.
Please let us know if you have any questions and thank you for reading Mytanfeet 🙂
Hi guys. My husband & I & three children (13, 12, & 6) will be visiting the Playa Langosta/Tamarindo area in late August. Which car would you recommend for us? I only see one that accommodates more than four passengers. Also, how is the drive from LIR to Tamarindo? Are the roads paved? Thanks!
Hi Stephanie, with our partnership with Adobe Rent a Car, all our readers get free delivery and drop off to hotels nearby. We also offer a discount you can check out here:
Costa Rica car rental discount
and just leave a note in the comments which hotel and time you’d like the car to be delivered to. THey do require a 3 day minimum rental period, if you rent less than that they will still have to charge you for 3 days.
Hello, thanks so much for all of the work you put into this blog. I wish I had found it before renting from Economy. I have a comment about Economy rental cars in Liberia (near the airport). Upon arriving to Arenal, I discovered the rear bumper was coming off. I did not go on any crazy roads nor did I hit anything. So I went to a body shop in La Fortuna to ask their opinion about what happened. The mechanic looked at it and showed me that it had been damaged a few months earlier and then very poorly glued back together with windshield glass glue and the glue was now peeling off causing the bumper to sag and come away from the body of the car. I am worried about what other damage was done to the car that will become apparent once I return it. Essentially Economy rented me a car that they knew would fall apart. I am hoping they will take full responsibility and not attempt to charge me for their negligence. I will return the car in a few days so here’s hoping they will have some integrity.
Again, thank you so much for creating this space.
Hello Marisa, I am so sorry about your experience with Economy rent a car, I recommend you to take pictures of everything and please let us know if there anything we can do to help. We hate when things like this happen to our readers. One of the reasons why we recommend Adobe rent a car is because we are 100% sure that their cars are in great conditions and we know most of the managers. Have a nice weekend and thank you for reading Mytanfeet.com
Do you know if Adobe will deliver cars and if so is delivery charge free or is there a fee? I am going to Costa Rica at the end of May but only want a car for a couple of days. I will located in Playa Hermosa area (Guancaste).
Thanks!
Hi Tim, Corcovado is definitely worth a visit if you can make it down south. You don’t need to go all the way down to Osa Peninsula to experience it either if you don’t have the time to go all the way down. There are day trips to the San Pedrillo station from Uvita or if you do have the time, you can go to Drake Bay or Puerto Jimenez to hike Sirena or Carate but that does take more time since it takes quite a bit of time to get there and it’s worth staying in the area for a few days. San pedrillo station doesn’t have quite as many mammals but it’s still an awesome day trip and hike, Sirena is the best to see mammals and they offer day trips to that station from Drake Bay. I have an in-depth guide to visiting the Osa Peninsula and Corcovado National Park: Where to stay in Osa Peninsula
Hello-
This is a terrific blog. Thank you.
Our family of five (3 teenagers) are planning a 3-4 week long trip to Costa Rica begining in mid-June. We plan to stay on the Pacific side. We would like to visit Manuel Antonio as well as visit some of the surf spots farther north. Kids would like to river raft and zipline.
We visited the Guanacaste region a few years ago and would like to be farther south this time. Is it worth traveling as far south as Corcovado?
Any advice you have would be appreciated.
Tim
Hey guys,
great site with tons of very valuable information!
We will be taking our first trip to Costa Rica this November for 1 month and have incorporated lots of your tips in our itinerary.
We are flying in & out of SJO, staying the first night at a hotel near the airport. Our original plan was to take a taxi to the hotel, then have Adobe deliver the car around 11am the next day in order to have sufficient time to drive to Brasilito.
We were originally planning to rent the car (guessing Something like a Suzuki Jimny) for the whole month, but a friend suggested to take the shuttle from San Jose (/airport) to Reserva Conchal and just spend the first week around there enjoying all that the resort has to offer, with walks into town for dinner and shopping (I guess along the beach… safe at night?… anyway…). He thought we would not need a car there, and if we get tired of the Resort & Brasilito, a taxi to Tamarindo would be best. He also suggested to rent a Moped for a few days to use to visit nearby beaches & towns (i.e Flamingo). Then rent a car from Adobe in Tamarindo for the last 2+ weeks and drop off in SJO.
I think you live in that area, what would your recommendation be:
a) Rent Car in San Jose for the whole month
b) Shuttle to Brasilito, explore w/o car for 1-2 weeks, then rent a car locally to explore further areas & towns, and drive back to SJO at the end of the month
We’re from Europe and very accustomed to walking, but not sure about convenience and safety of option b) there in the Brasilito area.
looking forward to your feedback, all the best, Roger
Hello Roger,
First of all we would like to thank you for reading our blog.
Regarding your questions I agree with your friend if you are going to stat at Reserva Conchal, you will be mostly eating or relaxing on the beach or any if their pools, I am not sure if you are staying at the all Westin or at one of the condos in Reserva Conchal but believe me once your are there you don’t want to get out for a few days at least.
I will go for the option b, and just check the first week how do you feel, you will be a month in Guanacaste so you will have the time to explore and visit different areas, if you planning to take a share shuttle just be aware that share shuttles don’t pick up at the airport just private transfers, share shuttles usually pick up clients in front of the airport at a Denny’s Dinner.
The closest town to reserva conchal is Tamarindo and I don’t recommend you to walk all the way there it’s like a 25 minutes drive and walking at night can be a little dangerous, because they are no too much lights or pedestrians paths.I will recommend you to get to the hotel and as soon as you feel that you got enough or want to see something different rent the car, taxis or private shuttles will be way more expensive than renting a car.
You still have time to plan your vacations, plese let us know if you would like us to help you.
Have a good day and thank you again for reading Mytanfeet.com
Thanks much. I did now receive the confirmation but don’t see acknowledgement that an extra driver is included. The conditions state that each extra driver beyond the one listed in the reservation is $4/ day. Do I need to do something else?
Hello Deborah,
You might see the price in the reservation system but all Mytanfeet readers have a default note on their reservations. So basically you don’t need to add or put any extra information, once you are here picking up the car the Adobe agent will know that you can add 2 more extra driver for 3 in total including you, just make sure that all the drivers are older than 23 and have a valid Driver License.
Please let us know if you have any questions and thank you for reading Mytanfeet.com
I just made a reservation through your widget but saw no explanation of cancellation policy. Can you explain?
Thanks
Hi Deborah, all the terms and conditions including cancellation policies can be found on their site here: http://www.adobecar.com/en/services-and-conditions/#terms-and-conditions
Hello,
If one were to purchase the best insurance policy for the rental car, is the deposit reduced at all?
Thanks for all of your valuable information on your site!!!
Hello Pablo,
All Mytafeet readers have a little bit smaller deposit than the regualr Adobe rent a car clientes, they usually hold $1500 and for Mytanfeet readers it will be $1000, the answer for your question is no they will always hold the money even if you get the highest insurance.
The reason why they do this is because even if you have all 3 insurances there are some situations where the insurance will not cover the incidents, this situations are Driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, Failure to report a car accident that you are involved in, Damages to the car in situations when the driver is not authorized, Damages due to driving through rivers, on beaches, through lakes, mangroves and flooded roads. Anywhere that an official road does not exist and Failure to comply with the legal procedure with the insurance company.
For those reason Adobe rent a car will hold the deposit just to be cover, the process to send the money back to the credit card is very quick from 24 to 72 hours.
Thank you for reading our blog and please let us know if you have more questions.
Hi Sammi and Yeison. Thanks for this great site. It’s full of great information about Costa Rica. Please keep up the great work.
We have a group of 12 arriving next month for a couple of weeks. We are staying in Jaco for the duration of our trip. We were planning on renting a vehicle for a few days in order to travel to Arenal, Monteverde, and the Guanacaste area. Should we rent an SUV or can we rent a sedan based on that itinerary? Also, when I checked the Adobe site, the largest vehicle available is the Hyundai Tucson which means we’d have to rent 3 vehicles. Do you know if Adobe has anything larger such as a van so we’d only have to rent two vehicles?
Thanks again.
Mike
Hello Mike!
We just went to Monteverde early this month and you will definitely need a 4×4 or at least a 4×2 mid size SUV. Can you please email us the details of your rental like the exact dates, pick up and drop off location and if you have any type of car in mind. I will be more than happy to check with upper management to see what kind of family package we can do. Our email is hello@mytanfeet.com
Hi Brian, you won’t need a 4×4 for any of those routes or areas so you can rent a sedan and it’ll be fine, you can see what a sedan looks like in this video: Costa Rica typical sedan and you can see how much luggage you can fit in the trunk but for 3 people it should be plenty of space. Jaco to Fortuna is about 3.5-4 hour drive.
We made a reservation for Adobe using the widget on your website. We are arriving and leaving from SJO. I’ve read elsewhere that there is a large tax charged for renting from the airport – is that applicable to Adobe rentals through you as well? I didn’t see anything about that in the email confirmation they sent me.
Hello Shawna.
You can be 100% sure that there are not extra fees or charges with Adobe, this is one of the reason why we recommend Adobe to our readers. More than 1500 Mytanfeet readers rented a car in 2016 and nobody had a problem, the final amount on your reservation is exactly what you are going to pay.
Please let us know if you have any questions and thank you for reading Mytanfeet.com
Hi, Yeison.
We are flying into San Jose in May and traveling to Jaco and La Fortuna. There will be three of us. What type of car would you suggest for that traveling? Also, about how far is it from Jaco to La Fortuna?
Hi Robin, I highly recommend staying the night your first night. You’ll get out of the airport probably by 9:15 PM ish and driving in San Jose at night can be really confusing and dangerous for first timers (roads do not have names, signage is bad, drivers are crazy). San Jose to Manuel Antonio is about 2 hours so you can rest and freshen up your first night and then head out early the next day. For hotels close to the airport, there is a Best Western Irazu, Adventure Inn or if you want something cheaper, there is Hotel Aeropuerto.
I recommend renting a car instead of a shuttle because even though Savegre is close to Manuel Antonio, that area is a bit hard to get around by bus because there aren’t a ton of routes and Savegre isn’t a super popular destination like Manuel Antonio. You’ll have wayyyyy more freedom and flexibility to explore that area with a car and you will probably end up spending just as much if you’re taking a taxi the whole time especially if your hotel is far from everything. I have a post of things to do in Manuel Antonio here: Things to do in Manuel Antonio there aren’t any mud baths in that area (only up in Guanacaste) but there are a couple of ziplines.
Hola, que blog riquissimo!! haha
Amazing blog guys!!
Im planing to visit costa rica with my girlfriend and the plan is to get a car in san jose airport and sleep there in a friend´s house that night. Then start to go to tamarindo spend like 3days there. Visit some of those beautiful beaches nearby and then go to arenal spend like 2 days. After arenal we would like to visit manuel antonio, because we hear very nice things about it. Spend 2 days in manuel antonio and then we have to get back to san jose because its our friend´s weding!!!! after the weding we are planing to go to puerto viejo with more three friends for one day and get a van to visit bocas. So the questions are : is this a good plan to feel costa rica vibes? haha do you guys have any advice of some place between tamarindo – arenal – manuel antonio that we most visit? and what type of car we should rent, its necessary a SUV 4×4? I was looking for one Daihatsu Bego or similar but maybe a toyota yaris will be enough no? Sorry for all the questions (that you probably are tired to answer lool) but i wanna be the most prepared possible to enjoy your amazing country!! Mutchissimas gracias!!
João
If you can fly into LIR airport instead, you can cut down on a lot of driving time (but it seems like you’re staying at a friends in San Jose). San Jose to Tamarindo is around 4 hours, Tamarindo to Arenal is around 3.5 hours and Arenal to Manuel Antonio is about 5 so you’ll be driving a lot in a short period of time. If you could fly into Liberia, Liberia to Tamarindo is only 1 hour so you’ll save a ton of time and you’ll have one extra day.
You don’t need a 4×4, those routes are very well paved and the roads in the area are well paved.
Heyy Sammi thank you so much for your reply.
Well, we already have the flying tickets to san jose thats why its impossible for us to change, we are arriving in 2weeks.. Maybe you have a better tour for us to do instead of this one…? If is not too trouble for you to advice us we´ll be very happy to know your opnion… We wanna go to tamarindo because we have a friend living there so the first 2/3 days will be spend there with them. Then we have like 5 days until we have to be in san jose for the weeding… Maybe in those 5 days we could do a different tour….maybe we dont need to go to Manuel Antonio and we can change for other place with the same beauty… what do you think? And about the car, we would like to use your discount and rent a car with adobe… can you tell us a good car for us to rent? Once again thank you so much for your help and i hope im not giving you to much trouble. Thankssss. João
You could also fly from San Jose to Tamarindo which will save a lot of time but it does cost more. There isn’t really anything to see driving from SJ to Tama so you’ll have to set one whole day aside for travel. There isn’t really anything with the same scenery as Manuel Antonio up in Guanacaste but you could go to Arenal and see the rain forest and volcano since you’ll already have beach in Guanacaste. So you can do San Jose to Tama (4 hours) –> Arenal (3 hours) –> San Jose (3 hours). You wont’ need a 4×4, you can rent a normal sedan for those routes since the roads are fine for those destinations.
Hey guys,
I posted a comment earlier tonight but it doesn’t seem to be showing up…
Here are my questions! I’m traveling March 18-28 with two friends, staying close to Quepos / Manuel Antonio! We land in San Jose at 8:30pm on the 18th…
-would you recommend staying the first night in San Jose instead of going for the drive at night? We’re confident drivers but don’t want to get completely lost and none of us have been to CR before… If you strongly suggest a hotel, could you recommend one close to the airport? We are trying to travel on a budget so had hoped not to have to spring for a hotel but will if we need to. Google searches have proved confusing for hotel airports!!
-would you suggest having a rental (we’re likely going to book our rental through you) for the entire trip, or could we get away with a one way rental at the beginning and returning it in Quepos? Is there a good shuttle we could take from SJ to Savegre? We want to make sure we can go on some adventures, like zip lining, mid baths (any suggestions close to Savegre for favourite things to do?), etc but if shuttles and buses are easy we’d rather use them than be paying for a rental the entire time!
thank yoU!
Hi, I recommend getting a full size SUV so you will have also have plenty of room for luggage. You can see what a full size SUV looks like in this video: Costa Rica full size SUV
Hi,
We are going to costa rica for 2,5 weeks. The first day we stay in the center of san jose and the second day we leave for poas and to sleep in san gerardo de dota. The day before we leave we also sleep in san jose. Now i read about restrictions to drive on san jose on certain days. Is this also for rental cars? Because in total we have 4 days we need to enter or exit the city.
Thanks for your answer
The restriction isn’t applied to rental cars so you don’t need to worry about that.
Thank you so much for writing this! Do you happen to know if it’s possible to rent a car in San Jose and drop it off in Limon or Puerto Viejo? We are planning to cross over into Panama to attend a wedding but we’d love to have the freedom of a car as we make our way to the border.
Hi Melissa, yes you can do that but most car rental companies have a drop off/pick up fee and require the car rental to be a minimum for 3 days if you have different locations. If it isn’t at least 3 days, they will charge you for a 3 day car rental and a drop off fee still.
Hello, I need to rent a Car ASAP and plane to use your discount through adobe. we are going to be in costa rica March 7th, we fly in Liberia which we will then be driving to arenal. from arenal to Samara. were we may go to a few other close beaches. Then driving to Tamarindo. also we may check out a few beach near by (Day Trips). Would we be okay with renting a car? or do we need an SUV? Thanks!
Hi Braydon, you won’t necessarily need a SUV if you’re going just to Arenal, Samara and Tamarindo. There are some beaches in the area that are on pretty not so great roads so if you’re going down to Ostional area, a 4×4 is highly recommended. But around Tamarindo, the beaches nearby don’t require a 4×4 like Conchal, Brasilito, Flamingo.
Hi Sammy!
My girlfriend and I are going on the middle of May (hope that’s a good time still) I want to rent a car because I want to work my from from San Jose airport and drive all the way to Samara the first day then work my way along the coast! Ultimately to liberia….
Most roads will be paved am I correct?
Hi, yes most of the roads are paved, the main roads and highways are in very good condition. Down near Samara gets unpaved but unless you’re going to the Ostional area, it is not too bad.
Hello,
We’re planning to go to Costa Rica for 10 days later in March and we’ll be looking to enjoy quiet beaches. I’m planning to rent a SUV or 4X4 and hopefully, take it to the beach so we can park it right where we’ll be – question of not having our luggage and laptops stolen – we work on vacation. No more laptops = end of the vacation.
Is it possible to take the SUV on the beach – I mean, not busy beaches but quiet remote beaches?
Any info is welcome.
HI Alan, driving on the beach is illegal. Most beaches, even the quiet less busy ones have some sort of parking lot and you can leave it there but never leave any valuables in the car and never your belongings unattended at the beach. I highly advise against bringing your laptop to the beach (it’d be too sandy and dusty too), since you will need to have someone with it at all times. We always advise people to never go swimming in the ocean and leave their belongings on the beach unattended, even if you have an eye on it, all it takes is 5 seconds for thieves to get in and out and they unfortunately are pretty sly here in CR.
Hi Harbud,
Thank you for reading our blog! Here are the answer for your questions.
1 – Yes, but keep on mind that some remote places require a 4×4, I recommend you to find out if you have one of this places in your travel list.
2 – Yes 100%.
3 – They will pick you up at the terminal and take you to their office in one of their shuttles you can see in this post: Adobe Rent a Car Liberia Airport.
4 – The car protection includes damages to 3rd parties for up to US$ 20,000 and for civil damages up to US$ 100,000 with zero deductible. For full or partial damage and theft to the rented vehicle, deductible is for up to US$ 1,000.
The Total protection includes damages to 3rd parties with zero deductible, and increase damages coverage for up to US$ 100,000 and for civil damages for up to US$ 4 million. For full or partial damage due to vandalism, damages to the tires or windshield, and theft to the rented vehicle deductible is for up to US$ 0
5 – Yes, hundreds of tourist drive to this route which is one of our favorites. You can see the route in this post and video: Driving Guanacaste to ARenal
Please let us know if you have more questions have a nice week 🙂
Hi – We are spending 3 days in Costa Rica this March end. We are flying into Liberia and staying at a resort in Guanacaste. We were initially thinking of taking a taxi to and fro from our resort from LIR. Also were planning to take a day trip guided tour to the Arenal area. Reading your blog post it seems like a rental car is much cheaper option. That said was hoping to get some clarifications before reserving a rental car.
1. Is it safe to drive on CR roads on a Sedan – especially from Guanacaste to Arenal and surrounding areas?
2. If we reserve with Adobe, will we get an automatic car guaranteed if we reserve one?
3. If we select LIR airport pickup, is the rental company closeby, is pick up and drop off near the terminal?
4. What is the difference between car protection and total protection options? Do we need total protection? If we take just the car protection option will it cover any damages to the car?
5. Lastly we do not speak or understand Spanish and so are little nervous about driving in CR – do you think we can manage with the traffic and roads have good directions between Guanacaste and Arenal?
Sorry for all the questions, but hoping to make sure we get all the information we can before making a booking.
Thanks a lot for your help.
We are flying in to San Jose and then planning on driving to San Isidro de General and Buenos Aires, then on to the Osa Penensula. We are planning to be there June 12th through the 24th. I know we need a 4×4, but how likely would we be to have to cross rivers we wouldn’t be able to cross?
Depends on when you’re going but the only rivers you’ll cross are in the Osa Peninsula if you’re going all the way down Carate or to Drake Bay. And with those, if you’re going during dry season you will be fine. It’s only during the very heavy rainy months of Sept/Oct/Nov that the rivers pose a problem especially if you go at the wrong tide to Carate. Otherwise, if you’re going to Puerto Jimenez, there are no rivers.
Hi Subu, thanks for reading our blog. The route to Arenal to San Jose is on a well paved road, you won’t need to rent a SUV, a sedan will be fine. The roads around Arenal/Fortuna are pretty good too, the road to the national park is unpaved but it is nothing bad. If you want some ideas of things to do in Arenal, we have a post of our favorite things in that area: Things to do in Arenal and La Fortuna
Adobe has a free shuttle to take you from the airport to the office to pick up the car. Most people prefer that way since it’s a lot more comfortable, but you can request to have the car ready for you at SJO airport if you don’t want to go to their office.
You guys rock! What a wonderful blog, thanks for the very helpful information! So excited to visit costa rica for the first time…My girl friend and I are planning to go to Arenal from San Jose Airport just for 4 days in end of March. Plan is to stay in Arenal and do as much adventures as possible (zip line/ rafting/ bridge walking etc). Is it necessary to get a SUV or would a sedan do? And many thanks for referring to Adobe, do they pick up from the Airport to the rental center?
Many thanks guys!
Hi Karina, if you’re staying in the Coco area, you won’t need a 4×4. A sedan will work fine to visit neighboring beaches and the route from San Jose to Coco is on a main highway so it’s well paved though it does take around 4 hours. Renting a car will be great since there are a ton of beautiful spots around Coco.
For ziplining, there is an awesome zipline about 45 minutes away from Coco called Diamante where they have the longest ocean view canopy. For beach hopping, we highly recommend going on a boat tour. It’s the best way to see the beautiful beaches in the Gulf as most of them are boat access only. You can read more about it here: Boating in Costa Rica
Weather in Guanacaste for March is very hot – March and April are our hottest months. Expect temperatures around 100 everyday. You can read more the weather here: Costa Rica weather
Love your blog! very helpful,
My husband and I are going to Playas de Coco (first time in Costa Rica) celebrating our anniversary in early March and staying for about 8 days, we arrive at SJO. We were thinking about renting a car that way we can have more freedom to go around. We want to go beach hoping and zip lining and all that, would you recommend a 4*4 or will a compact car do? also what can we expect the weather to look like in early march? We are very excited and looking forward to relaxing at beautiful beaches and having adventures in the jungles!
Thank you!
Are the prices under Mytanfeet for Adobe Car Rental adjusted to USD dollars or Canadian CND dollars?
Prices are in USD
Hi David! If you are staying in Playas del Coco, Adobe can deliver the car to you free of charge (for Mytanfeet readers). When you make a reservation in the widget on our discount page (Costa Rica car rental discount) just put a note in the comments that you would like to have the car delivered to your location in Coco.
Thanks! we’re actually staying in Playa Hermosa – so I’ll note that on the reservation.
Hi there – thanks for providing such good info on your site. I’ll be renting a car for a part of my trip. Is is possible to pick up a car from Adobe in Playa Hermosa/Playas del Coco so we can drive to Arenal and then on to Jaco?
Hello Ron Thank you for reading our blog, here are the answers to your questions.
Does the price vary much ? Well it depends of which company operates the tour desk, usually they charge the full price without discount because they have to pay to the Hotel for letting them rent their cars in the resort but I will recommend you to check their rates and if we can give you a better rate the car can be deliver at the hotel.
Is there many car rental companies near there ? A lot of companies work in that area and they can deliver the car at the hotel some charge some fees others no depends of the company all the major rent a cars go there like Economy, National, Adobe, Enterprice, etc. I recommend you to ask more than once for the insurance many times companies offer a car for $9 a day BUT they have some hidden fees that you don´t know until you have the car.
Is there any good day hikes near the north west corner ? The best hike in my opinion is in the Parque Rincon de la vieja we love that hike you can read details here Rincon de la Vieja National Park
The main attractions seem to be 2.5 hours away ? Yes, and some even further I think you are going to Dreams Mareas, that is last resort you will find in the North pacific, but it’s very nice 😉
We hope you enjoy your trip and Thank you for reading Mytanfeet
Hi Jennifer, you can easily take a bus to Jaco (our guide is here: San Jose bus to Playa Jaco) since it’s not far from the city. The bus is 2 hours. Or you can book a shuttle or rent a car. A shuttle costs around $100 and the drive is 1 hour without traffic. We work with Adobe Rent a Car and they do not charge an airport tax which is just a tax made up by other car rental companies to charge more. We offer a car rental discount which you can check out here: Costa Rica car rental discount We like this company because what your quote is, is what you pay. No last minute fees, no hidden taxes or any of that.
hi, I’m going to CR in 3 days.
I’m staying at a resort near La Cruz.
I’m told there is a car rental company at the resort.
Does the price vary much ?
Is there many car rental companies near there ?
Is there any good day hikes near the north west corner ?
The main attractions seem to be 2.5 hours away ?
Thanks
RVD
Hi,
We are planning to rent a car at SJO and drive to Monteverde, then Arenal. But I was told that the road from Monteverde to Arenal is in poor condition, best way is to do the taxi-boat-taxi. But it seems there is no any rental car location in Monteverde I can return the car, what other option do I have?
Thanks.
Hi Chris, you can drive to Monteverde from Arenal. We drove this several times but the road is not in great condition so it is recommended to have a 4×4. There are no car rental companies in Monteverde but since you’re planning on renting a car in SJO, you can just rent a car for the entire period of your trip so you can have the flexibility and comfort the whole time. If you want to return the car in Arenal, you can do that as well just know that many companies will charge you a fee for a different drop off/pick up location.
Hi ! This blog is amazing and was of Great help !
We are landing in San jose at noon. We booked a Hyundai Creta (through your blog) and plan to get to Tamarindo on the same day to spend the first 7 days of our trip in this area. Is that reasonable ? Is the choice of vehicle appropriate ? We then leave the Guanacaste area to spend a couple of day in the Arenal area.
Thank you again so much for all your prescious advices.
HI Francis, it is possible, it’s about a 4 hour drive from San Jose to ramarindo, it’ll be tiring after flying but hopefully you don’t have too long of a flight. I recommend using the GPS app waze for directions even though it’s a pretty straightforward route, it will help get out of San Jose and for the turns since there aren’t any signs for Tamarindo until after you cross the friendship bridge. If you have a long flight or land at night however, I do recommend instead staying the night in San Jose and driving the next day so you won’t be so tired since it’s a long drive and it’s a bit dangerous at night if you don’t know where you’re going because there is not too many towns between San Jose and tamarindo.
We are going to Jaco. Should we rent a car for that distance? Is there an airport tax for cars rented from the airport? Thank you
Hi visiting CR with my daughter in March. I think we do not want to rent a car but use the shared shuttles. We are going from San Jose to Arenal, spent three days there then travel to Manuel Antonio, spent three days there and then back to San Jose. Questions are does this seem reasonable for getting around and should we book shuttles ahead of time? Thanks for your help, enjoy all of your advice on visiting Costa Rica very helpful!
Hello Elaine,
If you don’t want to rent a car take a share shuttle is the best second option, we have a new agreement with Interbus and they give +10% discounts to our readers can you please send us at https://mytanfeet.com/contact-us/ your travel dates and destinations, as soon as we get the info we will send you a quote.
Take care and thanks for reading our blog 🙂
Hi,
I’m so glad I stumbled upon your blog, it’s so helpful!
We are planning our trip to Costa Rica from 5/27 to 6/6 for 4 people (2 adults and 2 kids, 14 and 10). Taking out the arrival and departure date, we have 9 full days (flying in and out of San Jose).
We are planning to visit Puerto Viejo first, then Arenal/La Fortuna, Monteverde and Manuel Antonio ( no particular order).
Do you think:
1. we need a regular sedan or a 4×4 SUV? any suggestions?
2. is our itinerary to aggressive or feasible (average 2 days a place).
3. to visit all 4 places, what order do you recommend?
Thanks in advance.
Tony
It is recommended to have at least a 4×2 for the road to Monteverde as the road is pretty bumpy. We have seen sedans but it’s not very comfortable and you’d need to go quite slow so it’s up to you. You can do that itinerary but 2 days in each place is pretty short, plus all of those places are pretty far apart, it’s at least a 3-4 hour drive to all those destinations except San Jose to Manuel Antonio is 2 hours but honestly, you won’t be able to really enjoy too much I think because the driving is so long so I would take out one destination, maybe Monteverde since it’s similar to Arenal. If you look at all those destinations on the map, you’ll see that there isn’t a straight route from all those destinations, you could first do San Jose to Puerto Viejo, then spend a night in San Jose on the travel day back, then next day travel to Manuel Antonio, and then finally Arenal. Manuel Antonio to ARenal is around 5 hours and Arenal to San Jose is 3.5 hours so either way you go, you’ll be driving a lot.
Thanks so much for the advice. I’ll take Monteverde out.
Sorry for the question, but what’s the difference between 4×2 and a sedan? Other than 4×4, aren’t all other cars 4×2?
Hi! Tony there are some SUV’s that are not 4×4 they are high cars but they do not have “traction” on all the wheels and we call them 4×2 it stands for 4 wheels but just 2 with traction, all the Adobe sedans are 4×2 as well but when it comes to car rental if you see a SUV 4×2 it means that they are not 4×4 this is the mean reason why they are very clear on the 4×4 or 4×2 only on SUVs. For example Adobe havs Hyundai Cretas a mid size SUV without 4×4 so they put the 4×2 to let the client knows. I hope this is clear if not please let us know
Thanks, Yeison. That clears up my confusion.
As for the itinerary that Sammi recommended “you could first do San Jose to Puerto Viejo, then spend a night in San Jose on the travel day back, then next day travel to Manuel Antonio, and then finally Arenal”, is it possible to get from Puerto Viejo to Manuel Antonio directly, without stopping at San Jose? Or it’s too long of a drive?
You technically could if you wanted to, but it’s about an 8 hour drive. Most people stay in San Jose for one night as a stop over because it’s just too long of a drive. And then Manuel Antonio to ARenal is around a 5-6 hour drive, most people just spend one whole day driving and stopping at different places to enjoy the drive. I highly recommend having a smartphone with data to use the GPS app Waze to help get around.
Hi! In regards to your questions both beaches are nice and each one has their own “flavor”, here is some information about both places that might help you decide where to go: Playa Conchal. The roads are ok there is a 15-20 kilometers gravel section in the way to Monteverde but after that everything is good, If you guys don’t want to drive we have another deal with a Shuttle company call Interbus where our readers have 10% OFF, if you are interested please email us https://mytanfeet.com/contact-us/
Hello,
I love your blog it has been very helpful in planning my trip to Costa Rica!
Two friends and I will be traveling to Costa Rica in June. We are planning on arriving in San Jose and then going to Arena for a few days, then to Monteverdi a few days and either Manuel Antonio or Playa Conceal ( we aren’t sure where we are flying out of just yet SJO or LIR). Which of these two beach areas would be better?
As for transportation, how are the roads between these locations ? We aren’t sure if we want to drive. Are there any shuttle transportation companies that you can recommend that can get us between these locations?
Hi Katrina, either option is fine. There are many car rental companies in Fortuna so you can pick up and drop off a rental car there if you don’t want to drive in San Jose once you land. A private van service isn’t cheap but it is pretty comfortable and efficient, let us know if you’d like recommendations for transfer companies as we work with a couple in Costa Rica. As for other adventures, here is our post on things to do in Fortuna/arenal: Things to do in Arenal and La Fortuna
Thank you for providing great information? Thinking of renting a house in La Fortuna for a week. Is it better to take a private van service from the airport and once at the house rent a car ourselves?
Other than ATV rentals can you recommend any other off road adventures?
Hi,
Thank you for the very good information.
Beform making my reservation with Adobe, I would like to know if a 4X4 would be necessary for the following itinerary :
1 – San Jose Airport to La Fortune
2 – La Fortune to Montaverde (In Montaverde we will be going to a ziplining place)
3 – Montaverde to Jaco
4 – Jaco to Manuel Antonio
Thanks you so much in advance!
Hello Clinton,
Having a mid size SUV or a full size 4×4 SUV it´s always nice in Costa Rica, we have many gravel roads in most of the touristic destinations and the roads are not as the roads in the USA/Canada. It also depends of how many people are traveling and luggage this because of the weight and you own comfort.
For a party of 2 a sedan like the Hyundai accent or Elantra will be fine for all the destinations, you will find some gravel sections going to to Monterver and in La Fortuna Area specially if you are planning to visit the Arenal volcano but if you go slow you will be fine. Jaco and Manuel Antonio are fine for a sedan too. Now if you are traveling with more than 1 person a mid size SUV like the Hyundai Creta will be better because it has a bigger engine and more space inside the cabin. For families with kids I would recommend a Tucson or Santa Fe it will way more comfortable for all the members of the family.
I hope my answers help you and please let me know if you have any questions.
Hello Marie!
The road from Liberia to La fortunes its very nice it’s actually one of our favorite ones. In this article you can read all you need to know about it: Driving Guanacaste to ARenal Enjoy your vacations!
This site is excellent advice. Thank you so much. I am arriving at Liberia airport Feb 7 for 2 weeks. We (2 people in 60’s) to rent a car and travel around La Fortuna for 3 days before heading to the Pacific beaches.
Can you tell us how the road is from Liberia to Arenal/La Fortuna please?
Hi there,
First off, this blog has been a truly amazing resource for us as we plan our trip to CR for February 13-20th, and I love the deal with the car rental – I totally almost fell victim to the $9/day “deal” online…saves me a lot of headache when I arrive (especially not speaking spanish).
So, I’ve tried to read your previous responses to answer a lot of questions; but our plan is to fly into Liberia, pick up our car and spend the night (we get in around 7pm). Drive to Monteverde for a couple days and then drive from there to Tamarindo where we’d drop the car off and be without a car for the last 4 days. So…questions…does that make sense (lol)? – mostly being without a car in Tamarindo and getting back to Liberia to fly out? Seems like there’s a lot to do right in Tamarindo and we can walk or take buses to things, right?
What’s the best way to get from Tamarindo to the airport?
Could we do this trip in a “regular” car or do we need a 4 X 4 for our route?
Thanks in advance – you’re doing a great job educating this completely lost Canadian!
Heather
Hi Heather! Your planning is very good and yes you will be fine without a car in Tamarindo, there are Shuttles for the nearby beaches like Avellanas or playa grande if you would like to check them out and if I am not mistaken they charge $6 per way and they go 3 times a day. There are a huge selection of tours you can do in Tamarindo, I personally like the ATV tour because they take you to a very nice beach call conchal (let us know if you would like to book some tours we can recommend you our favorite companies) there lots of restaurants and things to do in town.
Then the best way to get from Tamarindo to the airport is by a share shuttle they charge $20 per person and they go like 5 times a day I use it everytime its better than take a taxi, For your trip I would recommend you a mid size SUV if you can like Hyundai Creta I don’t have many people are you traveling with but a normal sedan with 4 people going to Monteverde it’s not the best option, I mean you will make it but in some section you will have to go very slow, for 2 people there will be “fine” but if you can pay a little more I would go for the mid size SUV.
I am glad this blog is helping you we love canadians here (well everyone) very nice and friendly people 🙂 have a great day and let us know if you have any questions.
Thank you so much for your detailed reply!
This is very helpful! I’m looking to rent a car and go from San Jose -> Arenal -> Sugar Beach. Do you think a 4×4 is necessary? I saw you answered others about the good roads in Arenal but do you know about the roads from Arenal to Sugar beach? Thank you so much! I really enjoy your blog!
If you go to Sugar Beach via Flamingo/Portrero road, it should be fine. We took the crazy monkey road from Coco through Playa Danta to Sugar Beach and that was an insane road so I definitely don’t recommend going that way. Going via Flamingo is faster anyways and is paved.
We are flying into FON on February 2, staying at Hotel Silencio el camp. We wanted to do a day pass at Tabacon or one of the spas. After reading how expensive taxi’s are just to get from airport to hotel, and between spas we are looking at renting a car and came across your very generous offer at Adobe. Two questions: 1. do we really need a 4wd and does Adobe pick us up at the airport or is there an extra charge? This is our first trip to Costa Rica. We are flying to Manuel Atonio on Jan 24th (4 nigthts), plan to take bus to Domonica for a day. Then we bus to Jaco (staying at Punta Leion 2 nites), water taxi/shuttle to Mal Pais for 3 nights (Hotel Oasis), then fly to FON on Feb 02. Any comments are appreciated. Thank you for ALL the information you share.
Hi Evelyn, I’m glad you found our blog and thanks for reading! You don’t need a 4wd in Arenal, the roads there are paved and even the unpaved road to the national park is not that bad. The road from Hotel Silencio to Tabacon is on a nice paved road. When you land, Adobe has a free shuttle and they can also bring the car to the Fortuna airport so you don’t have to go all the way into town to their office if you don’t want to. If you’d like the car at the Fortuna airport when you land, you just need to write in the comments when you make your reservation that you’d like to pick the car up there.
Hi, all those roads are paved except for the South Pacific/Corcovado National Park areas. The road from San Jose all the way down south is paved, but depending on where you are staying in Uvita, you may need a 4×4 because many of the hotels are up in the hills with unpaved, steep roads. I recommend checking with your hotel, they usually post on their website if a 4×4 is required or you can email them. And depending on where on the Osa Peninsula you’re staying, you may need a 4×4 too. There are several different ranger stations in Corcovado National Park since it is huge so it depends if you’re visiting from the east side where the town Puerto Jimenez is or if you’re going to the west to Drake Bay. I’d check with your hotel.
You can choose to get the car at the airport or at the office, we work with Adobe Rent a Car, a local Costa Rican car rental agency and we offer some great discounts and extras to our readers you can check out here: Costa Rica car rental discount They have a free shuttle to and from the airport to their office.
We made videos of a mid size SUV and full size SUV you can check here: Costa Rica mid size SUV and Costa Rica full size SUV and we also have some driving videos for some of your destinations here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLislGl2lGonmcmNLdqfFv5a601Pj6cV4
Hi Guys,
First, just want to say that you guys and your site are awesome! Sooo, my wife, her parents and I (4 adults and our luggage) will be in CR for 2 weeks in mid Jan. I was hoping to get your expert advice on the car suggestions (4×4, make, model, etc.) if we plan on going to the following places:
-Provincia de Alajuela
– Poa Volcano
– La Paz waterfall
– Jaco beach
– Playa Mantas, Carara National park
– Nauyaca waterfall
– Marino Ballena National park
– Uvita
– Corcovado National park
– Manuel Antonio
Also, we’ll be arriving at the airport in San Jose, so would the car rental be at the airport or would we have to take a shuttle/bus to rental place? Any companies you can recommend?
Thank you in advance for helping out! It’s our first time and we plan to explore (aka drive everywhere) as much as possible.
Best,
Davis
Hello,
Two of us will be traveling in Costa Rica from March 10-20, 2017. We are landing in San Jose on March 10 at 9:00pm. We will be traveling to Alajuela, Arenal, Monteverde, Jaco and the coast to Manuel Antonio.
The Adobe site shows that they close at 7:00pm. Is there anyway that we can get a vehicle that night?
Which type of vehicle should we rent to travel to these places?
Thank you!
Hello Trevor,
Thank you for reading our blog, Adobe will stay waiting until the last client arrives so no worry about that then I would recommend you a Mid SUV like a Hyundai Creta or a Hyundai Tucson for your plans, you will find some gravel roads in the way to Monteverde and if you want to go to the Arenal Volcano national park you will the road is gravel too. For all the rest of the destination a sedan will be fine. Please let us know if have any questions.
Hello,
My group of 6 would like to rent a Hyundai Grand Santa Fe 4×4 through you for Jan 5 through Jan 11, 2017. If we rent a car through your website can you tell me if there is a cancellation policy in case i can’t get all 6 on board?
Thank you
Hello Ken!
Thank you for reading our blog, I will put a note on the reservation that you need to check the car upon arrival, also I will send you a detail description of the Hyundai Santa Fe 4×4. Please email us your confirmation number once you have it so I can put the note and talk to the office manager our email is on our contact page. Please let us know if you have more questions
Hi Sammi,
According to you experience, do I need a 4×4 or 4×2 car to drive all itinerary below?
SJO – FORTUNA – TENORIO – TAMARINDO – MONTEVERDE – QUEPOS – SJO
Is there any difference betwen Suzuki Jimnys or they are all the same?
Thanks in advance 🙂
Hi Vivi, I recommend getting at least a 4×2 for Tenorio, they say it is also better for MOnteverde too since that road is really bumpy. It would be way more comfortable in a 4×2. ALl the Suzuki Jimny’s should be the same, and that is a good car for 2 people with small luggage.
Hi Blaine! We have a bunch of articles that will help answer your questions.
Here are our favorite beaches in Guanacaste that are around Coco all the way down to Nosara: Best beaches in Guanacaste.
The road from Guanacaste to Arenal is well paved, you can see what it’s like in this post: Driving Guanacaste to ARenal
And if you go down to Nosara, the road is well paved except for a short stretch towards the end at Nosara. You won’t need a 4×4 though, the road is not that bad.
And you can read about road conditions in this post: Costa Rica car rental tips
Then for snorkeling, the GUlf of Papagayo has some great snorkeling spots but are only reachable by boat. You can take a snorkel cruise/tour, we love doing that which you can read about here: Mystic Rides boating
And scuba diving is excellent out of Coco too. Rich Coast Diving is Padi certified and they do trips out to Bat Islands and local dive spots.
Hi guys, Thanks so much for all of your input. It is very helpful. My wife and I are flying in to Liberia on Jan.24th. We plan to rent a car for 2 week as we are staying in Playa Del Coco for 7 days, 3 days in Taramindo and 3 days in Nosara. Our first 7 days in Playa Del Coco first and then we are flexible for the last 6 days as far as where we stay. We may want to make a day trip to Arenal. Any recommendations on how we should book our itinerary to stay on the best roads. Would we need a 4x 2 or 4 x 4. What beaches do you highly recommend we visit from Playa Del Coco to Nosara. Is there any good places to scuba or snorkel? Thanks a bunch!
Hello Pam,
Thanks for reading our blog!
The best full cover insurance we know is the SSP plan from Adobe rent a car, we have this helpful article about car insurances that you might find useful: Costa Rica car rental insurance and if you would like to check our special rates and benefits you can check them out here: Costa Rica car rental discount
Also if you are landing at 1:35Pm you might be getting out of the airport around 2:10 pm and then add another 30 to 45 minutes to pick up the car so in the best case scenario you will be departing around 3PM to Arenal the whole drive might take you 3 to 4 hours depends of traffic and it gets dark around 5:45 PM everyday so you might have to drive a little bit during the night. This article describes the drive from the airport to Arenal: Driving Guanacaste to ARenal
Thanks – we have already spent quite a bit of time on your website and others looking at the drive. My husband just found out from our personal insurance agent that we have umbrella coverage that would cover liability anywhere in the world, so we shouldn’t need the supplemental through adobe. I really appreciate the pictures of the roads! Do you think we are foolish to attempt the drive at this time of day? When we booked the flight I was thinking the drive was more like 2-2.5 hours to Arenal. We already have our hotel booked for the 5th (Volcano lodge and springs) so kind of have to get there that night one way or another. I’m not sure what we will do if our flight would be an hour or 2 late…We will also have a not fun drive on our day of departure. We are driving from Manuela Antonio to catch 2:25 flight. That is about a 5 hour drive, correct? We should be ok if we leave as soon as there is daylight? (by 6 am at the latest?) Thanks!
Hi Pam, the drive is not that bad from Liberia to Fortuna, it does get windy around the Nuevo Arenal area but go slow and take your time. It gets dark around 6 PM here and it’s about a 4 hour drive. I do recommend getting a sim card and using WAZE so you don’t get lost (the signage on that route is OK, not the best).
It looks like we can request airport pickup of our vehicle through adobe to save time??
Hi Pam, yes you can request the car to be dropped off at the airport.
Thanks so much for your reply. Do you think we are foolish to try this drive? Can we request car pick up at airport to speed things up a bit? We have our hotel booked at Volcano resort and Springs for Feb 5, so we have to make it there that night one way or another. We had looked at the drive quite a bit before booking flight and hotel, but thought it was closer to 2.5 hours than 3-4. On the way back on the 12th, we have to drive from Manuel Antonio to catch a flight at 2:30. Will we be ok if we leave at 6 am? Thanks!
Manuel Antonio to Liberia is about a 5 hour drive, I personally wouldn’t drive on the same day as my flight just because it’d be very tiring and you never know what can happen on the raod so for myself, I would drive back the night before.
Pam – are you staying at the Volcano Lodge and Springs? If so, I literally did the same trip you just took about two weeks ago. Our flight (from Atlanta) landed about 1:30pm.
First of all, bring an unlocked cell phone, buy a SIM card at the airport and have WaZe installed. You can literally get anywhere you’re going.
The drive was totally fine. It was more like 3 hours for us and we got there before dark and were able to check-in and enjoy some hot springs before dinner.
I had Adobe bring the car to the airport. They met us just outside the terminal and had a sign with my name on it. There is a lot of construction on the road near their main office so they brought the car to the airport and we signed the papers in the parking lot. They gave us a few bottles of cold water and we were off. The Adobe guys spoke excellent English, were super helpful and friendly, and were there as soon as we stepped off the plane. I was nervous (first time renting a car in CR) but I’d absolutely use them again.
One tip: once you leave the main terminal area you’ll be in the lobby where the taxi drivers are. If you look to your left (inside the airport) you’ll see the Frog mascot of Kolbi cellular. For $20 I got a sim card with 2 gigabytes of data which was MORE than enough for a week of GPS and driving and emailing pictures back home. I can’t stress enough how important WaZe (or a GPS from the rental company) is.
Pura Vida!
We have our flights and lodging booked for costa rica for Feb 5-12, but have yet to book car rental. We are leaning toward getting the supplemental insurance just for piece of mind. Do you recommend this? Is there any other travel insurance we could get that would cover liability of other vehicles if we were in an accident? We have been looking, but haven’t found this. Also, our flight lands in Liberia on Feb 5 at 1:35 pm and we hope to immediately drive to Arenal so we can arrive before dark. If our flight would be delayed and we cannot drive that evening, would we be able to book a private driver last minute and pick up our car in la Fortuna the next day? Thanks!
Looking to rent from 11/25-12/1. How much per day is the Wi-Fi hot spot? That would be a great bonus!
Hi Mike! It’s $10 per day and then after 10 days it is for free with the Mytanfeet promotion 🙂
Great, thank you!
I reserved today but accidentally forgot to use your promo 🙁 🙁
I immediately followed up the confirmation email with an email of my own saying I wanted to use the “MY TAN FEET” fare so that we could take advantage of the 2nd driver discount and GPS discount. I asked if it’s too late to cancel since we arrive in 3 days, but all I’m trying to do is change the “promo” – I haven’t heard back from them yet.
Hi Mike! No problem, can you email us your reservation number and we’ll sent it to our Adobe representative to modify it and make sure you get the benefits. You can email us on our contact page
Hi Samantha,
We have booked all of our travel and the car rental is the last thing to book and I have read a lot of terrible reviews about renting a car in Costa Rica and then came along your blog and though I would give a local company a try instead and especially if the price given was the final price. I dhope feel like we need a 4×4 with where we are going and when I looked only had the option of a 4×2 manual. We prefer a 4×4 that is automatic is this something you can help with? We are flying into San Jose on 12/21/2016 and leaving on 12/28/2016. Any help is appreciated.
Thanks,
Andy
Hi Andy! I’ll email Adobe and check to see if there is a 4×4 automatic, however car rentals are going super fast for Christmas/New Years and many cars are already reserved. I’ll shoot you an email once I find out!
Awesome! Thanks so much for the quick response and help! Your blog has been super helpful in planning a much needed vacation!
Thanks,
Andy
You’re welcome! Glad to hear that! 🙂
Hello Sammi, great blog I always recommend to my friends and customer… keep writing and keep enjoying Costa Rica. Pura vida. Pedro
Thanks Pedro!
Hi there 🙂 Thanks so much for the info!
My mom, best friend and I are planning a trip 12/10-16 to CR, in and out of SJO. Planning to drive to Arenal/La Fortuna and then to Guanecaste via Rio Celeste. Do you think we will need a 4×4?
I was looking on the adobe site and I’m getting the same price via your discount link as I am without. Is the discount still available?
I appreciate your info!
Heather
Hi Heather! Did you try to clear your cookies? I’ll send an email to Adobe first thing tomorrow and get you a quote for some cars, I do recommend a 4×4 to Rio Celeste as that road is pretty bumpy but the road from San JOse to Arenal is nicely paved and then from Bijagua once you get onto the main highway is very nice. You can probably just get a 4×2 for the road from Tenorio Volcano National Park because by around December, it is the beginning of dry season. Look for an email from us soon!
Hi, Great bog! My girlfriend and I are planning a trip to CR in late November. Based on your recommendation, we booked a 4×4 from Adobe. We are arriving late at night San Juan, so will head to the hotel. Do you know if Adobe can bring the car to the hotel in the morning? Also, is their quote during the reservation, the final amount one pays or do they add further charges and taxes on the total? Thanks.
Hi Frank! Yes you can make a comment in the note section and ask if they can deliver the car to the hotel – if it’s within a certain distance they can do it complimentary but if it is far, there may be an extra charge. What you see for the final quote on the reservation is the total, no hidden fees or extra taxes.
Hi Roisin! I think you’ll be fine with a smaller car and then a bigger one before your brothers come. You can visit lots of beaches around Hermosa that are a short drive away and don’t require a 4×4. But definitely when your brothers come, it’ll be necessary to get a big car and you may travel further with them. I do highly highly recommend renting a car ASAP because cars are going super fast and many places have already rented out most of their fleet for Christmas and New Years since that is peak season. We have a promotion for car rentals that is super helpful! You can get it here: Costa Rica car rental discount
And if you find there are no cars you want for your dates, feel free to email us and let us know, we can help you figure something out!
Hi there,
We have rented a home in Playa Hermosa for the month of December. We will be primarily travelling with our two kids, age 1 and 8 – to beaches and parks in the area. Then my two adult brothers are joining us for the week of Christmas. Would you recommend renting a smaller car for the first three weeks then a 7 passenger when they arrive – or just bite the bullet and rent a bigger vehicle for the whole month. Do you think we would benefit from a 4X4 to explore that area, not sure how adventurous we will be with the baby along!?! thank you 🙂
Hi Delmy, you can get a quote or make a reservation on this page: Costa Rica car rental discount the final quote includes basic mandatory insurance and you can select which car you’d like.
Hi
Could you please let me know how much will cost me to rent a car for seven people with insurance included, air condition, automatic, 4×4 ? No hiding fee.
Thank you,
Delmy
Hi Sammi & Yeison, I am getting the exact same price booking a car (tried 3 different ones) directly on Adobe’s website as I get on mytanfeet’s widget. Is there a specific reason, date, or am I doing something wrong?
Location SJO, dates 12-22 November 2016, looking for a manual 4×2 or 4×4
Thanks,
Rey
PS: Your blogs and CR info and tips are awesome!
Hi Rey! I am so sorry for the inconvenience, Adobe is updating their widget and prices may not have changed yet. I have sent you an email regarding the car rental reservation and you should hear back from Adobe very soon. Again I apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for reading our blog!
Hi,
I would say that’s way too short of time to do all of that unless you’re OK with spending literally 1 day in each location which isn’t fun at all. You can do San Jose to Irazu as a day trip, San JOse to Poas as another day trip, Poas to Arenal can be one or two days, you can see Tenorio in one day from Arenal, and then you can spend a couple days in Monteverde. Then to Manuel ANtonio is like a 4 hour drive, then Manuel Antonio to LIberia is like 5 hour drive so there’s not really any way to do all that in 10 days and enjoy it. And it’s true, the roads get worse in rainy season and a few of those routes are quite long. Some of them are paved such as Manuel Antonio to Liberia and back to San JOse, so you won’t necessarily need a 4×4 but the roads up to Tenorio is very bad, to Monteverde is bad (depending which one you take) so you will need a 4×4 for those.
Hey Sammi,
Me and my gf are going to Costa Rica this November and planned to rent a car.
Our first plan would include the following roadtrips
San Jose to Volcan Irazu
San Jose to Volcan Poas
Volcan Poas to Volcan Arenal
Volcan Arenal to Tenorio Volcano National Park
than to Monteverde and from there may be down to Manuel Antonio or north to Liberia and give back the car there to fly back to San Jose.
First of all is it doable in lets say 8-10 days? We have 2 weeks in total but would like to relax 3 -4 days at the beach.
We are also open for any suggestions – may be the carribbean side is more likely to have nice weather that time of year for the last 4 days (end november)?
Also my concern is now, since our trip is during or right after the rain season, that the roads might be in bad condition.
How is the situation actually around that time of the year – are those paved roads or do we need 4×4 for our trip?
Thanks a lot!
Mario
Hi there!
Great blog! There’s so much information!
My boyfriend and I are going to be traveling to Costa Rica at the beginning of October. We were thinking of renting a vehicle for 2 weeks while we did Monteverde, the Nicoya Peninsula and over to the Pacific coast, Playa Ostional and other beaches to hopefully see turtles.
We were also wanting to stick a mattress or foamies in the back and just sleep in the vehicle instead of bothering with hostels. Would this be okay? Or would you recommend against it? What size of vehicle would we need? (Obviously one where the back seats fold down fully.)
Any help you can provide would be much appreciated! Thanks so much!
Hi Kimee!
Honestly, I don’t recommend using a mattress and sleeping in the car. First, a mattress wouldn’t fit and renting a car that would fit like a SUV or even a H1 is super expensive and it would cost even more than if you stayed in hotels. And it’s not always safe to sleep in your car here since it’s not normal in Costa Rica… I recommend just renting a normal sedan or the smaller i10 sedans which are cheaper and staying in hostels, in October you can find beds for as low as $10 a night since it’s low season right now. But I do recommend renting at least a 4×2 because you’ll need it for the roads to Monteverde and the Ostional, the roads there are pretty bad and during rainy season the rivers get super full and you might have to cross some. So basically, it’s not recommended to sleep in your car and you’ll need to rent a least a 4×2 SUV for those routes because of the bad roads and rainy weather conditions. October is our rainiest month so do be prepared for rain.
Hi! I would highly recommend you to get at least a SUV 4×2 you can check our rates here: Costa Rica car rental discount
We would like to drive from Samara down to the Malpais area. Will we be OK in a sedan or do we require an SUV 4×2 or 4×4? Are the beaches of Santa Theresa, Montezuma, etc accessible with a sedan?
Hi,
How much (average) does it cost to fill up a 4 cylinder tank with current (2016) gas prices ? Also, does Adobe rentals require to return the rental car with a full tank as most rental agencies?
Hi Leo, a full tank for a 4 cylinder can go from $35 to $40 and Adobe will ask you to return the full at the same level you got it, and it is usually full other wise they will charge you some fees.
Hi Paul, The best company we know is Adobe and the car you need is the Hyundai H1 I think this car will work great for you guys if you would like to you can check the rates here Costa Rica car rental discount./ Let us know if you have any questions, we also have a friend that takes people to witches Rock and Ollie’s point
Here is a question!
Do you know the best place to rent a minivan, or van that could hold 6 guys, luggage, and boards? Does that even exist?
Thanks!
Paul
Hi Sammi – Adobe did respond to my email and basically said the same as you, and I called and we’re all set! So far I’m impressed with them. I’m sure my traveling companion will have a question or two — she’s the one doing all the planning — so I will likely get back with you soon. Thanks again.
That’s great to hear!
Hello and thanks for the response. I actually just used your discount agreement and reserved a 4×4 Tuscon with Adobe, thank you for that service — the cost was a fair amount less than it would be by going direct through their site. Is it unusual that we got the Reservation Confirmation and Number but there was no mention of making a payment or even a request for credit card information for a deposit? I emailed Adobe but I don’t know if/when to expect a reply.
Hi Eric, that’s so great to hear! That’s our goal, to help travelers save money 🙂 As for the reservation, Adobe will email back for a request of cc information or you can do it right now to get it done but your reservation is confirmed. Let us know if you have other questions!
Hello and thank you for all the information, and I’m glad it looks like you’re still responding to questions! In a few weeks I’m going to CR with a friend for the first time. Here is a brief rundown of our expected travels (please forgive misspellings). Do you think it looks OK for a compact car? San Juan Airport to Poas Volcano National Park to Arenal Volcano National Park to Rincon de la Vieja National Park to Tarcoles Bridge to Jaco Laguna Resort & Beach Club to Manuel Antonio National Park to Turrialba back to the airport. We don’t intent to do any off-road traveling (at least not on purpose).
Hi Eric Thanks for reading our blog, If I were you I would get a little more bigger like a sedan there are a lot of hills going to the Poas Volcano and I will not recommend to go with a compact car to the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano, I mean you can go but you will have to go very slow. If you would like to we can get a quote for you for different models just email us on our Contact page, have a good day
Hello; your website is so helpful, thank you! I am trying to make a car rental reservation through you and would just like a little clarification. I can’t find the place on the referral to provide the information for the 2nd and 3rd driver. I would like to be able to have all of that completed before I arrive, is that possible? Also, I made a quote, does that mean I am reserved but not paid? Thanks!
Hi Carolee, please put in the comment section the information for the 2nd and 3rd driver. If you made a quote, you haven’t made a reservation yet so you will need to confirm the quote in order to reserve.
Hi Jeff, yes a small car like the Hyundai i10 will be fine. Those routes have all nice paved roads so there is no need for a SUV or 4×4. The Hyundai i10 is perfect for two people and small luggage. We drove a small sedan from Coco to La Fortuna many times before. Also the route from Arenal to Guanacaste is one of our favorites, it is really beautiful so renting a car will let you stop when you want to enjoy the views and drive. You can see more about that route here: Driving Guanacaste to ARenal
Hi Sammi,
Thank you for your suggestions. We decided to make reservations with Adobe rent a car using the offer in your blog. We are excited to travel in December!
That’s awesome and glad we could help!! 🙂
Hi,
We just found your blog and want to thank you for all of the helpful information you have! It has been a pleasure reading your blogs.
My girlfriend and I will be traveling to Costa Rica in late December. We are staying in La Fortuna for several days and then traveling to Playas del Coco for the remainder of our trip. We are still deciding whether or not we should rent a vehicle, but renting seems to be the most cost effective and most flexible. Our current itinerary is LIR- Arenal/La Fortuna – Playas del Coco – LIR. Do you think a small car, such as a Hyundai i10, is okay for this trip? We are only traveling with one carry-on each so we do not need a lot of space. We appreciate any feedback you can give us. Thank you!
Hello Emily, if you ask me the best option is a H1 Van, you will have plenty of space for everyone and the luggage, the H1 is the most used tourism van and you see them all over the places you are going to visit. We have many benefits for our readers and a discounted rate that you can check on this link: Costa Rica car rental discount.
Hi- thank you so much for all this great information. We are planning 6 people from San Jose, to Sarapiqui, to Arenal, to Monteverde, to Rincon de la Vieja staying at Anita Rainforest Ranch and visiting Sensorio, and then to Samara and leaving from Liberia. Do we need a 4×4? I’d like to get a van for everyone to be more comfortable but want to make sure all those roads would be ok for that.
Ill be down there august 14-20th. How are road conditions then? I’d be going from san jose stopping in arenal, la fortuna waterfall, on my way to guancaste and if i have time going by nicoya peninsula. What do you recommend that I get?
Hi Richie, you can read in the post what kind of car we took for Arenal, Guanacaste and Nicoya Peninsula routes. My only suggestion is depending on which route you take to the Nicoya Peninsula, to get at least a 4X2 especially in rainy season. But if you’re taking the paved road route, you won’t necessarily need it. The roads in Santa Teresa/Mal Pais are not paved.
Hello Victor, it will be definitely cheaper and more convenient for your family to rent a car, shuttles are expensive here and at the end you will pay more by buying individual shuttles for the family for all the destinations you want to go than renting a car, also once you are in the areas you want to go you will have to use taxis to move around and they aren’t cheap neither. So if you can it will be better and you will enjoy more, we see hundreds of North Americans driving around here without problem.
You can check our rent a car special right now is one of the best deals you can find here: Costa Rica car rental discount We know very well the areas you want to visit so if you need some advice about what to do and what to expect you can submit your questions here https://mytanfeet.com/ask-us/ Regarding your last question our favorite snorkeling place is the Caño Island it is located in the south pacific Cano Island snorkeling. Enjoy your vacations and thanks for reading our blog have a good night!
Hello,
My wife and I are traveling with 2 teenagers to CR for the first time in early June. We are arriving at SJO and staying in Atenas. We plan on taking a few day trips to La Fortuna, Jaco and Manuel Antonio National Park. Do you recommend a rental car? Also, any recommendations on best snorkeling on the Pacific side of CR?
Hello Karina, you can read this article about the Costa Rica weather: Costa Rica weather. I will definitely rent a car for two reasons it is way mo cheaper than shuttles and public transportation is not the best on tourist areas the roads are on good conditions and you can even get a small sedan the Hyundai i10 is a cheap option and all our readers get special rates and benefits. I hope you and your boyfriend have an amazing time in Costa Rica.
Hello I will be in Costa Rica for the first time with my boyfriend in July, do you know how the weather is like? Also we will be arriving in san jose airport and then driving to Jaco beach from Jaco we are going to Manuel national park back to san jose and then to Arenal. Do you recommend renting a car? or going on the shuttle? how are the roads? also do you know where is the best place to go ziplining? and the best waterfalls and beaches in Costa Rica?
Hello Anaise, I am happy you enjoy the blog and the benefits on our rent a car deal. In regards to your questions if you are planing to go to Rincon de la Vieja its better to have a SUV it could be a 4×2 but the road is not the best many people go on a Sedan but its not very conformable, there are many accessible beaches around Nosara you can go to some of them with a sedan. Adobe is 100% reliable no worries if you rent an automatic you will get an automatic and if just by a weird case something happen just email us and we will take care of the situation, we are a very good relation and they know our readers are #1 priority.
THANK YOU for putting together this AMAZING blog! I am also looking for advice as I am arriving in Liberia 5/27-6/4 (first time in Costa Rica) and will be traveling to a beach near Nosara that day (I arrive at about 1pm). I’d like use the car to visit neighbouring beaches during my stay (over 7 days) and then will drive up to Rincon de la Vieja for the last 2 days. My question is do you think I need to rent a 4×4? Also can you recommend beaches nearby Nosara or on the way from Liberia airport that are easy to access? If driving a sedan would be acceptable, can you let me know which beaches are best accessible by sedan? Finally, is Adobe reliable if I need to be able to drive an automatic transmission, can they guarantee my rental vs only manual being available when i get there? Any other tips would be helpful, as I’m a female traveling alone for this trip. Also what is the typical mileage per tank on a mini SUV? I’m heading to the Adobe website now. Thank you!
Hello Marissa! Customs in Liberia is very quick it usually takes not longer than 30 minutes to get out of the airport. Then it takes around 4 hours to drive it depends where you go this article will help you: Driving Guanacaste to Arenal
Then just keep on mind that here gets dark every day by 6 pm. Don’t forget to check our our rent a car special here: Costa Rica car rental discount
Hi! Not sure if you’ve been asked about this already. But this will be our first time in Costa Rica and are so excited. We’re coming 1st week of July. Our flight arrives at 2pm but with customs and all other airport hassles we’re giving it another hour or 2 by the time we may get on the road. Do you think it’s ok to drive from Liberia to Arenal at that time. We’ll probably still be driving way after the sun sets. Thanks. You guys are awesome!
Hi!
Your blogs have been so helpful with planning my trip!!! But I have another question: We plan on driving from LIR airport to Arenal, then Arenal to Tamarindo area, then back to LIR. Do you think we need to rent a 4×4?
I read that you guys were in a sedan from Guanacaste to Arenal, but now I’m concerned with the roads to Tamarindo and from Tamarindo to LIR.
We will be in Costa Rica at the end of July/beginning of August.
Thank you!!!
Hi Aeri, the road from Tamarindo to LIR is normal – nice and paved. No need for a 4×4.
Hi Jill thank you for reading our blog, the road from Monteverde to Manuel Antonio has some good and bad sections specially close to Monteverde that usually warrants a 4×4. You are right about the car rentals, there no offices in Monteverde. We do have a car rental discount you can check out to get 10-25% off and other freebies: Costa Rica car rental discount
Hi,
We will be traveling from Monteverde to Manuel Antonio (in June 2016 ) and then eventually up to Liberia Airport to go home. We were going to take a private transport from Monteverde to Manuel Antonio then rent a car in Manuel Antonio and work our way up to Playa Hermosa. Now, I’m wondering if we should just rent a car in Monteverde and drive ourselves to Manuel Antonio then up the coast as planned. What is the drive like from Monteverde to Manuel Antonio. I am also finding it hard to locate a car rental company in Monteverde. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Hi,
Lots of great info.
I am coming to CR next week. Will be driving from San Jose to Monteverde then Manuel Antonio and back to San Jose. We won’t be driving around Monteverde, just up to the hotel. 2 adults with little luggage.
Do you think we can do this in a small car or will we need a 4×4?
Thanks!
The road to Monteverde is not good, it’s unpaved for a large portion of it and you have to drive on that road to get to the hotels in Monteverde. They recommend a 4X4 to Monteverde but we have seen sedans make it, albeit very slowly and uncomfortably. If you rent a sedan, drive very carefully and I highly recommend getting the SPP plan just in case especially as it is the transition to rainy season. I don’t know if it has rained in Monteverde but it very well could, and in that case I do recommend getting at least a 4X2.
Thinking of coming to Costa Rica in September to visit La Virgen, Sarapiqui, and then the long drive to Cahuita. If I rent a car at Juan Santamaria, will I need a 4×4 if I travel routes 126, 4, 32, and 36? Other than parking lots, I doubt I’ll travel off these roads.
Hi David, roads in Costa Rica are not the best and if you can afford to get a 4×4 it will be great if you can’t check the mid size 4×2 SUV’s, You will be able to drive the roads you mentioned with a sedan but just for you to know in September we usually have lots of rain on the Caribbean side of the country and for safety I always recommend my friends to get the 4×2 mid SUV. Enjoy your trip 🙂
You can read about driving times from Liberia Airport here: Liberia International Airport and about Playa Flamingo here: Playa Flamingo guide . There’s a map of Playa Flamingo on Google Maps so you can see how far it is from Liberia Airport and the drive time.
We have an article with tips for driving from Guanacaste to Arenal with a video of the roads and drive time here: Driving Guanacaste to Arenal
Hi! My husband and I are traveling to Costa Rica in two weeks -renting an SUV and staying at the Flamingo Beach Resort (Play Flamingo) the first half of our trip and the Nayara Hotel & Spa the second half. Wondering if you could give us and drive times and tips we’re flying into Liberia. About how long of a drive to the Flamingo is it from there? and the drive back to the airport from Nayara? When should we leave?
Hi, first of all we want to wish you a happy birthday! There are lots of canopy tours around Costa Rica and to be honest we haven’t been in the San Luis one. I know that Samantha’s favorite is the one at “Sky trek” in Arenal but the ones in Monteverde are very nice too, to be honest it’s very hard to say which one is the best.
For white water rafting the Río Pacuare is the best we did it with this company: One day Rio Pacuare white water rafting Yes you should go to the Poas volcano if you are already in the area and I feel that the waterfall gardens are too expensive. It will be better if you rent a Mid size SUV.
Hi;
My wife and I are going to Costa Rica from April 1st, arriving at Noon, to the 8th (leaving at 6:00 pm) for my birthday. I definitely want to check out Sarchi, Arenal/Fortuna, Poas/ La Paz Waterfall Gardens and Manuel Antonio. I also want to do a Canopy/zip lining tour and white water rafting. I found a San Luis canopy tour but everyone in your site keeps talking about monte verde. What would you recommend for the canopy tour? What white water rafting tour would you recommend? Should I go to the Poas volcano if I’m already going to La Paz Waterfall Garders and Areal?
Also, could you recommend in what order I should plan the things that I want to do that would be most efficient? How much time should spend in each of the places? Would renting a sedan or hatch back work or do I need a 4×2 SUV?
Thank you!!
Hi Murray, since you’ll be in Guanacaste and you want to hike, I highly recommend going to Rincon de la Vieja National Park. There is excellent hiking there (you can even hike to the summit). Read more about the national park here: Rincon de la Vieja National Park
As for renting a car, I definitely would. Guanacaste has many hidden treasures not accessible by bus. Many beaches and viewpoints are off the beaten path and the buses are not as frequent in this area so it’ll be hard to get around efficiently and to maximize your 5 days in Guanacaste. It’ll also be cheaper than hiring a private shuttle to take you everywhere since things are a bit spread out in Guanacaste. Depending on where you’re staying, transportation to the Rincon de la Vieja National Park is around $60 alone, so renting a car would be much more practical.
If you decide to rent a car, you can get great days with our discount with Adobe to save for your car rental. You can read more about it here: Costa Rica car rental discount We also offer a free 2nd driver, cell phone (for local calls) and 33% off GPS. This way you can explore more of Guanacaste and go to places that aren’t easily accessible.
Hi Guys
Great blog. My partner and I have got 5 days in the Guanacaste Province in the beginning of May. Would you recommend getting a rental car for those days…we are keen hikers is there any walks we can do and what other attractions would you recommend?
Hi Peyton, you can certainly pick up a car at one location and return to another. However there is a fee for this and the amount varies depending on how far apart the offices are. On the page with your final car booking, you can see how much the drop off fee is (might be around ~$50).
An economy car would be sufficient for this trip, the road is paved from San Jose to Arenal to Guanacaste (check out Liberia to Guanacaste conditions here) Driving Guanacaste to Arenal . The roads are also paved through La Fortuna town and main roads to the beaches in Guanacaste. The roads in the Arenal Volcano National Park is not paved but it’s not that bad, you can certainly gt by with an economy car to the national park entrance if you go there.
Hi! My friend and I are heading to Costa Rica for a trip in May. We are flying into San Jose, planning to drive to Arenal for a night, then to the Guanacaste region. We will fly out of Liberia to head back to the states. Does Adobe allow you to pick the car up at one airport and return to another. Also, do you think an economy car would be sufficient or should we get one with 4 wheel drive in case (don’t have the whole trip planned out yet so may make other stops along the way). Thanks so much!
The only roads that aren’t paved are to Monteverde and Rio Celeste. The Monteverde road is pretty rough and it’s bumpy for pretty long but you can get by without a 4X4, though it’d be much more comfortable. A sedan will work, just be careful when driving those roads. And it’s dry season now so you won’t have to worry about heavy rains.
You can check our “driving around Costa Rica” section to see the types of cars available and videos of some of those routes (Tamarindo/Playas del Coco) Driving in Costa Rica videos
Hello!
Thanks for your post, it is awesome.
I am about to go to CR next weekend for a full week and I was wondering which type of car should I get. My itinerary is from the airport to Tamarindo beach and some others around, like playa del Coco and Flamingo, then I will go all the way up to the border with Nicaragua (we will leave the car there and cross the border line for one day), after comng back the next stop will be Monteverde, then Celeste River and La Fortuna. Then Manuel Antonio and San Jose after that. Another place that we will try to go is Volcan Poas and La paz waterfalls.
We won’t try to do anything crazy or adventurer like driving at the beach, we just want to reach those places. Would you say if a Mini or compact vehicle would work for my plans?
Thanks a lot, I do appreciate your time and your posts.
This is a great blog post! Thanks so much!
If I want to drive from San Jose to Playa Flamingo will I be okay with a compact car, or do I need to get a 4×4? Thank you!
You won’t, the road from San Jose to Flamingo is nicely paved and one main road.
Jello. We are going to costa rica in march and wanted to rent a car. My concern is that we will be driving from san jose to arenal area. During that day we want to stop and explore some. La paz area etc. As we do so we will have our luggage with us as we will not be ti the hotel until that afternoon. We wanted an suv but am worried that out luggage will be seen by locals and stolen. I have heard this is a big issue. Is there something that you would suggest? I have heard that you can bring bile locks and lock luggage and all zippers eith yhose. Or rent a car with a trunk and never open it . keep everything valuble in back packs on you etc. Any info you have would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Billy, yes unfortunately this is an issue in Costa Rica. It is pretty easy to spot rental cars and who is a tourist and sadly there are people who target tourists who leave their stuff in their car. If you absolutely have to leave your belongings, I’d suggest to definitely buy luggage locks anyways since they are useful (TSA friendly or any lock is fine and just put it on after you reach Costa Rica) Or rearrange your belongings so you carry your valuables with you in your backpacks to La Paz and leave the rest in the trunk and don’t open it until you get to the hotel. It’s best to take every precaution you can because it only takes a minute for thieves to get in and out and unfortunately, it’s not a rare thing to happen here.
All readers who book a car through Mytanfeet will automatically receive a 2nd driver and free cell phone. It’s already included in the reservation which is why you may not see it in the comments, but if you want to double check (even though we guarantee 100% that you will receive the benefits), you can email Adobe. They automatically have it in their system for every single Mytanfeet reservation for these benefits.
As for the GPS, WAZE is the best GPS you can use in Costa Rica. If you get a pre paid sim card (Costa Rica pre-paid sim cards ) you can use data on your phone for GPS but jus tmake sure you have enough credit for data.
Thank you so much for your reassurance and timely response! We leave in less than a week and are excited for our adventures. : )
Hola! What a great website and thanks so much for all the useful information. We decided to go with your recommendation and book our SUV rental through Adobe rather than with Enterprise, which we use when we travel to the US. We’ve received our confirmation but is there any guarantee that they will honour the second driver fee for free and free cellphone that we requested in the notes section based on your offer? We’ve opted not to add a GPS…we hope that our extensively printed directions, print and downloaded maps and in a pinch WAZE will suffice…comments? Thanks so much for sharing all this helpful advice and the discounted rate!
smiles
Tricia
Please advise, how far is the Adobe Car rental from the air terminal in Quepos, and shuttles running regularly?
Likewise, in LIB. We are after a rental 4 X 4 for 6 days, but we want to make sure we spend little time obtaining and returning the rental. Is Adobe efficient? Will they have the vehicle we request, or, will there be some snafu as to why there is not a VEHICLE that meets our reservation?
Hi Beth,
When you make the reservation, send your flight information including arrival time to the adobe email address and add it in the comments, so they know to pick you up from the local terminal in Quepos. This is a complimentary pick up.
As for Liberia, will you be in Liberia city or LIR (Liberia airport)? They do complimentary pick ups from Liberia International Airport to take you back to their office to get your car and finish paperwork. Adobe is very efficient, they are always on time and very prompt. As for vehicles, it will be “something similar” to what you request for example, Hyundai Tucsons 4X4 automatic or something similar because they can never guarantee the exact make and model.
Great blog! Really helpful!
3 questions:
1. My itinerary is LIB-Papagayo(Andaz)-Arenal(Nayara)-LIB. What kind of car do you recommend? From reading your blog it seems that the roads along those routes are fairly well kept, if not a bit windy.
2. Do you have any advice for those arriving late in the evening? I land at 9pm in Liberia, worried that after retrieving baggage, and going through customs most rental car offices/shuttles may be closed?
3. I don’t anticipate us going off-roading or exploring too much beyond pre-paid excursions that include transportation, so is a rental car worth it vs private shuttles? After doing a price check on Adobe on the cheapest automatic for 7 days, it was nearly $500.
Thanks again for your amazing blog- glad I stumbled upon it!
Hi Jon,
1. You can drive any kind of car, the road is very well paved from Liberia to Arenal, it is just very windy.
2. Car rentals will pick you up and take you to the office to get your car whatever your landing time is.
3. The Papagayo Andaz and Nayara are not close to town, so you’ll have to take a taxi or pay for a shuttle to take you to town if you want to go. You obviously won’t be driving yourself to the tours since transportation is included in them, but it’s something to think about if you want more freedom because both hotels aren’t close to town or anything like supermarkets. So it’s up to you, if you don’t want to explore or go anywhere beyond the hotel, you probably don’t need a car. You can book a shuttle from LIR to Arenal for about $200, eat at the on-site restaurants (probably be the same price because taxi from Nayara to La Fortuna is around $15) and just stay at the Papagayo Andaz beach (not the prettiest but you will have to take a taxi to get to the other beaches, go boating for the beautiful hidden ones in the Gulf or go on a beach hopping tour)
Thank you so much Sammi- really appreciate your insight and help!
Hi Mark, I suggest getting a Kolbi pre paid sim card (Costa Rica pre-paid sim cards ) because they have the most cell phone coverage. We get service pretty much everywhere, but the South. Once you get past Uvita the service goes in and out. If you set your route and pre-load the maps though, it should keep going. But you can get service nearly everywhere and there are just a few spots here and there where it goes in and out.
Hi – We will be in CR soon and downloaded WAZE (as recommended above), but am curious if there is really any consistent cell service once you leave the bigger cities and towns – anyone have any experience? If not great, we can rent the additional GPS, but was trying to avoid the additional expense since we’ll be there for a while.
Any input greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
Hi!
We are thinking about going south to explore Corcovado National Park from somewhere in Guanacaste. Any suggestions about getting there? We not opposed to driving and have the time.
Otherwise, would it be possible to do a one-way car rental (i.e. San Jose/Liberia) so we can fly from Liberia to Drake or Puerto Jimenez?
Thanks!
Claudia
Hi, you can drive it but I don’t suggest driving it all in one day since it’ll take about 10-12 hours to get from Guanacaste to Osa (either Drake or Puerto Jimenez) by car. You can break it up and stop in places in between like Jaco, Manuel Antonio and Dominical/Uvita. If you don’t want to do that, then yes you can do a one way car rental and fly to Drake or Puerto Jimenez. Just note that there will be a drop off fee if you have a different drop off/pick up location of around $50.
Hi…my husband and I are visiting Costa Rica in February, . After reading all the comments we would like to rent a car .. How can we get the car from Liberia airport to the nearest rent a car office ?
Thank you so much
Marissa
Adobe will pick you up at the airport free of charge to take you to the office. An Adobe representative will be waiting for your with a sign with your name 🙂
Hi Judy, all those activities can be done in Arenal and La Fortuna actually (read more here Things to do in Arenal and La Fortuna ) so for the rest of the days, it depends on what you want to do after doing some adventures. You can go to Guanacaste to relax at the beach, you can spend some time in the Central Valley or go to Monteverde for more cloud forest adventures.
All roads leading to SJO are in good condition since they are highways. You can read more about the drive from Arenal to Guanacaste here: Driving Guanacaste to Arenal , these are some of the beaches you can visit in Guanacaste: Best beaches in Guanacaste., here are some things to do in the Central Valley here: Things to do in Central Valley
Hi, I am planning on visiting Costa Rica the end of March which will be first time there and will be renting a car with Adobe after reading all the comments. We will be there for 9 days and will be staying 3-4 days in Arenal but not 100% for the rest of the days. I like to do the zip lining, hot springs, rainforest, la fortuna waterfall and white water raft. Do you have any suggestions on where where I should do those activities and where else I should visit and must do actives and how are the roads from SJO? Thanks!
Hi Joanne, there is a mandatory insurance in Costa Rica every renter must purchase. The reason why we like Adobe is because they put all the costs up front so you know exactly what you’re paying for – no hidden fees. Some car rental companies will include only the car rental in their quote and omit the insurance, charging the insurance only when the customer picks up the car so they get a very not-so-nice surprise and much bigger bill. Adobe doesn’t do this at all – what you get in your quote is the final price. We also offer a free 2nd driver and cell phone with Adobe for extra benefits which is a great deal if you’d like that. You can read more about the discount here: Costa Rica car rental discount
We are planning a trip to Costa Rica and at this time have a suv booked from dollar rental. We are very confused about the rental insurance. Would Adobe be a better choice
Hi Karen! The link to the discount is at the end of the post and here: Costa Rica car rental discount
All you have to do is fill out the widget and you’ll get a confirmation email. The Ford Everest was great for us 6 adults, but the 3rd row is not that roomy. I and my sister in law sat in the 3rd row because we are the shortest (we are 5’3 and 4’11), so I suggest putting your tall person in the front or else he will be fairly cramped! San Jose to Tamarindo is pretty straight forward, and it is all paved roads. You just need to get on the road to Caldera and then the InterAmericana highway to Tamarindo.
We are coming to Costa Rica for the first time, next week! We’re flying into SJO and then driving to Tamarindo (6 adults). We’ve been going through your posts and see where you recommend Adobe Car Rental but we didn’t see any link?. Is this where you rented your Ford Everest for the 6 adults you were traveling with? Was there enough leg room in the 3rd row (we have one person that is 6’4″). Is it difficult to navigate around San Jose to get on the road to Tamarindo? Thanks so much for all the great advise and help you give to all ! Wonderful site!
Hi Erica, all you have to do to get the free 2nd driver is put a note in the comment section of the reservation that you’d like the 2nd driver or you can send us an email with your reservation number and we’ll have Adobe add the 2nd driver on there.
Depending on where you stay in Guanacaste, definitely go boating and visit beaches/snorkel. Here’s more about boating and beach hopping here: Mystic Rides boating and all our things to do in Guanacaste articles are here: Things to do in Arenal and La Fortuna
Thank you for the great reply, it really helped.
I just booked my car through Adobe (Reservation #510860) and noted in the comments that we would like to add the 2nd Driver and also the 1 hr. cell phone if possible (just in case of an emergency). Can you double check this was added please.
(Drivers #1: Edward Cooper, #2: Erica Cooper)
Hi Erica, all Mytanfeet readers who book a car through the widget on our site automatically gets a free 2nd driver. If you need to double check, please email Adobe. Thank you!
I can’t get enough of your website! It’s awesome and very thorough! My mom and I are traveling to Playas del Coco from LIB in a few weeks. We mostly planned to beach hop, but since she has a bad hip we planned to rent a car. We saw another post yours about a day trip to the Catarata Llanos de Cortes waterfall. Will need a 4X4 for that trip or do you think a taxi would be better? Are the roads from LIB to Coco ok? Thanks for all of your awesome information!
The roads to Liberia to Playas del Coco are normal, you drive on just one road from the airport and it is well paved. As for Catarata Llanoas de Cortes, you don’t necessarily need a 4X4 but it is quite bumpy in some parts. Also just note that the walk from the parking lot to the waterfall is not paved, it isn’t even a dirt path. It’s a little steep and slippery, and there are big rocks to maneuver around so if your mom has a bad hip, make sure she has good shoes and a cane or hiking stick to help her. Go slow, I’ve slipped a couple times going down!
My husband and I are traveling to Costa Rica at the end of this month. I do see your link to Adobe rental car and will be booking with them. How do we go about getting the extra free driver? For our trip we will be staying 4 days in Arenal and 3 days in Guantacaste. Is there anything you would consider a must see at either of these places or on the road? This is our first trip to Costa Rica and we are a little overwhelmed.
Any advice on travelling from Tamarindo to Santa Teresa? Then from Santa Teresa we have to get back to Liberia to the airport. Its only a 4 day trip through Teresa so was thinking of renting a car….but we are leary of the deposit they are asking!
You can definitely drive it but it will take around 5 – 6 hours depending which route you take. If you only have 4 days, then you may want to think about taking a local flight instead since that will save you a lot of time. Nature Air flies from Tamarindo to Tambor and from Tambor you can grab a cab to Santa Teresa/Mal Pais which is not very far. Then from Tamarindo you can fly to LIR.
Renting a car would be the best way to visit the waterfalls in my opinion. Llanos is not too far from Liberia (probably 40 minutes) and we always suggest getting there as early as possible, because once it hits around 10 AM, then all the tours start stopping there. If you go early, you can have the waterfall all the yourself. You can read more about the waterfall in our guide: Catarata Llanos de Cortes
Rio Celeste is in Tenorio Volcano National Park, about 2 hours from Liberia.
I am planning to fly into Liberia on March 9, and need to be in San Jose on March 12. I’d like to visit Lake Arenal and the Monteverde Cloud Forest while traveling to San Jose. Will I need a 4×4, or is bus service sufficient to visit these places?
The road from SJO and Liberia to La Fortuna is very good actually, it is well paved, just very curvy. However to Monteverde the road is incredibly bumpy and has huge holes. It will be a lot easier and much smoother and comfortable to drive with at least a 4X2, but I have seen sedans do it. You can also take the public bus, but it takes a lot longer so it depends on your preferences, if you’d like to save money on transportation by taking the bus but spending more time, or driving and saving time and being more comfortable.
Hello there, I stumbled upon your blogs and I have to thank you because they have been so helpful to me. My gf and I are planning on visiting Costa Rica and the information you provide in your blogs with regards to the country and what it has to offer is very helpful. I have just one question for you and I was wondering if I could get your opinion. We’ll be in Liberia for two nights and we were planning on dedicating one full day for waterfalls. I was wondering if you would recommend we rent a car in order to see Llanos de Cortez Waterfall and Rio Celeste Waterfall at the Tenorio Volcano National Park? And how the drive to each would be?
Thank you in advance, look forward to your response!
Marco.
Hi Guys , We are travelling to CR for a month, landing in Liberia end of January 2016. We have a place to stay the first few days in Playa del Coco. We’re wondering if you know if you can rent CamperVans or even camping equipment anywhere if we decide to take advantage of all the beach camping that is available ? this website is really, really helpful !! Thank You !
Hi guys, I can’t think of anywhere that rents camping equipment or vans in Coco. Sorry.
Hi, I’m planning to rent a cqr and travel from Liberia to Playa Grande. 2 adults & 2 kids and we are just staying close to the area. I mostly need the car to travel to different beaches around the area and also to tamarindo. How are the roads there? could I go with the car rather than the 4×2 / 4×4 ? Do most people get the sup protetction plan as well?
thanks in advance. I loved going thru your Blog… very imformative
Hi Chris, that area isn’t too bad. The road to Grande isn’t really paved, but it’s not horrible. The road to Tamarindo is paved normal and the roads to the main beaches in that area are fine like Avellanas (not paved but not bad), Brasilito, Conchal, Flamingo, those beaches. People get the super protection for more coverage, so that’s up to you if you’d like to get it. I rented a car a couple months ago and got the super protection plan because I knew I was going to areas where the road was rough.
I just wanted to say THANKS!!!!!. Adobe Car rental was a great!! We went with a SUV Creta and it was perfect for all the roads on the pacific coast. I was a bit considered because I couldn’t clean out the sand all over the inside of the vehicle. I returned and no problems, no questions asked with great fast service. GPS was a plus and having the protection added made it worry free.
Hi Chris, that is so great to hear! I’m glad you had a good experience with Adobe! That’s exactly what we want all our readers to have when they are in CR 🙂
We will be in CR from Jan. 15-24. Our first time! We are flying into San Jose. Our plan, so far, is to rent a car and drive up to La Fortuna/Arenal area and spend 3 days exploring the area, with stops along the way at Volcan Poas, Los Chorros & Catarata del Toro waterfalls. Then we drive back to San Jose for one night. Then we drive to Limon area and spend 3 days exploring the Caribbean coast, with stops along the way at Volcan Irazu, and white water rafting on the Pacuare River. Then drive back to San Jose for one night, and leave Jan. 24. Do you think we need a 4×4 and/or GPS? Thanks!
If you stay on the main roads, you won’t need a 4×4. The road to La Fortuna, up Poas, Irazu and to Limon are nice paved roads. As for a GPS, you may need one for some spots, there are lots of signs for Poas, Irazu and Arenal and Limon is only one road from San Jose, but you may need one if you want to explore around and I don’t remember if there is a lot of signage for Chorros and Del Toro.
I tried to sent you an introductory email, but I got an error.
Thanks Rich, we just fixed it!
Hi Awana, you can rent a golf cart to get around town, but you will need a car to get to other beaches. We have a rent a car tips post:
Costa Rica car rental tips
From Playas del Coco, the best surfing beaches are Playa Tamarindo (most popular, more for beginners and lessons). We have a post about it here: Playa Tamarindo
Playa Grande, also good for beginners but certain tides and spots are excellent for intermediates and high levels. Our post is here: Playa Grande
And Playa Avellanas, which I would say is more for intermediates and high level surfers.
Those three are the best surfing beaches closest to Coco.
We will be staying in Playa del Coco. can you rent a car in Playa del Coco? We were thinking about renting a golf cart there for most of the time. But need to rent a car to find some good surfing spots around there. What do you recommend for good surfing spots?
Wow, what a great site and so much info. Love the videos of the roads. Looking to rent car from abode from your site but not sure what to get. It is 1adult and 2 children 10,12 years of age. We fly into Liberia, spend first night at playa Hermosa , then next morning staying 3 nights at arenal observatory lodge then back to playa flamingo 3nights and then back to Liberia. Not sure we need 4×4 will a compact do or do we need small suv? Do we really need at gps? Coming feb 2016.
From reading your responses sounds like I fill in dates and car choice it will add the mandatory insurance and final price will really be the price. Do they pick up at airport or is there a shuttle. Thank you so excited to check out the rest of your reviews and site.
Hi Rose! The only unpaved roads are to Arenal Observatory Lodge, you won’t need a 4X4 necessarily, and you’re coming in February so there won’t be any rain. The road to the lodge is the one into the national park and it’s like a 15 minute drive on gravel roads but nothing horrible when it’s dry. We’ve driven our compact car there before and it was fine!
As for a GPS, for those locations you won’t really need one. Hermosa, Flamingo and Liberia are all really easy to find (signs everywhere) and the lodge has signs as well, and they have directions on their website. I don’t think you’ll really need one to be honest since those locations are pretty well marked and if you get lost, every local will know those locations (and expats).
They will pick you up at the airport by shuttle and take you to their office to finish the paperwork and you’ll get your car there. Just fill out the form, pick the car and insurances, and other things you might want like booster seat, etc. and you’re good to go! Let us know if you have any other questions Rose 🙂
Thanks helpful info. Okay renting the car but when it comes to pick up at office or at airport. I know you said above to take shuttle to the office. May seem silly question but form says pickup car at office or airport. I only hesitate to fill in because i read that you should not asked to be picked up at airpot because they will charge you extra for the drive to office and if there is a shuttle in airport to their office should take that since no additional cost. Which should i mark, not sure if it affects cost or a hidden extra charge. thank you.
Rose
Hi Rose, the Adobe office is not right at the actual airport so they will pick you up in a shuttle to their office at no charge. The office is not far away, it’s like a 5 minute ride. You will see an Adobe employee waiting outside the airport holding a sign with your name.
Thank you so much for all the information you provide! I am in the process of deciding on a rental vehicle. We are driving from Liberia to Samara, along the coast road (if possible) to Playa Junquillal, up to La Fortuna and Rincon de la Viejas and then to Playa del Coco. Will be alright in a Hyundai Tuscon 4 x 2 or is a 4 x 4 necessary. We are travelling Feb 27 – Mar 19, 2016. Is the 4 x 2 high enough off the ground to travel the back roads?
Hi Barb, a 4X2 should be fine, especially since you’re coming during dry season so you won’t need to worry about rain or anything like that. The road to Samara and Junquillal are gravel roads for a good chunk of it but nothing terrible. Then La Fortuna to Coco is a nice paved road, Rincon de la vieja National park is all gravel roads but nothing horrible either. Also just take note that they are re-doing the InterAmericana highway 1 in Liberia so there’s a ton of construction going on there right now.
Will a 4 x 2 be OK to go Rio Celeste?
I am still waiting for a response from my email inquiry to Adobe. I spoke with Ruth at their office on Wednesday, Nov 18th and then sent her an e-mail requesting a quote. I expected a quicker response…Does it usually take a few days?
Hi Barb, a 4X2 should be fine. I just emailed Adobe and gave them a heads up, they should be contacting you shortly. Sorry for the delay!
My rental is now booked. I spoke with Luis @Adobe by telephone. He was extremely helpful in answering all of my questions and explaining the different insurance options. Thank you so much!
Excellent! I am very glad to hear 🙂
Hi Guys! Love your blog, definitely using all your knowledge for our Costa Rica trip!! I wanted to reach out and see if you have any advice about our road trip. We are already renting a 4×4 with Adobe. Here is our plan:
San Jose to Domincal
Domincal to Montezuma (ferry)
Montezuma to Brasilito
Brasilito to Fortuna
Fortuna to San Jose
Also, are there gas stations often? Should we plan on buying a gas can?
Thanks!
Randee
Hey Randee! Yep there are gas stations often, the only one I would say make sure you fill up before is Dominical to Montezuma and then depending which route you take, Montezuma to Brasilito. All of those routes are at least 3-4 hours, can help you gauge if you need to fill up before or not.
Hello Robert,
I hope you are doing great! Some of the roads where you are going experience are gravel, not for longs distances and on very bad shape but if you can try to get a higher car like a mid suv like this one will be perfect: Costa Rica mid size SUV
The hill of death “Cerro de la muerte” is not that bad it just has a terrible name 😉 we have driven it many times and is all good just be careful and do not speed on the curves. We have some good deals right now if you book using our site. Have a great trip and let us know if there is anything we can help
Thanks for your informative blog. We are planning a return trip to Costa Rica this Spring, travelling from San Jose to Savegre Lodge, then on to San Vitio and the Wilson Gardens. Not sure of the rest of the trip, possibly same route return, possibly on to Golfito and then back to San Jose. What are the roads like? Paved or gravel? Any reason a 4 wheel drive is needed? We don’t really plan off road side trips. We are a bit wary about driving the “hill of death”, having not driven on our past trip to Costa Rica. Your thoughts are appreciated.
Hi Sammy & Yeison! What a fabulous site! Thanks for all the info. We’ll be visiting CR in April 2016, and looking to rent a car as we want to travel from Playa Hermosa to Arenal. Currently, we have a booking with Dollar for $180 (including basic insurance and extra driver) for a week for an economy car. Is that okay?
Based on your recommendation, are thinking about going with Adobe instead. What do you think? Also, you said that you could provide a code for a free extra driver with Abobe? Thank you!
Hello Jo,
I don’t know to much about dollar rent a car to be honest, and most of the international rent a car companies always have hidden fees that is the main complain. What you can do is check to see how much it is with Adobe just choose the dates on the reservation form you will find on this page. By default all mytanfeet readers get an extra driver, free cell phone rent and if you rent a hot spot (wifi) after the 10th day of rent is free. Please let us if you have any question 🙂
Hi Sammi,
We’re coming to CR for the first time and I just found your blog. I’m really enjoying it. You guys are doing a great job with it! My wife and i, along with our 15 yr old daughter and 12 yr old son are traveling to Guanacaste from the SF Bay Area the 2nd half of November. We’ve got a week booked at the Condominium Pacifico in the middle of our time there, in or near Playa del Coco. We’re flying into Liberia. We have 2 nights in front of our condo stay and 3 nights afterwards before returning home. We’re trying to figure out how to best utilize the book end days. We tentatively booked a couple days to start at the Blue River Resort and Spa based on referals and a good deal. We also have a tentative booking at the Flamingo Beach Resort and Spa to end the trip. The beginning and end are still tentative and can be changed. I wanted to get your advice on whether I should stay with these places or if you have better suggestions.
While there, we plan on doing as much as possible. I was definitely going to rent a vehicle and want to see as much as I can while also being smart with our travel. I don’t want to spend a ton of time on the road for the most part, although we are willing to go places; maybe even a daytrip up to Nicaragua. My wife is full Venezolana and my kids are half Venezolanos, obviously. Our spanish is fine. Any suggestions or ideas you can make would be awesome. Thanks!!
Hi Troy, that sounds like a fun itinerary! It’s up to you whether you want to stay there or not. Flamingo beach is really pretty.
I am sure you will have a great time!
Hi, traveling with family to CR in Dec over Christmas and staying in Tamarindo for a week. Adobo says no full sized SUVs available for this time. Do you have another recommendation for a rental car? Also, Hertz has an office in Tamarindo, would you recommend a shuttle to town and only rent a car for day trips?
Thanks,
John
Hi John,
Can you email us at hello(at) mytanfeet.com the dates you would like the car I will try the best I c an to get you the car you want at a great rate. Thanks!
Hi Paige, you can click the link here Costa Rica car rental discount
Hello,
First off this is a great blog!!! I am organizing a trip Feb 6- 11th, 2016 for a friend who “won” a casa at Plantation Estates in Rosario ‘d Naranjo, the property manager says it is near Grecia (forgive my misspellings). We will be flying into SJO and have been highly advised to rent a car/SUV; we have 6 in our group and my hubby in 6’5. We are not really a bunch of adeline junkies but we are into cool not extreme nature sites and love discovering eating places to satisfy the foodies in the group plus we have some super huge history lovers. This is our first trip a little fearful of driving but was in Italy recently and it was rather hectic there but not the worst. Like others here I have read a lot of horror stories regarding renting and driving. Can I book online with Adobe or do I call them how do I redeem promotions from you?
Hi, I am looking to rent a car with my girlfriend while we travel and I am curious if they have a wide range of 4X4 rentals available in automatic transmission. The reasons to this is because my girlfriend does not feel comfortable driving stick shift in Costa Rica and we want to be able to share driving while we are down there.
This is a great site by the way, very informative,
Thanks
Justin
Hi Justin, all the models they have come in automatic and manual. All you have to do is request one 🙂
We’ll be visiting Costa Rica in late September and staying for 10 days. We fly into SJO and want to see Monteverde/Arenal and then go down to Cahuita/Puerto Viejo (maybe stops in Irazu, Rio Pacuares or Sarapiqui or Tortuguero depending on the route we take). How is the weather and road conditions for renting a car? It looks like buses are cheap from SJO to Arenal/Monteverde, but what is the best way to get to Puerto Viejo from there? We were thinking to take bus back to SJO and maybe rent a car? If we rent a car do we need a 4×4, or is 4×2 okay? SUV or normal sedan? Thanks! Great blog and advise.
Hi Aaron sorry for the late reply we have been super busy!
If you have the possibility to rent a car I will recommend you to get one sometimes getting buses around the country can get confuse for tourist and you might spend valuable time figuring out stuff. Then the best way to get from Arenal or Monteverde to Puerto Viejo is by car or a private shuttle that at the end will cost you more.
A 4×2 SUV will be perfect if you check ou promo there are some really good deals going on for september.
Have a great time and let us know if you need any help
It’s has taken me too long to come back and thank you for your helpful tips and assistance with travel and especially the rental car. Adobe Car Rental was an outstanding recommendation from you and a seamless experience for us. You advised us not to worry about traveling during the rainy season and were correct. Not only did we luck out with fantastic weather the first week of July but would have had a tremendous experience regardless. The discount offered by you with Adobe is huge and your reassurance of car type saved us from unnecessary expense and the smaller car actually helped my husband maneuver the roads (and local drivers) much more efficient and safely than a large SUV. I panicked once I started reading information elsewhere about what seemed like rental car horror stories. You were so helpful and Adobe was an excellent company to work with! Thank you so very very much for your time and sharing your knowledge. I have no doubt that you made our trip easier and much more enjoyable! Thank you!!!!
Hi Heather! I am so happy to hear you guys had a great time and a good experience with the car! It really makes such a difference when you can explore Costa Rica on your own and I’m glad to hear you guys luckily got some nice weather as well. We just want our readers to have an amazing time in the country and it makes us so happy to hear they do. Thanks for reading our website Heather, we wouldn’t be doing this without you!
We want to rent a car from Monteverde to Manual Antonio to San Jose (final drop off). What would you recommend in terms of a car and does Adobe rent in Monteverde? Thanks for the help 🙂
Hi Sue! Adobe doesn’t have an office in Monteverde unfortunately so you would have to get the car dropped off which incurs a fee. Or the closest office is Fortunda de San Carlos so if you are able to get there, you can pick up the car without a fee. For a car, you can either go for a mid size if you have a large party with a good amount of luggage or if it’s just two people, a sedan is fine. The road to Monteverde is a bit bumpy but nothing you need a 4X4 for.
One more question. Is the cell phone received with the special offer only for calls within Costa Rica? Thanks.
Hi Lisa!
The cell phone comes with one hour credit for local calls, you can do international calls with that phone but you might need to put some money in the phone. Those lines a pre paid so you might need to go to a super market or any cell phone store to do the transaction it is very easy. I am not 100% sure but with $2 you can talk around 10 to 15 minutes to the US.
Thank you so much!!! Your information has been very helpful and I love your site. I may do a prorated international plan with Verizon as the state they have service in the areas we will be traveling and it appears to be pretty cheap … but will definitely be booking our car rental with Adobe :).
Lisa
Hi! My husband and I are traveling to Costa Rica August 29th thru September 5th. We will be going to Manuel Antonio from San Jose which I hear is about a 3 hour drive. We are planning to rent a car. All of the car rental websites I see online show really low weekly prices (25-40 USD weekly for an economy car). I’m assuming that the rates are so low because the insurance is not included?? I see that you say the LDW is the mandatory insurance and that is included in the rates listed by the car rental company you have partnered with so I’m also guessing that’s why they are higher. How much is the deposit typically required by this rental company for a weekly rental? Is this rental company at the airport itself or off-site? Also, from what previous posts have said it seems the roads travelled between San Jose and Manuel Antonio will not require an SUV. Is that correct? Thanks so much!
Hello Lisa,
I hope you are doing great, like you said most of the International rent a car companies (Hertz, Avis, National,etc) do not include insurance in their rates, so when the client pick up the car the rate is different. Basic insurance (LWD) is mandatory by law here in Costa Rica. We like Adobe because there are no hidden fees and the is what it is you don’t get extra charges.
The typical deposit is around $1000 and they put that on a credit card, the Adobe office is located 5 minutes from the airport actually all rent a car companies are off-site, an Adobe representative will be waiting for you and they will take you and your husband to their office on their van, you do not need a SUV if you are just going to the Manuel Antonio area.
You as a Mytanfeet reader will get a free phone and you can add an extra driver at not cost, please let us know if you have more questions.
First of all, I love the blog! My husband, myself, and 4 other friends will be in Costa Rica in September (17-26). We will be flying into San Jose but staying in the Manuel Antonio area for 8 days. Based on other comments, it seems we may not need a 4×4 if we will be staying in the Manuel Antonio area, exploring the Arenal, and San Jose area. We don’t know what other “must see” places will end up on our list, but think we might be okay. I was thinking about going with the Tucson 4×2. Do you think that should work for 2-3 of us? Also, is the “mandatory” insurance the Loss Damage Waiver – Theft insurance? It’s already checked off. Can you also tell me if these cars offer unlimited mileage? I think that one of the things I didn’t see listed. Thanks!
Hi Betty!
With the Tucson 4×2 you will be more than fine, and yes the LDW is the is mandatory here and many companies call it mandatory insurance. All the rentals are unlimited mileage so no worry about it. If you have more question please just let us know. Remember you will get a free additional driver and a cell phone with one of credit 🙂
Hi,
We will be arriving in LIB on 7/1/15 and staying through 7/15/15. Our itinerary will look something like LIB-Playa Flamingo-Tamarindo-Malpais (tentative)-Arenal-Potrero-LIB. Currently we have a Nissan Sentra 4 door sedan rented for 3 adults and 1 toddler. Do you think this is doable or do we definitely need an SUV 4×4?
Hi Arthur!
I would say for the amount of driving and probably the number of bags you will bring I will go for a SUV. But according to the dates you wrote in are about to finish your trip. Hope everything went well
Sorry, I meant to say August 1-15. Not a lot of bags actually and I think we’ll just keep our sedan reservation. I checked with a couple of our hosts and they said that a car should be OK. Considering we are renting for 15 days the price difference is huge between a car and an SUV so if I have to drive a little slower to save a couple of hundred dollars so be it. I just wanted to make sure it’s doable.
Hello, we are planning Costa Rica trip around New Year, for three adults. We are planning to drive from Sun Jose to Arenal area, than to Monteverde and Manuel Antonio. Would we need an SUV at this time of year? Thanks!
Hi Igor! New Years is dry season so it will be nice and sunny, you can get a mid size SUV if you have a lot of luggage but you won’t need a 4X4. But the road to Monteverde is prettttty bumpy so it’ll probably be more comfortable if you have at least a mid size SUV, but not necessarily a full size SUV.
We want to rent 4×4 in San Jose and drive to the Oso Penninsula for 5 days and the drive to Panama for 7 days. Is it possible to take a rental car across the border? Thank you for your website it is very helpful information.
Hi Kate! Unfortunately rental cars are not allowed to cross any borders in Costa Rica by law.
I have a family trip planned for last 2 weeks of July driving from San Jose to Samara to La Fortuna to Manuel Antonio and back to San Jose. Would you recommend 4×4 or should standard sedan be ok?
Hi! A sedan should be fine. The only roads that are not quite as nice are around Samara but those are not horrible, just a dirt road here and there. All the roads for those routes are paved so unless you plan to do some extreme off roading or exploring off the main path, you’ll be able to make it in a sedan perfectly fine. Just be aware that it is now rainy season so if you do plan to do some exploring off the main path that you’re aware of the sudden rainstorms that can occur here. Hope this helps!
Thank you!
Hi Sammy & Yeison
Superb site!
We are planning a 3-week trip in July.
Most of our driving seems likely to be on good tarmac/surfaced roads – I just want to ask if you know about some sections:
Route 223 Palmar to Sierpe
Route 237 north from Highway 2 to San Vito, then on to Buenos Aires.
Pot holes and windy roads I can cope with. Reasonable dirt roads (even if wet) should be OK as I lived for 3 years in rural Tanzania) but this time my wife & 2 teenagers are with me, so miles of mud & ruts are probably not ideal this trip.
We are heading to Pacuare Reserve for a few days hoping to see turtles laying and walking forest trails, then back to San Jose to pick up a car to head south: taking in Rainmaker and San Antonio NP, then to Sierpe (leaving the car) for a boat to Drake Bay maybe some whale-watching then another boat to Sirena for a night, before returning to Drake Bay and Sierpe. Back in the car and down the Route 2 & 237 to Wilson Botannical Gardens for a couple of days, then north on 237 probably to Arenal/Monteverde (though not in one drive). Perhaps Rio Celeste and if time allows, over to Rincon Vieja before returning to San Jose.
I presume that it will be dirt roads for the last 5-10km to Rainmaker and some routes in Arenal/Monteverde, plus to Rio Celeste. So I’m thinking a 4×4 will be needed on those parts in the “green season” of July.
Your Adobe deal looks good – good for us/them (& you in raising some revenue for this excellent blog) – a win-win-win!
Thanks
Pat
Hi Pat!
What a great itinerary and trip you have a ahead sounds amazing for me, I can see that you did lots of research before planning your trip :).
In regards to your questions about some sections of the road let me tell you that you can perfectly do it with a 4×4 no problem at all, the route 237 is in good conditions just drive carefully it is normal to see those big containers trucks in the road so just be patience if you end it driving up behind one of those. Then from Palmar to Sierpe is ok too but is Costa Rica is very hard to predict the weather and if by any chance it rains for several days while you are here please check to see if the road is ok (you can call 800-TRANSITO is a tool free number), but most of the times the road is ok.
Please let me know if I can help you on anything, and if you want to get a quote for the car rental please let me know.
Hi Michelle,
Any Tucson is ok you will be able to go everywhere with the 4×2, the only thing I didn’t know was about picking up the car in San José and return it in Liberia, there are a small fee on this (not sure how much will be but I will ask them to see how much it is and what can we do about it).
We are still in high season but you will find rooms available in most of the places so if you are looking to visit the same places I recommend you to do first Guancaste we love Guachipelin tour (you can see it here: Hacienda Guachipelin combo adventure tour) then go to Monteverde and then Arenal.
Hi Michelle!
We would love to flight on stand by too 🙂 hehe alright now let me answer all your questions.
will we be able to rent a car without a cancelation penalty?
You can make the reservation in our using the widget we have in our site and in case you can’t show up just let us know and we will talk to our friends and they will not charge any cancellations fees or even if you don’t contact us right away they will not charge you, they are very nice with mytanfeet readers so no worry about that.
Is Adobe best? Best bet to go with a small 4×4?
They are 100% Costa Rican company and their service is amazing, there are not hidden fees or anything, insurance in Costa Rica is mandatory and many other rent a car companies do not include the insurance in the rate so when the client is picking up the car surprise! you have to pay way more money, with Adobe there are not hidden fees and with us you get the best rate here.
In regards to the car depends where you go but if you are looking for a small 4×4 you should get a suzuki Jimny they are perfect for 2 people (you can email us and tell us where you go and we can tell you which car will be the best)
Will my GPS work there or do I have to (somehow) download maps to it?
I will recommend you to bring your smart phone (unlock) and install an app call WAZE it works amazingly good here you just need to get a sim card and data you can read how to get one here (Costa Rica pre-paid sim cards ) some GPS does not work here all depend of your model.
Second, what is your recommendation about the best itinerary for us?
Arenal and monteverde sounds good but I will definitely take more than one day at each destination there are many things to see and do and just one day will not be enough, then you do not need to take the ferry to come back to San Jose.
Any “must sees” on our way down?
Costa Rica is full of most see, but I will say that you should visit the Arenal volcano, the Fortuna waterfall, at least go to one hot springs at night, monteverde go to hanging bridges and try local food.
For a beach destination we recommend to you to Guanacaste there are so many beautiful beaches you can visit.
I think that you itinerary will work better if you do San Jose – Arenal – Monteverde – Guancaste – San Jose, you can email us at https://mytanfeet.com/contact-us/ if you have more questions
You guys are awesome! I can’t believe how quickly you got back to me with such great info. I have been stressing over this for days now was going to use Vamos but now I will definitely book with Adobe through your link – I just took a loom on the site and it doesnt look like the Jimny is availabme for my dates – only the Tucson 4×2 or the 4×4 (More money)…what do you think? (Also, my 18 year old son will be with us)
With regard to our itinerary, unfortunately, based on the flight availability, we will have to fly in to Liberia and out of San Jose. Based on that info, what do you think would be the best itinerary for us?
I have friends who are planning a trip to CR later in the year – I will definitely send them to your site!
Thanks again!
Thanks so much for the quick and awesome reply! I was going to go with Vamos but will definitely book with Adobe now! I just went to the web sit and they don’t seem to have any Jimnys availabke for my dates. …just the Tuscon- 2×4 or 4×4 (more money) – what do you recommend for 3 adults?
With regard to our itinerary, I love your agenda but we need to fly in to Liberia and out of SanJose. Bard on that info, what do you digest as far as an itinerary – and do you think we will have a problem finding places to stay without reservations?
Thanks again – you guys are awesome!
Hi!
What agreat blog!
My husband is an airline pilot, so we fly standby. Because we never know if we will be able to get on the plane, we don’t make reservationsthat are noncancelable – we just wing it – which is sometimes stressful but always an Adventure!
Our plan is to go to Costa Rica on Monday, April 6th and stay through the 13th. Based on the flight availability as of right now, we would have to fly in to Liberia and then out of San Jose.
So I have a couple of questions. … first of all – will we be able to rent a car without a cancelation penalty? if not, will we be able to rent when we arrive? Is Adobe best? Best bet to go with a small 4×4? Will my GPS work there or do I have to (somehow) download maps to it?
Second, what is your recommendation about the best itinerary for us? I was thinking we should explore Arenal and Monteverde the first couple of days, then head down the west cost, ultimately taking the ferry across and back to San Jose. Does this sound reasonable?
Any “must sees” on our way down?
We want to experience the culture and have n adventure the first few days – then relax on the beach!
Thanks so much for any advice!
Michelle
Hi Meg is not crazy at all :), actually it is a good idea to have a car in Flamingo beach, with a car you will be able to visit all the beaches around the area like Playa Conchal and Tamarindo. You can read more about those two places here:Playa Conchal and here is Playa Tamarindo
Hi there. My family and I are visiting Playa Flamingo in June. My aunt has Rapid Reward points from Sountwest Airlines and wants to fly into San Jose then rent a car to Playa Flamingo. Am I crazy for thinking this is a good idea or would you recommend taking a bus? Thank you for any advice on this!!
Meg
DON’T rent a car at Alamo San Jose – Costa Rica!!!
Don’t let yourself be ripped off like I was! They will charge you huge extra fees when you arrive to pickup your car!
My reservation online total including fees and insurance was $590. After a 12 hour flight when I arrived at the pickup location they charged me $900!!! I got told that if I didn’t pay $900 (an extra 50% of the original price) I wouldn’t be able to pickup the car!
I contacted Alamo international and they gave me the worst customer service ever!
Hi Henry!
I am sorry to heard what happened, we have had email from readers saying the same from Economy, Hertz, Enterprise and all those International companies. For the same reason we recommend a 100% Costa Rican company that gives an special rate to our readers are there are not hidden or extra charges, the price they gave you is the final price with the mandatory insurance included.
Thanks for your comment and I am sorry for your bad experience so far 99% of our readers have positive reviews, just one guy lost his sun glasses but they found them next week. Please let us know if you come back to the country we will make sure that you get an excellent service, Like I said this is because of these huge international companies.
Have a great day and thanks for sharing your experience.
Hi Pauline! Driving from San Jose to Manuel Antonio is very easy I recommend you to take the route #27 from Sam Jose, then just head to Jaco you will see signs everywhere. As soon as you are in the road that will take you to Jaco you just have to keep going and you will get to Quepos where the entrance to the Manuel Antonio National Park is, so no worry too much about the road or how to get there is one of the most used routes here.
In regards to the car, it will be up to you we always recommend Adobe they give great discounts to out readers and they have a mini van for 9 people ( Hyundai H1) they are very comfortable, but if you have big guys in your group two cars will be better for their comfort, they trip from San Jose takes around 4 hours or more depends if you find traffic.
Please let us know if you have any question about your trip and here is the link if you want to check the price with our discount (including mandatory insurance) Costa Rica car rental discount
Hi, We will be heading to CS this April 2 with a group of nine for a week. How is the drive from San Jose to Manuel Antonio, specifically in Villa Feliz . Can you recommend a mini van that can fit nine people plus nine small luggage and can handle the terrains ? Or should we rent two SUV . Thanks for your help.
Pauline
Hola! Thanks for your great advice renting a car with Adobe! We are currently at the Hilton papagayo with one day left on our vacation a and were wondering if you had any advice on what we should see/do on our last day.
We’re interested in seeing as much wildlife and tropical scenary as possible without having to drive all the way to arenal or Monteverde. were thinking about hiking in miravalles or trying to do a tour at palo verde. We would love to hear what you recommend since your site has been so helpful thus far. Do you think either of those are our best bets or would you recommend something different??
Hi Geni,
I’d personally go on a boat tour at Palo Verde, you can see a lot of wildlife there: birds, crocodiles, monkeys, iguanas/lizards and it is a really nice leisurely boat ride. I went on it with my family and loved it, we saw a ton of wildlife! And you’re sure to see animals even if you don’t have a guide since they are fairly easy to spot and the animals can be easily seen on shore.
Hello,
My husband and I are traveling to Costa Rica in April for the first time and we have almost all our itinerary set already.
We do need to rent a car to drive from SJO to the Sloth Sanctuary, I’m wondering how long the drive is and how the roads are? Will we need a 4×4 or will a sedan suffice?
Thanks for all the info, your website is very helpful!
Darcie
HI Darci,
To drive there might take you around 4 hours from San José, they road is fine so it is up to you if you would like to rent a 4×4 or a sedan both will make it. Also we have new special rates for renting a car plus some really good FREE benefits like extra free driver and cell phone for local calls. You can check the route here https://www.google.co.cr/maps/dir/Sloth+Sanctuary+-+Costa+Rica,+Limon/Juan+Santamaria+International+Airport,+Alajuela/@10.075168,-83.4952001,10z/data=!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x8fa6ff8e87552023:0x6520ebccd419922d!2m2!1d-82.915112!2d9.799565!1m5!1m1!1s0x8fa0f9a3b2d2fb1d:0xaec408305a420af4!2m2!1d-84.20408!2d9.998238?hl=en
Have a great day and please let us know if you have any question.
Pura vida
Thanks very much, booked the rental car!! 🙂
Here’s hoping all goes well. We are very excited for the trip.
Awesome! I hope you have a wonderful trip!
Hi Geni,
Hope you are doing great!
In regards to your question we live 15 min away from the Hilton Papagayo and without a car it is very difficult to move around, there is a public bus system but I don’t even use it it takes forever and it just don’t take you to the nice places.
It is way cheaper to rent a car that get a shuttles around, for example a shuttle from the airport to the hilton might be around $40 and you can rent a car for a similar price a day and go wherever you want, The Hilton beach is ok but the nicest beaches are around that area so definitely you need a car.
This is one of our favorite places around the Hilton: Playa Penca When it comes to gas the price is like $4 a gallon but most of the cars here are 1600 cc 4V so you don’t spend that much gas.
For prices we have an exclusive discount for our readers and you can check the prices here:Costa Rica car rental discount We are always on top of everything so if you rent a car using our promo we get a copy and then we follow the reservation to make sure everything is perfect.
For the Arenal Volcano and Monteverde, you can go in a car for me that is the best way to go, you can stops whenever you want go to all the different attractions and at the end you save money by having your own car, in case you don’t want to drive we know an excellent company that is run by local guides with excellent English, when our friends come to visit and want to do a tour we always send them with them, just let us know what you want to do and we will put you guys in contact.
For your last question what I like the most cloud forest vs Arenal volcano, both are great and if you can do both, do it 🙂 Costa Rica is a very friendly country to travel and drive around.
I hope this answer might help you to finish planning your trip.
Please let us know if you have more question or if we can help on anything.
Thank you so much for all your help and advice! Its so great to have such a prompt and thorough response! I really appreciate it. we are now going to rent a car— we see your offer for adobe rental car service. if we book on that website and the price says it includes an insurance — (such as a basic insurance) will the final price given on the website be the actually bottom line price or are we going to be hit with charges once we pick up the car?? we dont want to be misquoted a price and then be surprised when we get there since i know insurance is required.
thank you. geni
Hi Genni,
You can be 100% sure that the price you see where it says total will be the final one no extra charges, that is why we like Adobe they gave us a special rate for our readers and they don’t have hidden fees or anything. We have a good relation with them and they know our readers are our #1 priority. If you would like to add an extra driver please let us know, we can get it for free ;). Also let us know if you have a cell phone in Costa Rica we might be able to get you one for free with one hour credit :).
hello-
thank you for all your helpful advice in this article. I will be traveling with my boyfriend in 10 days to Costa Rica. We will be flying into Liberia and will be staying at the Hilton Papagayo resort. We are staying for 5 days and I would love your advice on if it makes sense to rent a car or not. We both want to do tours- after looking at the prices for airport shuttles and some of the tours with transportation included- we thought that maybe it would be more economical to rent a car.
We definitely want to do at least one tour that explores the Arenal Volcano or the Monteverde Cloud forest. We do know both of these places are quite some distance away from our hotel. For one day we also would like to check out nearby parks/beaches by our hotels.
In your opinion would renting a car be more costly (with gas, insurance, possible tickets if they target foreigners) and more of hassle (road conditions, directions) than booking tours with transportation included and taking taxis around the nearby parks/beaches?
also, with our limited time period we are trying to decide what excursions would be most memorable because we would rather not spend the whole time in a car– perhaps two days devoted to longer-distance excursions. would you recommend the cloud forest over the arenal volcano or vice versa? any tour packages, companies you highly recommend?
thank you so much for all your advice and help!
Hi Daniel,
First of all congratulations for your weeding! We wish you the best to both of you 🙂
Now in regards to your question this is one of the most common complains from tourist, in the United States or Canada insurance sometimes is cover by some credit cards or you can choose which insurance you want to get also you have the option of just don’t get any insurance.
Here in Costa Rica is different whenever you rent a car is mandatory to get at least a “basic” insurance, there is no way you can’t avoid the payment or use your Credit Card car insurance it has to be paid and that’s it. The problem with all those international companies is that they give to the client how much the car will cost but then when the client shows up, surprise ! there is an additional charge of $12 to $15 extra a day for the basic insurance, I do not blame this International companies because they operate all over the world and they cannot change their system just because Costa Rica is a little different.
We always recommend Adobe because they are not surprises not extra charges and they excellent, we always get positive feedback.
If you would like to you can check our special deal widget here:Costa Rica car rental discount Please let us know if you have any question and if you get the car with Adobe Samantha and I are always on top of everything.
Congratulations again and if you have questions about Costa Rica please let us know.
Hello,
My newlywed wife and I will be traveling to CR next week for our Honeymoon next week(San Jose, Manuel Antonio, Monteverde and Arenal). I’m in the process of weeding out the myriad of conflicting information I’m getting regarding rental car insurance. We are looking at a mini, Hundai i10 or similar. We found a quote of $53 for eight days on both Orbitz, Expedia and Priceline using Economy Rental Car (Alamo also had a similar rate). When I called Economy, they are now “sold out” of that car, but can upgrade us to a Hundai Accent for $55.75. They are adding the mandatory Collision Damage Insurance for $15/day. Sounds okay, right? However, I’ve heard horror stories about Economy and Alamo. Are they are reputable companies or will they do the “hard sale” at the airport for additional Loss Damage Insurance and extras? Lastly, the major booking sites are asking if I want to add insurance, ranging from $9/day on Priceline to $12/day with Expedia. The rep at Economy said this is just “extra” and not necessary. Is this true? It shouldn’t be this difficult and confusing to rent a vehicle in your gorgeous country. Any tips or help would be appreciated.
thx!
-Daniel
ps – can you tell me what companies are directly in the terminal of the San Jose airport (where no shuttle is required to get to their rental desk). thx!
Hello Charlene,
I understand your position and best you can do is email us and we can help you figure it out with the Adobe staff.
Please let me know how it goes.
This site is sooo helpful and insightful!! Thanks
We are traveling in the beginning of Feb for 2 weeks…rented a small car from Adobe. I 100% understand the mandatory liability and 3rd party coverage that gets automatically checked off when booking the reservation. But the collision and damage waiver seems be something that the car rental companies are trying to make mandatory as well. For example Adobe’s website states this:
2.- LDW / Loss damage waiver.
For an additional daily fee, the rentee can waive his financial responsibility in case of damages to the rental car, produced by a car accident, collision or roll over. It also protects the financial losses in case of a total or partial theft of the automobile. The LDW has a deductible (excess ) of US$1,000 – US$1,500. The cost of the LDW varies with the car category and goes from US$14 per day to US$25per day. The LDW is not an insurance. It is mandatory.
It is a HUGE extra cost which my credit card already covers. I want to be prepared to fight them on it if they try pushing this as mandatory. What are the best steps to take to insure I don’t pay this?
Thanks
I am curious as to what you found out? I am currently deciding on what to do about insurance. We will be renting our car February 14th-24th during our honeymoon and I don’t know how much insurance coverage to get. Obviously have to get the minimum but I don’t want to have to worry about any accidents and having an out of pocket expense.
I tried to add our rental car with our travel insurance through the Berkshire Hathaway company called AirCare but they have said Costa Rica does not allow them to insure cars there. Strange. Anyway, would be great to hear what you have found out!
Hi Matthew!
First of all congratulations for your marriage, we wish you the best 🙂
In regards to the insurance in Costa Rica the law is different, all the rent a cars must get at least a basic insurance and the “credit card” insurance does not work, I know it might be weird to you that’s how it is here and unfortunately there is nothing that you can do, every single person (including me as a Costa Rican) must pay the insurance.
I am sorry again for not be able to use your CC insurance here, but if there is anything we can do to help please let us know, we know the Rentals Manager and he always help as much as he can’t all our readers. We like adobe because we haven’t heard any complain from this company and they give us a special rate for our readers.
We’re travelling in April for a couple of weeks, San Jose – Arenal – Monteverde – Nicoya Peninsula – Jaco.
Our group is 7 in total: 4 adults and 3 children under age 6. Can you suggest two or three vehicles that might have suitable passenger and cargo space for us? I’d estimate four large suitcases and a couple small carry-ons.
From the sound of things, 4X4 would likely be best for some of the roads in those places? I have heard there tends to be less washout and potholes that time of year though.
Any advice would be really appreciated!
Sandy
P.S. I love your blog! I’m off to check out some other articles.
Hi Sandy !
I think 2 4×4 like the Hyunday Tucson would be perfect ! but if you want keep everyone together you can also consider to rent Hyundai H1 Minivan this van is for 12 people or the seven of you very confortable 🙂
With our rental widget you will get an automatic discount, let us know if you have any more questions.
Wow this is great info.
Going through your link for our dates (16/1 through 20/1), we do see the discount, so those dates are not blacked out. Couple of questions –
– Adobe is down to the Hyundai Santa Fe 4×4 as the big SUV option. Do you know if this the one that has 7 seats? We might have 6 people.
– If we go ahead and reserve now, does Adobe charge extra for changes or cancellations later?
– We are on the south end of Jaco Beach and would ideally be able to drive into town on a whim. But it looks like parking is on street sides (no lots I can find), and on driving videos those spots look full. Are we better off taking a cab into town?
Many thanks
Hi ty,
Thanks for stopping and check out our blog!
In regards to your questions:
1) The Hyundai Santa Fe they have fits up to 5 adults and 4 big cases in the back, and I am not sure if they have some 7 passengers available (like the Mitsubishi Montero). Costa Ricans kids still on vacations so they are more polices n the road so I recommend you to do not fit more than 5 in that car (you never know 😉 )
2) A cancellation notice is required at least 72 hours upon scheduled arrival in order to avoid one day charge penalty.
3) If I would’ve be you I will take the car every where even in Jaco, this is the peak of the high season and you will see that people will start leaving Jaco, they have to comeback to their jobs or schools, so you might see less people by the 16th.
Remember you are in Costa Rica and unfortunately things can happen so please use common sense and do not leave backpacks or anything valuable inside the car (and if you do hide it or cover it), you will find lots of guys on every street asking you to take care of your car for $1 or $2 (1000 colones), if you dont find a parking lot It wont be a bad idea to pay those guys. Driving and drinking is very dangerous in towns like Jaco so if you drink please don’t drive 🙂
Hope you have lots of fun in Jaco
Pura vida
Hi
Great site! Very informative!
I’m still a bit confused about the “mandatory” liability insurance. Some people are saying that if you bring a letter from your credit card company or home country auto insurance that proves you have liability coverage in Costa Rica than you do not have to get any car insurance (including any liability or mandatory coverage). Is this true? Or no matter what you have no choice but to get the mandatory liability coverage? And if so, what’s the cost?
Thanks!
Perry
Hi Perry,
The basic insurance is mandatory by law as far as I know every must pay the basic insurance, in regards to prices I am not sure but I think it for a SUV the rate is around $20 daily and $16 for a sedan. If you try our widget the system will tell you exactly how much.
Hi Sammi,
I have found your site so helpful! In February, my 10 yo son and I will be going from San Jose to Arenal then on to Pueto Viejo and back to San Jose to fly home. I am an adventuresome traveler so am hoping to drive. What can I expect for road conditions and timing? And will a Toyota Corolla be ok or a mini SUV like a SUZUKI SX4? Thanks!
Hi Paula! Road conditions for your itinerary are fairly decent, mostly main highway the whole time. From San Jose to Arenal is roughly 3 hours, Arenal to Puerto Viejo is about 5-6 hours and about 3 back to San Jose. However driving times always vary with weather, road conditions and traffic so I’d give it an extra hour or so just in case. A Toyota Corolla should be fine if you’re not planning on going to back roads or going off the main road. However, if you want to explore a bit (which sounds like you do!) then you should get a mini SUV. The Suzuki SX4 is great for that – our friend has that car and we did some pretty intense off roading with it and it was not only super fun but worked perfect. The roads in Puerto Viejo get pretty bumpy once you go off the main road and even within town there are unpaved roads. Arenal is also the same way, once you get off the main road, even in the national park the road is gravely and not paved.
Hope this helps! Have a great time with your son 🙂
Thanks for such a quick reply. I’m linking to Adobe now to see what their rates are. Seems like none of the car rental sites show the additional charges for the mandatory insurance. How do I know how much additional that will be per day?
The Adobe website usually has the mandatory insurance, the loss damage waiver box prechecked (which you can’t uncheck) on the reserve page. I’m not sure about other websites, they may have it listed under something different or have a different selection method.
In regards to the page that has the insurance (loss and damage is pre-checked), do I have to check the other box as well, or is the pre-checked box enough? thanks.
Hi Lawrence!
The pre-checked box is enough unless you wish to purchase other insurance packages. If not, you can leave the box that is prechecked.
Hope this helps!
We are two adults, traveling from San Jose to Arenal area for 4 nights, then from Arenal to Manuel Antonio for another 4 nights, and from Manuel Antonio back to San Jose.
Do you need a 4×4, or a decent sized sedan (Corola, Ford Focus etc.) will be good enough for this trip?
Thanks you.
The main road from all those locations are pretty decent since they are mostly on the main highways. Unless you plan to go back or off roading, you won’t absolutely have to have a 4X4 since the main roads are all nice and paved.
Thanks!
Sammi,
Great information!
Can you recommend a car for 3 adults and 2 kids(6 and 8 yrs)?
How’s the drive from Nuevo Arenal to Liberia airport? How long would it take? We need to catch the plane at 2pm. If we leave at 9am, is it enough time?
Many thanks!
I’d definitely go with either Hyundai Tucson or the Suzuki. You’ll also be bringing luggage along so you’ll need extra space for that. You probably won’t need the Ford Everest since we were 6 adults and that was plenty of space for us.
The drive from Arenal to Liberia is roughly 3 hours give or take traffic. That’s cutting it pretty close however, if you’re taking an international flight you need to be at the airport by 12 and you never know how traffic is on that road. It could be raining, there might be an accident, anything could happen and it’s best not to take chances. We usually give ourselves an extra hour or so when we go on a long road trip because driving in Costa Rica is sometimes a big toss up on how long it’ll take to get from Point a to b. Although it’s only about 140 km from LIR to Arenal, the road is pretty windy and you have to drive much slower. I’d try to leave earlier if possible, at least by 8 AM so you can safely get there at 12 without any worries.
Hi Sammi: I just wanted to verify that the prices shown on the Adobe site through your link for car rents include the mandatory insurance. I’m thinking that they do, as the Loss Damage Waiver box is checked (you can’t “uncheck” it). I plan to use the supplemental insurance offered by my credit card rather than pay for the supplemental insurance through the rental agency.
Thanks!
Dana
Hi Dana,
Hope you are doing great !
The mandatory insurance is included in the price and is mandatory, and unfortunately everyone must get it, including me as a Costa Rican is a rent a car police law to protect third parties in case of accidents or any problem.
Please let me know if you any question regarding Costa Rica in General or the rent a car, but definitely get a car is more fun and you will visit more places 🙂
Hi,
My husband and I will be visiting Costa Rica in dec 26th-jan 4. We will be sharing a rental house with a large group of friends in plays del Rey near Jaco.
We want to rent a car to explore. I have a friend that works for Avis who will hopefully be able to get us a good deal. What size SUV/type do u recommend? Also should we get the car from the counter or take the shuttle to pick up car? We have Amex but need to call to see if insurance coverage applies in Costa Rica.
Also,I’m obsessed with birds & sea turtles and was curious if you knew the best places to experience both of these amazing creatures (closer to where will be staying is a plus of course). Any info would be great.
Any info up front to save us time & money would be greatly appreciated!!
Thanks,
Stephanie
Chatsworth, Ca
Hi Stephanie! The Ford Everest 4X4 I mentioned in the post was a great option especially since we drove on a lot of not-so-nice roads. If you don’t need one that big, a Hyundai Tucson is also a good option or if you’re looking for just you and your husband, a Suzuki Jimny. Most car rentals will pick you up from the airport and shuttle you to their office to do all the paperwork and stuff.
Around Jaco, you can see a lot of birds just flying about in the hills outside the city, you can check this post for more detailed information on where to see birds and turtles: https://mytanfeet.com/about-cr/costa-rica-wildlife-best-places-see . National Park Carara is pretty close to Jaco and is a good choice to see wildlife
Have a great trip!
BEWARE of renting from Alamo in Costa Rica. Our experience renting a car in Liberia this June was a disaster full of hidden fees and deception. We booked our reservation online through the US Alamo site for a 6 day rental for the cheapest car for an estimated total of $123 dollars. Online, we had declined insurance coverage as my credit card and US-based auto insurance provide coverage, but when we got to the counter we were told that insurance coverage was mandatory. We protested, explaining that we already had coverage and our agent (Sylvia) explained that in Costa Rica she had to charge us for insurance and that she would only apply the mandatory minimum coverage that was allowed. This turned out to be $72 for third party coverages and $90 for accident protection. Furthermore our bill also had a $34 airport fee. When all was accounted for, our $123 reservation became $309!!! Since we were taken by shuttle to the off airport Alamo location, there was no opportunity to shop around for other rentals so we grudgingly signed the paperwork (the US Alamo site says the rental counter is at the airport but this is not true).
We then contacted another Alamo Costa Rica employee a few days later and we were informed that it was not true that the $90 accident protection was mandatory and he removed it from our bill. We were infuriated that we had been outright lied to about what was a mandatory charge (I imagine there is a commission system that encourages this deception). We also learned that the $34 airport fee is a percentage of your total rental and the fee is to take the shuttle from the airport to the counter, a ride that took 5 minutes (for 34 &@!% dollars!!!). At no time on the day of the rental were we told we would be (or had been) charged for the ride. We fought these additional fees with Alamo US upon returning and were told that the email confirmation explains that the insurance purchase is mandatory…we looked at the confirmation and this was nowhere to be found (we even shared it with Alamo and they did not address it). I suggested that they must be more transparent with these charges and that lying about insurance coverage should lead to employee discipline, but nothing has been done. They seemed to suggest that all fees but the $90 fee were fair (meaning our $123 estimated reservation should have been $219, fair and square per Alamo). Unfortunately, they have expressed zero interest in reforming the rental process (if any fee is mandatory, perhaps it should show up on an estimated rental total?). They did compensate us with 3 days of free Alamo rental coupons (whoo-hoo) but I am guessing that they are continuing to rip off other customers.
I’d add make sure when you book online you call the office you rented from and MAKE SURE they have a record of it. Happened to my friends when they booked a car and were told that Liberia office never got the order from San Jose(as all internet orders go through them) and they do not have any cars at all at that price in that class. Also online most companies do not show you the cost of insurance and you get a huge surprise when they tell you the price is more than double quoted online. Also it’a a US Visa policy that covers car rental, so doesn’t matter what bank issued the card if it’s visa it is covered and MUST show a letter from the credit card stating that to the rental agent.
Yikes that would be awful! Yes definitely make sure to always have copies and records of all the purchases online!
Thanks, Sammi, for your response. We decided to rent a car because we might want to do some exploring along the way and spend one day visiting the beaches on the Pacific coast. And, we’ll have the car to drive to the Liberia Airport for our return home. Of course, we won’t need the car if we do a side trip to Nicaragua. Have you been there? Anyway, yesterday we booked a car with Vamos. The have really good reviews. Have you had experience with them?
It’s great to hear about the success of your blog! It makes me realize that I need to spend more time on mine to be successful.
Thank you!
Kathy
Oh glad to hear that! I’ve been to Nicaragua quite a few times and traveled around there, very beautiful country. I haven’t had any experience with Vamos but have never heard anything bad about them so that’s a good thing.
Have a wonderful trip!
Hi, we’re thinking of driving from Liberia to Corcovado National Park. How long do you think it would take? Is it better to fly?
Thanks.
Hi Vaida, that is a pretty tough drive, around 6 hours with not very good roads so it would take even longer if you are not used to driving here. Corcovado national park is fairly remote and you also need to take a boat. It would be much easier to fly if that is an option for you. Less hassle, save time and driving there is not the easiest, most roads here in Costa Rica do not have names and there are no concrete addresses that you can type into a GPS.
We need to get to Ylang ylang resort , Montezuma from the Hilton Papagayo Guancaste. We spend one night in Montezuma and then drive back to Liberia international airport to get our flight back home. Should we drive? Is the drive fairly straightforward?
Thanks
Diana
Hi Diana, you can drive the road is not that bad and with a gps you can make it, I think that it might take you around 4+ hours from the hilton to the resort it depends of how the road is.
The road was much improved this past December. It’s nicely paved except for a very small section. You definitely should rent a car. Be sure to ask to have a price including the mandatory insurance. If you have Amex, before you travel ask about their insurance coverage as it is much better than Visa’s. GPS is a great idea or the trip could take much longer.
Do you know how the road is from San Jose to Playa Hermosa? After a 13-day Gate1 tour, we’re ending our vacation at the beginning of June in Guanacaste (for four days). We’re trying to decide if we should rent a car, take a bus, or fly to Liberia. Once we get there, not sure how much we’ll use the car because we plan to spend time on the beach (staying at Hotel Bosque Del Mar). We were thinking of taking a side trip to Nicaragua with Mardigi Tours, so we won’t need a car that day either. So, do you think it makes sense to rent a car for just a day or two?
Thanks. I love you blog!
Kathy
It takes about 4.5 hours, it’s fairly zig zaggy and though it is paved well, you still need to be careful since other drivers like to go fast, pass, don’t signal, etc. But in terms of road conditions, it is good. My recommendation is not to rent a car, it’s really not worth it when you can just take the bus from san Jose to Liberia/Coco and it’s only $8 a ticket if you’ll just need it for that trip. If you were planning on taking pit stops and maybe exploring off the road then I might say yes but sounds like you guys have reservations at a hotel and you just need to get to Playa Hermosa.