Liberia Travel Forum

is it worth it to rent a car? how much is insurance ? reccomend a reliable rental agency.

Just returned from Costa Rica at the beginning of February. We used Europcar to rent a brand new 2006 Toyota RAV4 with 4 wheel drive. Total cost from Saturday to Saturday was $550.00 US, less than $100.00 per day. We visited three volcanoes, rainforests, waterfalls, beaches, etc. Tour busses were used by us last year and I will never go that route again, $120.00 each, too slow and they only stop at the tour destinations. We did not accept the added insurance that the rental agent recommended but stated that our Visa Card would cover any damages. Europcar treated us fairly and the vehicle was brought back washed and undamaged so no additional charges were applied. The only way to see Costa Rica up close and personal is to rent your own car; make sure it has 4 wheel drive because there are rivers to cross in a lot of places with no bridges. We had a very good time and met a lot of friendly people wherever we traveled. Returned with 2 hours of incredible video and over 400 digital pictures and can't wait to go back. Good Luck!

Some people prefer to have a driver, as they know the roads, they explain so much about their country - if you ask, they allow you to look at the sites, the views going anywhere are beautiful, they give tips about what to do and what you might want to avoid, and why. We (two 50 yr. olds and an 18 and 21 yr. old and we all loved him) used Leo Rodriguez last May. He is out of San Jose and took us 4 hrs. west (before the roads got so bad with the flooding this past fall) to Tamarindo. He has lived in Tamarindo and is a cleancut surfer so knows all the beaches. His family has property on the Caribbean side, so he knows that area. He is a college grad, speaks fluent English and French. And number 1, he is a safe driver. He can answer questions and concerns if you e-mail him: leratravelcr.yahoo.com His phone number is (from USA dial 011) then 506-378-0001

It really depends the kind of trip you want to do... I like going around by public transports (which i was told are quite reliable in CR) but we didn't have enough time to see all we wanted to see plus my boyfriend surfs, so it's far more comfortable to drive your own car.
Anyway, unless you're that kind of traveler that just loves take the transports that locals take and that kind of thing (which i like too) it's very worth to rent a car. I can't remember what agency we took, we just picked one when we got there at the airport, after discussing prices to all the agencies :P After that everything went perfect, not problem with the car, we didn't have to pay any "extras" when we returned.
Just remember to rent a 4x4!!!