Going to Tamarindo next month, but would like to veiw a few properties in Negra. How much should I expect for taxi ride? Or, would it be better to rent a vehicle in Tamarindo and drive? thanks for your time, Chad
Tam to Negra is only about 20 min and easy to navigate. Guess it would matter what you could get a car for vs what kind of deal you could negociate with a cab. If I were you probably get a car. Book the car with an American Express and tell them you only want SLI insurance. They're big on up selling insurance and visa/master won't cover you on the dirt roads
I rented at the Budget in Tamarindo and had no problems. A buddy of mine has gone down there solo a few times and never rents a car. He has a cabby in town he knows and he gives him a set sum for the day to drive him around. Says it's a great way to go. He goes to the beach and the guy chills under a palm tree waiting for him then takes him to the next spot. Pretty hassle free.
Rent,....several agents in Tamarindo, easy and you're in control,....I usually rent at the airport in Liberia, you have the freedom of hitting the local Tamarindo breaks also, like Negra, Avellones, Playa Granda, etc. Have Fun!
Not all the time... some of the locals need money and have a car and look at it as a days work... driving around the coast... sitting under palm trees... what else could you want for a days pay? I did this for a week in Peru- had a guy drive us to Chicama to catch a swell- in his 80's minivan. It was sick! Plus- we never had to worry about getting pulled over and having to pay the cops- every time we got pulled over (when the cops saw the americanos surfboards on the roof) Jerco (the driver) would literally set the cop straight - yell some things in Spanish- and we where off with the policia waving us goodbye haha- that was the best move we had ever made! We got stopped about 3 times each way- each time saying things like our van was reported stolen ect... and demanding money... but then good ol Jerco would step out of the van- have a few words... then we where off! He was the man! I believe we payed for gas, and bought Jerco all his meals/drinks and anything else he wanted and a room- and a set amount a day extra. He had a great time- and so did we! Plus the local knowledge and friendship is priceless!
I’m going to Playa Negra April 8th. We rented a mini SUV from Tri-Color, $400 for a week (fairly new truck) plus they freeze like a $1000 on your credit card in case damages occur. Last time was $350 for a lesser truck (was great). You don’t need a truck for that drive though. A car is cheaper. They met us at Liberia Airport on arrival and departure. No worries. Check the car out really well first (if you get one) and snap shots of all sides of it. When you park ANYWHERE leave your doors unlocked glove box open and five bucks in the ashtray or leave a decoy wallet in the car somewhere (no break in damage, the thief thinks he won and keeps going). Never leave anything of value in your car (Costa is a poor country; don’t torment them by leaving $1000 of equipment unattended). Always tip the parking attendant when you arrive. I don’t know what kind of waves you like but Tamarindo surf is way too friendly for my taste. You may want to drive south to Avellanas/Negra area (25min) or north to Ollie’s (by boat) for much better waves. Good luck! Pura Vida! PS walkingonh2o, that sounds sick!
We used Vamos when we went to CR, they were the most reasonable and met us at the airport. They didn't freeze any money on my credit card. The only real problems we ran into was one of the tires had an extremely slow leak and we had to get it jumped one or two times, one of the times at 4 am in Tamarindo when we were on our way to the airport. Luckily, we were able to flag down a cab driver and he found another cabbie that had a set of jumper cables. All in all, though...i think they're probably the best car rental company to go with down there. Personally, I wouldn't go there without renting a 4X4, the surf is only good at high tide down there and there is so much other stuff to do when the waves aren't pumping that you'll end up missing out on a lot of good times. And if your real adventurous, you could do what my friends and i did, drive into Witches...haha, I'll never forget that day for the rest of my life. Nothing like walking through knee deep water in the dark to get to your truck, then driving 10 feet from where you just stepped out of the water and seeing a 9 foot crocodile>
I'm doing the same trip in June, I was just going to get a taxi down there.. figured it would be pretty cheap.. we will see lol
