I was wondering if anyone has experience renting cars in Costa. We're heading down in October and would like to rent a car in Dominical for a week and drop it off in Quepos
Yes, it is very easy to rent a car but watch what you leave in the car and that includes the trunk. If you plan to explore, driving is fairly easy if you can read a map or speak Spanish.
I went to CR with some friends in March and we rented a 4x4 from Vamos, they were reasonably priced and met us at the airport...I would recommend renting a 4 wheel drive
I have a car there but have heard good things about Alamo.com Dominical is probably too small for competitive car rentals(I was there last month and did not see a rental car company) and you can go through Quepos on the way to pick up a car there. Dominical is about 45 minutes south of Quepos. Alamo quotes only $25 a day for a corolla or $35 a day for a Suzuki Gran Vitara 4WD without insurance which can add $40 a day. If you have the right credit card it will cover you in CR but check before you go. Adding the insurance it is $65 to $75 per day. Have a great trip. You can check papagsurf.com and rovercam.com for surf reports until then.
www.surfcosta.com we use, and recommed to guests vacation city. they will help find you the best deal on what you want..they search all the car rental places. check them out. october is low season too so you should get a good price. http://www.vacationcity.com/costa-rica/car-rental/ if your planning on stopping in the jaco/hermosa/esterillos and need a sick place to say just holler. we have 3 private houses for rent, with pool. pura vida, rob rvb@surfcosta.com
Im actually going to be going to Guanacaste at the end of July. We are landing in San Jose airport. Does anyone have any recommendations for a car rental at the airport. We are considering Hertz but they are about 600 for the week for a 4x4. Is that a reasonable price? Thank you.
last time I was there we used mapache - seemed the best price for a 4x4 although i think i'll try vamos next time - keep hearing good things about them here is link to mapache http://www.mapache.com/
My advice is not to reserve and bargin when you get there. You can't bargin very well when you've already made a reservation for the price before hand.
Whatever you decide, get the insurance. People will throw a brick through your window to get a few calones. (Ive seen rentals smashed over a bag filled with towels). In my opinion unless your doing a lot of driving its better to just take a cab to your destination then find a local surf shop and ask prices on a ride to the best breaks. This way you get local knowledge and dont have to worry about the rental.
A cab?? Only if you are at a major destination like Jaco or Tamarindo. For remote breaks only a 4x4 is an option.
I've been to CR 6 times now and always rent a vehicle. It's a must if you want to follow surf and check different spots. I usually make reservations with Thrifty Car Rental, because they are generaly more affordable. On onother note, liability insurance is mandantory in CR, you simply don't have a choice. Call your credit card company, mine covers loss associated with retal car damage, theft, etc... so you don' t have to worry about purchasing comprehensive coverage. Plan on getting a flat tire while you're there, so MAKE SURE there is a spare and jack in the car or you're gonna be really screwed on some lonely dirt road in the middle of nowhere. I have rented in both San Jose and Liberia. Both locations will shuttle you to the rental facility. I like flying in to Liberia, because airfare is about the same, and you don't have to mess with San Jose. It's a traffic nightmare and 2-2.5 hrs away from Pacific surf. Pura Vida, J
I've gone to costa many times, flown to both to San Jose and Liberia and always rented a car. I agree, it's a necessity if you want to explore and surf different spots. We used to use Economy I think, and then at some point started using Toyota rentals. The cars from Toyota rentals were newer, and in better shape, but they charged more. In San Jose, just grab a shuttle from the airport. All the car rental places are in a strip mall just outside the airport. I would make arrangements ahead of time, especially if you fly in on a Sat, as it can get busy. I always used certain credit cards that provided insurance, or covered the deductable. I think it was Visa Platinum, and one of the Amex cards. In fact, on one bigger trip we totalled a Rav4 and the guy that rented that one was covered for the cost by his credit card. Look the car over when you get it and note every little scratch and ding. They'll walk around with you with a sketch of teh car and make notes. Make sure you point out a lot of dings/scratches on the roof if your strapping your boards, because you might make some new ones and this way they'll already be noted. Fill it up before you return it. If they have to fill it, they'll charge you triple for the gas. And if they give you one with bald tires, complain before you leave so they swap the tires. We got lots of flats. For slow leakers, you can pick up cans of fix-a-flat at any of the little stores. Economy tried to give us cars with bald tires, Toyota never did. No brainer, but whatever you get, make sure it's got 4 wheel drive.
Thought you might get a kick out of this. We set out to find a differnt spot. Would not have been possible without vehicles. Scored great overhead surf, all to ourselves. This was the river crossing at low. We didn't even consider that the river would be higher when we left at a higher tide. The current kept making the ass end of the RAV4 try to float downstream...it was sketchy. The Hilux had no issues crossing the deeper water. Pura vida
All good advise to follow...especially about the dings on the car... few things worse than paying for something you didn't do (speaking from experience). For a "crowded" surf destination 4x4 is a must to seek out some peaks of your own. On the whole rental cars aren't really much of a hassle. Have fun... I love Costa
Costa Rica Car Rental Check these guys out http://www.ticotravel.com/costarica/car.htm I have gone on about 5 trips to Costa and used these guys.. Cheapest rates I could get.. Check around of course, but I do every time I go and still end here... Good luck.. Dominical is great
I stumbled upon that place once, the other time I tried it the river was too high. Wish I made it around there more but it is out there. Why you renting the car, just to go from Dominical to Quepos? If so, just take the bus, it is super close.
There are some great companies in Central America, in Costa Rica particularly that gives a fair amount when it comes to car rentals.. You can check car rental costa rica..
one more tip..when you make the reservation in advance..MAKE SURE to tell them you have surfboards and you need the cross racks (go across the roof and not just run the length of the car/truck). dont waste your time with a car either, spend a few extra bucks a day and get the small 4x4. its usually a Kia, Rav4, or Daihastu. all 3 will do fine. reminder 10% discount for swellinfo members..now is the time to start planning your fall/winter trip to CR!! check us out. pura vida, rob rvb@surfcosta.com
