A lot has happened since my last post. I think I will just start writing and see where it goes. High season was a busy time for us. We met lots of new and interesting people as well as had some old guests return for their 3rd, 5th and over 10th time. I consider them all friends. We had some good times sharing stories, birthday celebrations and just plain hanging out. John and Bill came out in March and as always, it was great to see them. It wasn’t as wild and crazy as their first but we are all getting old! My friends Z, Doug and gang are heading this way in November. It will be great to see them again.

Back in December, after doing a few 4 hour rides on my Yamaha 250 enduro with Rachelle, we decided to buy a bigger bike. I felt we must have looked like Lloyd (Jim Carey) and Harry (Jeff Daniels) on the minibike in the Movie Dumb and Dumber. Although it was not that bad and Rachelle is way cuter then those two… As luck would have it, an older guy pulled up on the exact bike that I was wanting. A 2007 blue BMW F650GS Dakar in ultra mint condition. It only had 7500kms on it and best of all, it was kinda too big for the owner. I just threw it out there that if he ever wanted to trade, I would be up for it. He did, so we traded it for the Yamaha plus some bucks and we were both on our way.

Rachelle and I have been able to hit both the highways and the dirt and everything in between since then. We really love trying a new mountain road each time we go out. Who knows, our next adventure might be to travel all over Latin America so we can experience a little bit of what life was like for Scottish actor Ewan McGregor his pal Charley Boorman, who together trekked on motorcycles from London to New York, then from the UK down to South Africa on BMW bikes for the documentary series was called “Long Way Round”.

On the way to Catarata Del Toro 2

On the way to Catarata Del Toro

the waterfall at La Paz Watergardens

Back in January, we were notified by tripadvisor.com that we won the 2011 Top Ten Traveler’s Choice Award for B&B’s and Inns in ALL of Central America and South America! We are very thrilled to have received such an award. Check it out at http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/TravelersChoice-g13-cInnsBB-South_America.html. It looks like we are doing something right! If you are thinking of coming down over the next few months, we have an “Award Winner Special” on right now at Tripadvisor.com to celebrate our win! Check it out at http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g309225-d1483060-Reviews-B_B_Grecia-Grecia_Province_of_Alajuela.html . We would love to have you stay with us!

tripadvisor.com award

January was also the month where I needed to renew my Costa Rica license. Because I have my Costa Rica residency in process, I have whats called an Expediente number and papers. These papers grant me the right to not have to leave every 90 days anymore. Off to the motor vehicle licensing department MOPT (Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes)  in San Ramon I went (with Cris again. He rocks!) with my trusty passport and Expendiente papers in hand. We even stopped at the Doctors around the corner for the medical certificate (kind of a joke to get but thats another story, let’s just say for everyone elses’ sake I do have good vision and am healthy). When we got there we waited in line (like most government places) only to find out that they don’t care about my expediente number and that I don’t have to leave the country every 90 days anymore…. They that they needed to see my my passport with an exit stamp of less than three months old. No exceptions. They didn’t want to look at the expediente papers… Guess what I had to do…. Yup, leave the country so I could get my drivers license renewed. Stupid yes, costly, yes. Their process, yes.

Being that my last border crossing was by bus and that it was still in my short term memory, I checked out some countries to go to by air and as cheaply as possible. Guatemala won the prize for cheap flights. Not knowing much about Guatemala I decided to research a little. I ended up staying in Antigua for a few days then flying to Flores to check out the Mayan ruins in Tikal. Both were awesome. Antigua had cobble streets and a nice friendly atmosphere. Tikal was simply amazing. The most epic place I think I have ever been to. I might have to make plans to be there on 12-21-2012 for the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it party!! The Island of Flores was awesome too. It’s a small island that had a nice atmostphere. The only thing I regret about the trip was not being able to take Rachelle with me to share it with. The timing was bad. It was high season and we were totally booked as well as super dog Frehley  is getting on in age (almost 16yrs) and needs her heart meds twice a day. It just wasn’t possible for that trip, but there will definitely be another trip on the horizon. It was a really cool place to go.

The streets of Antigua

Antigua Church

Antigua Ruins

Tikal ruins 1

Tikal ruins 2

Tikal ruins birds eye view

Me after a scary walk up a billion rickety wooden stairs

the view from my room on the Island of Flores

restaurants in Flores

My immigration saga continues but seems to be closer to the end. My buddy Cris and I have gone to immigration 4 times since last September only to be told that the papers have not been processed and we will have to return in a few months. Finally a few weeks ago during our last visit, they told us that it just needed to be signed off by the “jefe” (boss) and to come back in a week. I plan to return after Semana Santa (Holy Week) which will be 3 weeks so hopefully I will have some good news to post.

Recently, we found a very highly recommended Dentist that has the most amazing prices on implants, crowns and bridges. I will elaborate more in another post but I was shocked at how inexpensive this guy is. I also took a tour of their in-house state of the art lab and saw some of the full mouth restorations that were working on and I was really impressed with the quality. This probably explains why the waiting room was full of patients from North America! Crowns for under $300, implants including the crown for under $1000. Dental Tourism in Costa Rica. Book a dental holiday today! Get all your teeth done, save thousands and visit everything Costa Rica has to offer! What could be better!! Pura Vida!

Finally for this post, We started on Timothy Ferriss’ 4 hour body where basically you do not eat potatoes, rice, bread or sugary stuff for 6 days and the 7th day is binge day where you can eat whatever you want. I have lost 14 pounds in 5 weeks. Check out his blog at http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/04/06/how-to-lose-20-lbs-of-fat-in-30-days-without-doing-any-exercise/ or his book at http://www.amazon.com/4-Hour-Body-Uncommon-Incredible-Superhuman/dp/030746363X .

Thats all for now. Enjoy the weekend!

The typical local staple food in Costa Rica consists of rice, beans and a meat (mostly chicken). Cooked many ways like in a “casado”, which is black beans, rice some salad, some meat (beef, chicken, pork or fish) and sometimes an egg.

Another favorite of mine is Arroz con Pollo. Fried rice with chicken. It usually comes with some deep fried tortilla chips and a simple salad.

Chicharons are deep fried pork chunks.

They loooooove fried chicken. There are fried chicken places everywhere. They even serve fried chicken at McDonalds.

They also love french fries. Come to think of it, anything deep fried seems to be a hit.

Small family owned restaurants are called sodas. they mainly serve these typical meals.

They call Diet Coke “Coka light”.

A menu is pronounced “maynu”. Get it right or the waiter might have a puzzled look on his face when you ask for a “menu”.

Appetizers are popular in bars because locals have limited funds and would rather spend the money on Imperial or Pilsen beer. They call appetizers “Bocas”.

The water here is good to drink…. in most cases better than bottled water straight from the tap.

They generally don’t put salt or pepper on the table but you can ask for it.

I have had very few salads I would classify as “great”. Mediocre would more describe them. It is weird because they have awesome vegetables and they are inexpensive for the most part.

They are not into dressings unless you are in a higher end place. It’s mostly vinegar or lemon (which is not a bad thing for me) or “pink” sauce which is a mixture of mayonaise and ketchup I think (this IS a bad thing for me ewww).

Vegetarians can get by, just ask for your meal “sin” carne. You may get some funny looks because they don’t get many people asking for meals without meat.

I will add more as I think of it…

In the mean time I went to the police fingerprinting place in San Jose to get my fingerprints taken. I waited in line then went through the process that took about 2 hours in total. I received a paper with a passport photo of me and a print. Good thing I saved it in a safe place because I needed it this past week as part of my docs to submit.

I never did receive confirmation of immigration in Costa Rica getting the docs or processing them or that they were ready to go. The procrastinator in me waited and waited because it meant I would spend most of a day waiting in lines to find out if they were ready or not. Finally almost 6 months without hearing anything I decided I better go. My local buddy Cris and I went to the immigration office at 6am. we arrived at 6:45am and were near the end of a long lineup. At 7:30am the guard opened the gates where we went to near the office #3 and waited in the same lineup until they opened at 8am. Because it was our first time there and had no docs we had to wait at the lineup by the black colored chairs. They did not give us a number (ficha in Spanish) so Cris went to the front desk and asked for one. We waited some more and then once it was my turn I gave the guy my passport number and name. He typed some stuff on the computer and told us to sit down and wait until he called us. They had to send someone to retrieve the docs from somewhere else. After about an hour, they were available. He quickly looked over them and told us we had to go to the “amarillo” building or “yellow” building. I had no idea what this meant but luckily Cris did. The “yellow” building is in downtown San Jose. We waited in line at the info desk there for about 20 minutes. We then found out we needed 4 – 650 colone “timbres” (stamps) and they could be purchased at the BCR (Bank of Costa RIca) around the corner and then we needed to return to the “yellow” building to wait in another line to get my docs authenticated, stamped and signed. Thinking ahead, Cris grabbed a number for when we returned. Off to BCR we went. When we arrived there was another big lineup. After waiting 20 minutes or so Cris decided to go back to the yellow building and see what number they were on. He ended up getting another number because they were close to the number we originally had. After getting the timbres we returned to the yellow building to wait in line. Good thing Cris grabbed the new number because the old number had already been called. Once at the desk, the guy checked all my paperwork, stamped and signed it. It was about 1 pm and was too late to return to the immigration building because they only accept people from 8-12 noon.

The following day we returned to the immigration office earlier. We left Grecia at 5am this time and arrived at the immigration office at 5:30am. We were 15 deep in the lineup which was much better than the day before. Same as before, we waited until 7:30am to enter the compound and then waited until 8am to get in to wait in the lineup outside office #3. Cris went to ask someone where we needed to be. Someone told him the wrong info so we ended up in the wrong lineup. Once we found the right line we lost our “sweet” spot and moved back from 15 to at least 30. This was at the “blue” chairs. Once we got up to the front the women looked at the docs and said they were 6 months old and may not be processed now. I told her that immigration had them for the past 6 months supposedly processing them. She just shrugged her shoulders and said she would submit them.

I now have to wait 3 months for them to be processed. I now have an “expediente” number so I don’t need to leave the country for now. YAY! I am going to not procrastinate this time and am going to return in 2 months to see if they have processed the paperwork.

None of the process is clear or written anywhere. Even if you ask those that work at immigration have no clue. It’s good to have someone who speaks good Spanish ( I get by okay but was glad to have Cris to translate what I didn’t understand). There was a gringo behind me complaining that they should have English speaking workers in immigration but when I looked around we were the only two English speaking people among a group of at least 100 Spanish speaking foreigners so I don’t think it’s high on the priority list for them. Besides, I think if we want to live here we should learn the language and in the mean time make friends with some locals that might be willing to help you out.

If I could suggest one thing to people planning on moving to Costa RIca is….. LEARN SPANISH. Even a little. Don’t wait until you get here. start learning it before you get here. It helps BIG TIME and makes your life easier here. Practice 10 even 10 minutes a day until you come. I sure wish I did. Can you get by without it, Yes but poorly. Plus if we make an effort to speak Spanish the locals are a little more forgiving. Think about what you say to yourself AND THINK to yourself when you encounter a foreign person in North America that speaks little to no English. The tables will be turned here. You will become the foreigner in the strange land. Not everyone is considerate or likes people that don’t speak “their” language while in “their” country…… Something to think about.

The above is what I went through. It might be different for someone else, who knows….No one seems to know the exact process but mine seemed to work out okay so far. It took about 12 hours over two days, 3 buildings, 10 plus lineups….  I am not really complaining about all the line-ups and the process. This is what one signs up for when moving here. You learn to live with it and laugh about it or it is not for you. I find humor in it all now. I had to learn patience and acceptance of other ways of doing things even if they seem totally illogical, absurd and time consuming. It’s a new way of life. When doing anything process related, bring a book, buy a Kindle or better yet… bring some Spanish material to kill the time productively. I am not one to talk with regards to the Spanish material….. I only brought my Iphone in which I played the games Angry birds and texas holdem poker… If I was a little wiser at 5am I would have brought some Spanish material to study…..

I picked up a returning guest Greg (and now friend) from Florida from the SJO today too. It’s a whirlwind weekender trip to check out some more properties to possibly buy. He was totally bagged from a long day but still managed to go out for dinner with us and play a game of bowling on the Wii!

We all went to Galeria Steakhouse for dinner. Rachelle had her usual Delmonico (ribeye) with rice and salad. I changed it up for once and had an Angus burger that was new on the menu. Greg had the same. It was awesome as usual. Alice had a rack of lamb and Bill had a “cowboy” steak that was HUGE!! I still can’t believe that the best restaurant that I have ever experienced in Costa Rica thus far is only 5 blocks away from the B and B Grecia! To top that, the prices are very reasonable.

We also had some students come stay with us that came by the local bus from La Fortuna to Grecia. Unfortunately when they were close to Naranjo someone had dropped something onto the floor of the bus. When they helped pick up the dropped item someone helped themselves to their bag that was stored in the upper bins. Please take this as a tip because I have had a guest before that ran int the exact problem. It’s best to keep your bags on you AT ALL TIMES. Don’t use the overhead or below storage areas. Keep the stuff with you. Using the top storage or the below storage on the regular bus storage Is a good way to get all your stuff taken.

Here are some tips while traveling through Costa Rica:

Walking

• Pedestrians DON’T have the “right of way”. Always make sure the road is clear before stepping off the sidewalk
• The sidewalks are uneven with holes and tiles that are very slippery when wet. Make sure you watch where you walk.
• When you arrive in the different places within CR, ask about how safe it is to walk in the area and if there are areas that you shouldn’t go.

Transit

• When taking public buses, try not to put luggage or backpacks in the under storage or overhead bins as thefts do occur. Private bus services like Interbus etc are safer when you have a lot of luggage.
• Make sure taxi’s use the meter. They call it a “Maria” and if they don’t use it, you can be sure that you are paying a premium.
• For Rental Cars see my previous blog about it but here a few tips: avoid driving in the dark because there are very few signs. Remove all your stuff before parking it (not a good idea to leave your camera or GPS on the front seat. Don’t be the lead car, follow someone and you will have less chance of being stopped for a ticket/bribe. If you get a flat, don’t accept help from strangers, it is highly possible they poked your tire so they can “help” you for money or they may keep you occupied while their friend is cleaning out your car. If you have a collision, DON’T move the cars, Call the police and don’t move until both the Police and the insurance guy has said it’s okay to move the cars.

Food and Water

• The typical food is beans, rice and meat. They are not big on good fresh salads (I am not sure why). They don’t put a lot of salt or spices on the food. They usually have a hot sauce or vegetable based “Lizano” salsa on the table so you can “spice” it up.
• Don’t be afraid of the little restaurants (sodas). Usually “Grandma” is cooking it and it is very tasty and good. zI have yet to be sick from the food. It is also cheaper than the bigger restaurants, especially the big chains (Yup they have Applebees, Outback and TGIFridays).
• Chicken is the staple meat. Beef is usually quite chewy here. I think it has to do with their diet and not being aged. Grecia has an awesome steakhouse that serves the most amazing steaks. You can also get fish and pork. Turkey is very hard to find and when you do it is really expensive.
• In most places the water is good to drink. Actually very good to drink and quite possible cleaner and better than bottled water.

Tipping

• “Watchiemen” these are people usually with florescent vests guiding you in and out of parking stalls. They are not usually paid by the establishment and work on tips. Tip them when you return and are leaving to the tune of 300c – 500c (60cents – $1). Use caution as your stuff in the car is most likely worth more than a dollar and it is not unknown to come back and the watchieman is gone and so are your belongings.

Restaurants

You pay a mandatory 10% gratuity on your bill. Don’t top it up to 15% or 20% if you do, the wait staff doesn’t see it. It goes to the owner of the restaurant. Furthermore, it is ruining the Costa Rican culture. Let me explain. Tipping is not Costa Rican culture. Many local people do not earn enough money to go to restaurants frequently so when they do, many times it is for a special occasion. What is happening now is when they go to  a restaurant say for their wedding anniversary or a birthday and there is also a table full of “gringos”, guess which table gets the most service??? The table with the most probability for the big tip. This ticks the locals off and they resent the foreigners. This is a different culture. It does not need us foreigners changing it. We should respect their culture and not try to make it like our own. Think about the “shoe” on the other foot. A CR local goes to North America and eats in a restaurant…. If he doesn’t tip the wait staff will be ticked off. “When in Rome…..Do as the Romans do”.

Grocery Bag Boys

When I first moved here, I went to the grocery store with some friends who live here. When we went to the checkout my friend always gave the bag boy the coins. I started doing the same until one day I was at the checkout that had the mentally challenged kid bagging the groceries. One of the other bag boys pushed him to the ground so he could bag my stuff. I helped the mentally challenged kid up from the ground, Gave him my coins and vowed never to tip ANY bag boy again. Again, remember this is a different culture. It does not need us foreigners changing it. We should respect their culture and not try to make it like our own.

Health

• The healthcare is good here and is very inexpensive. My English speaking Doctor charges ~$30 for a visit and does not rush me out the door.
• Many medications that are prescription meds in North America can be obtained at a Pharmacy without a prescription in Costa Rica. Some are more expensive here but most are cheaper than in North America.
• As for vaccinations it is each to their own but I think many are not necessary. Some Government agencies have bulletins that scare you into getting vaccinations that are not required. Research it a little and make your own decisions.
• Wear sunscreen, Costa Rica is close to the equator and you will burn easily.

Shopping

Shop in stores with prices listed, check your change, make sure nothing has been added to your bill in both stores and restaurants. Paying via credit card can sometimes cost you as much as 13% more. Cash is king. Avoid poor exchange rates. Carry both currencies. If they ask for Colones, pay in Colones. If they ask for USD, pay in USD.

Stay tuned! I will write more as I think of it. Please note that these are my opinions from my experiences while living in Costa Rica. Others may disagree and that’s cool…..

]]> http://bandbgrecia.com/some-travel-tips-for-costa-rica/feed 0 http://bandbgrecia.com/importing-pets-to-costa-rica http://bandbgrecia.com/importing-pets-to-costa-rica#comments Thu, 15 Jul 2010 19:25:42 +0000 admin http://bandbgrecia.com/?p=820

I would like to share my experience with bringing my two beloved mini schnauzers to Costa Rica from Canada in April 2008.

There is no Quarantine. YAY!

For importing pets timing is very important. Especially if they have to go in cargo. Airlines have cutoff dates (blackout dates) because of extreme cold and extreme heat depending on the time of year. Also, some airlines don’t allow pets, some airlines only let a few pets on per flight and some airlines have regulations regarding flying with your pet under your seat while some only allow pets in the cargo. Your airline will have all the details.

I found the info and forms I needed to import them from Canada to Costa Rica from these sites:

• http://www.costaricaembassy.com/services/tourism.htm#4
• http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/anima/heasan/export/petcom/petcome.shtml

For information and forms for importing pets from the USA contact the Embassy of Costa Rica and the US Department of Agriculture:

• http://www.costarica-embassy.org/default.html
• http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/animals/animal_exports.shtml

Here are the steps that I had taken prior to traveling:

• Booked flight with dogs (Air Canada charged $250 per dog) needed hard kennels.
• Downloaded and printed form from Canadian food inspection agency.
• Went to vet and got shots within the time frame as outlined on the forms and had the vet fill out the forms.
• Went to Canadian Food Inspection Agency and handed in form (As I recall it was $40 per dog)
• Returned a few days later and picked up the signed and stamped form.

At the airport in Canada:

• The dogs went thru the special items line so their kennels could be x-rayed and they were searched. It was a simple search and not like the “Your putting that thermometer where??” ordeal they endure during there annual physicals!

At the airport in Costa Rica:

I picked the dogs up at the special item carousel.

I went thru security quite quick and painless. The guys wanted to pet the dogs more than to check my paperwork.

I then exited the building. My great friends Steve and Marzena were waiting to pick us up.

It wasn’t too painful of an ordeal. The hardest part for me was having to put my girls in the cargo. I am not sure if the rules have changed but when flying internationally from Canada, Dogs must be stowed in the cargo. I have a friend who’s father worked for a big airline for many years in cargo and he said that they are treated well and workers like to give them attention rather than to give the attention to the baggage!!

This was my experience with my dogs. If you plan to bring other types of pets such as birds, snakes, fish, elephants or tigers, the regulations are different. Check out the links above for the correct up to date regulations and rules.

Besides having crazy traffic, San Jose can be very intimidating and dangerous. It is a very large city with Large city problems. Other cities that are close to the (SJO) Juan Santamaria International Airport such as Heredia and Alajuela have similar problems. The city of Grecia is a small, clean safe city that is well on your way to any Costa Rican destination that is west of San Jose. Grecia is close to such attractions as The World of Snakes, the Volcano Poas, La Paz Watergardens, Canopy tours, Coffee Plantations and Waterfalls. All are under an hour away from Grecia.

Most of the car rental agencies in the San Jose area are located within 5 minutes of the (SJO) Juan Santamaria International Airport and have shuttles to and from the airport.

What to expect when arriving at SJO airport at the beginning of your trip:

You will exit the plane and walk between 5 to 10 minutes to the customs area. Just follow the crowd from your plane. There are some signs but Costa Rica isn’t know for having good signage. When you get to the customs counter you will give them your passport and they don’t usually say too much. Once they swipe it and check it out and stamp it, proceed to the baggage carrousel area which is not far from the customs area. When you have your bags proceed to the security area and put all your baggage on the conveyor / x-ray machine. If they don’t stop you, that’s it you are done! If they do stop you (as I usually do because I am usually bringing in car parts or other weird things). They may ask to see the item in question and will ask you if they are new or used, how old they are and how much they are worth. I have brought in a used 19″ widescreen lcd TV and they made me show them it. I told them it was 2 yrs old and worth maybe $200 so they let me thru… Recently I brought some shocks in for my Jeep. Again the stopped me and asked about them and asked if I lived here. I told them they were new and told them they were $175. They then asked “Each”? I told them the $175 was for all 4 shocks and showed them the receipt so they waved me thru! Once finished with security, you just exit the building where you will be greeted by 30 taxi drivers trying to get a fare. Look for your party picking you up, your auto rental agency guy with a sign, your hotel person with a sign OR if you made the wise decision to stay at the #1 rated bed and breakfast in Grecia, I will be standing there with a sign or my good friend Wilson or Alex will be there ready to provide an informative, stress free 20 minute ride the the B&B Grecia! If you are taking a taxi anywhere ask them to use the meter. They call it the “Maria”. If they don’t turn it on, you can be sure you are going to be charged more for your trip and besides they made it law back in March 2010 that they are supposed to use it.

What to expect at the SJO airport at the end of your trip:

When your vacation is coming to an end and you arrive at the airport, it is very important to pay your Exit Taxes PRIOR to entering the line up at your airline. The counter for paying your exit taxes is located just inside the terminal to the right of the right hand doors when entering the departure floor on the second level of the terminal. Once you have paid your $26 either by USD, Colones or Visa, then go to your airline lineup. Once in line, fill out the form the exit tax people gave you so it is ready to present to the people at your airline desk.

Once your bags are checked and you have your boarding passes, proceed to the Security Area. It is located to the far left of the terminal on the departure level (level 2). If you are a smoker and have time, you might want to go outside for a last “coffin nail” prior to entering the security area.

Going through Security is fairly pain free. For me, I find it best to remove ANY metal from my pockets and put them in my carry on bag prior to getting to the x-ray machines. I put my cell phone change, keys, Ipod, and anything that might have the slightest itsy bitsy metal in it in my carry on bag. I Keep cash and my wallet in my pocket and I don’t remove it and have never been asked to. You also have to remove your shoes, belt and laptop and put it in the grey trays to go thru the x-ray machines. Remember to check any liquids that exceed 3 ounces, pocket knives, lighters etc or they will confiscate them.

Once you are past security, find your gate and then if you have time, check out the duty free shops. If you need coffee to take back you can get Britt brand coffee packs to take back. If you stayed with me at the B&B Grecia for a night or two, I probably told you of another brand of equivalent flavor and taste for much cheaper that you can get in the local grocery stores and you already have them stuffed in your checked bags….

If your into saving a bit of money while at the airport, another tip for your airport experience is to take an empty bottle of water in your carry on bag and just fill it up at a water fountain once you are thru security and are near your gate. A bottle of water costs like $3 at the airport. This is a way to save a bit of $$$. Food is very pricey too. It is a good idea to get snacks and have a full belly prior to getting to the airport. If you stayed at the B&B Grecia you will most likely be stuffed full of breakfast and will be okay!!

Well enough about the (SJO) Juan Santamaria International Airport Information for now!! I hope it was informative for you. If you have any other questions, feel free to email us, stop by or stay with us!!

Cheers,

Denny

Tips for renting a car in Costa Rica:

Decide whether you want an SUV 4×4 or a car. If you plan to travel back roads and Monteverde, it is a good idea to have a 4×4. If you plan to come to Grecia, Arenal, then some big name beaches then a car will probably work for you. Then email the rental agency you find and ask the following questions:

Do they have the type of vehicle you want for the dates you want?

How much is it for the time you specify?

Does it include the mandatory insurance? If not, how much is it?

How much is full coverage?

How much is it per day for a second driver?

How much do they hold on your credit card? It is usually anywhere from $800 to $1500 and Do they charge for the rental on top of that?

How much is the total price including all taxes, insurances and fees?

Before you commit you should ask them to send you an email with all the prices including EVERYTHING. You can compare and always call them back if they are your choice.

Before you come to Costa Rica make sure you print out the email quote and bring it with you “just in case”. I have had many guests come where the price changed when they arrived and after a long flight or late at night, the last thing you want to do is find another rental agency. Don’t assume anything and get everything in writing.

As you may have noticed, I did not mention any companies in this blog and don’t plan to. However I do have a few companies that I do highly recommend. I have sent many guests to them and have never had any problems with service.  If you are interested in renting a car in Costa Rica, we can help. Just contact us and we will be glad to lend you a hand.

If you do rent a car DO NOT LEAVE ANYTHING VISIBLE INSIDE when you park it. Like most places in the world, if you leave your camera or laptop visible in the car like on the seat or dash or floor, don’t expect it to be there when you return.

Cheers,

D.