One Week in Costa Rica

Day 1: Getting to Arenal

We found a cheap flight using Spirit Airlines and made our way to San Jose International Airport. Upon arrival, we picked up our car at Alamo. There was A LOT of confusion about the rental car process, so let me just summarize below what we learned:

• Third Party Liability (TPL) Insurance IS required. This is not negotiable.
• CDW Insurance is NOT required. Most likely your credit card already covers this, but check with them before declining this coverage.
• Book with a reputable company. We booked with Alamo but there is a an Alamo Costa Rica website that APPEARS to be the same thing but charged more. So just book directly with the rental car agency and avoid the hassle.
• Car rental agencies in Costa Rica typically take large deposits. Ours was $1000, which wasn’t charged to the card, but did put a hold on it, so if you don’t have a lot of credit, be aware of this.
• I absolutely WOULD recommend a 4WD SUV. 90% of the roads were NOT paved and would have been impossible without this.
• Photograph EVERYTHING. Take pictures of every scratch, dent and imperfection before you even step in the car.

After picking up the car, we made the 3 hour drive to our hotel, Hotel Linda Vista, in La Fortuna (the town at the base of Arenal Volcano). This was a bit of a splurge for us, but we discovered the next morning that the view was totally worth the price.