Getting Here and Getting Around
Getting Here
While there has been the promise of a “southern” airport for more than 15 years, your only choice is Juan Santamaria Airport in Alajuela, a city near San Jose. The airport code is SJO. Your airline choices are American, United, Frontier, Taca, Alaska, Southwest, Jet Blue, Delta, and a few others. We generally fly Alaska or Delta via Los Angeles. From the West Coast, it takes about seven hours in the air, regardless of which route you take. From the East Coast, it can take five hours in the air via Ft. Lauderdale or Miami. Gateway cities, depending on the airline, include Los Angeles, Denver, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Dulles, Ft. Lauderdale, and Miami.
Many flights depart from the US around 3:00pm to 5:00pm and arrive around 8:30pm in Costa Rica. Incidentally, Costa Rica is in the Central time zone and does not change for daylight savings time, so it is permanently UTC-6 hours. While it’s possible to drive to Dominical after renting a car at night, we don’t recommend it because the roads are not well marked in many cases, and it can be difficult to find your way. (Highway 27 and the improvements to Highway 34 have mitigated this warning somewhat, but perhaps wait until you're second trip to drive at night from the airport.) We recommend, instead, that you stay near the airport overnight and get an early start the next day. Alternatively, you can take an early flight from Miami or Dallas, and arrive in Costa Rica before noon. Or take the redeye option from Los Angeles that arrives at 6:00am in SJO.
Alaska Airlines now serves San Jose with a single flight per day out of LA. Interestingly, this takes off around 1:00pm, and lands around 8:00pm, then returns home slightly after midnight. Prices were about $400 to $600 r/t depending on the season.
If staying near the airport, consider the Marriott (extremely nice, about $230 to $300 per room per night) or the Studio Hotel in Santa Ana (about $120, and a tremendous deal).
Two completely different routes lead from the airport to Dominical. The route in blue is substantially faster, simpler for navigation, and safer. However, the gray route, over the mountains, allows you to see an completely different aspect of the country, as much of it is about 9,000' in altitude.
Getting Back
Many return flights depart between 7:00am and 11:00am. While the 9:00am flight seems like it would be too early, you can leave Dominical around 4:00am, drive three hours up the coast and get to the rental car agencies around 7:00am, and still have time to spare at the airport. The sunrise is beautiful as you drive up the coast, and there is little traffic. You’ll encounter some rush hour traffic as you get close to San Jose. We still think it’s the best option, and we’ve never missed a flight. Plus, you avoid the cost of an airport hotel (and stay in paradise one more night.)
You can get gas before returning your car right off the highway leading to the airport. As you drive north, you’ll pass the Firestone factory on the left. Take the next exit and turn left as you get to the surface streets. There will be a gas station immediately on your left. It’s equally easy to get back on the highway.
Depending on which airline you choose, you may or may not have to pay the airport tax which runs around $28.00, and must be paid in American dollars. If needed, pay the airport tax before getting in line at the airline counters. American Airlines and others now include the airport tax in their ticket price, which is a big convenience. Other airlines may have followed suit; the lines at the "tax counter" were dramatically shorter than in previous years.
The right vehicle for the trip.
Getting Around
Vehicle Rentals and Recommendations
I think it is safe to say that driving in a country in which you do not reside (I am trying desperately to not say "a foreign country") is intimidating the first time, and possibly every time you do so. There are so many aspects that conspire to make your hands sweat, your heart race, and convince you to take a car with a driver next time around. We have rented cars in half a dozen countries, and we don't pretend to be experts, but we do have some advice on renting and driving in Costa Rica.
First, virtually all American car rental companies are represented at the airport. Yes, there are a few that you haven't seen in the U.S., but the normal Budget, Avis, Hertz, National, and so forth are there, So, if you have had good experience with any of those companies, you might feel comfortable continuing to use them.
Second, our default recommendation in the past was Toyota Rentacar, which not surprisingly rented Toyota cars and trucks exclusively. However, they were bought by Hertz, which we imagined would not be a good thing. It turns out, it was a GREAT THING. Same nice people, same great cars, long hours, quick pickups at the Airport, etc. We don’t shop around anymore; we just call Hertz. However, Kayak, Hotwire, and Expedia may allow you to compare competing rent-a-car companies.
Third, we think it makes sense to rent medium sized SUVs for most uses. We like the Toyota Rav4, but other models would also work (Hyundai Tucson, etc.) Relatively good on gas, rugged for the bad roads, and more likely to be survivable if the yogurt hits the fan. Many, many roads in Costa Rica are dirt and gravel, which turns into mud in the rainy season, and therefore a 4WD vehicle is required to give you access to some neat places.
Recently, we’ve been renting Toyota Hilux trucks. There are several advantages:
About the same cost as a mid-size SUV.
Diesel, which is available at all gas stations and is more efficient.
30MPG.
Manual 6-speed transmission, which might be too much in Costa Rica’s traffic
Four wheel drive, obviously, so you can go to some swampy areas and muddy roads.
We’ve also rented a variety of minivans when we’ve arrived with another family. The older Toyota Hiace vans are pretty gutless and don’t ride very well, but the new models are better. Make sure the tires are in good condition; you don’t want to have to change tires in the mud.
Fourth, comparing prices can be difficult because of insurance costs. There is the mandatory insurance (liability) and then the extra insurance (collision, comprehensive). We've never quite figured out the right answer, but some credit cards like American Express will cover one or more of these insurance costs if you charge the rental on your card. While all the prices seem cheap initially, we find that it ends up costing $50-$90 per day after insurance, taxes, etc. On our most recent rental, the cost for the “Platinum” coverage was about $80 for four days, so prices appear to be negotiable.
Fifth, our place is about 150km (90 miles) away, so buying the notorious fuel option can be a good idea. Fuel is expensive, so you don't want to return the car with half a tank. On a recent trip, we were upgraded to a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado (large, but relatively simple SUV) with a diesel engine. We opted for the pre-paid fuel and drove our entire five day trip on a single tank of fuel. There was 1/8 tank left when we returned to the airport. Your mileage may vary. We generally fly out early in the morning, so we leave the car at the airport (by prior arrangement). So, not having to get gas is a big plus.
Finally, consider the extra cost option of picking the car up at the airport. We’ve done this a couple of times, and it’s so much easier. There is still paperwork to fill out, but starting from the airport puts you incrementally closer to your destination in most cases. And ask if you can leave the car at the airport when you depart. There is generally a reasonable charge for this drop-off service.
Driving Customs
Hey, it's pretty much like the U.S. but there are a few differences. We have seen very few examples of aggressive driving, as in road rage or purposefully dangerous driving, but we do see a lot of drivers taking chances. This shows up as passing cars and trucks in low-visibility locations, or taking corners too fast and too close to the center line, and so forth. This boils down to the old Driver's Training admonition: Drive Defensively or what the Navy teaches as forehandedness. Assume that the other driver is going to take his half out of the middle. Presume that there are people crossing in the dark up ahead. Don't rely on blinkers or taillights or following the speed limit.
Four specific things that you should be aware of: many, many multilane roads narrow, and the sign will say "Ceda el Paso". The space to merge is ridiculously short, and you’ll be merging from the slow lane to the fast lane. You really don't have any rights at this point so don't meekly merge into faster traffic. Come to a stop if you have to. This calls for advance planning, and getting into the left lane sooner (or staying in the fast lane.) Don't wait until you see the signs.
Some two-lane highways will switch to four lane at major intersections with on- and off-ramps. Trucks and slow vehicles will not pull into the slow lanes, and it's infuriating if you're used to "slower traffic merge right". In this case, however, it seems entirely OK to pass on the right and keep moving. Don't ever expect a slow vehicle to pull over to let you pass.
Second, some Tico drivers drive extremely slowly and will not, under any circumstances, pull over the let you by. You must pass them and, since they are driving 20 miles per hour, is not difficult. But your high beams, horn, and gestures won't do a damned thing. It's both sweet and infuriating. Don't fight it: pass when safe on the right or left.
Third, the speed limits seem almost quaint on some sections of highway. We find ourselves traveling at 20kph faster than the posted speeds, and then getting passed by someone going 20kph faster than us. There are policemen on major routes, and they will pull you over, but generally we find it possible to exceed the posted speeds without a problem.
Finally, the roads are reasonably good between the airport and our place, but at night they are very dark and lack lines on the road (except at Jaco which is lit up like a Christmas tree by comparison.) You need to use your high beams to see any appreciable distance down the road. You're going to dim them like you do in Canada and the U.S., but this will happen every 15 seconds. It's more akin to driving in a cave than driving in the open air. You can do it, but you'll only find lit roadways in cities and at some intersections.
OK, I promised four points, but here’s a bonus point: since your lights and wipers are vital for good nighttime driving visibility, verify that they are OK before leaving the car rental place. When we returned our Hilux we found that one of the headlights was burned out. That explained a lot (blinking lights from other drivers) and it made it dangerously hard to see. Wipers get a lot of use, so make sure that they do a half-ways decent job of wiping before you leave.