www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I am not a newbie but wondering what is best option now days for the following?
1. Sim cards - buy from kolbi kiosk at airport or in SJ?
( last time it was a bit of a hassle to buy in SJ, wondering if they sell it to tourists easily now a days?)
2. Airport to Amistad hotel - ave never usedUber. Used interbus many times but last time had to waste an hour almost waiting for other passengers. Orange taxi wasnt a pleasent experience so what do you guys suggest? (Dont want bus)
3.private driver to see Guanacaste and Limon etc:- i was quoted like $200-$250 a day for car plus driver last time. Its way too expensive in my opinion. I am not comfortable with the idea of driving in CR yet so any reccs for what kind of price i am looking for a 1 day tour of surrounding area of SJ and a 3/4 day tour of Guanacadte /Limon etc? Will appreciate if you can recommend any reliable, English speaking driver with nice car.
Thanks in advance for your time

Depending on what time you get in I would hit the Kolbi booth in Baggage claim as they will get you up and working quickly. I am assuming you have little spanish skills so picking up a sim card at a pulperia and having to activate it will probably be an issue and going to one of the carrier locations usually ends up with a long wait in line.
Driving in Costa Rica really is not that bad providing you are out of the downtown area, and even then, if you drive in New York, L.A., San Francisco you should not have issues. I like to drive late at night after 10pm or early morning 2-3am that way you miss most of the traffic. You do miss some of the scenic views that way but avoiding the traffic for me is worth it. If you are not in a hurry to get somewhere then the slow traffic is a piece of cake and you only need to really worry about pot hole avoidance.
Are you going to be by yourself or do you have a group the split the costs with. if you have 4 people then 50-65.00 a day for not having to worry about where you are going and being able to get shit faced while being driven is worth it. I would suggest not heading over to Limon as they have been having issues with the narco's over there. Very pretty but I do not visit the Carribean side without flying and having transportation set up to pick me up and take me where I want to go.

Welcome and GL...

I have never paid a driver for long distance........but either search the transportation thread or rent a car...
......because rent a cars are so cheap if you negotiate- see rent a car threads...

I use thrifty in gulch and it's about $300 for 4,days full coverage.....but you have to stand your ground on extra fees (search thread for rental cars)...

Otherwise pura Vida, pops, or one lucky dog are expats that will cut you a fair deal.

Gl.
Calimann

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Best easiest way to get a sim chip is to go to plaza cultura near the fountain. People are hawking sim chips there. 2000mil . Mil for chip and mil of time or data. Quick easy.

3. Guanacaste and Limon are on different sides of the country and both are provinces (Puerto Limon is, of course, a city). I know you knew that. Neither are exactly close to San Jose (close by US standards, but not by getting there in Costa Rica standards).

It takes 3-4 hours to go from SJ to Puerto Limon (4 if you go through Cartago, 3 if you go Route 32 - depending on traffic).

And it's 3.5 hours from SJ to "Guanacaste" (but where in Guanacaste? Playa Hermosa? Make it 4+ hours).

So, it's basically an 8 hour round trip to both places. Assuming by "3/4 day" you mean daylight (6 AM to 6 PM and not 24 hours with an overnight), that's your "3/4 day" right there.

Each place, not both. You can't do a "3/4 day" same-day tour of both sides of the country.

So let's say you go early, return late and spend 8 hours touring (total of about 16 hours) $250 a day / 16 is $15.63 an hour for a car and driver where you can concentrate on touristy stuff instead of driving, parking, getting gas, etc..

Or, you could fly and get a driver there. SANSA is about $100 each way ($200 round trip - unless you're a Tico). Or take the bus and take taxis / Uber when you get there.

I recommend Viejas Garmendia for reliable drivers with good cars. They are our livery service. Cheap? Probably not as cheap as some but trustworthy and (Tico) honest.

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Any opinion or observation in the post above is purely presented for entertainment purposes and does not promote "sexual tourism" or "human trafficking". The laws of Costa Rica apply to all activities in Costa Rica. No warranty is expressed or implied. Void where prohibited by law. Your experience, observations or perspective may be different.

In exile in pu*sy prison

I agree with this. It's what I advise our guests that want a CR SIM to do.

_________________
Any opinion or observation in the post above is purely presented for entertainment purposes and does not promote "sexual tourism" or "human trafficking". The laws of Costa Rica apply to all activities in Costa Rica. No warranty is expressed or implied. Void where prohibited by law. Your experience, observations or perspective may be different.

In exile in pu*sy prison

Driving....Done that, but you have to be very aware that traffic rules and traffic flow...even lights and stop signs...do not mean the same as they do at home. I've driven in very very crazy places...and San Jose is right up there for accidents and fatalities I have heard.

Airport transfer... I've never done Uber...but have ususally just grabbed a car or private taxi and made a deal...$25 or $30. Probably not great, but gets me there no hassle. Official orange airport taxis might be a bit more...although metered taxis on the return trip usually end up in the same price ballpark.

Private drivers/tourist vans... have done that, but not really recently.