www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Hi
I'm planning on going down soon. I rented a car in preparation for the trip. do any of the places (sportsmansbar, amistad, Castillo or Taormina) have parking.

I was thinking of staying at the Wyndham which has parking but dont know how far it is from the action.

Thanks

I don't think any of these places have dedicated customer parking. There are parking lots where you pay by the hour and parking on the street that I think is paid through an app. I suggest just taking an Uber or cab.
If you are just going there to play, there is no need to rent a car.

There is parking available in the area around the 3 places you mentioned, and the Taormina has a parkade I believe. But driving is the problem. Driving in San Jose is chaotic and roads can be bad and unpredictable. Once you live here and know the particular roads it might be better, but I would not recommend it for what would seem to be a first visit for you.

The Wyndham is in a different area a long ways from those others. Having a car there and driving downtown to the places you want to be would not be a good option at all.

Thanks, I had seen a guy on you tube that was saying things he knew before and he recommended renting a car. I was also thinking of going to Jaco during the week and thought a rental car would come in handy.

I guess no to renting car now.

When you inquire about reserving a room at either the Castillo and or the LA Amistad, kindly ask Darren if he has some available parking for a rental car in lot next to Amistad. Matt had a few empty spots in this secured parking area in the past and I have used it many times.


I rent a car every trip saves me lots of $$$ and Driving in Costa Rica is no worse than a Big City in the states, just a lot more horn blowing happening in CR after a day driving in the country that honking becomes somewhat normal.

If you want to get out and travel and Visit Jaco as mentioned than 100% rent the car.

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But driving is the problem. Driving in San Jose is chaotic and roads can be bad and unpredictable. Once you live here and know the particular roads it might be better, but I would not recommend it for what would seem to be a first visit for you.

The Wyndham is in a different area a long ways from those others. Having a car there and driving downtown to the places you want to be would not be a good option at all.[/quote]

Agree. Directions, not being fluent in Spanish, accidents, theft, damages to rental car, safe parking, etc. could be problems.

Costa Rica has many good transportation options other than renting a car. In San Jose, uber or taxi to your location hassle-free.

Thanks Guys. I think I will get there and then decide if I want to rent a car. if I can use uber I should be ok

Uber works great down there. But they are not allowed to pick up at the designated pickup area. There are many posts on here that discuss where they pickup at the airport. I just use one of the taxis that will be waiting at the exit. Sure they are more expensive but it is less hassle and they have to wait in a cue for the business. The meter rate is in colones but they will gladly accept US dollars. I just look up the conversion rate on the day of my flight and calculate the amount with the calculator on my phone. I usually give them $40 USD including tip

They have these GPS apps called WAZE and google maps that provide detours for road conditions and or construction as well as traffic updates, you all should check into them, they work great in Costa Rica with a data plan and a Cellphone from this century.

Discounted Round Trip to Jaco if your a guest staying at Castillo is $100, A Private Driver is even more $60-90 each way and an Uber I have never priced to Jaco but gotta believe prices are somewhat similar,

Uber prices in general for CR have been increasing over the last few years as well.

My upcoming Thrifty rental is $219 for 8 days for a Nissan Versa

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Stay Humble Amigos !

just so you know you are going to get hit with mandatory insurance that will drive the price up to around 8-900.00. Please post an update on what the rental people want though as it has been a long while since I rented a vehicle in Costa Rica. In the past, if you decline the coverage they want a hold on a credit card anywhere from 500.00-3000.00 depending on the vehicle. I found that for me it was easier to just pay for full coverage and not have to worry about anything happening to the vehicle, should you decide to play Days of Thunder on the beach you get to walk away lol....... I own a vehicle in Costa Rica now so I have not rented in years but that was the game they play very similar to Dominican Republic. As for driving in Costa Rica they do drive like shit so keep your wits about you. Once you get out of San Jose other than going slow behind trucks, driving is pretty straight forward just keep an eye out for the CEDA's when the road changes to 1 lane both ways, usually over water or ravines. As pointed out WAZE is a great app for driving as long as you have internet coverage. If possible whenever you can park in the paid parking lots where there is an attendant to be less likely to get your vehicle broken into or stolen especially at the beach areas. Also always have your passport on you when driving as it will be requested at checkpoints and if you have an encounter with the police.

I 100% agree with you on paid parking lots and paying a guy to watch your car. I have downloaded the Epark CR app for street parking and WAZE works good for me and I pay $35 for 10 days to upgrade my data Plan to get at least LTE coverage during my trip. Roads and Drivers are no worse than my local area, Detroit roads and Michigan highways in general are some of the worst I have seen anywhere.

My price has included the mandatory SLI insurance, I'm appreciative of the concern of being surprised at the counter, but I have rented of this guy at thrifty on Paseo Colon for a few years now and booked my Reservation (email confirmed) back in September to get a better rate and knowing my dates would be start of high season and rentals would be plentiful and maybe a rental car of your choice hard to get.

The weekly rate ($72) is actually lower than the SLI insurance ($104), I do waive the CDW and you are correct I think they usually put a hold on my AMEX for about $3300 of course this drops assuming you don't see Rowdy Burns on your way to the Playa.

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Stay Humble Amigos !

To the OPs question, the Taormina has underground parking included with your reservation. I always rent a car when I'm in CR and have parked at Taormina every-time without issue since it became the go to place (post HDR). Was just there last month actually. Mind you there are a limited number of spots (i'd say about 10 or so). My last visit there in October was the first time the lot looked full (I actually took the last spot). Maybe because I arrived late on a Saturday. Otherwise there have always been plenty of spaces available. You pull into the circular driveway at the entrance of the hotel, the doorman will watch your car while you check in (still be sure to lock your doors). Once checked in you drive around the corner to a one-way street and pull up to the parking gate. It's guarded 24/7. The guy checks your room number and opens the mechanical metal gate to let you enter. You pull into the underground lot and go straight up to your floor from the elevator. I know there are lots that don't like the current state of affairs in CR/SJO and maybe Taormina in particular (given their pricing) but they make it super easy for us who don't mind paying a little more for convenience.

If you just drive around the corner you will be driving the wrong way down that one way street (calle 3a). Instead, keep going down Av 11 one block to calle 3 and turn right. Then go 1 block to Av 13 and the parking entrance is at the end of the street.

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