Car rental in Costa Rica

ellen: you can check on availability of shuttles by going to [www.shuttlebus.co.cr] and do some bookings on various locations - just don't buy a ticket! this will give you some idea of availability and how early you have to book. you can also check [www.anywherecostarica.com] for shuttles also.

as for the order in which you visit -- it doesn't matter that much, mostly, just what pleases you. some things will make more sense from a travel perspective - for instance, going to tortuguero from arenal makes more sense than going from puerto jimenez but mostly it doesn't matter.

by the way - manuel antonio and corcovado are two completely different things. corcovado for hiking the wilderness kind of thing and manuel antonio for beaches and popular national park. look here - [www.manuelantoniopark.com] and here [www.corcovadoguide.com]

now that you have more information, perhaps you can refine your itinerary and ask for comments on that.

Is it better to hire a car before we leave, or is it best to take care of that once we arrive in Costa Rica?

Even in rainy season?

it is better to hire a car before you get to costa rica. you will sometimes show up at the counter, all smiles and anticipation only to be told they are out of cars or they are all reserved for someone else.

Also, what size of car would be best for 2 grown ups plus luggage?

With 3 weeks and lots of ground to cover, I suggest a Rav 4, Vitara type SUV, 5 spd manual is better than auto IMO.

Thanks! Would it be a good idea to take extra insurance (apart from the standard one)?

i would look at what extra insurance is offered and carefully read what it covers and then make your decision.

you can reserve a car ahead of time - or just show up and take your chances.. your call.

you should know that if you are arriving san jose - sjo - and you just walk off the plane, through immigration and get your luggage and go through customs and walk over to one of the rental car counters - you will be paying about 13% more since they pay a fee to have a location at the airport.

i don't know what your objection is to reserving a car a head of time - but i am sure you will make the best decision for yourself.

Is it possible to bring the car back earlier than planned? That way we could hire a car for the full period and if we decide to do Tortuguero at the end, bring it back a little earlier.

yes, you can bring the car back early. no problem there.