ellen: why on earth would you not rent a car from a rental car company in costa rica that is well-known and recommended in costa rica rather than a company from portugal??????
i just don't get it.
solid, service, adobe, alamo, hertz, avis, national, toyota -- pick one!
Edited by: wiremu
Because we used that company before. But however, now they seem to direct us to Thrifty, which has a lot of bad reviews so we're looking elsewhere.
Mapache seems to be good, also ...
sorry, ellen but I just can't help you anymore. i am trying to take you down the "tried and true" path and you are just wandering off to look at butterflies.
mapache is good but has had some mixed reviews.
Big companies like Hertz, Avis etc are of course reliable, but usually they're a lot more expensive. I don't have a dollar tree in my garden, so if I can get a car with a reliable local company, probably it's a lot cheaper. I did ask for the type of car we want at different companies (including several of the ones you mentioned), unfortunately not all of them did get back to me. And if it's already too much for them to give me a price estimate, I don't want to know what their service is if something happens with the car. Call me picky if you want.
ellen - you can get a price quote online with any of the companies i listed. they display the cars available for renting with a description of each one and how many passengers and bags they will hold and the price. really no need for emailing.
because the ones i listed all have good reputations, you can count on getting good service.
don't assume that hertz, avis et al are more expensive - check them out. all of the ones i listed are costa rican companies. some of them have the names of big companies like hertz but they are owned and operated locally.
i understand that renting a car can be a difficult decision - i don't think you are picky.
as an example of what i am talking about, go here [http://www.solidcarrental.com/index.php]
you can google each of these car rental companies by just putting the name and costa rica afterwards. like "hertz costa rica" and each will give you the type of car and price.
Edited by: wiremu
I make reservations and then play the agencies at the airport off each other.
I have used Mapache many times, as well as Alamo, with no issues. I like a agecy with multiple offices and a responsive management, in case you need em, they are there to help....cheap is sometimes not quality.
Dont get on Eleanors bad side (wiremu) she can be a real thorn in your side....haha