... question is about people's experiences doing this on their own vs a bus tour. I do not relish the thought of spending hours driving a rental car in a foreign country but maybe all those stops are not necessary. So, what advice do you experienced people have for me ... more

www.gotmyfare.com has some cheap interesting air/car rental/hotel packages some at better thanCaravan prices you might want to consider.. ... more

... on your own in a rental car. It ... ... that there are options "in between the two extremes" the Caravan style and the rental car option. Some people are just not fit to any of the above... but there are still some great options to combine do it yourself / not alone ... more

... save a few days of rental charges. You ... ... were planning to use a rental car to get to that place, you'd have to pay for the rental from the very beginning whether you used the tour companies to get around once you arrived wherever you were going or not ... more

... don't waste your precious vacation time. If you want the cultural exerience, go visit any of the smaller rural towns (Sarchi, Grecia, Zarcero, Atenas, San Ramon, etc. plety to choose from) on your way to Arenal, Monte Verde or the beaches. Costa Rica is all about nature after all ... more

... and this is a relaxing vacation, not site seeing. Just did 3 weeks of work across several countries in Europe and it was too much. If come back to work stressed I'll be in big trouble so I need reading on the beach time.Really need to book th ... more

... that can be very easily arranged from your hotel or vacation rental. There are plenty of condos or vacation homes in town if you are looking for the ultimate relaxing experience. No need to book an entire tour or get into a busy AI, just enjoy the pura vida life ... more