Renting a car in Costa Rica

I can't remember which company I used, but he roads were mostly better than what I'm used to in MS/LA...seriously. The highway from SJO to Manuel Antonio was amazing. Only time it was a rough was going to Arenal for the last few miles, but that was just because it was gravel. Never had any issues. We drove a good bit and had a blast doing it (had the same itinerary as you).

FYI, they will require you to pay some extra insurance BS that's a little costly. Telling them that your CC covers insurance won't do the job.

I have rented from Vamos and had a great experience. We flew into Liberia instead of San Jose, but the car company is the same in either place. We had no issues with the roads except for the really bumpy road to the Arenal Observatory Lodge, where we stayed. You will mostly be driving on either 4 lane or 2 lane nicely paved roads. Just pay close attention to the road signs and you will be fine. The insurance is a little weird. There is a basic CDW one that everyone must get and there's another one that provides additional coverage. If you know your credit card provides it, you can possible get a letter from them and avoid this fee or you can pay a deposit on your credit card that they basically hold (it's the old kind of machine, that makes the imprint) and tear up when you return the car in good condition. Just do some reading on the insurance and figure out which one is the right one for you. It was easier driving in Costa Rica (except for the one road and I hear it can also be bad going to Monteverde) than both Belize and Mexico. There is so much to see and do around Arenal/LaFortuna. We did zip lines, hiking, nature trail (Bogarin Trail...almost always see sloths!), rappelling down a waterfall, hot springs...Loved it. There is still much we didn't do. It was one of my favorite vacations. We did the beach at Tamaraindo instead of Manuel Antonio since we flew into Liberia.

Rented from Vamos. It was great!

I drove that route.

I do have to say...it is very nerve wracking at times especially in San Jose.

The rental companies are more or less the same. Be prepared to pay a ton for insurance.

Roads are decent, not great (aside from the road from San Jose down to the coast which is great). Costa Rica has very little in the way of road signs or street name signs. Plan your routes in advance. It's been a while but I bought a card for my Garmin and had the routes planned. Waze or Google Maps probably have made that obsolete. Renting a car beats the hell out of hiring a tour company.