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Location
Flights
The Liberia (LIR) airport is small, very convenient,
and served by 4 airlines from the US.
Continental
- Daily flights from Houston (IAH) and Saturday flights from
Newark (EWR).
Delta - Daily flights from Atlanta (ATL).
American - Daily flights from Miami (MIA) and
Thursday through Sunday flights from Dallas (DFW).
U.S. Airways - Saturday flights from Charlotte
(CLT).
As an alternative airport, there is San Jose
(SJO). It has much more service, but is about a 3 hour drive
from Coco on good roads. There is limited commuter service
between San Jose and Liberia by Sansa (RZ).
Rental cars
 Renting
a car may be a good idea as it gives you more flexibility,
but you are in a different country so a few things are different.
Depending on what you're planning, consider if you'll need
a 4 wheel drive vehicle. Now you're planning your trip and
you've gone to Travelocity, Expedia, etc., and found a car
at a good rate. Upon arrival you get to the rental agency
and they tell you that the insurance is mandatory, and extra.
Your home insurance is not valid in Costa Rica. In fact, they
even call it the Insurance Monopoly, and it is, in fact, illegal
for any other company to provide insurance in Costa Rica.
Don't waste your energy getting upset about it since it's
not going to change anytime soon. What this means to you is
that the insurance will add about 80% or so to the total cost
of the car on a sub-compact. I personally hate surprises,
so I put this in to eliminate one more unplanned expense on
your vacation.
If you thought renting a car
in the US took a long time, in the Costa Rican culture it
takes even longer. They are nice and helpful enough, but will
not understand why you get impatient. Just relax, you're on
vacation!
Regarding speed limits, there
are police with radar guns around, especially near the airport.
If you are issued a ticket, you DO NOT pay the policeman.
You will need to take the ticket to the bank and pay it there.
For the most part, the only place you might drive fast is
the long, straight road by the airport.
Directions to White
Palms from Liberia airport
There are relatively few roads,
few actually have names, and road signs are very rare. Directions
are given by landmarks. These are your directions if you're
renting a car. If you're taking a taxi, see the instructions
at the bottom of this page.
Assuming you are renting a car,
the drive to White Palms is simple and takes about 25 minutes.
When you come out of customs you will be greeted by a wall
of people from various resorts and rental car companies. Once
you find your company, and perhaps wait for anyone else on
the flight, they will drive you the short distance, up to
a mile or two, to the agency, and they're all on the main
highway. After you rent your car, ask which direction to Coco
for the first turn out of the agency.
After a few miles, you will
see the Do It center on the right. It's basically a Costa
Rican Home Depot, with the same color orange sign. Continue
past it, across a steel bridge, and there will be houses and
business on both sides. There is a paved road on the right
at the end of the stretch that you'll want to turn on. Last
time I looked there was even a sign there for Coco.
The road gently weaves through
the countryside. Particularly at night the locals are often
out walking along the road. It's dark, and they're not wearing
reflective clothing, so use caution. They get very upset if
you hit them or their children.
When the road drops down towards the ocean you are entering
the village of Playas del Coco. Right after the end of the
median is the start of the shopping district, there are 2
banks with ATM machines, and the 2 main grocery stores where
you'll find everything you need, including beer, wine, and
liquor. They accept credit cards, Dollars and of course Colones."
On the right just beyond the
grocery store is the Coldwell Banker real estate office. Stop
there to pick up the key and they will take you to White Palms
and show you where all the switches are located, etc.
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