<p>I know this topic has been dormant for a while, but a couple of points to add - maybe reflecting recent developments ...<br>
about driving - I read horror stories about hassle with car rental companies, bad roads, and navigation problems. My experience was that the car I rented was fine - a recent Peugeot, the rental company was efficient and did not attempt to overcharge me. When I had a problem (battery lead became detached) they sent someone to fix it within an hour.<br>
The roads are not great but they are not horrendous - you need to be aware of the possibility of big potholes, and avoid stretches of bad road on the autopista. What you have to do is NOT DRIVE AT NIGHT. There is stuff on the road that you don't expect and if you can't see it you will be in trouble. That includes horse-carts crossing the autopista and cows wandering around. Also near Trinidad there was a stretch of road where crabs were committing mass suicide by crossing under cars. Bad luck for crabs, and bad luck for car tyres, as the broken shells are very sharp.<br>
Navigation is easy as you can use smartphone apps with pre-downloaded maps (I recommend Navigator for Android, Gallileo for iPhone)</p>
