David, in my opinion, the areas you will be visiting are certainly best accessed with something that is 4-wheel drive, just in case you want to get a bit off-road to the beaches, etc. Get a real 4-wheeler, though. Not the Suzuki Jimny that the rental car agencies will try to rent to you.
Dominical is our favorite, and we recently purchased land there after about 3 or 4 trips to the area. You will absolutely love it.
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