

Driving manual is not particularly complicated, but it will require you to focus a lot of attention on it at first. Since you also have to cope with with differences in driving regulations, this will put you and your passengers more at risk than necessary.
It takes time (~tens of hours) to build the muscle memory so that it becomes natural. For a vacation in the short term, you should go ahead with your plan to rent an automatic.
Agreed. As long as their corporate overlords do not fuck up Ars, there is no reason to avoid them.
If (when ?) it becomes an AI slop-filled shell of its former self, then it will be past time to go elsewhere.