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There is a lot of good info here, but also a little bias and a few inaccuracies.
First, let me deal with my pal Orange's obvious bias. Interbus may well be your best bet but the public buses are not nearly as horrible as he makes them out to be. No, they're not air conditioned (at least none that works) but you usually get a fairly nice breeze through the windows which is more than enough to keep you (or me at least) quite comfortable until, perhaps the last half hour after you get down to the coast where things tend to be a bit warmer. Also, if you get on the bus at the start you can always get a seat and the bus is usually only crowded on weekends. And 50 years old? Come on, that is an obvious exaggeration. No, they're not Rolls Royces but considering the substantial cost savings they're not at all that bad for the 2-2.5 hour ride (2 from SJO or 2.5 from SJ).
Actually, I think scheduling will be as big a factor for you as anything else.
Interbus has a 2:30PM departure from SJ which obviously you wouldn't be able to make. They go by the Best Western Hotel, like Wit said, but that happens around 2:45PM which would still be extremely tight between picking up your bags, clearing customs and immigration and catching a cab out there. Besides, regardless of arrival time, going back to the BW would not be the best way to go. If you're going to do something like that, someplace like the Hampton Inn is much much closer to the airport and, in this case, the shuttle doesn't makes their pick-up there until 3PM, still very tight but possibly do-able. Problem is what if your flight is delayed or it takes longer than you figure to get out of the airport? Interbus HAS to be booked in advance and, from what I hear, their cancellation procedures are very stringent (meaning with a late arrival you'd probably be out on the money). OTOH, miss the bus and at worst you're out $3 assuming you somehow purchased your tickets in advance, which normally isn't even really necessary.
BTW, like Orange said, Interbus can NOT do direct pick-ups at the airport. Also, like he said, they CAN pick you up at the airport and bring you to someplace else where you can meet up with their Jaco Shuttle and they charge another $7 for that. You'll have to book that service AT LEAST 2 day in advance as well in addition to their shuttle from RIO SEGUNDO to Jaco (for another $25 for a total of $32). I'm not sure of the exact taxi fares but I'm willing to bet you could save a few bucks by just taking a taxi for the 5 minute ride and I've even heard of people (without too much baggage) even walking the short distance to the Green Turtle Souvenir Shop for their pickup there.
If you can not make the 3PM pickup then you've missed the last Interbus shuttle for the day and you'll have to spend at least 1 night in SJ if you want to go to Jaco by shuttle (not that that would be the worst thing in the world).
The public bus, despite all the shortcoming purported by Orange and others, does provide somewhat greater flexibility. Like Baqueta said, there is a 3:30PM departure from SJ, which you should be able to make even if you have to backtrack to SJ to do it. And if you miss that there is still the 6:30PM bus that would get you to Jaco around 9PM and in time to check into your hotel, freshen up and still be able to make prime time at the Beatle Bar.
What about the backtracking? The Jaco buses do go right by the airport and stop right in front of the parking garage about 50m from the front entrance of the terminal. The tricky part is knowing when they are due by, exactly where to go to catch it and recognizing it when it arrives as the stop will only be a matter of seconds (you have to be in the right spot ready and waiting). The other drawback is that it MIGHT be SRO, but you probably should be able to find a seat. Buying tickets in advance is, of course, preferable but obviously not so easy if to do if you're trying to catch the bus right after you arrive in the country. However, the drivers (or their assistants) usually do take walk-ons with cash as long as there is room.
If any of that uncertainty makes you too uncomfortable, you can always "backtrack" to SJ and catch the bus from its origin. Its not like you probably won't have the time. C&I USUALLY doesn't take too long (particularly if you race ahead of the other passengers as you get off the plane so you can get into the inspection lines before they get too long:)). It also might help if you can travel without having to check any luggage as that can be the other wildcard. If you do get delayed, well there is always the evening bus or the shuttle the next morning. If things are getting tight, just get a cab to take you to the Coca Cola bus area in SJ, which at that time of day will only take another 20 minutes or so (how much is that now? around $18?). If you breeze through the airport, you could even take the public bus into SJ (from right around the same place as where your Jaco bus will stop later) for about 65 cents. That will take about 30 minutes and stops about 3 blocks from where the Jaco bus leaves in SJ. One last correction, there really isn't any Coca Cola terminal per se. That term refers to the area where a Coca Cola bottling plant USED to be and where there is a cluster of bus stops and small terminals in a few block area.
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