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1) Official ORANGE airport taxis - There seems to be a lot of confusion about the new rates for the official airport taxis. My understanding is that the latest rates depend on exactly WHERE you want to go in San Jose. Some place like the SL on the NE side of town might cost you $20, but the rate really would be only $18 if you were staying at a hotel on the west side of town (e.g. the Grano De Oro or the Barcelo Palacio) and someplace like the BW Irazu on the way into town would be even less. Things were a lot simpler when everything was a flat rate. I don't recall how much the cab fare was when I first started going to CR (something like $13?). I think they went to variable flat rates when the rates shot way up as a way of at least partially reducing the sting. Anyway, you can either buy a flat rate ticket at the airport booth or just go to any available ORANGE cab waiting at the curb and pay direct.
2) Regular RED taxis - (note: these are always RED AND have triangular INSIGNIAS on their sides AND have METERS) These aren't supposed to pick up from the airport, but you can catch them just OUTSIDE the airport. The regular METER rate without any traffic delays from SJO to SJ would be about $13 (assuming the meter hasn't been messed with as the many of them have). Any delay and waiting time can boost that up real fast, so in that light that $18-20 airport rate doesn't seem quite as outrageous. However, you MIGHT be able to negotiate an even lower rate than that $13 given that it is a nice easy long haul for the cabbie, at least if you're not arriving at rush hour when traffic radically slows things down. To catch a REGULAR cab, just go past all the hustlers clustered around the airport terminal's exit and walk down the ramp to the main drag (less than 50 meters) and wave down a RED cab with an INSIGNIA. However, IF a private cab is the way you want to go AND it is during rush hour, you're probably just as well or better off to simply go with the ORANGE airport cabs.
3) Pirate taxis - Be careful. I've been capitalizing the colors and markings for good reason. Regular cabs are red AND they always have a triangular insignia on the side. Pirate taxis might be red (or not) but they won't have any insignia or even any meter inside. It can be easy to mistake them so always look carefully before you get into the cab. Some people say you should NEVER take a pirate taxi. I think that might be a bit extreme. In reality, most pirate taxis are just regular guys trying to make a living and you CAN negotiate much lower fares with them because they don't have the overhead, regulations, etc. that airport and regular cabs are subject to. That MIGHT be a gamble you'd be willing to take IF you know what the fare SHOULD be AND you negotiate it ahead of time AND you're ONLY moving about town with LITTLE extra money on you. Sure there is the danger you might get a REAL criminal who will just drive you somewhere and rip you off, but I think that is really fairly rare. Much more typically, the driver might try to hustle you, but IF you know the fares then you won't need to fall for any of that. That said, coming from the AIRPORT, with all your valuables and stuff, would be a gamble that I personally wouldN'T take.
4) Interbus - $7 SEEMS like a really good deal, but it is important to realize all the potential trade-offs involved once you give up the private aspect of personal cabs or drivers and go with a group option such as this.
First of all, like Orange said, you have to reserve several days in advance, thereby locking you into this choice. You have to secure your ride with your credit card, even if you ultimately pay for it with cash. I'd like to know what happens if for some reason you have to cancel your trip or your flight just arrives late and you miss your pick-up. Interbus fares are completely NON-refundable that close to the departure time.
Their website says to arrive at your "pick-up at least fifteen minutes prior to their assigned time. This is because the shuttle bus will only wait ten minutes past the assigned pick-up time." What happens if your flight arrives late or it takes longer than you figured clearing customs and getting your bags? Will they let you catch a later shuttle or are you shit out of luck? IF they'll let you catch a later shuttle, how long will you have to wait for that? Of course, you can always play it safe and allow for extra time getting through the airport or even for a delay landing, but what happens if you then arrive on time and breeze through customs and baggage claim? Then you'll have to wait a even longer for your scheduled shuttle. You MIGHT be able to get on an earlier shuttle IF they have one AND it has space, but I'm guessing you'll probably have to call someone at Interbus and scramble around to arrange it.
BTW, read the fine print on their site: "InterbusOnline.com reserves the right to alter prices, itineraries, arrange alternative transportation, accommodation or services, or to cancel bookings."
Orange says that you're usually the only passenger but I'd imagine, to get this low rate, they'd try to pooling passengers in order to get a large enough group to make a profit. I doubt there could be much if any profit in taking 1 lone passenger to SJ for just $7. I'm sure they try to schedule as few shuttles as possible to handle their pre-booked demand. This means that there very well might not be any other shuttles with empty space scheduled close to your arrival time. In fact, it would not surprise me at all if they tried to schedule you to take a slightly later shuttle in order to try and get you matched up with other passengers arriving slightly after you, meaning more possible delay.
And all this is just to get on the shuttle. Once you leave the airport and make it to SJ. You'll probably have to take a circuitous route through SJ traffic in order to let the other passengers off at their various hotels. When you get done with everything, the time it takes from the time you arrive at the airport until you arrive at your hotel will probably be longer even than taking the public bus, which is my next option.
5) the public bus - this option certainly has its drawbacks but it is by far the cheapest way to go. To be fair and in the name of full disclosure, it is also my personal favorite, so be forewarned of my possible bias. To catch the bus, you need to carry your bags about 50 yards past the exit from the terminal building, down the ramp (to the left) and a few yards more to the right (in front of the airport parking garage). Buses marked clearly with San Jose on the front come by at least every 10 minutes (ie the avg wait is only 5 minutes). Here is the good part, the fare is only about 65 cents. I always save some colones coins from my last trip for this although the driver would probably take dollars too and give you something in change.
One of the possible problems that some people have charged aginst this type of service is that it MAY not be the easiest way to go IF you have a lot of luggage. Aside from having to carry it the 50yds to the bus stop, a lot of luggage can be a bit of a pain on the bus. If you have a real lot of baggage the driver may ask you to put it in the luggage compartment under the bus. I usually travel with just a full-sized carry-on bag and have had no trouble bringing it with me on the bus. Last summer, I travelled all over Central America by bus and had a full-sized backpack that I had to check-in on my flight but was able to bring on board the bus from the airport with no problem. IF the driver ever does give you a hard time about your bag, another thing I've heard of people doing is offering to pay for an extra fare, after all it is only 65¢. If you do have to check your bag, you probably don't have to worry but you might want to try to sit on the right side of the bus so you can keep an eye on what people are doing down near the luggage area whenever the bus makes a stop.
The ride itself is not great but certainly not horrible. Most of the time, the bus is not particularly crowded except perhaps at rush hour as you get closer to SJ. The seats themselves are reasonably comfortable. There is no a/c but there usually isn't any running in the cabs either and with the breeze coming through the windows you really don't need it anyway. The ride does take longer than a cab due to a) lesser manuveurability of a large bus in traffic vs. a small cab b) 2-3 quick stops along the highway IF there is anybody waiting there or anyone on the bus wanting to get off and a few more once you get into town and c) a slightly less direct route since buses were redirected off of Paseo Colon to another special bus lane a few blocks south. Still the ride typically doesn't take more than 30 minutes or maybe 40 during rush hour. I've made this trip in as little as 25 minutes INCLUDING my time waiting for the bus at the airport.
Another possible negative, is that the bus lets out near the Parque Merced (that is roughly just past the hospital where you normally do that little jog over from Paseo Colon to Avenida 2), so you'll probably need to catch a cab from there to your hotel. Cabs in that area are frequent, meaning virtually zero wait and the fare to most hotels used by members here is 80¢ minimum or maybe a little more. When all is said and done your total cash outlay for the bus-cab combo will be less than $2 and the total time it takes will be less than what it would take for the Interbus shuttle including all their wait time and stops at other hotels. But even if you're fortunate enough to get your own private shuttle, the savings are there and the time it takes not significantly different. Whether it is worth the extra $5 plus possibly all the extra time it will take getting to your hotel for what to SOME SEEMS like added peace of mind and simplicity by using Interbus, is really just a matter of opinion. But now you know where I stand.
Like I said before, this is definitely the way I would go with just a few exceptions: a) if you're bringing a shitload of luggage b) if carrying your bags a few extra yards is beyond your physical capabilities c) if you're in such a rush to get to your hotel that it is worth paying the extra $18 to save the 20-30 minutes d) if you're not a seasoned traveller and the idea of venturing out amongst a foreign speaking population rather than the womb of overpriced tourist services scares you and e) if you arrive at the height of rush hour, when the buses are packed and all the roads gridlocked or if you arrive late at night when you may not want to be standing around downtown with your luggage flagging a cab (even if it is only for 60 seconds). Of those, for most of us only that last one might be the kicker.
6) Hotel shuttles - it is possible to get to town from the airport for free (well except for any tip you give your driver). A few hotels offer free shuttle service for their guests. I know that the BW Downtown hotel does.
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