My original post on the way to this is being edited Nov 10, 2012 based on better information provided by puravidatransport, a board member who runs a personal transportation company. His website is below. This way is even shorter to Rt. 27 (Autopista del Sol--the new road to the beach) from the airport and quicker. My original post had you going to LaGarrita which is further down Rt. 1 so I have deleted that part.
1: Car directions from the airport to the Pacific coast for car renters not wanting to go downtown and/or the gulch first.
Probably only 5% of us can use this because most of us want to head to the gulch a day or two first before heading to the beach or Jaco or fishing. I am years past having too much fun in the gulch, a beach bum with a regular near the beach, so I avoid SJ. So to those who don't want to have their fun in the gulch first and only want to go to the beach/fishing, here is the easy way and the way back.
Most directions I've read for car renters going directly to the Pacific when you leave the airport have you going back downtown via Rt 1 (the main drag to/from downtown and the airport) and then crossing over at LaSabanna to get to the Autopista del Sol (Rt.27) to head to the Pacific beaches. I have also seen on-line another convoluted way, but it's still taking you toward downtown first 5 miles, hard to follow, not for the newbies.
Heading back downtown more times than not puts you into a traffic jam, takes you in the opposite direction about 10 miles, wastes
at least 45 minutes all in all, or easily more, and costs you more in tolls once you finally get onto the Autopista del Sol for the direct route to the beach.
For car renters at the airport, a much faster and less complicated way to get to the Autopista del Sol from the airport is as now provided by Steve from Puravidatransport.
The main drag at the airport in either direction is Rt 1. When you leave the car rental either at the airport if they meet you there or at one of their near off site locations (Budget, Payless, Tri-Color, others, get back on Rt 1, easy, but head away from downtown, not toward downtown, on Rt. 1.
Just after the construction (just past Dos Pinos) where you get off the service road and back on the main Rt. 1, there is a pair of Bailey bridges. Go under those and exit to the right which will circle you back around to cross those Bailey bridges. Just go straight (around a traffic circle 180 degrees) and that will take you to Rt. 27 (aka known as the Autopista del Sol). There is a traffic circle there and you take it 90 degrees and to the right and it will put you on Rt. 27 going to Jaco. When I come into town, I go on across 27 and enter going into San Jose. As usual, there are no signs
On this Google map (Steve bd link goes to San Jose Ca) follow Rt. 27 out of San Jose then look where 27 and 1 come pretty close together after the airport and Valley del Sol golf course just past Guacima and that road that cuts over to Rt.1 is the one I'm talking about. Only been open a few months. Conversely, if you follow Rt. 1 away from the airport toward San Ramon, the road I'm talking about goes south from Rt. 1 after Condominio Vila de Lago but before INCAE Business School. Should be marked in a green line as that map shows traffic slowdowns and that road is always a green.
My other route leaving the airport to Jaco is to take the road the goes to the freight operations and into Alajela and take 122 which goes directly behind the runway and continues to Ojo de Agua where I turn right on 124 to hit Rt.27. Only reason I use that instead of the other way is the construction on Rt.1 in front of Dos Pinos where you have to exit onto the service road, reducing it to one lane which often has long slowdowns. When Rt.1 construction is finished, I'd use that Coyole cut through all the time.
Thanks to Steve
http://www.puravidatransport.com Back to my original post, if you are going to the mid and southern Pacific areas: Jaco, Parrita, Quepos, Dominical, Uvita, etc. all the way to Panama, exit off the Autopista del Sol at the" Rt 34 Jaco" sign and then keep on trucking south to your destination. Be careful--alot of traffic cops on Rt 34 in places you would not expect, and for sure around Jaco, and then south of Parrita in the middle of the palm fields area where Christ lost his shoes, no clue why they are often there, halfway between Jaco and Quepos.
If you are going to the beaches to the north in Guanacaste, like CoCo, Flamingo, etc., or to the town of Liberia where there is an international airport, and/or all the way to Nicaragua, don't exit at Rt 34, stay going west on the Autopista a few more miles and exit right (north) at the Caldera sign and keep on trucking north to your destination.
On the way down, I make it to Jaco in app. 1.2, to Quepos app. 2.25 without pushing it, coming back always seems to have heavier traffic so allow yourself more time.
This is obviously only for car renters going directly to and from the airport/beach and not to and from downtown and the beach. For guys leaving from downtown, you jump on the Autopista del Sol (Rt 27) on the far side of Sabanna and away you go. Easy. Take Paseo Colon to the end, take a left, and then right a few blocks down, that's Rt 27.
Be aware that on some Sundays ( I don't think all) they do the reversible thing on the Autopista during certain time periods and you can only go eastbound, so if you are going to the beach on a Sunday, check the Autopista del Sol website to see if westbound is blocked and when they are going to do that, or else you have to take the old road which is a pain (thru the winding, up and down, mildly dangerous mountains where double yellow lines means OK to pass).
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