Transportation to + from UP! HOUSE Costa Rica
SANSA plane at the Limón International Airport, one hour from UP! HOUSE Costa Rica.When you plan your international air travel to the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, you will need to book your arrival to the Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO). SJO is the primary airport serving San José, the capital of Costa Rica. The airport is located in the Alajuela Province, 20 kilometers (12 miles) northwest of downtown San José. Our concierge team at Utopía Caribe can help you plan your travel from SJO to UP! HOUSE Costa Rica ahead of time. Whether you rent a car, hire a driver, take a small plane, or even whitewater raft, there are many convenient options! So, let’s take a look at how your adventure can begin!
AT THE SJO AIRPORT:
Scenario 1 - Meeting your hotel or rental car shuttle
You have arrived at the Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) and will be taking a shuttle to your airport hotel or car rental service location. Most airport hotels and car rental companies offer free shuttle service to and from the airport. Be sure you check when you make your reservation if this service is included, and of, course, ask about the schedule. When you exit baggage claim at SJO, you will do one more scan of your bags before exiting the building. Then, you will come to a room where there are taxi drivers asking who needs rides. Give them a polite "No, gracias" as you keep walking, exit the building and immediately go RIGHT. This section of the airport is where the SHUTTLES arrive. Your shuttle will be in this area. There is a small cafe if you would like to grab a snack while you are waiting for your shuttle.
Scenario 2 - Taking a taxi to your hotel
You have arrived at the Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) and will be staying in a nearby hotel before traveling to the Caribbean side of the country but, your hotel does not provide shuttle service, so you must take a taxi. While you will see red taxis ("rojos") throughout the city of San Jose, the orange taxis are specifically for the airport. Rojos are not allowed at the airport. The orange taxis are the only legal airport taxis. When you exit baggage claim at SJO, you will do one more scan of your bags before exiting the building. Then, you will come to a room where there are taxi drivers asking who needs rides. Give them a polite "No, gracias" as you keep walking, exit the building and immediately go LEFT. To the LEFT you will see a row of ORANGE TAXIS. If you are at an airport area hotel, your ride should be pretty short. If your hotel is in San Jose, it could be about 20 minutes or so, depending on traffic. Be sure the meter is on before you leave the airport. The word for meter in Costa Rica is "la Maria." You can say, "Puede poner la Maria por favor?" (Can you please turn on the meter?)
Scenario 3 - Taking a SANSA flight to Limón
You have arrived at the Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) and will be taking a flight on SANSA airlines to get to the Caribbean side. When you exit baggage claim at SJO, you will do one more scan of your bags before exiting the building. Then, you will come to a room where there are taxi drivers asking who needs rides. Give them a polite "No, gracias" as you keep walking, exit the building and immediately go LEFT. You will walk past the orange taxis. At the corner, turn LEFT and heads toward the domestic terminal. This walk will only take a few minutes. Be sure you are checked in for you SANSA flight more than one hour from your departure time. The flight from SJO to the Limón International Airport is about 40 minutes. Once you arrive at the Limón International Airport, you have a couple of options to get to UP! HOUSE Costa Rica, which is about one hour from the airport. Our concierge will help you arrange this travel ahead of time either by private driver or rental car company, and will give you detailed instructions. If you have a driver, they will meet you once you exit the airport. If you rent a car, the car rental will be waiting for you in the parking lot.
Scenario 4 - Taking a private car from SJO to UP! HOUSE Costa Rica
You have arrived at the Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) and will be meeting your driver who will take you to UP! HOUSE Costa Rica. Our concierge will give you detailed instructions exactly where to meet you driver. As you arrive, they will be probably be waiting in the parking garage at the airport. When you exit baggage claim at SJO, you will do one more scan of your bags before exiting the building. Then, you will come to a room where there are taxi drivers asking who needs rides. Give them a polite "No, gracias" as you keep walking, and then exit the building and immediately go RIGHT and wait right there. Text your driver via WhatsApp and he will tell you where he is. The drive from SJO to UP! HOUSE Costa Rica in a private car typically takes about 4 hours, but if there are bad road conditions it can take longer.
Scenario 5 - Taking a shared shuttle from SJO to UP! HOUSE Costa Rica
You have arrived at the Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) and will be taking a shared shuttle to UP! HOUSE Costa Rica. Our concierge will give you detailed instructions where to meet your shuttle. Shuttles, such as Caribe Shuttle, meet passengers at a nearby business, such as the Denny’s near the airport. You will likely need to take a taxi to get the meeting spot a few minutes away. Follow the instructions in scenario 2 to take a taxi to your meeting point. The drive from SJO to UP! HOUSE Costa Rica in a shared shuttle typically takes about 5 hours, but if there are bad road conditions it can take longer. It will drop you off across the street from UP! HOUSE, so you will need to carry your bags a few minutes to get to the property.
ONCE YOU ARE AT UP! HOUSE COSTA RICA:
If you love driving, a rental car could be a great option. If you rent a car, we recommend getting a 4x4. Please look at our PACK + PREP journal entry for rental car information and discounts. But, there are lots of other great ways to get around. Once you get to UP! HOUSE Costa Rica, we will provide you with recommended taxi and tuk tuk drivers. Our concierge team can also rent bikes for you and have them delivered right to the property for your stay. Getting around by taxis, tuk tuks and bikes are very easy and fun!