http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=log1i2AmG2Q

Getting to Costa Rica by Air

Costa Rica is well served by many major US airlines on a national or regional basis.  TACA and LACSA are part of the same Latin American airline company that has flights from the US to Costa Rica on a regular basis (www.taca.com).  Others include American Airlines, COPA, Mexicana, United, MartinAir, Spirit, Continental, Frontier and US Air/AmericaWest Airlines.

You will want to fly directly into San Jose's "Juan Santamaria" international airport  ("SJO").  It is not recommended you fly into Costa Rica's other international airport located in the northern city of Liberia.  It's a 7 hour drive from Liberia to CBW.

San Jose is in the center of the country about halfway between the Pacific and Atlantic coasts.

Getting to the Manuel Antonio/Quepos Area by Air

Manuel Antonio is 7 kilometers south of the fishing village of Quepos.  Quepos  has its own small commuter airport 5 kilometers northeast of the center of town.  The Quepos Airport's call letters are "XQP".

Quepos can easily be reached by air via Sansa Airlines (www.flysansa.com) from SJO's local terminal annex.  You can also fly from the international airport in the barrio of Pavas closer to the center of San Jose on NatureAir (www.natureair.com).

Please note that if you are coming and going from the SJO airport only to the Quepos/Manuel Antonio area, you will want to fly on Sansa as they have the sole concession at the SJO international airport.  The Pavas airport where NatureAir is based is a 30 minute drive to and from the SJO international airport.  Thus, you will be adding the time and expense of a taxi or shuttle ride  by using NatureAir. 

NatureAir does offer rates that are often cheaper than Sansa on an advance booking basis.  However, we only suggest you use NatureAir if you will be travelling by air internally within Costa Rica to multiple locations and/or plan on spending at least a night or 2 in the San Jose area before or after your trip to Manuel Antonio or wherever within Costa Rica.

 * Only a 25 minute local flight from San Jose to CBW! *

Getting to the local Sansa Airlines commuter terminal at SJO is quick and easy.  After you clear SJO's international customs and exit the baggage claim area, simply walk out to the curb and flag a porter.  For a nominal tip they'll be more than happy to walk you and your group's luggage from the curb outside customs over to the local Sansa Airlines terminal.  It's a five (5) minute walk. 

Sansa and NatureAir have   daily flights to and from SJO (Sansa only) and the Pavas airport (NatureAir only) to and from the Quepos Airport ("XQP"). 

Airfare ranges from around $40 to $80 one-way.  You'll need your passport and e-ticket receipt to check in on each flight.  Please note that the immigration police routinely check passports coming and going from Pavas' airport.

Book your flights on line and purchase e-tickets at www.flysansa.com or www.natureair.com.

Please note Sansa and NatureAir both have a 25-pound per person baggage allowance limit.  If the the flight is near full they usually enforce this rule and will charge you extra for any baggage weight over the 25-pound allowance.  Please make sure to review Sansa's and NatureAir´s baggage allowance rules and overage charges on their websites while booking your e-tickets.  If your bags are significantly over the allowance limit, these charges can add up.

Flights book up quickly during the High Season, and even during other times of the year.  It's a prudent idea to book your flights the same time you purchase your international airline tickets.

Once you land at the Quepos Airport, you can either hire a taxi or use the convenient on-site shuttle van service.   A taxi to Casa Blue Wind will cost around $15.  Air-conditioned van service is about $6 per person.  The direct drive time from the Quepos Airport to Casa Blue Wind is 15 minutes. 

Please note that taxis are not always "standing" at the Quepos Airport.  You can have the on-site gate agent call a taxi for you.  It can sometimes take from 15 to 30 minutes or more for a taxi to get to you at the Quepos Airport.

If you're renting a car, you can have your taxi driver or the  van driver drop you off at a car rental agency in Quepos or Manuel Antonio.  The options include Alamo, Payless, Hertz, Avis, Dollar, Advantage, National and more. 

Getting to the Manuel Antonio/Quepos Area by Ground

After landing from your international flight at SJO, or from another location, you can either rent a car at the SJO airport and drive to Casa Blue Wind yourself, or you can hire a ground shuttle service. 

You can arrange to have the shuttle service driver meet and greet your party curbside after clearing customs and baggage claim, or deplaning from a local flight at the local Sansa terminal at SJO.  Make sure to ask that they have a sign or placard curbside with your group's name marked on it so you can eaisly identify your shuttle driver.  The driver will then transport your group directly to CBW.

The roads from SJO and the San Jose area in general to the Manuel Antonio/Quepos area are fully paved with good directional signage.  The drive is fairly easy and very scenic.

* 3 to 3 1/2 hour non-stop drive from San Jose Airport to CBW *

Don't forget to stop at "Crocodile Bridge" about an hour or so out of SJO.  You're sure to see some monster crocs lounging in clear site in the riverbeds below.  They're almost always out!

Important Consideration!!! 

If your group is landing in the late afternoon or early evening from the USA, or another destination, it may be advisable to spend the night at a SJO area airport hotel.  The easiest and most familiar lodging is the Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn Express.  It's only minutes from the main SJO terminal.  They have a free shuttle service to the hotels that is a 3 minute ride.

If it's your first time driving to Manuel Antonio, or you don't like driving in a foreign country at night, you probably won't want to get a late start on the drive after a long travel day.  The roads are mainly 2-lane and night travel can be much more difficult than day time drives.  Also, the road signs can be much harder to read at night, especially if it's raining!

RENTING A CAR. SJO has just about every major US car rental company available near the terminal.  They all offer free curbside courtesy van service just out of the international customs/baggage claim area.  All the companies have in-terminal help desk kiosks just as you leave the baggage claim area.  You'll want to check in with your rental car company at their help desk kiosk, or to secure a car if you don't have a pre-existing reservation.  They will then alert their courtesy van driver and point you in the right direction to catch the courtesy shuttle to the rental outlet.  Every operator's facility is no more than a five (5) to ten (10) minute shuttle from SJO's international terminal.

It is highly advisable that you book your car reservations on-line PRIOR to arriving at SJO, or even if you're renting in Quepos, or anywhere else in Costa Rica.  The walk up rates are not as good as the Internet rates.  Costa Rican car rental agents are NOT known for negotiating good deals on the spot in person!

Mandatory insurance is typically $30 to $50 per day depending on the car make and model you rent.  Thus, make sure to add $30 to $50 for insurance into any Internet quotes.  They all typically only quote daily rates, and some taxes or fees, on the Internet.  This will help you budget properly for the actual gross cost of a daily car rental.  They WILL ADD the national sales tax (+/- 13%) to everything, including the insurance!  So, please make sure to read all the fine print on their websites to get a true estimate of your total daily rental costs.

If you don't want to keep your car while in Manuel Antonio, you should rent from Payless, Alamo or National.  These agencies have rental locations in Quepos or Manuel Antonio.  You can drop off your rental car in Quepos or Manuel Antonio after your trip in from SJO, or another in-country destination.  Please note there is normally about a $50 "one way drop fee".  This may be less in the Green Season at around $30.  Make sure to check this fee with your rental car company if you plan on a one-way rental. 

You can then rent a car in Quepos/Manuel Antonio the day of your departure from Casa Blue Wind back to SJO or another in-country location.

You can also always rent a car locally in Manuel Antonio or Quepos for any day trips you may take out of the Manuel Antonio/Quepos area, but plan on returning to CBW within 24 to 48 hours.

Van/Shuttle Service. There are a number of good professional shuttle services that can pick up any size group at curbside right out of the international customs/baggage claim, or local Sansa terminal, at SJO, or really anywhere you´d like.  The rates vary between operators based on the type and size of minivan, larger van or shuttle bus you'd like to reserve. 

You can use any Internet search engine to find tour and shuttle operators on-line.  These folks negotiate, so email a few of them and work a deal over the Internet.  You will want to make sure they send you a picture of the proposed minivan or shuttle bus (if it's not already shown on their website), and include all costs of transportation, gas, driver's fee, return fee, taxes and any other fees in their quote. 

Rates run between $150 to $300 one-way, depending on the size of the minivan, van, shuttle bus or even larger transport you may need for your group.  For medium groups of five (5) or larger, a good comfortable van or shuttle bus is the most economical way to travel in a group to Casa Blue Wind, ground or air.

Make sure to schedule your return pick-up from Casa Blue Wind back to SJO at the same time you book your in-bound shuttle service from SJO to CBW.  The shuttle service will return to the top of CBW's property on your departure date at your requested time to return your group to SJO to catch your home-bound flight.

MONEY SAVING TIPS TO CONSIDER!!!

The Quepos/Manuel Antonio area has very good and inexpensive taxi and bus service.  The local adventure tour operators will all pick you up at Casa Blue Wind at no extra charge. 

CBW is just 100 meters off the apex of the main North/South road between Quepos (5 k/m North) and the Manuel Antonio State Park beach area (2 k/m South). The taxis and buses all use this route, because it's the only one! 

It's about a $4-$5 taxi ride or a 30-cent bus ride to almost anywhere you want to go in Manuel Antonio or Quepos, day or night.  Please note that bus service stops around 8 PM at night and starts around 8 AM.

CBW is in 2 to 10 minute easy walking distance to all different types of restaurants, hotels, shops, cantinas, cafes, day spas, casinos, small markets, 2 banks for money exchanges and ATM withdrawls, pizza parlors, a liquor store, pharmacies, a sportsbar/cafe with pool tables (all ages welcome), numerous Internet outlets, art galleries, a National and Advnatage car rental agencies, other businesses and many of the better hotels and private homes.

Thus, unless your group plans on doing day trips out of the area or has another reason you need a rental car full time while at Casa Blue Wind, you may want to consider renting a car just for 2 separate days, if at all.  If requested, the car rental agencies in Quepos/Manuel Antonio will deliver your rental car right to CBW on the day of your departure, or for a short term local rental.