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2022 IASNR Conference Travel & Lodging
Airline Information
Arriving in San José and Airport Transfers: Costa Rica is only a few hours away from the United States by plane and, given the popularity of the country, most US airlines (major and low-cost) fly there. Of them, Delta, American, United, Southwest, Alaska, JetBlue, and Spirit offer nonstop flights to San José. Conference participants would need to fly to the Juan Santamaría International Airport (not Liberia) which is located outside of San José (about 10 miles from downtown). While your flight information will list San José as your destination, in fact, the Juan Santamaria International airport is located 17km from the city in the province of Alajuela. Nonstop flights from Europe depart from Paris (Air France), London (British Airways), Frankfurt (Condor), Madrid (Iberia), Zurich (Edelweiss) and Amsterdam (KLM).
Transportation
Public and Private Transportation: There are several ways to reach downtown San José from the Juan Santamaría International Airport. On average, it takes approximately 40 minutes to reach San José from the airport. However, it is important to take into consideration that traffic in San José can be challenging and that traffic jams are an everyday reality in the city.
The Whova conference app can be used to carpool with other participants using the “ride share” feature. Rise share information will be emailed to participants at the end of May.
Below is a list of transportation options in order of most recommended to least recommended.
TRANSUCA is a reliable transportation company that can offer individual and group transportation from the airport to the participating conference hotel in downtown San José. David Matarrita has worked with this company on many occasions over the last 20 years and trusts their owners and service. The price for a transfer from the airport to downtown San José (one way) includes:
For a bus for up to 6 passengers: $ 60 total
* The prices listed above include the total cost of the transfer. That means that, for instance, for a bus for up to 6 passengers, if 6 people share it, each will have to pay $10. If 2 people share the ride, then each will pay $30. And so on.
*Keep in mind the above are prices offered if paid in cash. If credit cards are used, a 5% extra will be charged.
* We will offer a ride share function on the Whova app so conference attendants make arrangements to share the transfer. Once these arrangements are made, please contact TRANSUCA to reserve your transfer at [email protected] or call/send a Whatsapp message to (506)-8816-0497.
*While other forms of transportation are offered in our page, we strongly suggest finding other conference attendants to share your transfer costs and use TRANSUCA. This is by far the safest and at the same time less expensive way to get from the airport to San José and back.
Taxis Unidos Aeropuerto Juan Santamaría is the company that offers airport taxis (orange cabs) and these are available as needed at the airport. Reservations can also be made online. Their fee to San José as of March 2021 is about $80.
TUASA is a public company that travels from Alajuela to San José. The company offers several stop and non-stop services, with the green line of their stop service stopping at the airport on its way to San José. Tickets are purchased at the bus at a cost of approximately $1 (Costa Rican colones only). Once in downtown San José, conference attendants would need to walk about 10 blocks in the city in order to find the participating hotel.
While Uber and similar services currently operate in Costa Rica, its presence as of March 2021 is still not legally backed up in the country, which has generated conflict with the association of taxi drivers of Costa Rica. While limited, there have been instances where organized groups of taxi drivers have entered into altercations with Uber drivers. Further, while users of the Juan Santamaría airport have free wifi within the premises, the apps for Uber and similar platforms are blocked while using the airport’s wifi. Thus, the only way to arrange these types of services through their respective apps is if you have your own data plan when you arrive to Costa Rica. Currently, the government is legalizing the company’s presence in the country but the issue is still in progress.
Transportation to the Conference Venue (UCR) from downtown San José: Conference attendants can easily travel between San José’s downtown hotels and the UCR conference venue.
Transportation from the conference hotel to campus will be provided as a courtesy from the University of Costa Rica. This transportation is provided on a first-come-first serve basis. Priority will be given to participants with special mobility needs.
Conference Bus Schedule:
A city light rail service can be taken at the Estación al Atlántico (3 blocks from participating hotels) for less than $1. The ride to UCR takes approximately 5 minutes. You will need local currency as the stations do not take credit cards. An updated itinerary for the train will be provided as we approach the conference, as currently there are very limited numbers of trains given COVID restrictions.
Alternatively, conference participants can take public buses, which can be picked up 3 blocks from the participating hotels for about $.75 per ride. Buses have dedicated lanes, so the ride towards UCR should take less than 10 minutes. Taxis and ride-sharing services are other options for travel to the conference venue.
Finally, conference participants can use Uber in order to move from the their respective hotels to the UCR. Depending on traffic, this ride can take up to 40 minutes as in the mornings, traffic can be quite heavy in San José.
Lodging
Conference Hotel: The Holiday Inn San José-Aurola is the conference hotel. Situated in the heart of downtown San José, the hotel is close to museums, restaurants, and shopping. A competitive rate will be offered to IASNR conference participants if choosing to stay in this hotel.
The conference hotel block will be approximately $85 USD/night and includes breakfast. Please click here to reserve a room in the conference block.
Other Lodging: Options below are within a 5km/3 miles radius from the University of Costa Rica (UCR) campus.
Guides and Information on Budget Lodging Options:
Additionally, numerous AirBnB properties are available in San José, including in the downtown and UCR neighborhoods.
Lastly, there are numerous small boutique hotels within short walking distance of the University of Costa Rica.
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