Costa Rica - flights and transport to Puerto Viejo

We were in Costa RIca for the first time this year. We went to 4 locations from San Jose and used a combo of shared vans and private transfers for all of the moves. Sorry I don't have company names because they were arranged by our travel agent but the country has loads of companies that do these transfers. It is common for people stay near the airport the first night to avoid late drives.

I think our flights from Dulles were in the 700/800 range for Feb which is high season and we bought them the Sept before. $1400 sounds a lot but I have no idea if that is the new normal or they will come down. Are you talking first week of April? In that case you are hitting spring break for lots of schools. Try a couple weeks after to see what you get, that might give you an idea if it is a spring break premium. Also try google flights- they have date grids and price graphs to help see how your dates compare. You can also put a flight tracker on google flights to monitor prices for awhile. Look at some of the flights and see how many seats are already booked, if half of the seats have already sold I'd say probably don't wait long (?) If the flights are still pretty empty maybe safe to monitor awhile?

Thanks, Syd!

Yeah, it's Spring Break, hence the mention of the 8 y/o. Thanks for letting me know what you paid, your experience with transfers, and for the rest of your advice. It all helps. Fwiw, I mildly prefer Kayak, but Google is a fine tool too. I hadn't considered checking how full the flight is. I'm putting that into my trip-planning tool belt.

I welcome more advice! ;)

I was in Costa Rica in February. I only went due to the flight sale of $388 Cdn Toronto to Liberia return.
You may want to also keep TripAdvisor CR forum in mind. They were helpful for my planning. There was discussion of the astronomical air fares for Spring Break....similar to your quoted research.
Price flights to Liberia, but also check the travel time to PV.
Know there are 2 PVs. PV de Talamanca on the east coast, and PV de Sarapiqui on the eastern foot hills and enroute to the east coast.
Van pool is $50-65 a person or could be more for that distance, so it may be worth looking at a private rental. PC or laptop version of TripAdvisor is easier to see the FAQs which will I clue a list of van companies. Some are out of business but others have good websites and you can price things out. I know heading over the central highlands, they don't drive after dark, so check the last departure on the website before booking flights. I had to stay overnight in Liberia as I couldn't make a 330pm departure for a 3 hour transit.
Something to keep in mind is that the van pool seems to drop off at, or close, to your final destination. You are right, however, to be concerned in arriving after dark if you can't get service to the door.
These vanpool websites let you book online, but I found it better to use email. As a solo traveler, I couldn't book a single seat online, but they sorted out the various trips I wanted and were very helpful.
Bus is challenging, as there are numerous companies with different pick up and drop off spots...sometimes a kilometer apart. For your distance, there may be 3 transfers.
Ultimately, the safest bet is arrive before 11 a.m...or stay overnight in San Jose/Liberia.

I used Morpho Vans extensively for private transfers during a trip to Costa Rica in the last few years.

https://www.morphovans.com/

Thank you, Maria! That is all excellent advice and very helpful. I probably won't land in Liberia as it's on the opposite coast of PV de Talamanca, but perhaps if the cost and arrival times are that much better and I'd still somehow get to PV at the same time, that can work.

I think those transfer challenges with taking the bus rule that out. I'd be fine with that on my own but not with family. Thanks for the approximate pricing info and I'll compare 3 people in a van to a private car.

And thanks to you too, Valerie!

Last Year, I was on a tour of Costa Rica in December 2022 and my first tour was in San Jose. As I love to be with nature, I moved my location to the Hajancha city. A tropical city loaded with full of natural beauty and located just over 300 kilometers from my first location. I was excited to see the Playa Carrillo, a U-shaped beach, and for this, I spent almost 2h 30 minutes and I traveled by bus which cost me $9. And it's worth my time and penny. The beauty of the Hojancha is amazing, and I got involved with the locals and they are very hospitable. So I spend more time exploring the place and the localities. As I was new there, luckily, I found one person from my city who bought a farm in Hajancha and I was invited there. He and his family were very welcoming and the farmhouse area was also very beautiful. I stayed with them and participated in the farming activities such as agricultural and outdoor activities. If you are thinking and want to have a peaceful holiday with a solo trip or with family you must visit the Hojancha city. Because it is worth everything.

https://asocialnomad.com/costa-rica/san-jose-to-puerto-viejo/

This may help you.
Using buses in Costa Rica is fine. Just be the usual aware of your belongings. It is certainly cheaper than private transport, but a transport service has that door to door and time factor. A convenience.