taking the bus from San Jose to Selva Verde

hi
I will be traveling with my family (2 adults 2 children) in June and have gotten mixed reviews on taking the bus versus private transportation. Is the bus transportation safe and reliable?

Thanx for your help

Public buses are safe and reliable. Selva Verde is right on the highway so the bus can drop you at the door (the rooms are set back in the forest, but the reception is literally 20 meters off the highway). The most adventurous part will be getting to the terminal, but if you hop in a cab for that the whole trip should be pretty mundane. Enjoy whatever you splurge the leftover $100 on...

The most adventurous part might be taking all the luggage and paraphernalia that a family of four, including 2 children, might be carrying onto a public bus. I for one cannot endorse any tourist EVER storing their luggage underneath the bus if that bus makes any stops along the way. Not every tourist who travels in public buses in Costa Rica gets luggage stolen from underneath the bus. But enough do, my friends, that personally I would not play those odds!