A Private 10-Acre Ecolodge · Southern Caribbean · Costa Rica
A ten-acre rainforest estate of seven hand-built houses.
Howler monkeys at dawn, sloths in the Cecropias, 300m of Caribbean coast with direct private access. 5-leaf certified sustainable for over a decade.
FIG. 1 — The 10 acres: garden · canopy · beachfrontPuerto Viejo de Talamanca · Limón · 09°38′N · 82°42′W
§ 01 · The Property
Not a hotel. A private estate.
Ten acres of botanical garden behind one gated reception. Private beach access. EV charging. Seven self-contained houses scattered across the property. You will see staff at check-in and not again unless you ask.
10
acres of
botanical garden
300 m
beachfront, direct
private access
7
self-contained
guest houses
5 leaves
sustainable tourism
certification
EV
charging
on-property
24/7
gated entrance
+ secure parking
10
acres botanical garden
7
hand-built houses
300 m
Caribbean beachfront, private access
50+
palm species
5 leaves
SCST sustainable cert.
§ 02 · The Houses
Seven houses. No two alike.
Each house has its own gate and its own architect's logic — and every house except the Bungalow has a private tub: flame-heated outdoors at five houses, a big indoor Jacuzzi bath at the Beach Suite. Browse below, then visit a microsite for the full story and to book.
§ 03 · The Property
Where the jungle meets Punta Uva.
Tree House Lodge began in 1997 with a single stilted house built around a hundred-year-old Sangrillo tree by Edsart Besier — a Dutch self-taught designer and builder who'd come to Costa Rica looking for a place where building could happen on the rainforest's terms. Pamela Rodríguez joined years later, bringing yoga, Pilates, and the slow rhythm that now sets the pace of the estate.
Over the decades since, six more houses appeared — each built from what fell, what could be salvaged, or what local craftsmen could shape by hand. Nispero wood from a hurricane tree. Guadua bamboo from a neighbouring grove. Recycled glass bottles. A real 1980-era American school bus. No two are alike; none of them sit on the same axis.
The Iguanaverde Foundation maintains a green-iguana reserve on the property. Howler monkeys and three-toed sloths visit the trees daily. The 5-leaf rating from the Costa Rican Tourism Board is the highest the country gives.
§ 04 · Field Notes
What lives here with you.
The estate is shared with sloths, howler monkeys, green iguanas, toucans, frogs, and hummingbirds. We feed nothing, fence nothing in, and use no insecticides anywhere on the ten acres.
§ 05 · When to come
The Caribbean coast has its own weather.
Feb – Apr
Dry & calm
22 – 30°C
Usually the calmest, driest stretch of the Caribbean year. Clear turquoise water, great snorkelling. Book early — holiday weeks fill months out.
May – Jul
Green season
23 – 30°C
Lush rainforest, most active wildlife, tropical showers — July traditionally brings the heaviest bursts. Beaches stay quiet — our favourite stretch of the year for the gardens.
Aug – Oct
Caribbean summer
22 – 31°C
The coast's secret second summer — September and October are often the stillest, clearest months. Calm seas and the best visibility for diving the Manzanillo reef.
Nov – Jan
Wet & moody
22 – 28°C
The wetter months, with the biggest surf swell — dramatic skies, empty beaches, deep quiet. Short showers can happen in any month; they pass fast.
§ 06 · Plan your stay
Book any house, direct.
Each of our seven houses has its own page and its own booking calendar — reserved direct, never through an OTA, with the same calendar staff use at reception.
Best
rate booking direct
The exclusive Sloth web rate is our best published price — applied automatically when you book through our site.
16 days
flexible cancellation
Cancel sixteen or more days before arrival and your deposit is refunded, minus a 10% admin fee. Within fifteen days it's non-refundable — travel insurance covers anything closer.
25%
deposit to confirm
A quarter holds your dates. Balance is due fifteen days before you arrive.
● LOVED BY GUESTS
4.4★294 reviews
“The tree house was amazing. The open setting of the living areas in the middle of the forest with the ocean as a background, I think that is a plus.”
§ 07 · FAQ
Things people
ask first.
Each answer is also indexed as FAQPage schema so AI assistants and search engines can quote us verbatim.
Fly into San José (SJO), then take our own private shuttle — A/C minivan, Wi-Fi, flat $290 for up to 4 guests, 4–5 hours door to door — to the lodge, about 10 minutes south of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca. Or fly to Limón (LIO) and arrange a private transfer — 1h. Gated reception with parking on site, EV charging included.
Yes. The estate is gated and our 10 acres are quiet jungle/coast. The wider Puerto Viejo area is a long-established tourist town; standard travel sense applies (don't leave valuables on the beach).
Couples: Beach House (romantic) or Bungalow (budget). Family with kids: Crystal House (sleeps 7) or Garden House (eco). Groups of 6: Beach Suite. A unique adventure: Tree House or School Bus. The AI assistant on every page can recommend based on your dates and group size.
Within walking distance: Sapori Italiani (Italian bakery just in front of the hotel), Gypsea Cafe (fusion), La Leyenda (pizzeria), Pulcinella (Italian), and Selvin's (Caribbean). In Puerto Viejo (about 10 min): dozens of options. We can recommend based on your group and any dietary needs.
Yes, free WiFi in every house. Strong enough for video calls — many guests work remotely from here.
No shared pool — by design. We sit on 300m of Punta Uva beachfront with direct private access (a 30s–2min walk from each house) — and Punta Uva bay is one of the safest swimming spots on the Caribbean coast. Conditions change with the swell, so ask reception to point you to the day's best entry. Every house except the Bungalow has a private tub — flame-heated outdoors at five houses, a big indoor Jacuzzi bath at the Beach Suite.
Yes. Crystal House (sleeps 7, mini-golf), Garden House (bamboo, garden), and Beach Suite (3 bedrooms) are family-favorites. The Tree House is best for adventurous kids age 6+ given the suspension bridge.
5-leaf Costa Rica Certified Sustainable Tourism — the highest tier. Solar hot water, EV charging, an on-site botanical garden of native and tropical species, no AC where natural ventilation works, and the Iguanaverde green-iguana reserve is on our property.
Edsart Besier is the Dutch owner-builder of Tree House Lodge — a self-taught designer. He came to Costa Rica as a young man in the late 1980s, looking for a place where building could happen on the rainforest's terms. He started the original Tree House around a 100-year-old Sangrillo in 1997, then built six more houses over the decades since. The 1980-era American School Bus is the one he travelled in through Panama and lived in during his first years on this coast, delivering Heliconia flowers from it. He's hands-on — most likely the person you'll meet at reception.
Pamela Rodríguez is co-owner and runs the wellness side of the estate. Argentine, she joined Edsart later in the lodge's story. She's an ISPEF-certified Physical Education instructor with 20+ years of teaching — Yoga, Pilates, Tae Bo, GAPS body-conditioning, Cardio Dance, and Aqua Gym. She teaches at the yoga shala on the property — $10 drop-in, all levels welcome, private sessions on request.
Edsart Besier (Dutch) and Pamela Rodríguez (Argentine). Independent, family-owned, no chain affiliation. They live on the property and run it themselves.
1997, when Edsart started building the original Tree House — a stilted house around a 100-year-old Sangrillo tree — as the first stay on the property. Six more houses followed over the decades since, each with its own architecture and audience.
The Iguanaverde Foundation is the on-site green-iguana reserve. We raise juvenile green iguanas and release them back into the refuge every year as part of the lodge's conservation work. You'll see iguanas all over the property — they're welcome here.
Yes — happy to hand off. WhatsApp the front desk at +506 8734 1887 during 8am–8pm Costa Rica time (UTC-6), or email stay@treehouselodge.com anytime. I can also take your contact details right here if you'd prefer the team to reach out.
WhatsApp: +506 8734 1887 (8am–8pm CR time, daily). Email: stay@treehouselodge.com — we reply as quickly as we can. For a callback, leave me your email/WhatsApp + a good time and the team will reach out.
When the sea is calm it's excellent — the reef is right off Punta Uva, and Manzanillo's reef is a short ride south. The most recommended months are April–May and September–October; any calm low-tide day works too. We don't rent gear ourselves, but several shops in Punta Uva and Puerto Viejo do — reception will point you to the nearest.
Yes — we accept all major credit cards, and most restaurants, shops, and tour operators in the area do too. Smaller sodas and market stalls can be cash-only, so it's worth carrying some.
Costa Rica's currency is the colón, but US dollars are accepted almost everywhere on this coast — hotels, restaurants, tours. Change usually comes back in colones. Keep some colones for buses and market stalls; ATMs in Puerto Viejo dispense both.
Yes. A small gourmet market, Duende Gourmet, is a few minutes' walk toward Puerto Viejo — fresh dairy, baked bread, vegetables, and a surprising range of Italian specialties. Larger supermarkets sit in Cocles on the road to town, and Puerto Viejo itself (about 10 minutes) has everything else. Ask reception for current opening hours.
No on-site restaurant or bar — by design. Every house has its own full kitchen, and some very good restaurants — Caribbean, Italian, fusion — are within walking distance, with dozens more in Puerto Viejo, about 10 minutes away. Reception will recommend by cuisine and budget.
Yes — every house has its own fully equipped kitchen: stove, full fridge, coffee maker, blender, and the cookware to make most things. Many guests cook breakfast and dinner at the house and head out for lunch.
Never. All seven houses are completely self-contained — your own kitchen, your own bathroom, your own outdoor space. The only things you share with other guests are the gardens, the beach, and a BBQ area.
Yes — every shower in every house runs hot, heated by our solar-thermal system. The panels sit in the sunniest spots, sometimes a little away from the house, so give the tap a moment to run warm.
Yes — bath towels, beach towels, and all bed linens are included. Housekeeping changes the sheets and cleans your house every other day, and fresh towels are always there for the asking at reception.
Yes. Reception can call you a trusted local driver at any hour — we recommend René (+506 8879 5033) and Jairo (+506 8353 3989). Puerto Viejo is about 10 minutes away and costs roughly $10 each way, a little more at night.
Yes — the public bus between Puerto Viejo and Manzanillo runs along the coast road and stops near our gate several times a day, and Autotransportes MEPE connects San José with Puerto Viejo. Schedules shift seasonally, so ask reception for the current timetable.
Most guests find they don't need one. Our flat-rate private shuttle covers the San José leg ($290 for up to 4 people), local taxis are cheap, and bikes handle the coast road. Rent a car only if you're touring the country — the drive from SJO is 4–5 hours on paved Highway 32, best done in daylight. EV charging at the lodge is included.
No vaccinations are required for Costa Rica, and malaria isn't a concern around Puerto Viejo. Dengue is occasionally reported on the coast — that mosquito bites by day, so repellent on jungle walks is sensible. Every sleeping room is screened and netted. For personal medical advice, check a travel clinic before you fly.
Far less than people expect — the steady ocean breeze keeps them away, and the comment we hear most is surprise at how few there are. Every sleeping area is screened and has mosquito nets, so leave yours at home. A little repellent around sunset doesn't hurt.
The Caribbean coast runs out of phase with the rest of Costa Rica. The calmest, driest stretches are usually February–April and August–October — September and October are often the stillest, clearest months. The wettest spells tend to be July and November–January. Short tropical showers can happen in any month — they pass fast, and the rainforest is at its best right after.
Right off the property — Punta Uva bay is one of the safest swimming spots on the Caribbean coast, with the reef keeping the water calm. Directly in front of the houses the reef keeps things shallow; for a proper swim, the best entries are a short walk along our 300m of beachfront toward Punta Uva. Conditions change with the swell, so ask reception to point you to the day's best entry.
Yes — bikes rent near the lodge for a few dollars a day (week rentals usually earn a discount), and scooters are widely available too. The coast road from Puerto Viejo is paved and flat, perfect for cycling; the adventurous can head off-road toward Paraíso. Ask reception for current rates.
Plenty. Jungle hikes in the Gandoca-Manzanillo refuge, the Jaguar Rescue Center, snorkeling and diving, kayaks, dolphin watching, chocolate-farm tours, horseback riding, canopy ziplines, white-water rafting, and day trips to the Bri Bri indigenous territory. On the property itself: yoga and fitness classes with Pamela, the mini-golf course at the Crystal House (free for its guests, a small fee for other houses), and the Iguanaverde reserve. Reception can book most tours.
Both make easy day trips. The Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge starts just south of us — about 10 minutes to the trailheads at Manzanillo, where local nature guides run excellent tours (the first stretch of trail is fine on your own). Cahuita National Park is about 15 km north of Puerto Viejo and easy to explore self-guided.
Yes — every house has its own safe, big enough for a camera or a laptop. The estate sits behind a 24/7 gated entrance with security cameras at key points (the desk itself is staffed 8am–8pm); standard travel sense covers the rest.
Book direct on the site — every house page has a live calendar showing the same availability staff see at reception. A 25% deposit confirms your dates, and the balance is due fifteen days before arrival. Cancel sixteen or more days out and the deposit comes back, minus a 10% admin fee. Booking direct also gets you the Sloth web rate, our best price.
San José's Juan Santamaría (SJO) is the practical gateway — every international airline lands there, and it's 4–5 hours to our gate by road, with our flat-rate shuttle meeting any arrival. Limón (LIO) is the coastal airport about an hour away; SANSA turboprops hop SJO to LIO in roughly 40 minutes — book at flysansa.com. Private charters can land even closer, on a strip about 30 minutes from the lodge. Reception will time a pick-up to whatever flight you choose.
Three-toed sloths most days in the Cecropias, howler monkeys as a dawn alarm clock, toucans in the almond trees, hummingbirds, frogs after dark — and green iguanas everywhere, since the on-site Iguanaverde reserve raises and releases juveniles back into the refuge every year. We feed nothing, fence nothing in, and use no insecticides on the ten acres. One tip: don't leave fruit out on the counter overnight — the raccoons consider that an invitation. They're harmless, but cheeky.