● ONE OF A KIND BUS RIDE · 1980 AMERICAN SCHOOL BUS · NOW PARKED IN THE JUNGLEFROM $190 / NIGHT · SLEEPS 4

The yellow 1980 American school bus parked under a palm in the Caribe Verde garden, jungle behind

One Of A Kind ★ Bus Ride

~ a real 1980 school bus ~

STOP
SLEEP
HERE.

Edsart up-cycled this 1980-era American school bus — the one he drove through the US, Mexico, and Panama before settling in Punta Uva in 1999. The driver's area is now an open-plan kitchen + living with a queen-size sofa bed. A newly-built A/C master at the back holds a king. Out front, the bus is still yellow.

↓ here she is ↓

↓ kitchen up front↓ queen sofa middle↓ A/C king in back

SPECIFIES — 1980 INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER · 8.4 M LONG · 2.4 M WIDENOW: STATIONARY · UPHOLSTERED · STILL YELLOW

★ QUICK FACTS ★

Full fact sheet →

1980

model year

guests max

king + queen sofa

8.4 m

bus length

2.4 m wide

$190

per night

from — direct rate

1 + 1

beds

A/C king · queen sofa

A/C

in the back

fans up front

covered terrace

flame hot tub + BBQ

US→PA

drove here

via Mexico, 1980s–90s

● ON THE 10 ACRES OF CARIBE VERDE

The School Bus is the most affordable house on the Caribe Verde estate — a private 10-acre ecolodge inside the Refugio Nacional Gandoca-Manzanillo on Costa Rica's southern Caribbean coast. Botanical gardens, 300m of private beachfront on Punta Uva, gated reception, EV charging, and a 5-leaf sustainable tourism certification, all shared by guests across the seven houses.

→ SEE THE WHOLE ESTATE

10 acres

botanical garden

300 m

private beach

gated reception

charging on-site

5 leaves

eco-certified

★ LESSON ONE ★

What's inside
the bus.

Front · driver's end

Kitchen + living

Where the steering wheel used to be is now an open-plan kitchen — fridge, gas stovetop, drinkable + hot water, coffee maker, blender. Tucked behind it: the queen-size sofa bed and a pallet sofa. Fans only; A/C from the back flows through when you keep the connecting door open.

Middle · the aisle

Queen sofa bed

Pulls down from a pallet sofa right behind the kitchen. Best for kids or a third adult — couples almost always take the king in the back. Mosquito nets, fan above, original bus windows on both sides.

Connecting hallway

Bathroom + bridge

Old emergency-door space turned into a shared full bathroom (hot water shower, flush toilet) and a short insulated hallway. This is the gate that keeps the A/C in the back. Close the door at night, leave it open during the day.

Back · newly built

A/C master · king

Newly built and bolted onto the back of the bus, accessed through the old emergency door. King-size bed, proper A/C, fully insulated walls and ceiling. The peaceful escape after a day in the sun.

★ THE STORY ★

From the road in Panama
to a palm in Playa Chiquita.

1980

A yellow American school bus is built in the United States — International Harvester, the standard model rolling off the lines that year.

Pre-1999

Edsart buys the bus second-hand and drives it down through the US, Mexico, and Panama. For a while it doubles as his home in Manzanillo, Costa Rica.

1999

He buys 10 acres of jungle in Punta Uva. The bus comes with him. He parks it under a palm tree and plants a botanical garden around it. The engine retires; the bus stays.

2019

After twenty years as his sometime home, the bus is up-cycled into a guest house: new A/C master at the back, full kitchen in the middle, queen sofa bed up front.

2024

USA Today and Green Global Travel feature Caribe Verde on lists of the most unusual hotels in the world. The bus shows up in most of the photos.

FIG 1 · the bus · parked under a palm in Playa ChiquitaFRAMES: 01 / 05 →

★ FIVE FRAMES ON BOARD ★

Drag along the bus.

Open-plan kitchen up front where the steering wheel used to be — propane stove and fridge along the bus shell

FRONT · THE DRIVER'S END

Where the steering wheel turned into a kitchen

King bed in the A/C master at the back of the bus — fully insulated, mosquito nets, lantern light

BACK · A/C MASTER

The newly-built king, fully insulated

Bathroom carved out of the old emergency-door space — hot-water shower and flush toilet, wooden ceiling

THE EMERGENCY DOOR

Now a full shower + flush toilet

OUTSIDE · COVERED TERRACE

Hot tub, BBQ, lantern light

Side view of the yellow school bus parked in the jungle — original 1980 paint, side mirror still in place

STILL YELLOW

The bus, parked under a palm

★ ON THE BUS ★

What rides with you.

1 King bed (A/C master)1 Queen sofa bed (front)A/C flows throughMosquito netsFan throughoutFull kitchenPropane stoveCoffee makerBlenderFridgeDrinkable + hot waterFlame hot tubBBQHardwood dining tableHammock + garden viewPallet sofaWi-FiDaily cleaning

★ TICKETS ★

Get on
the bus.

Cheapest house at the lodge — and the most photographed. Cloudbeds calendar is shared with the rest of Caribe Verde, so book here for the direct rate and a complimentary 6-pack of Imperial in the fridge.

~ school is in session 365 days a year ~

Book your stay

via Cloudbeds

Check-in

Check-out

Guests

Rooms

$190 × 3 nights$570

Cleaning fee$45

13% lodging tax$74

Total$689

Free cancellation up to 30 days · Best-rate guarantee

★ QUESTIONS ★

Pop quiz.

Fly into San José (SJO), take the 4.5h shuttle to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca (we recommend Caribe Shuttle), then 8 minutes south to Playa Chiquita. Or fly to Limón (LIO) and arrange a private transfer — 1h. Gated reception with parking on site, EV charging included.

The Family · 7 unique houses

Caribe Verde →

The estate · 10 acres

Beach House →

Romantic · 2–5 guests

Beach Suite →

Boutique · sleeps 6

Crystal House →

Bohemian · sleeps 7

Garden House →

Bamboo eco · 2 or 4

The Tree House →

Signature · in the canopy

The Bungalow →

Solo · couples · nomads

The School Bus at Caribe Verde — A real 1980 American school bus, parked in the jungle. Kitchen up front, A/C king in back. Sleeps 4. 1 bedroom(s). From $190/night. Located inside the Caribe Verde 10-acre Caribbean ecolodge in Playa Chiquita, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limón, Costa Rica.

STOPSLEEPHERE.

What's insidethe bus.

From the road in Panamato a palm in Playa Chiquita.