Edsart up-cycled this 1980-era American school bus — the one he travelled in through Panama and lived in during his first years on this coast, delivering Heliconia flowers from it. 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-ERA AMERICAN SCHOOL BUS · FULL-LENGTH · ONE OF ONENOW: STATIONARY · UPHOLSTERED · STILL YELLOW
The School Bus is the most affordable full house for 3–4 on the Tree House Lodge estate — a private 10-acre ecolodge on the edge of the Refugio Nacional Gandoca-Manzanillo on Costa Rica's southern Caribbean coast. Botanical gardens, 300m of Punta Uva beachfront with direct private access, gated reception, EV charging, and a 5-leaf sustainable tourism certification, all shared by guests across the seven houses.
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.
B
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.
C
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.
D
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.
1980s
A yellow American school bus rolls off the production line in the United States.
The early years
Edsart travels through Panama in the bus, and during his first years on this coast it doubles as his home — every Friday it delivers Heliconia flowers between Puerto Viejo and Manzanillo.
1997
Edsart starts building the original Tree House on 10 acres of jungle at Punta Uva. The bus comes with him — parked under a palm tree, with a botanical garden planted around it.
Later
After its years as his sometime home, the bus is up-cycled into a guest house: new A/C master at the back, kitchen up front, queen sofa bed behind it.
2018–19
USA Today and Green Global Travel feature Tree House Lodge on lists of the most beautiful eco-lodges and most unusual hotels in the world.
FIG 1 · the bus · parked under a palm in Playa ChiquitaFRAMES: 01 / 05 →
★ FIVE FRAMES ON BOARD ★
Drag along the bus.
FRONT · THE DRIVER'S END
Where the steering wheel turned into a kitchen
BACK · A/C MASTER
The newly-built king, fully insulated
THE EMERGENCY DOOR
Now a full shower + flush toilet
OUTSIDE · COVERED TERRACE
Hot tub, BBQ, lantern light
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-FiHousekeeping every other day
● The fact sheet
Everything in one page.
A 1980-era American school bus Edsart traveled in throughout Panama, re-purposed into a visually stimulating creative space nestled in a lush garden. At the front, in the former driver's area, a cozy queen-size bed sits within the open-plan living space and kitchen; at the back, a newly built air-conditioned master bedroom offers a king-size bed and a peaceful escape. Both areas share a well-equipped bathroom — leave the connecting door open and the A/C flows from the master through the whole bus. A spacious covered terrace extends the living space outdoors with a BBQ area, a large hardwood dining table made from a fallen tree, a comfy pallet sofa, a hammock with garden views and the flame-heated hot tub.
Sleeps
4
Bed configuration
Back master (A/C): 1 King-size bed
Front, open plan: 1 Queen-size bed
Eating
All houses are set up for self-catering — a stove, fridge, oven, and hot running water (solar-powered), plus a good range of utensils including a juicer and a coffee maker. Every house has access to a BBQ.
In the house
Air-Conditioning
Fan
Mosquito net
Full Kitchen
Coffee maker
Blender
Fridge
Hot water
Barbeque
Flame-heated hot tub
Covered terrace
Hammock
★ TICKETS ★
Get on the bus.
The most affordable full house for 3–4 at the lodge. Cloudbeds calendar is shared with the rest of Tree House Lodge — book direct for the exclusive Sloth web rate, our best price.
From $180
Season low / night
$197
Weeknight
$212
Fri / Sat
$162
Web rate
~10% off — book direct
~ school is in session 365 days a year ~
Book your stay
live via Cloudbeds
✓Web rate — about 10% off, applied automatically when you book direct.
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July 2026
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Guests
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Rooms
1
Whole-house rate — one price for up to 4 guests.
Pick your dates above to see live rates.
25% deposit secures your dates · see cancellation policy · Book direct for the best rate — prices here include the 13% IVA; third-party sites often show pre-tax rates and apply their own cancellation terms.
● LOVED BY GUESTS
4.4★294 reviews across the estate
Guests love Tree House Lodge — this score is across all seven houses of the estate.
“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.”
— Robert Y · Tripadvisor · Tree House Lodge
★ QUESTIONS ★
Pop quiz.
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 — a real 1980-era American school bus that Edsart travelled in throughout Panama, and lived in during his first years on this coast — delivering Heliconia flowers from it. It's been converted into a fully equipped house with a real kitchen, full bathroom, A/C king bed, and a covered outdoor terrace.
No. The back third is a newly built, fully insulated bedroom with a powerful A/C. The driver's area (kitchen + queen sofa) gets natural breeze. Surprisingly comfortable, even in March.
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).
It's a bus, so it's narrow — but it's a full-length bus, so there's room for everything. Two adults and two kids fit comfortably. The covered outdoor terrace doubles the living space.
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.
2–4. King bed in back, queen sofa in front, optional rollaway for a child.
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.
Kids love it. The novelty factor is huge. The bus is parked safely off the access road, with the terrace overlooking the garden.
Yes — full propane stove, fridge, sink, all utensils. The kitchen is where the driver's seat used to be.
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.
It's one of our smallest houses and uses some shared estate amenities. It's the most affordable full house for 3–4 on the estate (for two guests, the Bungalow is the lowest rate overall), and gives you the same access to the beach, gardens, EV charging, and on-site reception as any other house.
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.
The School Bus is one of seven hand-built houses at Tree House Lodge, a 10-acre Caribbean ecolodge in Playa Chiquita, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limón, Costa Rica. A real 1980-era American school bus, parked in the jungle. Kitchen up front, A/C king in back. It sleeps 4, 1 bedroom, from $180/night.
