✦ a house of glass bottles and a sangrillo tree
A magical
fantasy house.
Walls made of thousands of recycled glass bottles. A hundred-year-old Sangrillo tree growing through the middle. A flame-heated hot tub, a real mini-golf course, two bedrooms, room for seven, and afternoons of stained-glass light moving across the floor.
Sleeps 72 bedroomsMini-golfRecycled artFlame hot tubBBQ
EXTERIOR · BOTTLE-WALL · MINI-GOLFbuilt by Edsart with many hands over many years
● ON THE 10 ACRES OF TREE HOUSE LODGE
The Crystal House is one of seven on Tree House Lodge — a private 10-acre ecolodge with botanical gardens, 300m of Punta Uva beachfront with direct private access, gated reception, EV charging, and a 5-leaf sustainable tourism certification. Your stay includes full access to the estate's paths, beach, and gardens.
→ SEE THE WHOLE ESTATE10 acres
botanical garden
300 m
beach, private access
1
gated reception
EV
charging on-site
5 leaves
eco-certified
—— THE GLASS ——
Thousands
of bottles.
One wild house.
Edsart and his crew collected discarded beer, wine, and soda bottles for years before setting them into the Crystal House’s walls. When the afternoon sun hits them, the entire interior becomes a stained-glass kaleidoscope — patches of teal, amber, emerald, and rose moving across the floor as the day turns.
✦ best light in the late afternoon
DECORATIVE + STRUCTURAL · HAND-LAID · NO TWO ALIKE
~ yes, really · free for guests ~
There’s a mini-golf course
around a tree.
A majestic Sangrillo tree stands at the centre of the Crystal House. Around its base runs an artificial-turf mini-golf course — free for guests. It is exactly as ridiculous and delightful as it sounds.
HOLE 01
The Trunk
par 2
HOLE 02
Wheelbarrow Tire
par 3
HOLE 03
Loop the Root
par 4
HOLE 04
Tunnel under the Bench
par 2
~ clubs and balls in the entrance basket ~
—— SLEEPING ——
Where everyone sleeps.
Master · downstairs
7 × 7 M · A/C
- · 1 King bed (mosquito net)
- · 1 Queen bed (mosquito net)
- · 1 Twin bed (mosquito net)
- · Private toilet
- · Sleeps up to 5 in one room
Loft · upstairs
FAN · OPEN
- · 1 Queen bed
- · Private bathroom ensuite
- · Safe
- · Garden view from the netted wall
- · Sleeps 2 in a separate space
Total: up to 7 guests · 2 bathrooms · 2 separate sleeping areas
IDEAL FOR FAMILIES + 1
✦ Quick facts
Reserve →Sleeps
7
5 in master + 2 in loft
Bedrooms
2
master + upstairs loft
Bathrooms
2
1 in each sleeping area
Mini-golf
Included
around the Sangrillo
Flame hot tub
Yes
wood-fired, ~90 min to heat
Kaleidoscope light
Late p.m.
stained glass on the floor
Sangrillo tree
At centre
ringed by the mini-golf
A/C · Master only
King + Q + T
loft is fans + breeze
—— SHOT AT THE HOUSE ——
More quiet magic.
● The fact sheet
Everything in one page.
Enter a fantasy world where recycled art meets nature. Walls made of thousands of recycled glass bottles create a colorful kaleidoscope when hit by sunlight, and the front wall features repurposed wheelbarrow tires. The spacious ground-floor master bedroom (7 × 7 m) has A/C and includes a king, a queen, and a twin bed — each with its own mosquito net — plus a private toilet; a second room upstairs has a queen bed, its own bathroom and a safe. A majestic 100-year-old Sangrillo tree stands at the house's centre, surrounded by a mini-golf course on artificial turf, and the living area adds a flame-heated hot tub, a BBQ grill and a large pallet sofa. At the entrance, a giant recycled-wood bench and a hammock invite you to unwind.
Sleeps
7Bed configuration
- Master bedroom (A/C): 1 King-size + 1 Queen-size + 1 Twin
- Upstairs: 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
iPod dock
Safe box
Air-Conditioning
Fan
Mosquito net
Full Kitchen
Fridge
Coffee / tea making
Barbeque
Flame-heated hot tub
Mini-golf course
Hammock
—— RESERVE THE WILD HOUSE ——
Yes, you
can sleep
in here.
Family + kids? They’ll never want to leave. Group of friends? You’ll never stop laughing. Just two of you? You’ll have the whole hand-built, hand-stitched, hand-painted space to yourselves.
From $205
Season low / night
$221
Weeknight
$236
Fri / Sat
$185
Web rate
~10% off — book direct
✦ Book direct for the exclusive Sloth web rate — our best price.
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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SelectedBooked
Guests
2
Rooms
1
Whole-house rate — one price for up to 7 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.”
—— FAQ ——
Things people actually ask.
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.
Neither. The bottles are set in concrete walls — they're decorative + structural. The house is quiet (heavy walls, jungle around it) and as solid as any of our houses.
The spacious A/C master bedroom (7×7m) holds a king, a queen, and a twin — each under its own mosquito net, with a private toilet. Upstairs: a queen bedroom with its own bathroom and a safe.
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).
Excellent. The mini-golf course is on the property and free for guests. The bottle-wall design is fascinating. The hot tub is private. Lots of nooks and hammocks to explore.
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.
Part of the recycled-materials build. The front wall uses dozens of repurposed wheelbarrow tires set in concrete. It's a visual signature and a sustainability statement.
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.
Master bedroom has A/C. Loft uses fans + cross-breeze. The thick walls naturally insulate.
Yes, free WiFi in every house. Strong enough for video calls — many guests work remotely from here.
Yes, free for Crystal House guests. Other estate guests can play for a small fee. The course runs on artificial turf around the Sangrillo at the centre of the house.
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.