The world is small, and getting smaller. Virtually every destination offers a lux hotel, a family friendly resort, a chic boutique inn. Rare is the unique property that appeals as much to honeymooners as families, eco-travelers and urbanites, those seeking high design and those looking to just getaway. That property is the Tree House Lodge, where my family stayed for five nights (May/June 2012). Monkey howls greeted us in the morning, iguana made our short stroll to the beach even more interesting, and one evening a sloth even visited us as if to say "goodnight." And all the while the thoughtful, go-the-extra-mile staff (including the resident Rhodesian Ridgebacks) went out of their way to make us feel at home. It was worth every star, and every cent.

We stayed at the Costa Rica Tree House Lodge (the tree house building) for two nights in May 2012. This is like a child's fantasy of a hotel room, with trees sprouting up from the floor, a toilet inside a tree trunk, and suspension bridges connecting the master bedroom to the main living area. The unit has a full kitchen, two full baths and two bedrooms. We could have spent a happy week here doing the adventure tours (hiking, snorkeling, horseback riding, rafting, etc.) and hanging out in Puerto Viejo and on the beach.

The free welcome breakfast we received on the first morning was an enormous pile of fresh fruit, meat, cheese, bread and juice. Very nice.

The grounds are also stunning. On the one-minute walk to the beach alone we saw colorful crabs and many lizards and birds. Some guests have reported seeing sloths, but we weren't so lucky. We did hear plenty of howler monkeys, though.

When my friend and I checked in to the lodge, we were both sick with a 24-hour flu, and the staff were incredibly helpful, offering to carry our bags, bring us anything we needed to eat or drink, etc. We really appreciated their attention and concern.

My only word of caution: Be prepared for a rustic version of luxury. The common areas are open-air, so there's no air conditioning or protection against bugs (except in the bedrooms). You will need to wear bug spray, and you will need to keep your food covered. Also, the lodge doesn't have the services of a usual hotel, so you will need to bring your own groceries or schedule time to purchase them in Puerto Viejo. And, the bedrooms are screened but not soundproof, so you'll need ear plugs if the bugs and howler monkeys might keep you awake.

I have to say the saving grace of this hotel was the staff. They were very concerned with our well-being. When we arrived, there wasn't anyone there to greet us or point us in the tight direction. No reception area was available. Our bus driver finally tracked someone down who was working on another house on the property. He came to show us around and he was extremely nice. We stayed in the tree house. It was really a cool experience to be out in the open. However, we had some concerns. The tree house was too large for 2 people. The bathroom that is pictured on the website was really meat but it was close to another house and I was afraid someone could hear or see in. The bugs were really bad and the nets on the bed didn't keep them out. That was kind of fun until we found a lizard in the bed. I definitely agree with the other reviews that the grounds were terribly run down. We felt like there was construction going on everywhere. We didn't have help with the jacuzzi like the owner states in his other reviews. In fact, there wasn't anyone to be found after 8:00 pm. The town is about 15 minutes away and goes cost a bit of money to get there. The restaurants that are nearby are open limited hours. Most of them werent open for lunch. We got back after dark a few nights and there wasnt any light to get to our room. There were a few dogs that live on the property. We used them to get us there. The breakfast was great. We were served a lot if fresh ingredients from the area. There are much nicer and less expensive hotels in the area. I recommend staying in puerto viejo. I just want to repeat that the staff here was very nice and hospitable.

We spent two nights at the Tree House Lodge in Puerto Viejo. While I have been to
many of the "surf towns" on the Pacific side as well as up and down the Nicoya Peninsula.......
I must say that I like Puerto Viejo the best. Very charming and authentic. Fabulous restaurants,
touristy ( but cool) shops to fulfill that "inner hippy" desire to drape ourselves with various
bohemian accoutrements. I like the fact that the town (and the PV area) goes along the shore so the
beach is almost always in site. It is lush and green everywhere.....and a great abundance
of wildlife.

In writing about Tree House Lodge I want to be unbiased and fair. I know that sometimes
a hotel can get a very negative review based upon a rare bad experience. Also, it is not
unheard of for someone to write a glowing review because they were given an upgrade
and this was subtly requested by a hotel staff member.

The setting for the Tree House Lodge is very private and right on the beach. While the
beach in front is not really swimable.....a 5 or 10 minute stroll in either direction
will have you on some of the most beautiful beaches I've seen in Costa Rica. We stayed
in the Beach Suite. We were two couples and one single. I loved the setting and the ability
to open up all the doors to the outside. To lie in one of two hammocks and hear the
waves crashing is pure heaven. These are my issues with Tree House Lodge, and
more particularly the Beach Suite.....

This is not ideal for three couples. In the main building the two bedrooms are in close
proximity. The main level bedroom has no roof separating it from the upper bedroom loft.
So it's really almost like being in the same room. The upper bedroom has no
WC so if one wants to use the bathroom during the night they will need to walk down
a winding staircase. The bathroom itself is a very bizarre modern design (some
may like it but not my cup of tea)....very large with two showers, a hot tub and toilet.
The problem is, there is a big opening right in the main living area and no doors!
Even the toilet is not behind a door (just tucked in behind a curved wall).....very uncomfortable for all.

The third room is across the main entry porch. It has a bathroom. There is also
a powder room (which our friends used regularly because of the awkwardness
of toilet in main bath). This bedroom has no opening windows! So it is necessary
to close the door at night and turn on the AC. What were they thinking?
To sleep in a room listening to the rattle of the AC and be denied the lovely
sound of the ocean is not at all desirable. In fact it causes a feeling of
claustrophobia

The rooms are very tired........just very basic. The cushion covers on two sofas in
the living room have seen better days. Linens and towels are well used and again
very basic. The large doors that open to the ocean are out of wack and need some
repair. Very complicated and difficult process to open and close them (which must
be done every time one leaves room). Our shower head was in bad shape and
spewing water to the sides. The coffee maker in the kitchen was basically a two
cup pot which means we had to make three to four pots each morning....etc...etc.

Again, we loved the setting (which is a valid reason for a higher price point than other
accommodation in the area). What is lacking here in my opinion is "pride of place".
The grounds were not that well kept. The area in front of the Beach Suite was just
awful. Large dead leaves all over.....weeds and dead fruit everywhere......as if it had not been tended
to for a long time. Someone spending a half hour cleaning this up would make a
dramatic difference. It just drags everything down when the the view from your space
is so bad.

There was an issue when we checked in as we requested three separate bedrooms
but they had booked us into the Tree House which is two bedrooms. Caleb quickly
dealt with this and put us into the Beach Suite. Luckily it was available. Caleb
was very helpful and Pamela was able to book me for a wonderful last minute
massage.

Here is what should be done in the short term
Clean up the grounds
Put a sliding curtain on a rod between bathroom and main area
in main building (at least when someone sees a closed curtain
they will know not to go in)
Make one or two of the windows and third bedroom openable
and put in a ceiling fan
Do some serious work on those doors that open to the outside...
it is one of the main assets of this space
Fix shower head
Provide proper size coffeemaker for a space sleeping six...
Recover the cushions on two sofas.....us a darker colour that
matches the wicker and that will solve a lot of problems as
far as dealing with staining......

i think this place could be a gem in the rough.....needs some serious
attention to detail.....and again.....pride of place...