Geckoes Lodge, Cocles (Puerto Viejo)

Geckoes Lodge is four self-catering rainforest houses on a 2-hectare former cacao farm in Cocles, about 3 km south of Puerto Viejo on Costa Rica’s south Caribbean coast. Every house has its own garden and plunge pool, the owners live on site, and the birdlife around the porches is the real draw. It suits couples and small families who want privacy, a kitchen and wildlife at breakfast, with beaches and restaurants a short ride away.

At a glance

Where it is

Puerto Viejo is the hub of the south Caribbean, a string of neighborhoods running from the village through Cocles, Playa Chiquita and Punta Uva to Manzanillo, where the road ends. According to the lodge’s location page, Geckoes sits on Margarita Road in Cocles, 3 km south of Puerto Viejo village and 1 km back from the coastal road. That inland kilometer is what buys the quiet: you hear howler monkeys and frogs rather than traffic, yet Cocles’ supermarkets and restaurants are minutes away.

The lodge’s blog puts Playa Cocles, a surf beach known for its beach break, at about a 20-minute walk from the houses. Playa Chiquita, Punta Uva and Manzanillo are farther south along the same road and suit a bike or a short drive.

The four houses

Geckoes is run by René Flores and Tine Mortier, who moved here after living in Europe and South America and now live on the property. The houses are spread across the garden, so you rarely see your neighbors.

• Casa del Bosque: a one-bedroom, one-bathroom house for up to three, with a queen and a single bed, open-plan living room, sun deck and plunge pool. A path from the terrace leads down to the river. The lodge pitches it at honeymooners.
• Casa Bromelia: the largest, with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. It’s raised up like a treehouse to catch the breeze and the forest view, built entirely of sustainable wood, and has a work desk wired to the router. The house page lists room for up to six.
• Casa Heliconia: the newest, a glamping-style villa for up to three with very few walls, so the garden is effectively your living room. Curtains and the surrounding planting keep it private.
• Casa Lirio: a two-bedroom wooden bungalow for four near the edge of the property by the public road. It was renovated in 2024 with French windows, air conditioning and its own plunge pool, and it’s the only house where dogs are allowed (on a leash, to protect the wildlife).

All the houses have full kitchens, Wi-Fi, ceiling and standing fans, safes and mosquito nets over the beds. There’s no television anywhere, by design. Apart from Casa Lirio, the houses rely on cross-ventilation instead of air conditioning, and the lodge’s FAQ says guests sometimes reach for a blanket at night.

Food

This is a self-catering stay. Each house has a kitchen and most have a barbecue, and the lodge suggests buying the day’s catch from the fishermen at Playa Puerto Viejo and grilling it yourself. There’s no restaurant on site, but Cocles has some of the best restaurants on this coast a short ride away.

Birds and wildlife from the porch

The property was created from 2 hectares of abandoned cacao plantation. Because cacao grows in shade, the land was already full of mature trees, and with the river frontage and regrowing forest it now works as a small bird refuge. The birdwatching page reproduces a list of 31 species one guest noted from a single veranda in one afternoon, including Chestnut-mandibled and Keel-billed Toucans, Black-cheeked Woodpecker, Montezuma Oropendola and Bay Wren. The lodge also reports a visiting Slaty-tailed Trogon, a colony of more than 50 oropendolas in nesting season, and four kingfisher species along the river.

The owners say sloths, agoutis, armadillos, blue morpho butterflies and hummingbirds are regular visitors, and howler monkeys usually open the day. Nothing is guaranteed, but this is the kind of place where you can watch wildlife from a hammock rather than from a tour bus. The lodge says gravel paths around each house keep most snakes away from the living areas.

For serious birders, the lodge can arrange local bilingual bird guides for trips farther afield. Our guide to the birds of Costa Rica covers what the Caribbean lowlands add to a national list.

Day trips from Cocles

René and Tine book tours on guests’ behalf, and the FAQ says you pay the same as booking direct. Their things to do page lists the main options:

• Cahuita National Park, a short drive north. SINAC describes it as protecting the best-preserved coral reef on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast, run under a shared-management model with the Cahuita community. Expect raccoons, coatis, sloths, iguanas and basilisks along the beach trail.
• The Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge at the end of the road, with forest trails, viewpoints and some of the best snorkeling on this coast.
• The Jaguar Rescue Center in Cocles, a rescue and rehabilitation center for injured and orphaned wildlife.
• Kayaking the Punta Uva river, a Bribri indigenous culture and cacao tour, dolphin watching toward Punta Mona, a botanical garden tour with poison dart frogs, surf lessons on Playa Cocles, scuba trips to the outer reefs and a full day of rafting on the Pacuare River.

Sustainability: what’s claimed and what’s checkable

The owners say they’re committed to low-impact practices and that the houses were built to fit the land, with Casa Bromelia and Casa Heliconia built of sustainable wood. Practical touches include free 18-liter jugs of mineral water so guests can refill bottles instead of buying plastic, leashed-dog rules to protect wildlife, and quiet hours from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. Beyond that the website doesn’t publish details on energy, water or waste, and Geckoes isn’t in the official CST directory. Treat it as a small, nature-friendly rental rather than a certified eco-lodge. For a sense of how certification works here, see our guide to CST certification in Costa Rica.

Who it suits

Geckoes fits couples, honeymooners and small families who want a house of their own, enjoy cooking, and like the idea of birds and monkeys around the pool. A car or bikes make life easier, since the beach is a 20-minute walk and restaurants are spread along the coast.

It’s less suited to travelers who want meals, guiding and activities all on site, or to anyone who needs air conditioning in every room. For a lodge with a restaurant and its own farm nearby, compare Finca Tierra, also in Cocles, or Samasati Nature Retreat in the hills above Puerto Viejo. For quieter beaches farther south, look at Shawandha Lodge. Our full list of Caribbean eco-lodges covers the rest of this coast, and Geckoes is also profiled on Costa Rica Journeys.