Origins Lodge Costa Rica review – The Points Guy

Getting to Origins Lodge Costa Rica 

How to book Origins Lodge Costa Rica

Rates at Origins Lodge start at $699 plus taxes and fees per night based on double occupancy for a bed-and-breakfast option. However, given its isolated location, you are better off opting for a full-board package that also includes all three meals, plus lodging. Those rates start at $804 per night based on double occupancy, though they can range to well over $1,000 per night during busier times of year.

Standout features

• You’ll enjoy an incredible location in a primordial rainforest between two dramatic volcanic peaks.
• Staff treat you like family and go above and beyond to ensure that your every need is met.
• Activities range from brisk jungle hikes to a roaring waterfall with horseback riding thrown in to relaxing open-air yoga sessions.
• You won’t go hungry thanks to extensive menus of organic, locally sourced (in some cases, from right on the property) ingredients.

Drawbacks

• The lodge is small and often sells out, so award availability might be tight.
• If you don’t like being surrounded by nature, this is not the place for you.
• There are golf carts to whisk guests around, but if accessibility is a concern, you may want to stay elsewhere.

The vibe at Origins Lodge Costa Rica

The way to Origins Lodge wends through tiny farming communities, over fast-flowing, boulder-strewn streams and among the foothills of towering volcanoes. With each mile of the journey, the greens of the surrounding cloud forest seem to get even more vibrant, the sunshine gets brighter and the sounds of the jungle begin to overtake those of civilization.

After you arrive at the main lodge, with its turf roof and eclectic art collection, settle in for a cup of traditional Costa Rican chorreado coffee (or something stronger) in one of the cozy seating vignettes and cast your gaze past the curviform infinity pool for views over the lowlands all the way to Lake Nicaragua in the distance.

You might spot emerald- and scarlet-hued hummingbirds flitting among the flowers or brash scarlet-rumped tanagers swooping from tree to tree, as curious about you as you are about them. Was that a howler monkey calling in the distance?

Your days here are what you make of them. Whether you want to start with a sunrise yoga session and end with a nighttime nature walk, or simply laze the morning away in bed before a spa treatment and a dip in the hot tub of your suite’s private deck, time seems to slow down here. So, take that as your cue and savor every minute.

Accommodations at Origins Lodge Costa Rica

There are just six individual suites — each named after a plant, animal, insect or cloud — plus the three-bedroom Villa Vertigo for larger parties, all located a short walk or buggy ride from the main lodge. Though some are close together, they all have plenty of privacy thanks to their orientation and the 111-acre property’s dense foliage.

That’s a good thing since you will probably want to spend some time relaxing in one of the deep chairs on your private outdoor deck or soaking in your wood-fired hot tub (don’t worry, someone who can build the fire is always just a walkie-talkie call away).

Inside, the suites have peaked bamboo roofs with ocular skylights meant to direct positive energy inside during the day and cast out negativity at night, and are inspired by the roundhouses of Indigenous pre-Columbian peoples.

Each contains a diaphanous canopy-enshrouded king-size bed, plus casual seating areas and a little side table that doubles as a work desk. You won’t find air conditioning or a TV, but the Wi-Fi signal is strong enough to stay connected, and the screens and shutters let in cooling breezes aplenty. Some of the wooden furniture was sourced from fallen trees around the property that were then crafted into items by the lodge’s own woodworking workshop.

There is a minibar with tea and coffee plus other beverages and snacks (ask for some locally produced chocolate bars), and in the closets, you will find ponchos, umbrellas, handy flashlights and insect repellant, though citronella coils keep most biters at bay.

The skylit bathrooms with rough-hewn stone walls are filled with light, and the freestanding, wall-less showers feel like bathing under a gentle rain. The hotel produces its own all-natural bath and soap products from ylang-ylang grown organically on the property.

Food and drink at Origins Lodge Costa Rica

All meals in the lodge’s restaurant, El Salto, are included in most rates, so prepare to be well fed. The waitstaff will know your preferences by the time you finish your first plate, and the pace can be as leisurely or clipped as you like (though what’s the rush?).

Expect to start your day with delicacies like fresh organic fruit plates, platters of locally produced cheese and charcuterie, pastries just out of the oven, organic eggs made to order and avocado toast. Artisanal Costa Rican coffee is a given, of course.

Lunch might include fresh-caught comber fish in asparagus sauce with pumpkin and spinach or mountain trout with sweet potato and squash, plus fresh salads and desserts like a sweet corn pie.

For dinner, heartier dishes, including broccoli soup, mango-carrot salad, sizzling rib-eye with sweet potato puree and mushrooms, or skirt steak with chimichurri, prevail. To round out your meal, expect desserts like vanilla flan or papaya-coconut panna cotta.

The overall ambience is one of a fine dining establishment that has somehow apparated to the middle of the jungle, though the warmth and friendliness of the service — one of our servers regaled us with tales of her family home in a Nicaraguan archipelago between courses — embody the Costa Rican cool-vibes catchphrase of “pura vida.”

There’s a selection of cocktails, beers, wines by the bottle and glass, mocktails and juices priced a la carte, though water, tea, juice and coffee are included.

Activities at Origins Lodge Costa Rica

Although part of the reason you come to Origins Lodge is to disconnect, slow down and take it easy, the lodge offers plenty of complimentary on-site activities to keep guests busy (in doses) and experience the vibrancy of its setting.

Among the opportunities guests have to explore the 111-acre property are nighttime walking tours, during which they might spot rainbow-colored tree frogs and yellow-flecked, tree-dwelling eyelash vipers, and bird-watching tours, during which they might find a shy but curious toucan hopping from branch to branch overhead.

There are walks through the hotel’s organic farm and various hiking excursions, including one through groves of towering kapok trees to a roaring waterfall, where your guide might spot venomous army ants and tiny frog species along the way before a sedate horseback ride back to the lodge.

The lodge has a Balinese-inspired open-air yoga pavilion that feels positively magical as you flow through warrior poses while a diluvial downpour passes by.

There are also impromptu moments, like when one of the guides sights a sloth sunning itself in the canopy by one of the buildings and guests exchange dining utensils for pairs of binoculars and rush to the spot for a good view … all the better to discuss over an afternoon of fishing in the lodge’s pond (though there’s a small caiman currently calling one of the other watering holes home).

In addition to the activities provided at the hotel, guests can book a la carte add-ons at nearby facilities, such as zip lining, white water rafting, kayaking, chocolate tasting, bird-watching and conservation activities, including a visit to the Tapir Valley Nature Reserve, which the lodge helps support.

Also a la carte? Services at the single-room spa, which is tucked away down a pathway between the suites and the yoga bale. Inspired by the holistic wellness rituals of the Indigenous Maleku people and incorporating organic herbs grown on-site, the treatments include aromatherapy and hot stone massages ($160 to $185 for one hour), a detoxifying facial ($150) and customizable body scrubs and wraps ($117).

Accessibility

Unfortunately, this is where the lodge might not suit some travelers, as there are many stairs and slopes around the property, as well as rocky or sandy paths. Those who have mobility issues or use a wheelchair will find the property difficult to navigate, while guests with sight or hearing issues will also find few amenities to accommodate their stay.

That said, it is worth calling the lodge directly to talk through your specific needs and see what accommodations might be possible in order to pay a visit.

Checking out

A stay at Origins Lodge is a truly unique way to experience the Costa Rican cloud forest, where opportunities abound to spot wildlife, get out into nature and enjoy the bounty of local farms and artisanal producers. Its small size means that every stay is tailored to each individual guest’s needs, be it menu preferences, wellness activities or just practicing your Spanish. The sedate pace and the way the suites welcome nature into their interiors make stays here feel like you are truly living la pura vida.

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