TravelAge West
Search Sponsored by

Explore TravelAge West

Destinations

Back
  • Africa & Middle East
  • Asia & South Pacific
  • Caribbean
  • Central & South America
  • Europe
  • Hawaii
  • Mexico
  • USA & Canada

Travel Types

Back
  • Family
  • Adventure
  • Cruise
  • River Cruise
  • Tour Operators
  • Luxury
  • Hotels
  • Culinary
  • Romance
  • Wellness
  • Sustainability

Directories

Back
  • Hotels
  • Cruise
  • Job Seeker Center

Interactive

Back
  • Click & Win
  • Geo Quiz
  • Slideshows & Video

Professional Development

Back

Industry Insight

  • Business Features
  • Interviews
  • Events
  • Opinion
  • Tech
  • Podcasts
  • Coronavirus and Travel
  • Need to Know Research

Education

  • Certifications
  • Digital Guides
  • Fams
  • Thought Leadership
  • Advertiser Spotlight
  • Webinars
  • Immersive Family Experiences

Events

  • Global Travel Marketplace
  • GTM West
  • WAVE Awards
  • Future Leaders in Travel Retreat

Sign Up for Our Daily Newsletter

I accept the T&C and Privacy Policy.

Search TravelAge West

Clear Field
Valerie Chen
Valerie ChenContributing Writer

Share

  1. Home
  2. Travel
  3. Hotels

Hotel Review: Origins Lodge in Costa Rica

Sep 20, 2020
Hotel Review: Origins Lodge in Costa Rica
Origins Lodge immerses guests into 111 acres of untouched nature.
Credit: 2020 Origins Lodge

Upala might be the closest ciudad (city) to Origins Lodge in rugged northern Costa Rica, but it still feels a world away for those charmed by the eco-driven luxury property and its tangled jungle terrain.

For starters, modern-day distractions seem irrelevant at Origins. An on-demand weather report can even lead a guest astray: On my first morning at the hotel, my cellphone app indicated a looming forecast of heavy rain. But it actually had pulled the data from Upala, which is a 30-minute drive from Origins.

General manager Claudia Silva also explained that the lodge’s location, set in a high valley flanked by Miravalles Volcano and Tenorio Volcano National Park, has its own microclimate. When it pours in Upala, the sun may very well be shining down on the 111 acres of primary forest that comprise Origins.

Enjoy panoramic views of Costa Rica from a wood-fire-heated plunge pool.
Enjoy panoramic views of Costa Rica from a wood-fire-heated plunge pool.
Credit: 2020 Origins Lodge

Sign Up for Our Daily Newsletter

I accept the T&C and Privacy Policy.

Right on cue, sunlight spilled through the treetop canopies as Silva and I beheld delicate angel bees (a stingless native species) darting from tree blossoms to one of the property’s 15 wooden beehives. Nearby was the Eden-like herb and vegetable garden that brims with life, due in part to volcanic soil mixed with compost (fermented with water and hot pepper). 

El Salto offers elevated French fare with a Latin American twist.
El Salto offers elevated French fare with a Latin American twist.
Credit: 2020 Origins Lodge

Helmed by Michelin-starred French chef Jean-Luc L’Hourre, the hotel’s El Salto restaurant makes the most of the garden’s bounty, which encompasses everything from basil, turmeric, ginger and malanga (taro) to five different types of spinach. Not a single chemical pesticide is used. During my three-night stay in February, on-site French chefs Dominique Serres and Rachel Biehn created exquisite yet nourishing dishes for the menu that changes daily, such as hummus ravioli with toasted sesame sauce and maiz (corn) three ways. (Note: Guillaume Rouxel, an esteemed chef from France, will replace Serres and Biehn in November.)

The restaurant uses organic ingredients from the on-site garden to create delicious, artful dishes.
The restaurant uses organic ingredients from the on-site garden to create delicious, artful dishes.
Credit: 2020 Origins Lodge

“We want to embrace the meaning of ‘origins,’ and for us, that means to go back to the roots,” Silva said of the hotel, which opened in December 2018. “We’re grateful for nature, and we try our best to be as sustainable as possible. We must take care of the garden, the trails and the animals.”

We want to embrace the meaning of ‘origins,’ and for us, that means to go back to the roots.

Those animals are wide-ranging — so much so that out of the approximately 900 species of birds found in Costa Rica, 235 and counting have been identified at the sprawling estate. There’s also the sort of creatures that emerge under the cover of darkness: On a guided night hike around the perimeter of the lodge, I locked eyes with a caiman lurking in one of 11 lagoons that teem with tilapia. Not long after, a set of bright-red pupils betrayed a tree frog’s camouflage. In guestrooms, a pamphlet outlines other locals, from screeching howler monkeys (who taunted me during a waterfall hike) to the elusive jaguar.

Origins Lodge only has six guestrooms and a three-bedroom villa.
Origins Lodge only has six guestrooms and a three-bedroom villa.
Credit: 2020 Origins Lodge

 

Creature comforts, too, are generous at Origins, where accommodations are limited to six standalone guestrooms and the three-bedroom Villa Vertigo. Its design was conceptualized and brought to life by French designers Patrick Rey and Hugues Blanchere, along with Costa Rican architect Mario Aviles. What’s more, nearly all the furniture was built on property, and materials such as mahogany are sourced from local forests. (The hotel has a collaboration with the Costa Rican government to plant 200 new trees each year, as well.)

One such handicraft is the spectacular canopy bed in each spacious guestroom, which is illuminated by a mirrored panel that rotates to reveal a skylight. Other remarkable features include a uniquely wall-less rainshower concept in the in-suite bathroom (in addition to an outdoor shower) and a wood-fire-heated plunge pool on the terrace, where I took my first sip of coffee or last drop of tea in blissful solitude.

Guest bathrooms offer a stunning wall-less rainshower concept as well as access to an outdoor shower.
Guest bathrooms offer a stunning wall-less rainshower concept as well as access to an outdoor shower.
Credit: 2020 Origins Lodge

 

What brought me the most peace, though, was tapping into Origin’s spiritual core. Wellness is often defined as a balance of mind, body and spirit — the last of which I’ve neglected and even regarded with skepticism. But at the on-site yoga pavilion, I reluctantly stepped onto a mat for the first time in nearly six months; later that day, I was inspired to return for heart-opening Thai partner yoga. And following a chakra balancing massage in the Laka-Tii Spa Suite with Maria Sabina, a healer from Mexico, a heavy weight seemed to lift off my chest.

All on-site activities are complimentary, including yoga.
All on-site activities are complimentary, including yoga.
Credit: 2020 Origins Lodge

By the end of my stay, I felt more grounded than ever before.

As Sabina noted: “Everything we do at Origins pulls us back to the Earth.”

Note

Origins Lodge is currently open; however, travel advisors should check Costa Rica’s entry requirements before booking. 

The Details
Origins Lodge 
www.originslodge.com

Tell Us What You Think! forum

Related Content

Visit Puntarenas on Your Next Trip to Costa Rica

Visit Puntarenas on Your Next Trip to Costa Rica

  • Most Read
  • Most Shared
  1. When Will the Brightline to Orlando Open? New Details Released
  2. Which Cruise Lines Require COVID-19 Vaccinations?
  3. 19 of the Best New Cruise Ships Launching in 2023
  4. How to Become a Travel Agent
  5. Review: The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad
  1. When Will the Brightline to Orlando Open? New Details Released
  2. 19 of the Best New Cruise Ships Launching in 2023
  3. Which Cruise Lines Require COVID-19 Vaccinations?
  4. Remembering Will Medina, the 'Destination Wedding Expert'
  5. Review: Luxury Meets Adventure on Abercrombie & Kent's Botswana Safari in Style Trip

From Our Partners

More Stories Like This

How the Galapagos Islands Is a Model for Sustainable, Responsible Travel

How the Galapagos Islands Is a Model for Sustainable, Responsible Travel

bestfoodinmedellin

A Foodie's Guide to Medellin, Colombia

Review: Hotel Punta Islita in Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Review: Hotel Punta Islita in Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Review: El Mangroove in Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Review: El Mangroove in Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Panama Travel Guide 2022_HERO

Visiting Panama City? Where to Eat, Where to Stay and What to Do

Hotel Review: Iberostar Selection Miraflores in Lima, Peru

Hotel Review: Iberostar Selection Miraflores in Lima, Peru

Bogota Travel Guide Hero

An Insider's Travel Guide to Bogota, Colombia

How Ecuador Plans to Attract More U.S. Tourists, Including a New Nomad Visa

How Ecuador Plans to Attract More U.S. Tourists, Including a New Nomad Visa

What to Do in Beachy Santa Teresa, Costa Rica

What to Do in Beachy Santa Teresa, Costa Rica

What to Know About Cielo Lodge, a New Ecolodge in Costa Rica

What to Know About Cielo Lodge, a New Ecolodge in Costa Rica

TravelAge West

About TravelAge West

  • About Us
  • Contributors
  • Sales Team
  • Contact Us
  • My Profile

Advertise

  • Advertise With Us
  • Write For US
  • Media Kit
  • Upload Ad Material
  • Digital Ad Specifications
  • Reprints
  • Subscribe to Print

Stay Connected to TravelAge West

Get Us in Your Inbox

I accept the T&C and Privacy Policy.


Northstar Travel Group

Northstar Travel Group

  • Travel Weekly
  • Travel Weekly Asia
  • Travel Weekly China
  • TravelPulse
  • TravelPulse Canada
  • TravelPulse Quebec
  • Meetings & Incentives
  • Travel Technology
  • Corporate Travel
  • Hotel Investment
  • Data Products
  • AGENTatHOME

Copyright © 2023 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 301 Route 17 N, Suite 1150, Rutherford, NJ 07070 USA | Telephone: (201) 902-2000

Load Carousel Here
Load Video Here