Origins Lodge Costa Rica assessment

Some folks assume you may solely earn and redeem lodge factors at huge, impersonal chain properties in mainstream locations.

However these days, a few of the main lodge loyalty packages have began to increase their purview with extra boutique properties via acquisitions and partnerships. World of Hyatt was one of many pioneers of this pattern, first affiliating with Small Luxurious Motels of the World in 2018, although that settlement has now expired (now you can use Hilton Honors factors along side SLH stays, nevertheless).

As an alternative, Hyatt bought the Mr & Mrs Smith boutique luxurious lodge reserving platform in 2023 and started permitting factors incomes and redemptions at these distinctive properties in 2024. That opened up tons of of latest, one-of-a-kind lodge experiences across the globe to World of Hyatt members.

A kind of — Origins Lodge in Costa Rica — is an ecolodge I have been keen to go to because it opened a number of years in the past. The lodge has simply six freestanding suites and a three-bedroom villa perched on the jungle-covered slopes of a former estancia within the northwest nook of the nation. What’s extra, charges embody meals and a few actions, so your lodge factors can garner you an inclusive-style keep that makes the expertise all of the extra particular.

I lastly acquired all the way down to Origins Lodge in December for a much-needed three-night sojourn with a deal with wellness, connoisseur meals and lively adventures. Here is what the expertise was like and why I’d not hesitate to remain there once more … particularly if I might use my Hyatt factors to take action.

Associated: The 16 greatest Hyatt all-inclusive resorts on the earth

Attending to Origins Lodge Costa Rica 

Origins Lodge sits in Upala within the northwest of Costa Rica, not removed from its border with Nicaragua.

The closest main airport is Liberia’s Daniel Oduber Quirós Worldwide Airport (LIR) down by the coast, which is served by a number of main U.S. carriers, together with Alaska Airways, American Airways, Delta Air Strains, JetBlue and United Airways, from their varied hubs.

The lodge is a few 90-minute drive from the airport, a lot of it alongside the freeway and well-paved roads via cities and villages, although the final half-hour is down grime and gravel roads via farmlands and jungle. So, although you can hire a automobile at LIR and drive your self, it is really helpful to have the lodge organize for transport to and from the airport. The price is $524 per car round-trip.

As a aspect be aware, LIR can also be the airport to fly into when staying on the 4 Seasons Resort Peninsula Papagayo, Costa Rica and the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort, Costa Rica, which means it is easy to mix a keep at Origins with one at these seaside lodges for a trip that features each seaside time and a nature-focused expertise.

The right way to guide Origins Lodge Costa Rica

Charges at Origins Lodge begin at $699 plus taxes and costs per night time primarily based on double occupancy for a bed-and-breakfast choice. Nonetheless, given its remoted location, you might be higher off choosing a full-board bundle that additionally consists of all three meals, plus lodging. These charges begin at $804 per night time primarily based on double occupancy, although they will vary to effectively over $1,000 per night time throughout busier instances of 12 months.

Nonetheless, Origins Lodge is among the Mr & Mrs Smith properties that take part in World of Hyatt, so you can too guide award nights beginning at 67,750 factors, although they price round 88,250 factors per night time regularly. Often, you may depend on getting simply north of 1 cent per Hyatt level in worth, primarily based on TPG’s January 2025 valuations. Take into account that you’re additionally getting all three meals plus on-site actions (others might be booked a la carte), so there may be nonetheless a ton of worth available.

When reserving Origins Lodge, you may need to use one of many bank cards that earn essentially the most factors for Hyatt stays, in addition to one which probably presents automated World of Hyatt elite standing for value-added advantages. These embody:

• World of Hyatt Credit score Card: Earn 4 factors per greenback spent at Hyatt lodges and resorts, automated Discoverist standing and 5 elite night time credit per 12 months towards the next tier.
• World of Hyatt Enterprise Credit score Card: Earn 4 factors per greenback spent at Hyatt lodges and resorts, automated Discoverist standing and 5 elite night time credit per 12 months towards the next tier.

Standout options

• You may take pleasure in an unbelievable location in a primordial rainforest between two dramatic volcanic peaks.
• Workers deal with you want household and go above and past to make sure that your each want is met.
• Actions vary from brisk jungle hikes to a roaring waterfall with horseback using thrown in to stress-free open-air yoga classes.
• You will not go hungry because of in depth menus of natural, domestically sourced (in some circumstances, from proper on the property) components.

Drawbacks

• The lodge is small and sometimes sells out, so award availability could be tight.
• In case you do not like being surrounded by nature, this isn’t the place for you.
• There are golf carts to whisk company round, but when accessibility is a priority, you could need to keep elsewhere.

The vibe at Origins Lodge Costa Rica

The way in which to Origins Lodge wends via tiny farming communities, over fast-flowing, boulder-strewn streams and among the many foothills of towering volcanoes. With every mile of the journey, the greens of the encircling cloud forest appear to get much more vibrant, the sunshine will get brighter and the sounds of the jungle start to overhaul these of civilization.

After you arrive on the fundamental lodge, with its turf roof and eclectic artwork assortment, settle in for a cup of conventional Costa Rican chorreado espresso (or one thing stronger) in one of many cozy seating vignettes and forged your gaze previous the curviform infinity pool for views over the lowlands all the best way to Lake Nicaragua within the distance.

You would possibly spot emerald- and scarlet-hued hummingbirds flitting among the many flowers or brash scarlet-rumped tanagers swooping from tree to tree, as inquisitive about you as you might be about them. Was {that a} howler monkey calling within the distance?

Your days listed here are what you make of them. Whether or not you need to begin with a dawn yoga session and finish with a nighttime nature stroll, or just laze the morning away in mattress earlier than a spa therapy and a dip within the scorching tub of your suite’s personal deck, time appears to decelerate right here. So, take that as your cue and savor each minute.

Lodging at Origins Lodge Costa Rica

There are simply six particular person suites — every named after a plant, animal, insect or cloud — plus the three-bedroom Villa Vertigo for bigger events, all positioned a brief stroll or buggy trip from the principle lodge. Although some are shut collectively, all of them have loads of privateness because of their orientation and the 111-acre property’s dense foliage.

That is a very good factor since you’ll in all probability need to spend a while stress-free in one of many deep chairs in your personal out of doors deck or soaking in your wood-fired scorching tub (don’t be concerned, somebody who can construct the fireplace is at all times only a walkie-talkie name away).

Inside, the suites have peaked bamboo roofs with ocular skylights meant to direct constructive power inside through the day and forged out negativity at night time, and are impressed by the roundhouses of Indigenous pre-Columbian peoples.

Every comprises a diaphanous canopy-enshrouded king-size mattress, plus informal seating areas and somewhat aspect desk that doubles as a piece desk. You will not discover air-con or a TV, however the Wi-Fi sign is powerful sufficient to remain related, and the screens and shutters let in cooling breezes aplenty. A few of the wood furnishings was sourced from fallen bushes across the property that had been then crafted into objects by the lodge’s personal woodworking workshop.

There’s a minibar with tea and occasional plus different drinks and snacks (ask for some domestically produced chocolate bars), and within the closets, you can see ponchos, umbrellas, helpful flashlights and bug repellant, although citronella coils preserve most biters at bay.

The skylit loos with rough-hewn stone partitions are crammed with mild, and the freestanding, wall-less showers really feel like bathing underneath a mild rain. The lodge produces its personal all-natural tub and cleaning soap merchandise from ylang-ylang grown organically on the property.

Foods and drinks at Origins Lodge Costa Rica

All meals within the lodge’s restaurant, El Salto, are included in most charges, so put together to be effectively fed. The waitstaff will know your preferences by the point you end your first plate, and the tempo might be as leisurely or clipped as you want (although what is the rush?).

Count on to start out your day with delicacies like contemporary natural fruit plates, platters of domestically produced cheese and charcuterie, pastries simply out of the oven, natural eggs made to order and avocado toast. Artisanal Costa Rican espresso is a given, in fact.

Lunch would possibly embody fresh-caught comber fish in asparagus sauce with pumpkin and spinach or mountain trout with candy potato and squash, plus contemporary salads and desserts like a candy corn pie.

For dinner, heartier dishes, together with broccoli soup, mango-carrot salad, scorching rib-eye with candy potato puree and mushrooms, or skirt steak with chimichurri, prevail. To spherical out your meal, count on desserts like vanilla flan or papaya-coconut panna cotta.

The general atmosphere is one in every of a tremendous eating institution that has in some way apparated to the center of the jungle, although the heat and friendliness of the service — one in every of our servers regaled us with tales of her household house in a Nicaraguan archipelago between programs — embody the Costa Rican cool-vibes catchphrase of “pura vida.”

There is a choice of cocktails, beers, wines by the bottle and glass, mocktails and juices priced a la carte, although water, tea, juice and occasional are included.

Actions at Origins Lodge Costa Rica

Though a part of the rationale you come to Origins Lodge is to disconnect, decelerate and take it straightforward, the lodge presents loads of complimentary on-site actions to maintain company busy (in doses) and expertise the vibrancy of its setting.

Among the many alternatives company need to discover the 111-acre property are nighttime strolling excursions, throughout which they may spot rainbow-colored tree frogs and yellow-flecked, tree-dwelling eyelash vipers, and bird-watching excursions, throughout which they may discover a shy however curious toucan hopping from department to department overhead.

There are walks via the lodge’s natural farm and varied mountaineering excursions, together with one via groves of towering kapok bushes to a roaring waterfall, the place your information would possibly spot venomous military ants and tiny frog species alongside the best way earlier than a sedate horseback trip again to the lodge.

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

There are additionally impromptu moments, like when one of many guides sights a sloth sunning itself within the cover by one of many buildings and company alternate eating utensils for pairs of binoculars and rush to the spot for a very good view … all the higher to debate over a day of fishing within the lodge’s pond (although there is a small caiman at the moment calling one of many different watering holes house).

Along with the actions supplied on the lodge, company can guide a la carte add-ons at close by amenities, comparable to zip lining, white water rafting, kayaking, chocolate tasting, bird-watching and conservation actions, together with a go to to the Tapir Valley Nature Reserve, which the lodge helps help.

Additionally a la carte? Providers on the single-room spa, which is tucked away down a pathway between the suites and the yoga bale. Impressed by the holistic wellness rituals of the Indigenous Maleku folks and incorporating natural herbs grown on-site, the therapies embody aromatherapy and scorching stone massages ($160 to $185 for one hour), a detoxifying facial ($150) and customizable physique scrubs and wraps ($117).

Accessibility

Sadly, that is the place the lodge may not swimsuit some vacationers, as there are lots of stairs and slopes across the property, in addition to rocky or sandy paths. Those that have mobility points or use a wheelchair will discover the property tough to navigate, whereas company with sight or listening to points can even discover few facilities to accommodate their keep.

That stated, it’s price calling the lodge immediately to speak via your particular wants and see what lodging could be potential as a way to pay a go to.

Testing

A keep at Origins Lodge is a really distinctive option to expertise the Costa Rican cloud forest, the place alternatives abound to identify wildlife, get out into nature and benefit from the bounty of native farms and artisanal producers. Its small measurement signifies that each keep is tailor-made to every particular person visitor’s wants, be it menu preferences, wellness actions or simply training your Spanish. The sedate tempo and the best way the suites welcome nature into their interiors make stays right here really feel like you might be actually residing la pura vida.

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